| Get ahead of the social curve with the Motorola Karma QA1 from AT&T, a curvy and compact messaging device that lets you express yourself the way you want. Designed for effortless all-day, every-day mobile socializing, the Karma features text messaging, instant messaging and homescreen access to Facebook and MySpace. And you'll be able to quickly fire off status messages and emails with the slide-out QWERTY keyboard. 
The curvy, compact Motorola Karma QA1 features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and easy access to text and instant messaging as well as Facebook and MySpace social networking. | 
Enjoy optional AT&T services such as Video Share, AT&T Navigator turn-by-turn directions, and AT&T Mobile Music with streaming XM Radio Mobile. | 
Other features include Bluetooth stereo music, MicroSD memory expansion, and a digital audio/video player. | This phone can quickly download video, music and more over AT&T's lightning quick HSPDA 3G network. Additionally, with AT&T's 3G network, you can listen to a conference call on a headset while sending and receiving e-mail attachments, picture messages or Web pages at the same time. This GPS-enabled phone can access the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions as well as its Video Share service, which enables you to send video of yourself to another compatible phone while making a voice call. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder with a flash and 8x digital zoom, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, digital audio player, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), full HTML browser, access to personal email, personal organizer tools, and up to 4 hours of talk time. AT&T Service
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA), which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming. With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) While using Video Share with family and friends is a fun way to communicate, it's also very useful for business. For example, a majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so. With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search. The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Phone Features
The Motorola Karma QA1 keeps the conversation going with multiple ways to stay connected on your terms. IM-style texting with an all-in-one view of messages and easy scroll navigation helps you keep track of conversations and stay organized. Take your social status to the next level by sending instant messages to multiple friends at once using popular services like Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger. Social networking addicts can add Facebook and MySpace quick launch icons to the home screen for one-click access, and updating your status, sharing a comment or posting pictures and video from the Karma's built-in camera is a breeze. 
The 2-megapixel camera on the back includes an LED flash and offers video capture capabilities. |  | The phone has a 2.5-inch LCD screen with a 320 x 240-pixel resolution and excellent 262K color depth--great for reviewing photos before uploading. The face has a 4-way navigation pad with center select key that's surrounded by send/end keys, soft navigation keys, a back button and a dedicated messaging button. The face then smoothly slides up to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone has a 100 MB user accessible memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook supports multiple phone numbers per contact and supports caller groups as well as picture/ringer ID. This Motorola phone includes the innovative CrystalTalk technology, which automatically accounts for background noise during a call and adjusts the audio quality based on ambient noise conditions to provide the optimal conversational experience. CrystalTalk also reduces the volume of the background noise picked up by the microphone during a call, making it possible to be more easily heard over the phone while in a noisy environment. Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable). The 2-megapixel camera includes an LED flash and up to 8x digital zoom (depending on resolution selection), and it also captures video clips. In addition to a digital audio player (compatible with MP3, WMA, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+), the phone also offers a video player that's compatible with MPEG4 and H.263 video formats. You'll enjoy the 3.5mm headphone jack for use with a wide range of headphones. Other features include: - USB 2.0 connectivity and PC synchronization
- Full HTML browser
- Access to mobile blogging tools
- Compatible with polyphonic and MP3 ringtones; optional Answer Tones from AT&T allow your friends hear your favorite song or funny phrase when they call you
- Preloaded games include Scrabble Blast, Super Jewel Quest, Zuma and Oregon Trail
- Email formats: IMAP/POP3/SMTP and web-based email
- Organizer tools: Calendar, to-do, alarm, calculator, notes, tip calculator
- Voice commands
- Voice note recording
Vital Statistics
The Motorola Karma QA1 weighs 4.97 ounces and measures 3.46 x 2.51 x 0.7 inches. Its 1170 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, and up to 336 hours (14 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA). |
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 Favorite Cell Phone So Far |
| Review Date: September 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Spencer, Ky |
The phone itself is mildly bulky (smaller than blackberries and Palms), if that even does it justice as a description....ok, it's short (though taller than it is wide) and roughly a couple inches wide, medium thickness (but that is a given since it's a slider), but very very functional and sturdy compared to the other phones I handled during my pre-purchase peruse. Many of the other sliders priced the same were either more phone than necessary (more major PDA requiring more $ expensive data packages) or were flimsy and cheap to the touch.
