Review: Motorola Charm
Browse
All of the problems that I had with the Motorola Charm come together in the Web browser to make one of the least pleasant browsing experiences on an Android phone. The low resolution screen hurt text and photos on Web pages. Simpler graphics looked fine, but pictures looked lousy and text could be difficult to read on long pages. The problems I had with the phone's reception hurt Web browsing considerably. I couldn't connect to my fast home Wi-Fi network, and the data network was unreliable. It would often drop to EDGE from faster 3G for no apparent reason, and sometimes it would stall altogether. Browsing could be a very sluggish experience. If there is a bright spot, the Backtrack sensor was helpful while browsing. With a light touch, the sensor on the back made it easier to scroll through long text pages like a New York Times article without getting my fingers in the way of the screen.
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Customize
Even with its small size, the Motorola Charm is just as customizable as any Android phone. There are tons of widgets, including the custom Motorola widgets that can be stretched and resized to fit almost any available space. The phone does a nice job handling widgets, automatically moving icons aside so new shortcuts can fit. Most Android phones aren't so helpful. You can use Live Wallpapers on the Charm, and the wallpapers all stretch across the seven panels of the homescreen. You can customize ringtones and system alert sounds on the phone, as well.
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