Well, it just seemed like yesterday that the campaign started. But here we are at the conclusion of the outreach component of the KRZR campaign. We received lots of great feedback from our KRZRbloggers, and a lot of attention given to this blog, so thanks to one and all.

Our plan is to keep this site up and running as an information resource, and we'll be checking back frequently for comments. However, for any of you that have questions about the KRZR, or require customer service, please contact Motorola's mobile devices customer support line at 1-800-461-4575.  

We encourage you to keep talking about the KRZR as the feedback has been extremely insightful, and we'll certainly be looking out for your comments on this blog, your blogs, or elsewhere. Thanks again for all your support, and we'll hope to touch base again on future campaigns.

Brendan and Ian. 

The (Product) Red MOTOKRZR is now available in Canada at Rogers Wireless.

What makes this product so special is that Motorola is contributing $8.50 (U.S. bucks) directly to The Global Fund for each (PRODUCT) RED MOTOKRZR sold in Canada.

The (Product) RED initiative was founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver to help raise awareness and money in the fight against AIDS in Africa, with an emphasis on the health of women and children. It engages iconic brands to take on the (PRODUCT) RED mark, and asks them to contribute a percentage of the sales or portion of the profits from that product to the Global Fund.

Other sites of interest:

• Motorola.com/red
• JOINRED.COM
• (RED) blog
• (RED) on flickr
• (RED) on myspace

Here’s a first look video of the Product (RED) KRZR launching very soon. Canada is the first country to get this version.

Jevon over at socialwrite.com posted about his experience in switching over from the candy bar-shaped SLVR to the KRZR flip phone.

Wanna do something nice for Mom? CANOE recently launched its Mother's Day contest and is offering Canadians the chance to win a bunch of cool prizes, including a white MOTOKRZR K1m with an accompanying H670 Bluetooth Headset.

Now, all you've got to do is explain how your mom influenced your life in 500 words or less.

Good luck, and remember... it's your Mom.

Ever heard of Joshua Davis?

Aside from pioneering the use of Flash as a commercial and artistic medium, he's known for establishing a new digital-organic visual design language.

In what he calls Dynamic Abstraction, Joshua uses randomization and mathematical algorithms from Chaos Theory to create kaleidoscope-like pieces of work.

Sounds heavy but looks amazing, and Motorola partnered with him to offer this KRZR experience.

If you live in the U.S., you can create your own kaleidoscope piece of art and send it to your phone.

If you live in Canada or elsewhere, you can create a personalized desktop wallpaper.

Geekgirl over at IwantIgot offers her perspectives on the Mobile Phone Tools software that came with her KRZR.

While it's always difficult commenting on questions more closely tied to personal taste, one question we can answer is why, when she connects the phone to her computer, she’s repeatedly prompted to install the USB modem software. The short answer: Motorola USB Modem software is part of Mobile Phone Tools, which means that if you try to run MPT without installing that USB software, it will keep asking you to do so. 

We hope that helps, and we look forward to more feedback.

Accordion Guy has a post up commenting on his KRZR K1's battery life.

Scott and Electronista have placed their bets.

Is it the coolest KRZR yet? The team at Engadget seem to thinks so. What do you think?

Scott Robinson (who also writes for the mobile obsessed at HowardChui.com) plans to post a review of the K1 over the next few weeks. In addition, he's going to tell us about his experience with a condom-like protector for mobile phones.

Practice safe phone Scott!

....so we decided to give her somethin'. The always entertaining Leanne posts about her latest mobile phone arrival.

Note to Leanne - while it won't allow you to download schematic diagrams of nuclear weapons (see her comments), it does possess certain vanity-like hypnotic powers that may force your friends to grab it from your hands.

Netchick has posted her review of the KRZR K1m, which she gave an overall "two thumbs up for the styling and quality". Check out what she loves and would like to see in similar models of the future.

Joey deVilla of The Adventures of Accordion Guy in the 21st Century decided to post the unboxing of his new KRZR bloggers package. Check it out.

If you love the rush of opening a new product and sharing the unboxing ceremony with others, add Unboxing to your feeds subscription. There, you're not alone.

