• Home
  • Product Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Submission Policy – Terms of Service
Reviewboard Magazine
  • Home
  • Product Reviews
  • Contact Us
  • Submission Policy – Terms of Service
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • RSS

Featured Articles

PCD Razzle Cell Phone Review

PCD Razzle Cell Phone Review
The Review Crew
May 30, 2010

Overview

What’s Good: Battery life; keyboard is relatively easy to type on. 

What’s Bad: No 3G; 2.5mm headphone jack.

Introduction

Though most wireless manufacturers prefer to stay within set design boundaries, it’s nice to see a different phone every now and again. That being said, the PCD Razzle (branded as the Verizon Wireless Razzle) fits the mold. Offering a unique swiveling bottom that rotates 180 degrees to offer a full QWERTY keyboard, the Razzle is clearly marketed toward the heavy messaging crowd. With the lack of 3G connectivity, it’s not going to win the hearts of data-centric users, but for those who are looking for a decent entry-level handset, the Razzle may be just what the doctor ordered.

 

Design & Features

The left spine of the Razzle contains the microUSB charging port, volume rocker, and a microSD card slot. The right side sports a lanyard hole, camera button, and a mobile web/screen lock key. The front of the device sports two shortcut buttons, a speakerphone button, clear key, a d-pad, ok button, send, and end key. The camera is located on the back of the device, and a 2.5mm headphone jack can be found on the top of the unit. The Razzle is unique in that the bottom half of the keyboard rotates 180 degrees, offering the user the option of multimedia buttons or a full QWERTY keyboard. When rotated into QWERTY mode, the device offers a lip reminiscent of the European HTC Hero.

Like most entry-level devices, packaging is minimalist. offering the device, battery, wall charger, USB cable, 1 GB microSD card (installed in phone), and instruction manuals. Coming in at 2.4-inches wide by 4.5-inches long by 0.5-inch thick, the Razzle weighs a reasonable 3.8 ounces, making it light and easy to carry around on a regular basis. The 2.2-inch LCD display houses 262,000 colors and 220 x 176 pixels.

Usability & Performance

Like most non-smartphone devices in Verizon’s lineup, the Razzle ships with the carrier’s stock user interface. Customization is reasonable, with the choice of four display themes and 13 wallpaper options. Font sizes can be selected for dial fonts and menu font sizes, and main menu settings offer users the ability for icons to be viewed in tab, list, or grid layout. The Razzle supports instant messaging and mobile e-mail, with the latter costing $5 monthly. Ringtones, tones, sounds, and graphics are pre-installed for customization purposes, with the option of purchasing additional content through Verizon’s storefront.

The Razzle’s strength is in its music player, and it performs admirably in the department. The buttons on the front of the device act as music keys, offering a shortcut key, back/rewind, play/pause, and forward. In addition to creating custom playlists, music can be filtered by artists, genres, and albums. For those that travel frequently, a “Music-Only” mode (i.e. Airplane Mode) allows you to turn the Razzle’s wireless radio off in order to listen to music while in flight. Due to the lack of 3G connectivity on the unit (more on that later), V CAST Music with Rhapsody is not installed. While on the topic of media, the Razzle ships with a megapixel camera and self-portrait mirror. In my testing, most pictures were poor, unless there was adequate natural lighting. Photo options include six white balance presets, four resolutions, a self-timer, four color effects and four shutter sounds. The Razzle doesn’t offer a video camcorder.

I tested the Razzle in the Charlotte area, and call quality was good. Not only was call quality strong on my end, but callers reported similar results. When I went to a known Verizon fringe spot in the area, I found calls to sound mostly clear, despite the occasional choppiness. I successfully paired the Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset to the device without issue, and Bluetooth functionality worked well throughout testing. The speakerphone was a mixed bag. Though quite good on my end, several callers noted that I sounded muffled, and in many instances I had to speak up. When testing the device in a grocery store, I was able to hear my callers well.

