SIMeye :: Mobile Phones :: Siemens SX1

Siemens SX1 Review

Having had a hard time releasing rather mediocre models in the middle market segment Siemens decided to hit a different spot releasing in February 2003 the Siemens SX1 which is the first Symbian smartphone produced by the company. Aimed presumably at younger professionals with the ad motto "work hard, play harder" this mobile combines advanced business functionality of a smartphone with a well-developed entertainment and multimedia features like an MP3 player and a built-in camera producing a unique and brilliant combination of powerful functionality and Mobile Fun.

With their highly successful Xelibri fashion line Siemens is not new to original design decisions and the Siemens SX1 also surprised us all by getting rid of the traditional keypad concept altogether and moving all number keys to either sides of the phone. This not only created an unusual style effect but allowed to move a large screen of the Siemens SX1 closer to the centre of the phone. Colour options for the Siemens SX1 are as yet limited, it is originally available in Ice Blue colour but it also features Black in the Siemens SX1 McLaren Limited Edition and there are probably more to come.

The Siemens SX1 measures 109x56x19mm and weighs 110 grams which is around the norm for the smartphone class (quite similar to the Nokia 6600 for example). It offers up to 4 hours talktime and 12 days standby which is impressive indeed and this battery life should cover the needs of both business and leasure users. The charging time of 3 hours seems just a bit too long.

As far as the phone part is conserned the Siemens SX1 is a solid Tri-band phone with all features to the top specification available. It supports WAP 2.0, GPRS 4+2 (class 10), SMS and MMS mobile messaging as well as POP3 email client. PC connectivity is provided via RS232 or USB interface Data Cables as well as wirelessly using an inbuilt Infrared (IrDA) port or Bluetooth. The phone also fully supports Java J2ME.

The screen of the Siemens SX1 is also ahead having up to 65000 colours and made with the TFT technology it has 176x220 pixels resolution (actual size 34x44 mm), which is 12 pixels more in hight than the standard resolution used by Nokia (and similar to the Sendo X mobile phone). This allows to introduce an additional service line at the bottom of the screen. The screen picture remains bright and clear even outdoors.

On the camera front there is no compromise either. Fitted at the rare panel it uses the screen as a viewfinder. The stills part of the camera supports VGA 640x480 picture resolution as well as smaller 160x120 pix resoluton as well. Your images can be edited with a simple but powerful Image Fun application. The camera can also record video clips with QCIF 176x144 pixels resolution with sound. The camera sensitivity is from 30 lux, focus from 30 sm to infinity. The Siemens SX1 supports playback and recording in MPEG4, H.263, AMR Real Audio, Real Video file formats.

Having internal shared 24Mb, it also supports MMC memory cards and the card slot is easily accessible at the side of the phone so there is no need to switch off the mobile and take out the battery just to replace the memory card like in many Nokia models.

As the Siemens SX1 is a fully-grown smartphone the software side deserves some special attention. Based on the Series 60 latform it runs Symbian 6.1 OS. With the new 7.0 version of Symbian being already available (see Sony Ericsson P800 and Sony Ericsson P900) it might seem strange that Siemens decided to use an earlier version. Most likely this was caused by the fact that the development of the Siemens SX1 started before the release of the 7.0 version. Needless to say that from the point of view of an average user the difference between the two versions is purely cosmetic and having an earlier version has an advantage of being able to use all applications already released for this version (the Siemens SX1 supports almost all applications written previously for Nokia phones). The OS supports games and applications written in Java and C++.
Initially the firmware had been rather slow and unstable but Siemens did a good job fixing bugs and improoving speed and stability in newer versions (10 being currently the latest). The firmware is available for download from the Siemens website (follow this link) and several optional Data Cables are available if you want to perform an upgrade yourself.
PC syncronisation is enablew with Siemens Data Suite and PhotoSuite Windows software bundled with the phone itself. An inbuilt voice recorder as well as MS Exel and MS Word viewer provide support for business and office functionality.

The Mobile Fun side of the phone surprises with an array of functionality. An inbuilt MP3-player will certainly attract music lovers but this is not all. The FM radio functionality is also extremely well-developed. Up to 6 different stations can be assigned to number keys. With frequency band 87.5 - 108 MHz, output power of and output power 2x7.5 mWt and the range of 20-20000 Hz it is probably the best FM found in a mobile phone. The Siemens SX1 has 16 voice polyphonic ringing tones as well as support for Java, downloadable Java Games and it can also send recive and download animated Screensavers, Logos and Ringtones.

Technically the Siemens SX1 can only be compared to the Nokia 6600 (while Sony Ericsson P800 and Sony Ericsson P900 are really in a class of their own) and here it beats the competition having a massive dominance in the multimedia department.
With the this powerful device Siemens surely started the next round on the GSM arena in a good fighting spirit and considering the advantages of the Siemens SX1 in both business and Mobile Fun applications coupled with a futuristic design style this phone is indeed hard to beat.

Soon we are likely too see further developments of this line with UMTS version of the phone and perhaps Siemens SX2 coming out in late 2004 - early 2005.

Tips and Tricks: an inbuilt WAP 2.0 xHTML web browser can be supplemented by adding an excellent Opera Web browser available for all Symbian phones.

Look also for Ringtones, Java Games, Wallpapers, Screensavers, Logos and Accessories for your Siemens SX1!

Siemens SX1 Deals

	sim free Siemens SX1 at TheLink	Unlocked and SIM free. UK DELIVERY	Buy Now
	The Link is a leading mobile shop and online retailer in the UK.

Buy SIM free Siemens SX1 and accessories on eBay!

Siemens SX1 is not available on major UK networks.
You may still find Siemens SX1 and accessories on eBay.co.uk!

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