Mild-mannered blogger (and spy wannabe) Kate Trgovac joined the krzrbloggers community last week, and we hope she'll have as much fun with the phone as she appears to have had with the packaging it came in.

You may know Kate as a well-known blogger on marketing and social media (and co-founder of the recently launched family gathering space kinzin.com), or seen her at the many conferences she's invited to speak at (including the upcoming Mesh Conference in TO).

Here's a special krzrbloggers exclusive treat - a behind the scenes peak at the design development of the KRZR. The drawings shown are actual sketches used by the design team.

Be sure to check the 'Stuff' section this week. We'll be adding this image and a few others.

We have a guest interview for this post with Matt Carr,Creative Lead for Umbra's U+ collection.

We had a chance to ask him about Canadian design, hot trends and also tap into his imagination about what he'd like to see in future mobile phone designs.

Q: Sum up Canada's design style?

Matt: There is a Canadiana style emerging that tends to focus on natural homegrown materials. Smart solutions with a bit of a twist of humour and a universal aesthetic which runs parallel to Canada's diverse mix of cultures.

Q: What are the hot design trends for this year?

Matt: We're in a phase of embellishment. Might be the rebel of all of those years living with Knock Down furniture from the Swedes. Mixing old and new for an eclectic looks is a great way to pay homage to some of the best design periods over the past few decades.

The most important movement is sustainable design. As consumers become more aware of the affect of irresponsible design, they will become more accepting of eco-friendly natural finishes and less synthetic applications.

Q: If you could design a mobile phone, what new features would you want it to include that haven't been already?

Matt: I'm currently traveling in Asia, swapping SIM cards from day to day depending on which country I'm in. I'd love to have a dual SIM card option integrated into the phone; it'd save me from losing so many cards.

I like products that are ever-changing - imagine the phone changed colour dependant of its surrounding like a chameleon - it'd be a great theft device as well.

I'm also a big fan of gesture movements on some of my computer aided design (CAD) software packages. It'd be cool to drag your finger in a heart shape over the screen to call your 'miss'.

Q: What mobile forms and finishes would you like to see in the future?

Matt: It'd be cool to see a screen and metal surface that does not finger print or smudge, and I'd love a phone made of natural sustainable materials, like wood. Let's incorporate more texture choices that allow the colour to change depending on mood, the tone of your voice or even heat.

Building 3D models from CAD is becoming mainstream. As a designer, I use this technology to create virtual models to test geometry and ergonomics. Eventually these machines will be available to the general public.

Imagine if Motorola had a program that allowed the customers to design their own phones online! They would then go to their local store, receive in the mail, or "print" out the 3d form in their own home!

When most people look at a mobile phone, they see only the finished product. Rarely do they realize that hundreds of prototypes are often created prior to what's seen in stores.

For an insider's peak, check out this reporter's interview blog post with Peter Pfanner who runs Motorola's North American Design Studio. You'll learn about the complexities of the design process, how mobile phones have become fashion accessories and glean insights into the development of the KRZR.

In the spirit of design, our next post will feature a guest Q&A with Matt Carr, a designer for Umbra. Matt's going to give you the scoop on the hottest design trends and tell us what he'd like to see in future mobile phone designs.

As creative lead for Umbra, Matt's contributed over 150 designs to date. He's a former 'Form Crafts and Industry Award' recipient, and his work's been featured in numerous editorials in the NY Times and Wall Street Journal as well as in I.D., InStyle and Surface Magazines. Here are more of his designs.

It's the mid-week doldrums, so we thought you might enjoy a dose of KRZR creative courtesy of the KRZRbloggers Group on Youtube.

The variations in the advertising styles used to market the phone internationally are pretty fascinating, and certainly entertaining. And seeing ads that you'd normally not see in Canada (or at all) is always cool.

Which is your favorite?

MOTOKRZR vs Abhishek

Thin & Beautiful

Crazy Reflective

Shiny is Good (which apparently did not make the cut) 

Your special agent briefcases are being assembled, and our bodyguards are accompanying the final components to the assembly checkpoint. OK, so we don't have bodyguards, but it'd be cool if we did. I digress...