For a basic PDA-like texter phone (calendar, IM and texting), it's great. The body of the phone is rubbery, metallic, and plastic with a matte and rubber finish outer shell and a durable glass-like quality face. This isn't a rock, but at the same time it feels solid in my hands. It only comes in the one stock color at the moment; gray/black. There are colored click and rubber cases for it (which would just make it bulkier), but honestly short of a carrying case and a full cover screen shield (film to protect from scratches) you don't need much else for this phone's body.
*If your phone hums for any reason, even while open, other than standard setting of vibrating with calls, IM's and texts, return it for warranty coverage to your cell provider. Many forums have listed this as a concern. Thankfully, I did not have this problem.
The keys are not gel like, how the Palms are. They are plastic, firm, and spaced from one another. I picked up quickly on the shift and number keys. They don't feel cheap like some of the other popular sliders. The D/5 key is slightly depressed amongst the others raised, intentionally.
I digress, the phone itself is great. I owned a Razr before, but texting on a simple flip phone, regardless of how well constructed it is, with basic keys isn't great. Between going to school & working full time, I needed something I could key in details into my daily calendar and text with.
The screen is small and glass-like (not poor quality looking plastic). It is not a touch screen in any application. It's extremely well lit and crisp (even at a default contrast setting of 3-med) but it gets smudgy. Invest in a screen guard the same day you buy it to protect from scratches. Easy enough.
I didn't include the internet, but I did get the messaging unlimited. I hear they are going to start requiring minimum plans for smart phones soon. Otherwise, they won't even sell you the phone. But I think that given the quality of the unit, watching television or other on it would be suitable and clear. My friends have marveled over the clarity of the pictures, lettering, etc...There is no lag or weird pixilation that I've seen, accept for when pictures are loading in the album for view. There is also GPS directions available, but it's an At&t format and requires internet.
The backgrounds can be changed to whatever preset ones on the phone or a picture stored on the mini or phone memory (main menu=settings=personalize).
The "themes" or background color can be set (main menu=settings=themes). Two come standard on the phone and of course, true to At&t nature, you can BUY more right there on the little device if you wish. I set mine to At&t Custom (which is black background with white lettering). The other is At&t blue & white.
The phone has a key lock mode. When you get it straight from the box, it's set to turn the phone to standby quickly. This is an adjustable feature you just have to poke around tools settings. Personally, I don't mind that it locks quickly. I throw it into my purse once I'm done with it. You can set it up to automatically unlock when you open it. I believe it is defaulted this way anyway.
You can change most of the home bar keys to accommodate your needs. So if you don't want MySpace and Facebook to list on your bar, but you want the IM and the Address book instead it's easily changed. If you do wish to use these attributes, be sure your plan covers internet usage. Unlimited Messaging plans (or the current ones they offer around $20) usually only cover the IM and texting of text, pics and video only. To use the FB or MS, you have to log onto your online account from a computer first to enable the mobile feature.
Keys on the sides of the phone are (left default) camera and (right default) ringer volume.
On the face are default back and message center buttons.
You CAN work on things without having to slide out the key pad. Again, an adjustable feature you have to poke for to set. I like being able to read my calendar reminders & messages without having to open the phone. Text marquee (the speed in which lengthy text passes into view) is also available in slow, medium, and fast. Both slide feature and text marquee are found under main menu=settings=initial setup.
There are car settings and Airplane Mode, which means while in flight you don't have to technically turn your phone completely off. Read more about the details online.
Standard headphone jack available on top of the phone.
Games there are a few of them on the unit, but they are all demos, a couple are complicated to load, and you cannot delete the demos. If you want to pay monthly to order and keep a game on the phone that's entirely up to you.
The battery life is more than acceptable. Just remember brightness settings and leaving on the Bluetooth when not in use will always drain any battery. And I do leave mine on battery save mode, brightness of 3 (midway),
The sound: quality of the speaker phone is excellent and clear.
However, because of the shape of the unit I would recommend speaking on speaker phone or investing in a Bluetooth earpiece. In regards of music, again, it is better quality listening that on most phones. It'll play a variety of formats (be sure to review tech stats for which: AAC, H.263, MP3, MPEG, MPEG-4, WAV, WMA9, WMA10, PNG, eAAC+, AAC+, MIDI, Real Audio).
The Camera: has a variety of playful settings, you can turn off the shutter noise, there is video but remember the phone saves up to 100 mb or you can store up to 16 g on a mini-card (which is not usually included with the phone). The port is beside the battery, under the cover. The size of your memory will affect how many pictures and the length of your videos (as well as the number of songs). For 2 mp, it's an ok camera. There is a flash, but I call it LED flashlight mode. The flash is literally more a constant light, than a traditional flash (unless I'm overlooked a setting). And it is BRIGHT. My friends had "sunspot" blindness when I tried to take their picture with it.
