ead and weep. Or rather, look and weep, especially all you fans of the sliding mobile phone, first made popular by Siemens and LG. Motorola has, in line with its existing aim of taking back the thinnest phone fight from NEC, created the world's thinnest slider phone, at only 14.8mm thick.

It's the Motorola Razr Z, and truly a thing of beauty. I have never much liked moving parts in gadgets because, from my experience, I tend to break them, but this pretty thing has me salivating all over it. The Razr Z is no lightweight either.

It has an expansion slot, an MP3 player and Bluetooth, as well as a 1.3 megapixel camera. It's no lightweight in the price department either, costing more than S$1000.

Well, fans do not have to worry about the price, because it's only available in Korea, running on CDMA. Yeah, I'm a phone-tease.

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Darren Ho makes a tough decision...

You know when a thing has become a fad, a trend, when it develops a following not just from consumers, but also from the corporations.

After the iPod won the world over with its dazzling white glamour, Motorola hit the world with its Razr sharpness. It struck like the wave that hit the Poseiden, but, unlike Kurt Russell, it didn't drown.

Suddenly, you didn't have a bulge in your back pocket when you wore your skinny jeans. Now, Samsung, NEC, and the rest of the world are latching on to the Moto madness. FashionBrain.com takes a look at why Motorola still retains the Razr throne.

Motorola L7

It's slim, it's silver, and it's sexy. Like Christy Chung in the Marie-France Bodyline ad, the L7, Motorola's successor to the L6, is just as slim, but it can do a lot more. With a slot for a micro-SD (otherwise known as TransFlash) cards, and the ability to play back music and videos, you won't feel this baby in your pocket.

While the buttons are a little unsensitive, the easy access buttons that allow you to take photos or to use Bluetooth are a benefit. Motorola's iTap messaging may take a little getting used to, but it's extremely easy to message with after a while. The L7 is quite a great phone to use for an exec or someone who doesn't need a super phone.

Razr v3x

It's one of the few 3G phones without a smart OS like Symbian or Windows Mobile, but it's a pleasure to use. The v3x is heavier than the v3i, but its weight isn't a serious disadvantage.

Side buttons allow you to access voice dialling and photo taking functions quickly, and the 2-megapixel camera is very clear, without much delay in capture.

The internal camera, meant for video calls, can also take photos, although it isn't fantastic. The expansion slot allows you to store files, and the clear and large screen makes it comfortable to use.

Messaging is an ease, with the iTap or T9 functions, and the buttons are large and tactile, so large fingers don't have to worry about hitting two keys at once. However, I did find the Internet keys rather irritating, as I pressed them by accident when I was fumbling for the "End Call" button.

The v3x is a great 3G phone, and its quick response and excellent quality and build makes it a wonderful phone to buy. And as Motorola continues to enhance its product in colours and style, its madness will likely continue for some years. Get on the Moto boat before it's too late!

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