Check your e-mail this week for arrival dates and additional details.

What a nightmare our online lives would be without the convenience of tagging.

Brendan and I found the search function on flickr to be useful for tracking tagged krzrblogger photos, but we've come across this flickr tag browser that's really slick and perhaps worth a del.icio.us add.

The screen cap to the right highlights some of the 360+ KRZR images that resulted from a 'KRZR' search.

Happy to see a lot of the KRZRblogger participants' (Photo Junkie and Popped Culture jumped out) shots coming up first!

NetChick has hinted at an upcoming review and highlights a blogging colleague who will be getting one of the new colors in our second round.

Dani's kids are having fun with the KRZR's 'Hellomoto' ringtone:

"The boys have a new game, along the lines of Marco Polo. Tristan calls out in a pinched faux-British voice "Hello!" and either Simon or Beloved respond with "Moto!"

I think we should record this and send it to head office for ringtone consideration.

Like we said earlier, we're thrilled with the interest expressed by bloggers wanting to take part in the KRZRbloggers programme, and we've received a lot of emails from folks wanting to participate in round II.

The good news... we've gotten our hands on a new batch of KRZRs, which means that, over the coming days, Ian and I will be sending out invitations to a bunch of new bloggers to join our community of blogging enthusiasts.

It's always a tough job when you only have a certain number of phones, so if you don't get one this time round, don't fret... There's definitely more to come in terms of contests and other activities...

We'll keep you posted.

In our sneak peak post, we told you that the black and white KRZRs were coming. They're now officially available to TELUS customers.

Here's a cool site that's been getting some attention - it's called blinkx.

According to the site, it's the "world's largest and most advanced video search engine." It searches the Web for audio video content and uses visual analysis and speech recognition to catalogue the videos it finds. Pretty sweet, don't you think?

If you type 'KRZR' into the search field, you can watch up to 55 videos ranging from reviews and news clips to the aired ads and those left on the cutting room floor, such as this.

You may have bumped into her at one of the Toronto Fashion Week shows, or perhaps caught her backstage getting the scoop on designs from the models (yes, she's that thorough).

Sonja Andic of Toronto Street Fashion is considered by many in the fashion scene to have her fashionista fingers all over the pulse of what's hot.

In her March 26th post, she writes about her new "sleek and sexy" accessory upgrade and is putting it's durability to the test (read her post and you'll understand where we're going with this).

The KRZR default ringer has been the topic of a recent Postcards from the Mothership post. Oh Danigirl, the sincerity of your post and visual imagery were quite an unexpected surprise this morning.

Happy to hear you like the KRZR over your previous model. Happy Monday or should we say 'Hello Moto'!

Meg used her KRZR over the weeekend to capture photos of Lion's Gate Bridge and English Bay which she included in a post discussing how the weather affects her mood.

You can view her additional photos at the KRZRbloggers flickr group.

A big thanks to everyone for continuing to upload their images. There are more than 147 KRZR photos to date.

Well, let's not call it a group yet, as there's only one person in it. But we've got it set up, and we're hoping that any of you testing out the video features of the phone will join in... and (please) create something a little more stimulating than my little tests.

You can access the Youtube krzrbloggers group here (or in the menu at right)

And as always, we'd ask that you tag your videos 'krzr' or 'krzrbloggers' so that we can find and link to them.

Jeremy at Popped Culture is already trying out the video features on his phone. You can check out his video efforts here.

After watching an episode of Star Trek, Jeremy of Popped Culture came to the conclusion that his "cell phone far surpasses the communicators the original Enterprise crew used."

Check out his take on the K1, and be entertained by the video of his highly energetic son.

And Jeremy... as Spock once said:

"We simply must accept the fact that Captain Kirk is no longer alive."

(Animation credit)

Allright, so this is pretty sweet. Rannie over at Photojunkie has gone and set up a krzrbloggers group on Facebook (registration required if you are not already a Facebook user) Nicely done, and I hope others will join in. As we move into phase II, we will definitely be pointing folks to both Facebook and the flickr group.

Maybe we let Rannie off the hook on the administration side by inviting any folks interested in joining the group to add Ian or I as a friend and we will send you an invite.