The alarm: If you are like me you use your phone for just about everything, including an alarm clock. Some PDA/phones are not loud enough, or don't allow your own music or tones. You can set multiple times with tones on the phone or your own music and the volume (ranging from 0-6) is plenty loud enough.
Texting: is great because it learns your words, allows for inserted pre-template words/phrases, pictures, video, etc...and when it does suggest words as you type they are more often than not the ones you were trying to use. I don't type in text lingo often; I like the old school art of actually writing out what I have to say. Either way, it works well.
There is some confusion about the threading texting...some forums I've seen have people wondering if you can have it thread or switch it back & forth between texting old school and threading...There is. I found the option today. If you go into message and click on options, select "view messages" or "view conversations" depending on which you have it defaulted to when you get it. This is how you switch between threaded texts and the regular texting style. I'm sure email would have been great, but personally, my email isn't all that vital. The IM & texting are more than enough to get a hold of me. If you want email you'll have to double check the tech specifics for which it'll support or if you have to sync up existing email through a POP account.
You can set up the texting in and out boxes to trash messages automatically to save you the hassle. Same standard features (locking, copying, etc...)
IM: Yahoo, AIM, and WLM. Other than those I don't see any other available messenger clients. But for example yahoo accounts are free and easily set up online prior to setting up messaging on the device.
You will have to use Motorola Tools to put on or take items off your phone like music and picture files, unless of course you pay to download music, sent it via Bluetooth, or other, etc...I have an old version and I've not tried it yet (so I can't say if you have to get the newer one or not), because I had to order another USB cord. This is a mini-flat usb attachment, that once again isn't usually included in the box. Got to ebay or Amazon for accessories. I wouldn't recommend buying in the store for extras. I bought the usb, car charger, screen guards, leather case all for $10 with no extra shipping charges. The store, $30. Because I made the same mistake, thinking my Razr attachments (Motorola too) would work, they do not. The port is completely different.
I purchased this phone (via At&t with a 2 year contract). Complain enough about their "one time" activation fee of $18 and you won't have to pay it. Like car salesman they act like they are giving you such a good deal.
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This phone is almost as fantastic as AmazonWireless
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| Review Date: August 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Jonathan Crisman, Pacific Palisades, CA |
I bought this phone a week ago after A LOT of research because it does everything I wanted: great screen, full keyboard, compact, 3.5mm headphone jack, good music player, fast 3G connectivity, good camera with flash, and on and on. Also, the battery lifespan is long, the build is really solid, and the design is pretty nice. I was not disappointed. In short, the hardware is great. The downside is that the included AT&T software is really crappy and you can't delete it. Also, if you try to use your own downloaded software (e.g. Google Maps) it does this really annoying thing where it asks for permission every time it accesses the data network. This is obviously a software thing that is unnecessary and AT&T does just so they can make money by forcing you to use their apps. It does include a great, free GPS app, [...], which is impressive because their AT&T GPS app costs $5 a month and GPS is usually a paid-for service -- even the iPhone doesn't have GPS (it locates itself using cell phone tower triangulation). The included AT&T internet browser is decent and can access all the sites you would want to -- facebook, twitter, gmail, etc. etc. This phone fills all my needs and a data plan for this phone only costs $15/month or $10/month with a family plan verses the $30/month that you will be paying for a BlackBerry or an iPhone. If you are willing to put up with the annoyance, its a great phone and a great price. If you aren't looking for a smartphone or a phone to use with data, then this phone is hands-down a great phone.
I did have one issue with the phone: the Motorola software and drivers for connecting the phone to the computer were extremely confusing and the USB connection did not work on my phone. I am SO GLAD I bought on AmazonWireless because after I was sure the handset was faulty, they immediately shipped me a new phone on 1-day shipping and included a paid mailer to send them back the faulty phone. I spend hours on the phone with Motorola and could not get a straight answer and when I called AmazonWireless, I immediately got a real person to speak to and they solved my problem quickly and professionally. Regardless of whether you buy this phone or another phone, you should definitely use AmazonWireless -- the phones are cheaper, its incredibly easy to use, and their customer service is fantastic!
