100-millionth Gigaset phone from Siemens rolls today on the conveyor belt

At Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices (SHC) today was the 100-millionth Gigaset phone produced at the factory in Bocholt (DL). Since 1994 in this plant known wireless phones produced by Siemens, which now half of all Dutch households are calling. Siemens is thus the world's number 1.

Since 1993, when the DECT standard for wireless telephony through the fixed network was introduced, the wireless phones a top position in the market. In 1996 Siemens introduced the first DECT phone with integrated answering machine and in 1999 the first wireless phone with hands-free feature. In 2001, Siemens presented the first unit with SMS in the fixed network and in 2004 the first Gigaset with camera and MMS. In 2006 followed a hybrid device for vastnet and VoIP telephony for calls via the Internet. In late 2006 came with Bluetooth wireless phones on the market. In 2007 Siemens introduced as a first IP service in the form of all information from the Telephone and The Directory on a DECT phone.

Siemens Home and Office Communication Devices GmbH & Co. KG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens AG. The company is active in the field of design, development, production and distribution of the total range of Siemens Gigaset products, such as wireless phones, wired phones to the fixed network and Voice over IP (VoIP) and breedbandproducten and home-media equipment. The company operates worldwide and achieved in the 2006 financial year (end of september 30) a turnover of around 960 million euros.

Siemens CX75 review: Bluetooth, MP3 and chrome

Siemens CX75 is the first phone of the new series to hit the market. Unlike its successful forerunner it can boast of a megapixel camera, Bluetooth, memory cards support and finer display. Moreover, it features a slightly extravagant design.
Key features

* Bluetooth
* Memory card slot
* MP3 player
* Megapixel camera
* Very good phonebook
* Rich extras menu

Main disadvantages

* Much too embedded joystick
* Display is better quality, but smaller than the one of the forerunner
* Unattractive graphics in the main menu
* MP3 player does not run in background
* Controversial design

Just about a year ago we were testing Siemens CX65. It was the first mobile of Series 65. It stood out among the competitors due to its rich functional menu, its huge display and its brilliantly elaborated phonebook and calendar. It hit the market in June, at an initial price of about 270 euros. Since then, however, its price has fallen to half the original one, so it is no wonder Siemens CX65 has become an immensely favorite mobile among the consumers.

Yet, a year in the mobile technologies is quite a long time... The market requires innovations and hence a new successor is on the way. Struggling to meet customers' requirements, Siemens mobiles has designed the new Siemens CX Series 75 model. The phone was officially presented together with other models of the same series at this year's CeBIT fair..

t is moving up

One quick look at the new Siemens CX75 is enough to reveal the aspirations of this phone to let go the middle class and move a little bit upper in the mobile hierarchy. The phone is decorated with chromium elements and looks special and luxurious. As you will see a bit further in the review, the range of its functions is also very wide. Already the previous CX65 model was one of the middle-class phones best equipped ever. However, technology moves forward bringing along common achievements that once used to be innovative. As a result, in the new model you can look forward to a megapixel camera, Bluetooth and memory cards support.

It seems that the equipment of CX75 is richer in order to partly cover the gap, which flew open after the missing successor from the S series. The only mobile within the Siemens brand to be better equipped will be the SXG75 model, designed as a multimedia device. It will be shooting at exquisite and pretentious users, who appreciate and are willing to pay for a 3rd generation net support, a 2 MP camera and other types of equipment.

source:
http://www.gsmarena.com /siemens_cx75-review-39.php

Siemens SF65 review: Joint venture

Siemens SF65 is an elegant clamshell phone of a modern design, a spinning display and a megapixel camera. The construction, though, has been taken over from Philips, which comes to reveal that this brand's favorers are to expect a lot of changes and surprises.

Car manufacturers merge into big multinational corporations. They use the same components to create several models of different car makes for the purpose of lowering the expenses on production. The automobiles produced in this way have more or less the same parts. What differentiates them, though, is the design, which is to meet the requirements of the make given.

