At least it's thin! (Ericsson R320s)

Member Name: MrDurden

Product:	Ericsson R320s
Date:	17/12/03 (111 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lightweight, thin, big screen

Disadvantages: wide and tall

It's a stretched T28 without the flip up lid. It's a fancy pocket calculator. It's a nice universal remote control with lit display and integrated mobile phone. Oh, so close! It's just the very first WAP-enabled mobile phone by Ericsson. And it's... nice... decent and... not that big.

I had the chance to test this baby when it was a hot item. Now it's kind of an oldie. But I still awe at the size of that screen, too bad it has no pictures or "kewl" stuff like that. It was introduced in 1999-2000, so don't bother to look for polyphonic ringtones for this little mutant.

This phone's OS is quite similar to other Ericsson mobiles from that same period of time. It's a small variation of A2628's OS (the R320 has a quite better version actually). So I'll be talking about the special features of the device. So if you just want to read up on menus and stuff like that, pick up a manual (or download it, borrow it from a friend, ask about it at retail stores etc.).

Here are the facts:

01. Talk-time and stand-by time estimation. Some other T-series and R-series Ericssons have this feature too. It's like SONY's InfoLithium system on camcorders. Warning: this function is highly addictive.

02. Huge screen. The operator name seemed so lost in a sea of blue light. Yeah! This baby makes other phones look like 14" monitors standing by a large screen TV. And it gives them an inferiority complex too, you know! Oh, did I mention it's big?

03. The blue light. I have no idea how Ericsson managed to keep such a big screen perfectly lit, but they did it. Like the R310, this screen has no dark areas, no lighter areas. Just perfect. You can't even see where the light comes from. This is important for those late-night in-the-dark Klondike sessions.

04. The feel of the keys (yup. a real smooth operator, all keys perform flawlessly, all have the same click sou
nd) - this one might sound stupid, but it is actually important. Imagine a phone in which the 3 key click at a high pitch, 4 key makes no sound, 5 key squeaks etc. Now imagine yourself writing an SMS. Doesn't sound very good, doesn't it? I had a bad experience with a "musical" keyboard of an Ericsson A2628, so I really know what I'm talking about. Once I even thought the keys will come off and stick to my fingertips, but that's another story alltogether.

05. It's thin. At least it's thin. If one sees this phone from the front, one might be frightened by its stature. It's just a "cobra-effect". Look at it from one side and your heart will settle back down. And if you sacrifice some talk-time and stand-by time by getting a slim battery, guess what! It will be even thinner!

06. Windows has Solitaire. The R320 has Klondike. I admit that I am completely against wasting time in front of the monitor playing brain-liquefying games such as Solitaire. But this is a mobile phone. And when boredom strikes, here comes Klondike. So much better than stupid-keyboard-bashing snake-like games (no offense Nokia fans!). Maybe next time they'll put some Mahjongg (oh my! I sound like a 60-year old...) umm... and a mouse too.

07. Okay, let's forget about games. After all, this is a communication device. And in this respect, Ericsson need no introduction. Being a relatively high-end product, it performs excellently. Perfect signal, perfect sound. Loud enough to be heard in a noisy environment (just don't try it on a stadium while one of the teams scores). Nice senzitive microphone so you won't need to scream your tonsils out to be understood.

08. I almost forgot the recording function!! Phew! Well, here's the story: It has a built in sound recorder. It can record voice memos, which will be saved in separate files. It can even record your conversations on the phone! That's so 70's
spy movies! Now I can say: Windows has Sound Recorder. The R320 has... it too. A nice touch is the ability to record in high-quality or low-quality mode. I guess they put that in for... the sake of options. Voice recordings were perfectly clear in any mode. And if you think that setting it on High will enable you to listen to Vivaldi like on your HiFi system, you're plain naive.

9a. Brawn.
- Finally the design. This is a phone designed for the inside pocket of a jacked
t worn by a business man.
- Decent. Clearcut. No fancy curves. Looks like an anorexic GH688 (if Calvin Klein would design mobile phone underwear, this would be the model you'd see in magazines.)
- Not lovely but not ugly either. Well crafted and nicely put together, won't break very easily. Actually the finish is excellent, grade A+!
- Lightweight! Yes, lightweight!

9b. Brains. Well, it's not a genius, but it's smart. Smart enough not to break you down on your knees crying for a miracle to reveal your missed calls. Easy enough not to make you miss your appointments by browsing menus in search of time setting. Anyway, you get the idea: smart and easy to use.

10. I guess that's about all. A nice phone. Never been ashamed to take it out at parties, never been laughed at or whispered about when I received a call. Now I guess with all those micro-phones, I will probably get at least some distracted gazes of melancholy for the times when phones hardly fit in the back-pocket of the majority of jeans.

11. Signing off: MrDurden

12. Post Scriptum: Oh, yeah, about the WAP: Never tested it. When I had it there was only one operator offering the service, of course at sky-high prices. Never been a fan of drop-wise Internet anyway. My modem's been giving me enough grey hairs. (Dreaming of a T1 connection in-between redials).
I'd better finish before I reach 13. Not that I'm a superstitious person scared of h
is own shadow, but 12 seems like a nice number to finish with. (12 months, 12 apostoles, 12 monkeys etc.)

13. Post Post Scriptum: Damn! Forgot about the IR port! Yes people, it's got an IR port. Not only to communicate with a PC but also with another R320 to exchange phone numbers and such. Also not tested. My PC has no IRDA port and I never met any other R320s owner when I had mine. It didn't want to communicate with the TV under any circumstances (a Nokia TV set, ironic, isn't it?). I guess they just come from two different worlds. [sigh]

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