I LOVE AMAZONWIRELESS!! (I know this is a really shameless plug but I swear, I am not affiliated in any way with Amazon and I just think that when a company does a good job servicing their customers, it should be acknowledged!) |
Best full featured (non-smartphone) available
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| Review Date: September 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Matthew D. Ruffell, Webster, NY USA |
Went shopping for new phones with my wife. We looked and played with EVERYTHING we could find. When you walk by the phone isle the Karma is easy overlooked because it is so elegantly simple. We thought to ourselves that the phones with the visible keyboards (like blackberry) are the ones we want. We didn't want touch screens like the iPhone because we don't like dirty finders touching the phone then our face. We didn't want flip phones with small screens. Then at last we discovered several slider phones which often have the best of everything. There is no need to show the ugly busy keyboard when you don't have to. There is no touch screen keyboard that's eats battery life.
The Karma stood out because it is compact, very innovative, full featured, and super high quality. The keyboard is also very good and slides away when you don't need it. I also bought "Motorola Phone Tools" which also me the sync my outlook calendar and contacts with the phone, and transfer pictures and music file easily. People are saying the Karma is a good social phone for texting and stuff, which is true but the Karma exceeds at everything else as well. Call Quality/GPS/3G/Camera/Video, tons more. Nice job Motorola. |
First Impressions
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| Review Date: November 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: John Veneruso, Vancouver, WA USA |
After extensive comparisons of cell phones that are excellent "phones" first and good at texting second, I chose the Motorola Karma. I didn't want a phone with a $30/month data plan because I'm always near a computer when I need one. So I'm using the Karma primarily as a phone with the addition of an unlimited text plan. I've had the phone for two weeks, so these are just my first impressions.
(1) Call quality is excellent. I even hear my Mom, who's calling from an awful Samsung phone, clearly and she no longer asks me to repeat what I'm saying like I did with my old Nokia 6820 (which did have pretty good call quality). My friends remark that I sound like I'm calling from a landline, even when I'm walking on a busy street.
(2) Call talk time is good. I've talked for nearly 3 hours between charges and still had juice left in the battery. Overall, I'm charging my phone about once every 4 days and I'm burning about 900 minutes/month.
(3) Camera is decent. While it's not nearly as good as my 8MP Nikon camera, it is good enough for taking photos to upload to Facebook.
(4) Voice recorder works well.
(5) Sync'ing through MPT to my Outlook works like a dream...except for one small problem...meeting alert tones always get converted to "Piano". (The Alarm also defaults to "Piano") I've searched through every menu, been on every forum, all to no avail. You can individually change the alert to something else, meeting by meeting, but I have tons of meetings that change weekly. (Note: MPT5.0 will automatically update to 5.2x when you install it on your PC so it is compatible with the Karma. Also, MPT5.0 comes with the sync cables that you'll need to sync and charge from USB)
(6) Texting is fast. It's zero lag...I type fast and it appears real-time. Sending, deleting, etc. is also quite speedy. The keyboard is easy for my big thumbs to type on. It's been a glitch free experience.
The screen is bright and easy to see in daylight, but it's resolution is not what an iPhone offers. I would not want to browse the web on the Karma. And although you have threaded text conversation support, it's hard to see much threading with just four lines of text occupying the entire screen. At least the text is easy to read.
If you get this phone, you'll want to go to Settings > Personalize > Home Screen (a quirk in the UI provides no indication that this is actually a menu item, just highlight it and press the center button) > Launch Bar (click on center button) then choose these settings for the launch bar: Icons: Hide, 1st: Create Message, 2nd Address Book, 3rd: Calendar, 4th: My Stuff. Pressing the upper section of the middle round button will bring up these four tools.
I'd recommend this phone to anyone who wants an excellent "cell phone" first with competent texting capability.
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Almost a PDA, without the data plan
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| Review Date: September 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: crayn, Perkasie, PA United States |
As other reviewers have noted so well, this is as good as it gets without a $30/month data plan. You better get the $10/month data plan, though, because you just won't be able to stay off the internet with this phone.
Although the built in email app does not work with Gmail, you can easily download the Gmail app from Google and add it to the 4 shortcut buttons that appear on the Homescreen for quick access to your email. Apps are not available for Google Tasks and Google Calendar but you can bookmark them in the browser for easy access. It would be nice if I could sync Google Tasks/Calendar with the built in apps on the phone, but that is wishful thinking.
Stepping down from a PDA, I was looking for a memo/notepad and SOLITAIRE, which the Karma does not have. I downloaded a java version of both, and I am good to go.
I love how this phone fits in my pocket. The rounded square shape is very eye catching. Everyone wants to see my new phone. |
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