Such practice has already become standard for the mobile phones business as well. The new Siemens SF65 works on the same constructional principles like Philips 760. Both telephones are equally equipped with the outlook being the only feature that differentiates them. A quick glance is enough to reveal that this phone has been developed in Philips' workshops and that the only job Siemens did was to design cover versions and user's environment of its own.

Key benefits

* Stylish design and a construction with a spinning display
* A very good quality megapixel camera
* TFT display, 128 × 160 pixels, 65K colors
* Built-in 21 MB memory

Main drawbacks

* No character counter when writing SMS
* No video recording
* A second small display would have come in handy
* No MP3 support
* No Bluetooth support

Apple is an inspiration

One would hardly deny that the new Siemens' SF65 elegancy is remarkable. The even glossy covers with their slightly oval edges and decently embedded elements give the strong impression of an integrated and compact device. There is no doubt that this smallish cuboid will become a thorn in the flesh of many manufacturers of luxurious and stylish mobile phones for this is the first time that Siemens makes a serious step into their "territory". Nevertheless, it once again proves the old statement that power comes with simplicity.

The phone is going to be launched in two color versions - black and white; just like the music player Apple iPod, whose design may have served as an inspiration for Siemens developers. The famous designer Ora Ito has also let himself get inspired by the same device when creating the new Sagem myX-8. To cut a long story short, the "ala apple" design is cool these days.

When closed, the new Siemens takes up space of 91 × 41 × 23 mm and weighs 97 g and thus fits into the common average class of mobile phones. Its cuboid form has been carefully elaborated with the edges being slightly round. Under the detachable cover, which actually serves as the phone's back cover, you will find a Li-Ion battery of 660 mAh capacity, which is expected to supply the phone with energy for up to 240 minutes of calling and up to 400 hours when in a standby mode. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to test phone's real durability time, but according to our first establishments it must be quite tolerable - do not forget that it is a dressed up Philips we have the honor to deal with.

The construction gives a solid general impression. No creaky sounds were to be noticed when opening the clamshell or spinning the display and the moving portion would always gently bottom when closing the phone. However, when I constricted the device, the front and the rear covers gave out some quite unpleasant sounds.
The majority of all Philips clamshells suffer from a bit strange infirmity - the display portion is usually so heavy that it does not allow the phone to stay still on its bottom part when in an open mode and it outbalances easily. The new Siemens SF65 is no exception from this rule.

source:
http://www.gsmarena.com /siemens_sf65-review-32.php

Siemens S65 vs. Nokia 7610: Comparing the megapixels

We compared photos made by two of the first megapixel camera phones. Have a look how Siemens S65 and Nokia 7610 managed taking the same scenes. Note the exposure, noise and color balance; the resolution is not everything.

A mobile phone with a megapixel camera has still the taste of something new and progressive. Besides Nokia 7610, which is already available on the market, a new Siemens S65 will come up soon. If we want to pick up it's primacy in some way, it's the first ordinary mobile with a megapixel camera - Nokia 7610 is a smartphone with Symbian OS.

We took the same scenes with both phones, so you can compare the photo quality. Pictures are in full resolution, therefore they are a bit bigger than usual. Get ready for files size of several hundred kilobytes. Of course we didn't change anything, you'll see them as they came out from the camera.
Resolution is not everything

Straight to the point - Nokia 7610 pictures are evidently better. At a piece that we used for this purpose the pictures are visibly fuzzy in the upper part, but in general the photos are sharp enough, with good color balance.

Siemens S65 photos are bigger than the ones from Nokia 7610. Their format is 1280 x 960 pixels while Finnish rival features only 1152 x 864 pixels - so keep in mind that we are comparing a 1.3 MP camera to a 1 MP camera. Fuzziness is the same all over the pictures, but we can also see a little vignetting, more visible at the thumbnails. When you see the pictures in full resolution you will notice a lot of overexposed areas. We were disappointed mostly from the overall dullness of the pictures. It seems like Siemens is short of colors (they are not vibrant enough) and camera creates almost a rain atmosphere on a sunny day. And that's not all: pictures have very high contrast - underexposed and overexposed areas at the same time - no matter how you adjust the levels in a graphic editor, it's always wrong.

