Motorola MOTOKRZR K1m (Verizon Wireless)

Pros:
Durable, reliable, good signal strength and great audio quality. Much more stylish than the original RAZR with stunningly good looks, its slim body allows it to ride sideways on a belt more easily than wider bodied phones. Battery has decent life once it's been recharged a number of times. Build quality and Verizon firmware updates following the phone's initial release into the marketplace improved the phone considerably. (See caveats in "Cons" section.)

Cons:
Front panel can be scratched and/or cracked (other than that, it's quite sturdy). This isn't a phone for knocking around in a book bag, colliding with keys and other sharp objects at the bottom of a large purse, banging into things while worn on a belt, or for carrying around in a box of rocks. The initial reputation of the KRZR K1m suffered by a lack of manufacturing quality in the early ones that first hit the streets (related to manufacturing, not design), and by the original version of Verizon's proprietary firmware having some bugs. Using it as a music player requires connecting the headphones to the phone via its USB port which some may not like (doesn't bother me at all).

Want a basic phone that can also be used as an occasional music player that has some style to it? Don't need to do non-stop texting all day? Don't need it to double as a mid-grade camera or PDA? The KRZR might be for you. I'm an individualist and don't like following "The Herd" or having things that would give anyone the impression I'm part of "The Herd." Saw so many V3m at work that I got the KRZR K1m and relegated the V3m to backup and beater (although it's also an excellent phone). Not many KRZR are seen where I work, likely because they're not "free" with a contract (although recently they were nearly free). Operates just like a narrower but very slightly thicker version of the V3m, and just as well. Also easier to use as an occasional music player than the RAZR V3c/m with basic MP3 player controls on the front and sides; it doesn't have to be opened. If you want continuous music playing in your ears all day, get an iPod, but if all you want is some music occasionally, you won't need the iPod. The hinge is more robust than the RAZR V3 series. Although the initial builds when the K1m was first released into the market suffered some manufacturing quality issues, this was quickly fixed. Builds that followed (and current) are much better. Likewise, the initial version of Verizion's proprietary firmware had some bugs, and this has been fixed as well. The KRZR K1m is my daily phone and will remain so into the foreseeable future. I've been extremely happy with it.

Two dislikes related to Verizon, not with Motorola or the K1m. Verizon's proprietary firmware imposes a more cumbersome and inconvenient UI (user interface) and cripples numerous features in the phone (e.g. USB transfer of music, ringtones and photos). Unlike most other makers' phones (e.g. LG or Samsung), most Moto phones including the K1m can be restored back to what Motorola originally intended with UI and features with generic Motorola (development team) firmware. Takes a little work as it also requires service programming the phone for Verizon's network and one's Verizon account, and doing so with attention to detail (and the proper tools). Fully unleashed with Moto's UI and crippled features restored, it transforms from a good phone to a great phone.