The SLVR L7 comes in matte black with a silver keypad and buttons. The slender body measures 49 x 114 x 12mm and it weighs just 96g. The phone is nicely balanced and feels good in the hand. On the top edge, there are two speaker slots on either side of a button that releases the rear cover. On the rear, the VGA camera lens is at the top with a speaker grille at the bottom.

The ringer is loud and vibration alerts can be customised so you can tell who’s calling (like distinctive ringtones). The SIM card sits below the battery – held in place by a sliding latch. On the right edge are a USB port, a camera shutter button and an externally accessible T-Flash memory card slot with a rubber cover. A 64MB card is included (with an SD Card adapter).

The USB port doubles as a stereo headset jack and a port for charging the battery. There are no features interrupting the smooth lines of the bottom edge. On the left-hand edge, there’s a Push-to-Talk button and volume keys. On the front, there are two earpiece slots above the LCD.

The LCD measures 30 x 37mm and it can display a 262K-colour depth at 176 x 220. The screen quality is great for viewing still images, with good detail and rich colour. Movies are colourful, too, but detail is lost in the compression. The SLVR starts in 20 seconds and shuts down in six. The SLVR reminds you of its number when it boots up.

Navigation
The SLVR has a roomy keypad, although it sits quite close to the bottom edge where some comfort is lost. Generally, keypad ergonomics are good. The keypad is very stylish, with an etched appearance and a vibrant blue backlight that is evenly dispersed across the keys. However, unlike the RAZR, there’s a plastic membrane across the surface.

This protective membrane (which the RAZR doesn’t need, as the keypad is protected when the phone is folded) assists with fingertip accuracy but detracts slightly from the visual impact of the SLVR. A light sensor activates backlighting, so battery life isn’t sacrificed unnecessarily.

Deactivate the backlight by pressing the disconnect button in standby mode. There are two soft-menu buttons below the LCD plus a menu button, and below them there is a circular four-way navigation/shortcut button with a fifth central key. The SLVR’s menu structures are simple and in bold characters for easy reading. You can create extra shortcuts for one of the positions on the four-way navigation button. On the standby screen, the soft keys launch the messaging client or take you to Vodafone live!. The SLVR has voice dialling support.

Calling
The SLVR is a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM mobile that connects locally to Vodafone’s 2.5G service. It has GPRS for data traffic and Push-to-Talk is supported as an optional service. We tested an engineering sample but its standard call quality was very good. The sound quality through the earpiece had a soft quality and average volume, while at the receiver’s end it had good volume and clarity.

Speakerphone mode is available before your call is answered. We got good volume from the speaker with some quality loss at higher levels. Quality at the receiver’s end was similar to that in normal calling mode. The SLVR supports speed dialling using buttons. Voice dialling is easy to set-up and use, although you might want to create your own shortcut as there is no direct button access (and you will still be required to push at least two buttons before you can speak your contact’s name). The contacts database stores a useful range of contact data, and you can set custom ringtones. Photo ID is supported for inwards calls. The battery’s rated talk time is up to five hours, with a 12-day standby.

Camera
The camera offers a VGA (640x 480) resolution – shots look good on the 262K LCD. There are basic exposure and digital zoom adjustments available in shooting mode. Other settings include white balance, resolution (160 x 120 and 320 x 240 are the other options) and a range of shutter sounds (a chimp, a duck and more). Timed shutter release can be set for a delay of five or 10 seconds. Once you’ve captured an image, a menu becomes available simplifying either, image saving, sending as a message, using it as a photo ID or turning it into wallpaper. You can zoom in on images or resize them while they’re still on the phone. Shortcuts let you quickly tag and send a group of images over Bluetooth.

The video options menu allows MMS-friendly movies or longer. You can configure the movie camera for a variety of lighting conditions, from cloudy to indoor etc, or leave it on automatic. You can choose to record sound or not, and resolutions are high (176 x 144) or low (128 x 96). Digital zoom can be applied up to 4X but only before shooting begins. Movie and picture quality are good but typical of a VGA camera.

Messaging
Besides SMS and MMS messaging, the SLVR can send and receive email through POP/SMTP servers and you can access web mail via its browser. The large screen and comfortable keypad make text-based messaging a very usable function on this phone, and iTap is included as an alternative to multi-tap input.

Applications
The SLVR is sold with a stereo hands-free headset to double as a music player connected via USB. The standard software player is basic but effective, with support for playlists. The WAP 2 browser is useful and displays with bold text. Online images look good and long pages can scroll quickly. The usual assortment of extras is included, such as a calendar, calculator and alarms. Java game demos are supplied, and more can be downloaded. Performance is average, but a faster processor might cut down on waiting time while applications open. The SLVR supports Bluetooth for accessories like wireless headsets or exchanging files with a computer.

Summary
With a mid-range price, the SLVR L7 is worthy both as a fashion accessory and a business phone. Call quality is good in normal and speakerphone mode, and Push-to-Talk is available. The 2.5G Vodafone connection supports web access with the WAP 2.0 browser. Motorola is striving to establish its phones as digital music players, and the SLVR is equipped with an MP3/AAC player.

The easily accessed T-Flash card slot provides expandable storage space (a 64MB card is bundled). The VGA camera is basic but useful for MMS images and movies. The messaging client has full POP/SMTP support, so you can stay connected to your email. The large screen displays plenty of information, and the 262K-colour depth displays MMS content well. The SLVR shares the RAZR’s cool black alloy cladding and also has arguably the most stylish keypad on any phone currently available. The battery’s long, 5-hour rated talk time helps make the SLVR great value for money.

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August 2006