Against Nokia 7610 Siemens S65 offers more advanced camera settings. At Nokia 7610 you can only select a size of pictures and digital zoom. Siemens uses only crops from the big picture instead of a digital zoom, but it features very useful possibility of exposure compensation. Menu offers also a self timer, three settings for the white color balance and several effects.
The pictures

Nokia 7610 photos are on the left side, Siemens S65 photos - on the right side. Once again, please note the bigger size of the files, we published the originals to give you the best possible way to compare the photos.

No two megapixels are the same

Nokia 7610 pictures won't surprise us, as we already know them. They're not excellent but the megapixel resolution brings something more against ordinary camera phones. Siemens S65 produces pictures with higher resolution, but the resolution is not everything, the quality of integrated digital camera is only average.

source:
http://www.gsmarena.com /siemens_s65-review-11.php

Siemens C65 review: Affordable features

Siemens C65 is a middle class mobile phone with an integrated CIF camera. It offers triband functionality, 65K color display, MMS and infrared port at a competitive price. Some of its functions really surprised me. To know more, read the following article.

The Siemens C65 mobile phone was excelled on the CeBit exhibition earlier this year near S65 and M65 - two of the higher class models. Both business phones attracted the attention of the clients and the small cheap phone remained relatively unnoticed in the show window.
Nevertheless, the model was not a mistake. Siemens C65 will be one of the most important products from the company's summer collection. It is cheap enough to sell well, has an integrated camera, which nowadays is a term, and most of all - it is one of the phones with the biggest variety of functions and protections in this class. This is the perfect mobile phone for the consumers, who are not willing to make great investments in mobile communications.
Nevertheless, the model was not a mistake. Siemens C65 will be one of the most important products from the company's summer collection. It is cheap enough to sell well, has an integrated camera, which nowadays is a term, and most of all - it is one of the phones with the biggest variety of functions and protections in this class. This is the perfect mobile phone for the consumers, who are not willing to make great investments in mobile communications.
Siemens C65 is a very carefully finished phone. Having some experience with the older Siemens C series phones, I can tell that C65 looks definitely better.
What kind of a phone is this?

I expected Siemens C65 to be just the next member of the C series, something like a slightly improved version of the Siemens C60. I thought that functions would be the same and design - a bit smartened, but I was wrong. Siemens C65 is a mobile phone from the class of CX65 and M65. Well, almost. Siemens C65 is a small and light phone with attractive dimensions and exchangeable shells. There are some differences, which classify it like a phone from a new class.
Keyboard and Display

The buttons of the keyboard are nicely and conveniently placed. The only inconvenience is that the soft keys and the "red" and "green" call control buttons are too close and too small - you have to be careful to press the right button. The 5-way joystick is used for navigation and for confirmation when pressed.
When I was at the CeBit fair, I could not get any idea, what the exact function of the button under the joystick is. Undoubtedly mobile operators would describe it as an option for a faster WAP access.
The display is CSTN with 65K colors and 130x130 pixels resolution; it is relatively small, but for me it's one of the best in the class. The back part of the display is reflective, so you could see everything without any problems, even when the display is exposed to direct sun light. The display is bright and clear and there are no visible black lines between the pixels. Certainly, you can put attractive wallpaper on the display.

There are no hand painted icons in the main menu, which would not provoke positive reactions in people using high-class phones. While I can find the different icons very easy, when using other models, here they are situated in a different way, which makes finding them difficult. The menu navigation is quite fast, but don't expect speed records.

source:
http://www.gsmarena.com /siemens_c65-review-5.php

Siemens CF62T (T-Mobile)