Surprisingly, the Razzle is a 1xRTT device, meaning that it doesn’t offer 3G connectivity. CNN Mobile loaded in 38 seconds, and the PhoneDog homepage loaded in just under a minute. The only thing I was less than impressed with was the method of entering URL’s. Instead of a built-in option, the phone requires you to go back to a URL-entry page each time you want to input a website. After browsing for more than ten minutes, it gets a bit irritating.

Estimated talk time is 4.8 hours, and in my testing, battery life was quite good, due in part to the 1X connectivity. With moderate use encompassing text messaging, calling, e-mail, and light web browsing, I was able to use it just under two days before the low battery warning flashed. With little to no use, the device lasted over three days. Like any wireless device, battery numbers will vary with the level of usage that they’re subjected to between charging cycles, but the Razzle should be fine for the average consumer. For those frequently away from home, school, or the like, there are other devices that may suit you better.

Conclusion

Sure, the Verizon Wireless Razzle isn’t going to appeal to everyone. With a distinct design, it’s clear that the device is marketed towards the texting teenager versus the corporate professional. Perhaps the most frustrating issue with the Razzle is the lack of 3G. While the argument of “not everyone needs 3G” is valid, a device shipping without it in 2009 is a bit unacceptable. I’m also frustrated with the decision to utilize a 2.5mm headphone jack instead of the standard 3.5mm configuration. Barring those two issues, the Razzle is a decent entry-level handset that would fit the bill for most. The keyboard is relatively comfortable and easy to use, and it offers decent media functionality.

Related ItemsCell PhonePCD
Click to add a comment
Featured Articles
May 30, 2010
The Review Crew
Related ItemsCell PhonePCD

More in Featured Articles

  • VIPPARCEL.com
    Read More
    VIPParcel.com Scam Fraud Weird?

    So the way Reviewboard works with Interns is a little different than the other companies I’ve worked...

    Reviewboard Magazine October 29, 2019
  • Jura z6 Coffee Center
    Read More
    Jura Z6 Review – The Best Coffee Machine In The World

    Jura Z6 Coffee Machine Review The new new.  It’s a 3 letter acronym and it is changing...

    Reviewboard Magazine June 16, 2017
  • Fusion3 Design F400 Industrial 3D Printer
    Read More
    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer Review

    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer The Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer is a very inexpensive industrial 3D printer...

    Reviewboard Magazine February 2, 2017
  • Etymotic Research Music Pro Earplug Review
    Read More
    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review

    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review Ever been to a concert, club, gun range, or loud...

    Reviewboard Magazine January 26, 2017
  • Two Fools Fatboy Belt
    Read More
    Two Fools Fatboy Belt Review

    Two Fools Fatboy Belt Review Any company who has a motto “Say no to buckles and yes...

    Reviewboard Magazine January 24, 2017
  • Read More
    Plated.com – Food Service Review

    The idea behind Plated.com is really neat.  I love the idea that you can get fresh, responsible,...

    Reviewboard Magazine December 28, 2015
  • Read More
    Allurez 14k White Gold Black and White Diamond Mens Wedding Band UB630 Review

    Allurez 14k White Gold Black and White Diamond Mens Wedding Band Style #UB630 The Allurez 14k White...

    Reviewboard Magazine August 14, 2015
  • Read More
    Dyson AM06 Air Multiplier Desk Fan Review

    The Dyson AM06 Air Multiplier Desk Fan Review I’ve been wanting one 0f these things for years,...

    Reviewboard Magazine July 7, 2015
  • Read More
    D-Link DCS-935L HD Wi-Fi Camera Review

    The D-Link DCS-935L HD Wi-Fi Camera Review D-Link has been making wifi routers, networking devices, and cameras...

    Robert England July 6, 2015
  • Read More
    Acer C720 Chromebook Review

    The Acer C720 Chromebook Review The Acer C720 Chromebook was a bit dated when we got it....

    Philip Ferreira July 6, 2015
  • Read More
    Maingear Force Intel 8-Core Extreme Gaming Computer Review

    Maingear Force Intel 8-Core Extreme Gaming Computer Review Maingear is a PC manufacturer based out of New...