Thanks for setting this up, Rannie.

The diversity of the bloggers invited to test drive the KRZR is often highlighted in the way they apply the various features of the KRZR to their blogs or flickr sites.

Case in point, and in her ever-eloquent and soul-baring style, Meg shares a glimpse of her less-than-healthy self via her KRZR.

Germs suck. Hope you're feeling better.

Here's one for the K1 users...

Your mobile phone has what's called a stereo Bluetooth Profile .

Essentially this means that you can wirelessly stream music from your phone to a set of headphones that also have the stereo Bluetooth Profile. Still following me? Check this out...

There's a pair of music headphones (referred to as the S9 in blog buzz and shown on flickr) that are coming to Canada this April. The actual name will be the MOTOROKR S9 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones. You can read about the features in these Engadget and ZDNET reviews. Drop us a line if you want to test them out when they arrive.

Courtesy of Roland, some shortcut tips for toggling the ring styles and volume.

We're thrilled with the interest expressed by bloggers wanting to take part in the KRZRbloggers programme and are reviewing a variety of sites for our next phase of outreach.

If you have a blog, live in Canada and would like to be considered, please drop us a line so that we can review your site. If you're currently a KRZRblogger participant and want to nominate a friend, drop me an e-mail.

In order to be considered, you must have your own phone service with either Rogers Wireless, Bell Mobility or TELUS.

Roland has been testing out the video and camera features and has posted additional photos to the krzrbloggers flickr group.

I'm not talking about 'Becks' - check out the Bluetooth headset in his ear. See it now? Small, isn't it? Motorola calls it the MiniBlue (H9 MiniBlue for the techies out there), and it works with both the K1 and K1m (among other models).

It's what Motorola calls an 'in-ear' headset (opposed to those worn over or behind the ear) and is designed to block out background noise.

Scott Robinson asked me when it'll be available in Canada, and Motorola Canada has agreed to share that it'll be released next month.

Until then, you'll have to wait for pricing. Check back for more updates.

Starting tomorrow, Wireless Number Portability (WNP) will be available across Canada.

What does this mean? For the first time, you'll have the ability to change wireless carriers within your metropolitan or local calling area and keep your existing phone number. You'll also be able to move your phone number from a wireline phone (home landline) to a wireless phone (and vice versa).

If you're thinking of switching service providers, read this industry-backed FAQ and Reference Guide and do as much research as possible because there are some caveats. You'll have to pay a transfer fee and may incur additional costs to break an existing contract. Also, Canadian phones are 'locked' to a specific service provider, so you won't be able to transfer your mobile phone (just the number).

Photojunkie hints at a future review and talks about the catchiness of the KRZR TV ad, specifically the tune by the Icicles that was used.

Roland Tanglao, who's been blogging since '99 about mobile, RSS, podcasting, etc., says he wouldn't pay his own money for the KRZR K1 because it doesn't offer the portable multimedia computer capabilities he seeks - a fair comment from an advanced mobile user and Web 2.0 entrepreneur who seeks a little more out of his devices.

You can read part one of Roland's critique here. He's listed the web browser and incompatibility with ShoZu among other things that, as an advanced user, don't appeal to him.

Those who are in the market for a multimedia rich phone may find the MOTOQ smartphone more appealing. A smartphone, which will also cost more, is designed to handle more advanced multimedia capabilities; the KRZR would appeal to those who want a slim, voice-centric device with a few extra features - be it music or image capture.

DaniGirl, a mommy blogger who runs Postcards from the Mothership, wrote a post this weekend highlighting the K1 package she received.

Apparently there's been some banter in her household over who gets to keep the "fancy-ass secret agent shiny briefcase" it came in. Beloved (her husband) wants to use it as his new lunchbox... we wish we could be there to see the look on his co-workers' faces when he pulls a sandwich out of it.

OK, back to the phone...

DaniGirl, who admitted to not being a smartphone kind of girl, was looking for "a flip phone that was sophisticated enough to take pictures and video, and maybe hold some MP3s. A couple of games would be nice, and any Internet connectivity would be gravy. But simple."

So far, she thinks the K1 will meet her needs and plans to experiment with the camera phone.