Siemens won our praise last year for its attractive SL56 slider handset, so we eagerly awaited the company's first flip phone, the CF62T. Sporting a cool blue hue and a wraparound antenna, the CF62T will undoubtedly catch attention. Alas, other than solid battery life and decent sound quality, there isn't much to distinguish it from other entry-level mobiles. Still, if you can get over a few design quirks, the CF62T for T-Mobile delivers good, clean voice calls. Though it's quite fairly priced at $199.99, T-Mobile might offer it at a discount with service.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. Easily distinguishable from Siemens's long line of candy bar-style handsets, the CF62T is a light and relatively compact phone. Weighing only 3.2 ounces and measuring 3.2 by 1.7 by 0.9 inches, it won't add much bulge to a pocket, and its construction seems relatively solid. The distinctive looped antenna adds another half-inch or so to the total length, but it's handy for clipping to a belt or a strap. The mobile gets additional points for its stylish silver and blue coloring and the blue-backlit external display that shows the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (where available). We also liked the plastic strip around the outer shell of the phone that flashes for incoming calls.
Once we opened the handset though, we weren't so approving. The 1.5-inch-diagonal internal display shows 65,000 colors, but it isn't very bright or vibrant and is hard to read outdoors. Though it's fine for showing numbers or text, the screen isn't great for images or games. The navigation controls--consisting of two soft keys and a four-way toggle--are better but not by much. Though they're well spaced, the buttons are a bit slick and not very tactile. The four-way toggle gives three shortcuts to your messages, the call log, and the voice recorder, but none those functions are labeled on the key itself. Likewise, the animated menus are attractive, but navigation takes some acclimation, due to the lack of a dedicated OK button or Back key. Instead, one of the soft keys serves this purpose while the other gives one-touch access to T-mobile's T-zones service.

The keypad buttons also are subpar. Since they're set flush with the face of the phone, dialing by feel is difficult, and the dim backlighting barely illuminated the numbers. We also would prefer volume controls on the side of phone--we had to remove the handset from our ear during a conversation to adjust the sound.
The Siemens CF62T is designed primarily to make voice calls, so its feature set doesn't stray far from the basics. The phone book stores up to 500 contacts with room for two numbers in each entry; an additional 250 names can be saved to the SIM card. Since the phone's 1.5MB memory is dynamic, the size of the phone book will decrease if you save games and applications.

You also get a speakerphone, two-way conference calling, text and multimedia messaging, a memo pad, a calendar, a currency converter, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Alert options include a vibrating ring, a differential ring, and eight 16-chord polyphonic ring tones. Unfortunately, ring tones can't be assigned to individual callers.

For gamers, the CF62T comes with a choice of three Java (J2ME)-enabled games: Dynamic Light Composer, Mobiloko, and Wappo. You can customize the handset with a selection of wallpaper, and you can download more ring tones, wallpaper, games, and productivity apps from T-Zones.
We tested the triband (GSM 800/1800/1900; GPRS) Siemens CF62T world phone in New York City using T-Mobile's network. The signal was consistently strong, and the call quality was excellent. Even using the supplied microphone and earpiece, we were able to get good call quality with little static or background noise. Our only issue was with the speakerphone: its sound was distorted, and the volume was too low for most environments.

The CF62T delivered 5.5 hours of talk time, beating the rated talk time by an extra half hour. We managed 7.5 days of standby time, more than a day shorter than the promised 9 days but still respectable. According to the FCC, the CF62T has a digital SAR rating of 1.32 watts per kilogram.

source:
http://reviews.cnet.com /cell-phones/siemens-cf62t-t-mobile/4505-6454_7-30897594.html

Siemens S66 (AT&T)

