Prosolid vs. Razr V3: the thinnest phones compared

Here we have them, Panasonic Prosolid and Motorala Razr, the thinnest handsets in the world, released almost simultaneously (the Razr by Cingular in November 2004 and Prosolid by DoCoMo in December 2004), but so different in their fate. While the Razr rocked the world, becoming one of the best selling handset in many countries, the Prosolid went almost unnoticed, making few splashes. Why? Well, partially, I can admit that the Razr may have a cooler look, but the main reason of such different outcomes is in another area. It is simple - Panasonic lacks the marketing, sales and distribution muscle of Motorola. It is not the exclusive problem of Panasonic, but this is the issue all domestic handset makers in Japan should address. While possessing technical expertise and creativity, Japanese companies often fail to go internationally, because they don't have enough qualified personnel or experience in dealing with foreign operators.

Prosolid Specs:

• Form Factor: Clamshell
• Finish: Anodized Aluminum magnezium
• Internal Memory:
• Dimensions (h x w x d): 108 x 48 x 16.7 mm
• Size (cc):
• Weight: 98 g
• Internal Display: 2.2 inches, 132 x 176 pixel, up to 65,536 TFT Color
• External Display: 0.8 inches, 25 x 96 pixel

Razr V3 Specs:

• Form Factor: Clamshell
• Finish: Anodized Aluminum
• Internal Memory: 5MB
• Color: Silver
• Dimensions (h x w x d): 98 x 53 x 14 mm
• Size (cc): 65
• Weight: 97g
• Internal Display: 176 x 220 pixel, up to 260K TFT Color, with 9 Lines of Text
• External Display: 96 x 80 pixel, 4k CSN Color, 4 Lines of Text / Line of Icons