    Brade Smith July 1, 2015
  • Read More
    Nuwave Precision Induction Cooktop PIC Review

    The Nuwave Precision Induction Cooktop Review Just like many of you we saw the commercials for the...

    Philip Ferreira June 23, 2015
Scroll for more
Tap

Social Media

  • 67160followers
  • 82945likes

Facebook

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • FREE 1 Year Costco membership For 2018 Costco Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • FREE 1 Year SAMS Club membership for 2019 Sams Club Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2019
  • 2014 Exmark 60 Inch LazerZ X-Series Zero Turn Commercial Mower Review
    Lawn and GardenApril 12, 2014
  • 2014 Exmark VTX730EKC524 52 inch Vantage X-Series Stand On Mower Review
    Featured ArticlesApril 10, 2014
  • Fusion3 Design F400 Industrial 3D Printer
    Fusion3 F400 Industrial 3D Printer Review
    Computer HardwareFebruary 2, 2017
  • Magellan 6630T-LM GPS Review
    Magellan Roadmate 6630T-LM GPS Review
    AutomotiveApril 3, 2017
  • Etymotic Research Music Pro Earplug Review
    Etymotic Research Music Pro Adaptive Earplug Review
    Audio-VideoJanuary 26, 2017
  • Jura z6 Coffee Center
    Jura Z6 Review – The Best Coffee Machine In The World
    Featured ArticlesJune 16, 2017
  • 3 Reasons Why You Should Not Buy The Nintendo Switch
    Computer HardwareJanuary 9, 2017
  • Is BP Paying Julian Assange from Wikileaks not to publish Oil Spill Secrets?? You decide.
    Free ContentJuly 20, 2010
  • FREE 1 Year SAMS Club membership for 2019 Sams Club Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2019
  • VIPPARCEL.com
    VIPParcel.com Scam Fraud Weird?
    Featured ArticlesOctober 29, 2019
  • FREE 1 Year Costco membership For 2018 Costco Membership
    Free ContentOctober 31, 2017
  • Incredibles.me Psychic 420 Lost & Found Service
    UncategorizedAugust 9, 2018
  • Cangshan N1 Series 60010 22-Piece German Steel Forged Knife Block Set
    Cangshan N1 Series 22 Piece German Steel Knife Set Review
    HouseholdMarch 13, 2018
  • LG Signature Wallpaper OLED 65 Inch TV Review
    Audio-VideoJanuary 12, 2018
  • 2017 Gift List For Nerds
    Product ReviewsDecember 5, 2017
  • Restaurant / Food Service Equipment Reviews Coming Soon
    Product ReviewsNovember 20, 2017
  • Coming Soon – How to make your floors look new!
    Product ReviewsOctober 31, 2017
  • 2017 Reviewboard Magazine Holiday Buyer’s Guide
    Product ReviewsOctober 31, 2017
  • Jane Ross says:

    I would feel like a complete idiot doing this and…

Reviewboard Magazine

Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem?

Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet.

Tweets

Follow @@review_board

Reviewboard Magazine
@@review_board

  • @yomilo Yep we do.
    about 4 weeks ago
  • New post: FREE 1 Year SAMS Club membership for 2019 Sams Club Membership @ https://t.co/THizeAWEIA #free #membership
    about 1 month ago
  • @FINALLEVEL @jameyjasta Damn @FINALLEVEL do you actually age my man? I'm 12 years younger than you and you look younger than me.
    about 1 month ago
  • @ceschi My man we need to get together and eat CT Pizza and square up. 1luv.
    about 1 month ago

2017 Album of the Year

Milo - IDK - Who Told You To Think?!?!?!? Buy Whole Album On iTunes
http://www.reviewboard.com/wp-content/uploads/11-Idk.mp3

Copyright © 2017 by Random Publishing, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

BlackBerry Storm2 9550 Cell Phone Review
Nokia Shade 2705 Cell Phone Review