Given the impressive line of attractive, strong-performing handsets the company has released, it's hard to believe that Siemens isn't a huge cell phone name in the United States. That said, the Siemens S66 is true to form and easily maintains the company's reputation. In many ways, this offering exceeds its predecessors in terms of the range and implementation of its features. Although the cramped keypad will keep some people from taking full advantage of what this mobile has to offer, the S66 for Cingular Wireless is a multimedia powerhouse. With an asking price of $249, it will crimp your wallet, but you should be able to find it for a discount with service. As with just about every other phone in its line, Siemens's S66 is quite attractive. Its black-and-silver casing will look equally stylish in a boardroom or a nightclub. At 4.3 by 1.9 by 0.7 inches and 3.5 ounces, this candy bar-style handset isn't as small as some other models from the company, but it won't be a burden for mobile professionals, either.
The 2-inch-diagonal screen is large and vibrant, although the 65,536-color display is a bit chintzy for a phone of this caliber. The screen occupies most of the mobile's real estate, so there's a slight trade-off in terms of the controls. Though the five-way toggle and navigation keys are well sized, little room is left for the dial-pad keys. The buttons are small even for the daintiest of fingers, though they are sufficiently raised from the unit to simplify touch dialing. Conversely, the five-way joystick, the two soft keys, the Talk and End buttons, and the dedicated camera key that sit just below the display are quite easy to use. Navigating through the animated menus is a breeze, and shortcuts are allowed to user-defined functions. Or, to back out of a submenu, simply press the joystick to the left. The menus themselves are logical, so you shouldn't spend a lot of time figuring out where everything is. Even AOL IM gets its own menu option, rather than being buried under Connectivity.

Other exterior controls are few. The infrared port is on the left spine, while a multifunction control for changing the volume, scrolling thorough menus, activating the sound recorder, and using the camera is on the right spine. The back of the handset holds the camera lens--there's no mirror or flash--and you'll find a MultiMediaCard slot in the bottom of the device. Take care not to accidentally remove the card without using the Eject Card function from the MyMedia options menu, or else you will probably wipe out all of your stored data. The only other serious complaint is that it's difficult to remove the SIM card. Instead of a sliding lock to hold the card in place, the card simply snaps into the slot. When it comes time to remove it, it helps to have fairly long fingernails to get underneath the card and slide it out with your opposite thumb.
Not only is the Siemens S66's feature list extensive, but everything is well implemented. The phone book can hold 1,000 entries, each of which includes room for street addresses, birthdays, and pictures (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). Contacts can be organized into caller groups or be paired with a picture or any of the 12 polyphonic (40-chord) ring tones. Additionally, whereas some phones require you to save the basic information first, then add details later, with the Siemens, you can instead enter all of this information at once. Other features include a vibrate mode, a calendar, text and multimedia messaging, a voice recorder, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, an alarm clock, a calculator, a currency converter, a task list, and a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Business users will appreciate the S66's Bluetooth, speakerphone, infrared port, e-mail support (POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP), and USB connectivity. Also, you can use the handset as a modem, and with a free download of the Mobile Phone Manager from Siemens's Web site, you get the ability to sync with Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes.

source:
http://reviews.cnet.com /cell-phones/siemens-s66-at-t/4505-6454_7-31125476.html

Samsung i780 review: Mouse included

The Samsung "i" line of smartphones have taken quite a lot of different shapes and seen OS implementations ranging from Symbian to Windows Standard and Pro. There are, however, five birds of a feather that do stand out with QWERTY keyboards and uniform design. Samsung i320 was the pacemaker, followed shortly by Samsung i600. There are of course the US-oriented Blackjacks Samsung i607 and Samsung i617.

Now, the subject of our review Samsung i780 is in that bunch but not quite, being the only PocketPC in the lot. Other Windows Mobile Pro devices seem nowhere in sight for the near future, with the two most recent i-series announcements both running on Windows Standard. The QWERTY slider Samsung i640 has just been released, while the low-key Samsung i200 is still cooking.
The full-QWERTY Pocket PC Samsung i780 sure takes after its forerunners but is keen to bring to the table more processing power, 3.6 mbps HSDPA topped with WLAN support, and that square touchscreen display. This smartie is also a tad above the other fellows in terms of design, if you will.

