It seems that touch screen smart phones are the new “thing” when it comes to mobile phones.  Palm has been the leader in the touch screen industry; until Apple released the iPhone.  Now, Motorola brings a touch screen phone to the Verizon network.  Verizon now has three distinct touch screen phones; Palm Treo, LG Voyager and now the Motorola Blaze.  Sadly, the Blaze is not considered a smart phone.

The handset takes design cues from a number of Motorola products. It’s odly a MING crossed with a PEBL crossed with a RAZR 2. Yeah. There’s a custom OS just for Verizon (did you really think they were done junking up their devices with that red theme?) and it works decently. It’s by no means a smartphone here. The mobile web browser is ok, and that’s being super nice. Texting or writing emails with the touch screen keyboard a la LG Voyager is bland, hard to use, and frustrating. Additionally, the phone has Haptic feedback but you have to press the darn touch screen so hard you feel like you’re going to break it. 

Link: Motorola Blaze for Verizon…

Based on looks alone, the phone looks like a brick.  However, with vCAST mobile internet and a standard phone web browser, the phone gets fail from me.  A touch screen phone should be customizeable; the user should be able to add applications.  Verizon has custom designed a OS for the phone and does not call it a smart phone; which makes the phone and expensive piece of locked equipment.

Verizon needs to learn to unlock their phones to third party software; it makes the users that much more happy.  After getting my Blackberry Curve, I will never go back to a non-smart phone.  Like LG’s Voyager, the Motorola Blaze joins the rank of Verizon phones that are pointless and rarely suggested by employees.

Justin Capasso