Gadgetory

hi this is Brian Bennett for cnet.com and right now we're taking a first look at the Motorola Electrify M priced at a reasonable $99.99 the Electrify m is essentially the US Cellular branded version of the Motorola Droid Razr on Verizon like the Droid Razr m the Electrify m is very compact features a similar edge-to-edge screen design runs Android and connects to 4G LTE data signals if a compatible network is available in other words within US Cellular's coverage zone the electrify M isn't exactly a new handset it first came to the carrier in November of 2012 back then the phone ran Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich now however Motorola has upgraded the devices software to a more modern 4.1.2 Android jellybean Motorola added its own custom tweaks here as well such as a quick settings screen to the left of the main home screen the company's circles widget something I wish I could use on other handsets provides fast ways to check whether time and battery level other attributes include a 4.3 inch qHD AMOLED screen VGA front-facing camera and 8 megapixel main camera around back with LED flash the phone's chassis is sealed so you can't get at the embedded battery there is a flap on the left edge which conceals micro SD and SIM card slots next to that is the microUSB port for charging and transferring files to and from PCs on the right are volume controls and a power key up top sits a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack the camera app is typical Motorola fare while offering nowhere near the same amount of features as Samsung or HTC devices you do get various scene and shooting modes such as multi shot panorama and HDR I'm Brian Bennet for cnet.com and this has been a first look at the Motorola Electrify M be sure to check back soon for a full review