Samsung i780 Samsung i780 Samsung i780 Samsung i780
More Samsung i780 photos
Key features

* Unique dual mode touchpad navigation
* Built-in GPS with A-GPS support
* Large 2.55" 320x320 pixels TFT touchscreen display
* Good preloaded content
* Innovative home screen plug-in
* Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP
* HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps
* Fast Marvell PXA3xx processor
* 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM (~ 150MB is user available)
* Full QWERTY keyboard
* 2 megapixel camera

Main disadvantages

* Unpopular display resolution creates poor compatibility with third-party software
* Camera has no autofocus, nor LED flash
* The num-pad is quite crammed

Samsung i780 sets a firm foot on the path trodden by Samsung i600, and brings a good set of hardware innovations and utilities. In brief, there's the dual mode optical joystick (or trackpad, if you prefer - seems Samsung haven't yet made up their mind either), the fast processor and 256MB ROM, built-in GPS with A-GPS support and a 2MP camera. On the software side, you get the homescreen sidebar (the Orange version only), Photo Slides, Mini Player, Contents manager, Java launcher, elaborate Wake-up alarm, etc.

Samsung i780 Samsung i780 Samsung i780 Samsung i780
Official photos of Samsung i780, i600, i607 BlackJack and i617 BlackJack II

Although we are mainly comparing it to the Samsung i600, there are another two Samsung QWERTY smartphones: the AT&T branded Samsung i607 BlackJack and Samsung i617 BlackJack II. Although meant for the American market, they both have quad-band support and will work worldwide too. While the i607 has only US HSDPA support, the i617 has tri-band HSDPA to make 3.6 mbps data transfers usable worldwide.

Samsung i780 is powered by a capable Marvell processor and has 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. The user available onboard memory is about 150MB. Given those values, the superb performance of i780 is no surprise. Just as a reference point, we played a near VGA quality XviD movie (with no video conversions) and it ran flawlessly. The movie playback passed with flying colors with only a couple of dropped frames in a 5-minute video.

Samsung stays faithful to microSD (TransFlash) memory card support to enable memory expansion. The memory card is accessible as a Mass Storage device from your PC, so the phone can also be used as a portable drive. That's with a twist though, as you need the Samsung USB cable - there is no standard miniUSB slot on this baby.

Both phone memory and the memory card are also accessible over TCP/IP and ActiveSync protocols making picture copying, ringtones saving, etc. a piece of cake.

source:
http://www.gsmarena.com /samsung_i780-review-224.php

Siemens S55 Review - Introduction / Design / Screen / Controls / Battery

Introduction

At first glance the Siemens S55 looks quite familiar. Not because you've seen in before. But that it looks oddly like the specs of the Sony Ericsson T68i.

For quite some time now, T68i users have grumbled about the lack of polyphonic ring tones, and J2ME games. Well... the S55 has both, and then some. Add to that full email client support and a hefty organizer and suite of applications and this phone packs quite a punch.

Design

In many ways the Siemens S55 is very similar to the Sony Ericsson T68i; from its color screen to Bluetooth to MMS. However if you take a closer look you'll notice that Siemens has taken the T68i's winning model and improved on the T68i's major flaws. Siemens added J2ME compatibility, a loudspeaker, and 16 instrument polyphonic ring tones. On the outside the S55 doesn't look all that impressive, but its strength lies on what it can do rather than how it looks.
While it's improved much of the T68i's drawbacks, other phone manufacturers have pushed the expectations of cellular phones forward. And much of the features that made the T68i so popular is now outdated. Siemens has failed to follow some of the changes and has stuck with technology of the past.

On a bright note, the S55 connects with an incredible amount of options. Infrared, and Bluetooth makes synchronization and transferring a breeze. Whether its downloading images and ring tones to your phone from a computer, or synchronizing your contacts and email.

One thing the S55 excels over all the competitors is its included digital camera accessory. You might want to consider it if you like the idea of a camera phone. The camera has the ability to take pictures at 640 x 480 pixels on high resolution. But what really sets it apart from the rest is it's built in flash. No longer will your pictures be dark and grainy.

Screen

The S55 comes with a 256 color 101 x 80 pixel screen. It's very similar to the Sony Ericsson T68i screen. While we praised the screen of the T68i, this falls short of expectations. Not because it's inferior, in contrary the S55 has a much better screen that the T68i. But that most phones coming out these days are 4,096 to 65,000 color screens.