(Photocredit: DaniGirl)

I want - I Got blogger, and part-time secret agent, Anita has a post up today highlighting the K1m package she received.

Admittedly, she's experiencing some e-mail withdrawal after switching over from her MOTOQ* smartphone (can you blame her?). While the KRZR doesn't supply the Q's e-mail functionality, she prefers the K1m's music player.

Anita is a respected fashion blogger who's been featured in NOW magazine and has been listed as a hot blog to watch out for by Stylehive.com.

*Motorola did not outfit Anita with a MOTOQ prior to our KRZR outreach. We were obviously thrilled that she had one though :)

The extension of daylight savings time in the U.S. and Canada begins this Sunday, March 11. As a KRZR owner, you won't have to do anything. Your phone will automatically be updated by your service provider.

Motorola has posted a notice where you can find information about other devices that may need updating.

Blaine of Resistence to Persistence has posted a very thorough review of the K1 (with flickr pics), explaining his thoughts on everything from design, interface and sound quality, to music, software and the camera. Overall, he gives the K1 a rating of 8.5 out of 10.

His summary states:

"In all, it's a great phone, with very high quality phone features, which is most importantly what you purchase a phone for. The music is great, the camera is good and the design is beautiful."

Being a passionate photo blogger, camera functionality is something Blaine pays extra close attention to; he would have liked an LED-type flash on his K1. While the KRZR doesn't offer that option, it's currently on the MOTOQ smartphone and will be available on some of the future handsets coming to Canada (we'll keep you posted Blaine).

We appreciate his feedback and look forward to his insights on the video capabilities.

If you've read Elle Canada's April shopping edition, Fashion Magazine's Runway Report or visited the Vogue UK site, you're well aware that monochrome black and white are hot for spring. Then again, does black and white ever go out of style?

We've decided to give you the inside scoop on a little secret - the black and white versions of the KRZR will be available through TELUS this month. You heard it here first.

Join the KRZRbloggers group on flickr to see more photos.

Tanya, or NetChick, as she's known in her parts, wrote a post yesterday highlighting the K1m she'll be receiving today. Let's hope she doesn't drop this one into "some wine". Cheers to Tanya!

Shortly after receiving his KRZR K1 package, Blaine Kendell posted a little teaser on his site hinting at a review that's in the works. Check his blog for future insights.

Under the category of general housekeeping, a few things have been set up to help you (and us) manage the photos you've taken using, or of, the KRZR.

We've created a group on flickr that we invite you to join - bloggers and non-bloggers alike - and into which you can link your photos. Rannie at Photojunkie has already contributed some very cool shots, and Blaine at Resistance to Persistance has also started experimenting.

Alternatively, you can just tag your photos "krzrbloggers" and we'll do the heavy lifting and reach out to you.

For now, we've gone ahead and tossed in a few snaps of the K1 and K1m (and there will definitely be more coming in the near future), plus I've thrown in a couple of shots of my office taken with the KRZR - dig that view!

It's rare to find one mobile phone on three different networks. When you do, there's typically some slight differences depending on what service provider carries it.

In Canada, the KRZR is available through Rogers Wireless (called 'K1') as well as Bell Mobility and Telus (both carry the 'K1m').

So what's the difference between the different versions? This post by Scott Robinson explains it perfectly. According to Scott, "you just need to decide what you're looking for more music or more camera."

As the title says, welcome to the KRZR Blog!

We'll be using this blog to connect with people who reflect the attributes of the KRZR mobile phone. They're individuals with a flare for expression and reflection, be it photography, fashion, music, etc. Whatever their 'thing' is, they stand out in a crowd.

As part of the programme, we'll be providing KRZR phones to select Canadian bloggers. If you feel you should be considered, drop us a line.

I should point out that those given the phone are not obligated to write about it. Should they decide to post about their experiences, we've asked that they disclose how they received it. Here are the 'nitty gritty' details.

We'll also be using this site to:

• Provide information about the programme;
• Link to reviews and mentions, both good and bad;
• Make late breaking announcements;
• Comment and respond to your thoughts and questions.

Check back often; we're interested in hearing from you.