Though it’s billed as a “pocket-sized mobile studio,” this 4-ounce, platinum-trimmed phone is certainly no substitute for even a mediocre mini-camcorder (Exhibit A: the Flip Mino). So why drop $500 on the Z10 when you can get a 5MP camphone (Exhibit B: the Nokia N82) that shoots crisper stills and comparable vids? Beats us. Maybe it’s the intuitive editing suite: the Z10’s storyboard feature let us cut together a montage of clips and pics with cinematic fades, circle dissolves, music and title cards in less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the OS wasn’t nearly as user-friendly. We literally had to break out the instruction manual just to send a Bluetooth pic (no joke).

Had Motorola spent even half as much time making the software as innovative as its break-away hardware, the Z10 would have wowed us. But with its lacking OS and underwhelming camera, the phone didn’t feel ready for primetime.

Flexible Motorola Z10 doesn’t deserve 500$: [via]