The problem with DSTN screens are that ghosts often show up. A ghost is when the screen quickly changes and the residue of the previous screen is left for a brief moment on the new screen. It won't pose problems when you're using applications, however when you're playing fast action games, you might become a bit annoyed. The other drawback is in sunny conditions, you might have trouble reading your screen.

Controls
Siemens decided on a fairly standard keypad layout for the S55. Nothing radical. Not much can be said about the controls except that it's pretty standard. The design is clean and functional, so text messaging should by like you remember. The S55 also uses a 4 direction keypad for controlling the icon menu screen.

Battery

A 700 mAh Li-Ion battery is used with the S55. Siemens claims the battery will work for 6 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby, however those numbers are maximum times. Realistically the times are much lower.

Minimum Rated Standby Time: 175 hours
Minimum Rated Talk Time: 230 minutes

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range.

http://www.mobiledia.com/reviews/siemens/s55/images/front.jpg

Siemens S66 Review - Introduction / Design / Camera

Introduction

Long awaited by consumers, the Siemens S66 is the top-of-the-line model of the x65 series, featuring the same platform as the CX65 and M65, the S66 is targeted towards business consumers.
With an integrated 1.3-megapixel camera, extra large color screen, and 10 MB of memory, the Siemens S66 features a comprehensive set of applications and tools packaged in a sharp design.

Design

Featuring bold edges and lines, the stylish S66 measures 109 x 48 x 18 mm and weighs 98 g; perfect for busy professionals looking for a compact device with a clean professional look. Having a black and chrome minimalist appearance, the front features a large 132 x 176 px screen capable of displaying 65K colors, a 5-way navigation joystick situated between two soft keys, and angular numeric keypad.
Turned around, a port for an external antenna accessory is included on the upper left; for those times when the internal antenna may not be enough. Additionally, the lens to the built-in 1.3-megapixel camera is situated on the back, able to capture high-resolution photos up to 1280 x 960 px in size.

Along the left side, an infrared port provides wireless transfers and synchronicity between PCs, while up and down keys along the right provide shortcuts to initiates sound recording, activates camera mode, and functions as scroll and volume adjustment buttons. Connection ports and a RS-MMC slot are located on the bottom, while a spot for a car holder kit lies on top.

Out of the box, the Siemens S66 comes with a standard 750 mAh Li-Ion battery, AC adapter, 32 MB RS-MMC, RS-MMC to MMC adapter, mini CD, and user manual.

Camera

The 1.3-megapixel camera, built with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 960 px, includes other photo sizes such as High - VGA (640 x 480 px), Medium - QVGA (320 x 240), Low - QQVGA (160 x 120 px), and Wallpaper (180 x 240 px).

In Camera Mode, the S66's screen becomes the viewfinder, displaying useful information such as zoom and brightness levels, resolution, as well as available memory.

Should shutterbugs need to get closer to the action, a 5X digital zoom is included; controlled by moving the navigational joystick up and down. However to truly zoom in, consumers will have to walk. Rather than optical zoom, digital merely enlarges the photo much like cropping, as opposed to getting closer. Due to limitations in hardware and moving parts, optical zoom is not yet feasible in camera phones.

Additional camera functions allow users to control Color Modes (Normal, Sepia, and Grey Tones), White Balance (Automatic, Indoor, Outdoor), Brightness (Joystick Left / Right), and Self-Timer. Unfortunately, there is no mirror for self-portraits, so users will have to either use the Self-Timer or randomly point and shoot. When the optional flash accessory is attached, additional menu options (Automatic, Off, Red-Eye) are enabled.

Encoded in MPEG-4, video clips can also be captured at either QCIF (176 x 144 px) or Sub-QCIF (128 x 96 px) resolutions at 15 fps limited to a maximum length of 30 seconds. Photos and video taken with the S66 can be either stored on the internal memory or a memory card.
source:
http://www.mobiledia.com /reviews/siemens/s66/page1.html