Compromises with the Siemens CX65/CX70 (Siemens CX70)

Member Name: tomshanks

Product:	Siemens CX70
Date:	28/06/05 (2802 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Massive, high quality screen, Good multimedia features, Basic phone functions excellent

Disadvantages: Mediocre battery life, Screen collects dust very easily, Original firmware version very unstable

I have a confession to make. I do not actually own a Siemens CX70, but I do own a Siemens CX65. The reason why you will find the review under this heading is that Dooyoo do not appear to have a category for the CX65, which is strange considering that it appears to have been one of Siemens’ more popular models in this country. The CX70 does not even appear to be available on general release in Britain, so why it should take precedence over the CX65 on this site is beyond me.

The main differences appear to be a slightly different colour scheme for the CX70, a different button layout on some of the versions, and a strange mirror on the back for the camera. Clearly, Siemens have taken a leaf out of Sagem’s book in having a portrait mirror on the back of a phone, something that they have showcased for years. These are the main physical differences, which are minor, the software differences appear to be even smaller. The first is support for Push to Talk functionality, which allows the phone to be used like a walkie-talkie, so that one user can contact several others at once, but this is not available in Britain yet. Secondly, the CX70 has a startup assistant, known as the Phonepilot, who helps the user with the initial setup of a phone when it is new. Finally, there is now a 3D accelerator for Java games within the phone hardware. Everything else is identical, which means that when I refer to the CX65 during the rest of this review, it all applies to the CX70 too.

I bought my CX65 a few months ago as a replacement for my temperamental C65. I had fancied the CX65 upon its release in this country, but the high price tag and slightly scathing reviews had put me off. At a good £30-40 more expensive than the C65, I decided to go for the cheaper option. Really, it would have been wiser to stick with the CX65 for the long haul. The two appear to have had identical firmware problems, although with the CX65 these were always less severe. The sound malfunction never appeared with my early firmware version of the CX65, which left simply the turning off or freezing during writing or sending a text message as the major problem. Fortunately, unlike the C65, my data cable and downloaded software actually appeared to fix the problem entirely. I have only ever had one mysterious turning off since uploading the new firmware, which is testament to what a good phones the 65-series could have been had the developers merely worked a little longer on producing more stable firmware. However, this should never have happened in the first place, since not everyone has access to an official Siemens data cable and high-speed Internet connection as I do. Once this is fixed, a proper analysis can begin.

The Siemens CX65 is an attractive phone. It is not up to the same standards as the earlier S55 or the more expensive S65, but it is still a pleasant-looking phone. Unlike the smaller C65, it does not sport the same colour scheme as a Nike trainer, but rather looks subtle and sophisticated, yet modern at the same time. The most remarkable thing about the phone, however, is the display. With what is actually a fairly unusual resolution of 176x132 pixels (the same as the S65 model), it is better than many Samsung and LG models, but pales into insignificance beside offerings such as the Sony Ericsson K700i or Motorola V3 RAZR, which have 176x220 pixel screens. That said, it is a clear display, which makes good work of displaying photographs, games and videos, although this is no longer enough next to the displays of even the new 75-series models of Siemens mobile phones (which have the same number of pixels but a smaller surface area), and is dwarfed by the massive 240x320 (QVGA) pixel screens of the Sony Ericsson S700i, Sharp GX30i and Sagem MYX-8. At around £50 on Ebay these days, however, this is hardly just cause for complaint. Text messaging on the CX65 is very pleasant, thanks to the large screen.

With its ability to display nine lines of text, text messaging is actually much more of an enjoyable experience, especially when an entire message normally fits inside the confines of the display. The keypad may look small in comparison with the rest of the phone, and strangely appears to be smaller than the C65, but it is actually quite responsive, and does not cause any major problems. The placing of the two softkeys next to the ‘send’ and ‘hang up’ keys on the phone rather than above them next to the display, as on most phones, may cause some problems initially, but it actually seems to work just as well as a normal system. The five-way joystick is probably not the best I have ever experienced, but at least is adequate. The phone keeps up very well with text input, and the T9 implementation is fair, so I hear from a friend who actually uses it! Thus, as a text messaging machine the CX65 works very well. Many people will be pleased to hear that it also works well as a basic phone.

Given its dimensions (what is a fairly standard size for a mobile these days, at just under 11cm tall, but less than 2cm thick), the CX65 does seem to have very good reception. It performs almost as well as my old Sagem MYX-6 when used on the same network in the same places, although sometimes it would appear that the signal level displayed is fairly pessimistic for the quality of call coming through, a common feature of Siemens handsets. The call quality appears fairly good too, although side volume keys, as found on the more expensive S65 would probably improve things even further. The phonebook, which can store up to 1000 numbers, is excellent, and displays up to five entries at a time, with the one highlighted showing its principal number, meaning that it is easy to write numbers down without entering any more menus. The address book also allows there to be separate lists for the SIM card and phone, and to be able to copy individual entries and the entire list between the two of them very easily. This is certainly good for business users. What is not so good is the battery life. Colour screens have taken their toll on batteries recently, and the CX75 is no exception. Rather than what was average two years ago, which was for a phone to last 3-4 days in normal use, the more realistic figure for the CX65 is 2-3 days. It is not quite as bad as my Sharp GX15, which seems to want to be permanently kept by a power socket, but is not as impressive as one might expect. If the battery life is suspect, is it possible that the multimedia features could be to blame?

Although the CX65 does not feature things such as an RDS radio or an MP3 player, there is certainly still much to keep the casual user entertained. The large screen makes the phone ideal for Java games, and browsing the Internet is a very pleasant experience. There is also a music player for AMR, SRT, WAV and MIDI files. As one can normally find MIDI versions of popular songs for free on the Internet, and these do not take up much space on the phone, these are ideal for use on the CX65. There are also MP3 to WAV or AMR (compressed WAV) converters downloadable for free on the Internet if one really fancies. The audio quality with MIDI files is excellent, and certainly loud enough to be audible in a crowded street. WAV and AMR files lack quite a lot of bass (Sagem phones are much better for this), but are still perfectly acceptable. The phone supports all sorts of picture formats, including .bmp, .jpg and .png, and these are displayed clearly as one would expect from such a large screen. There is also a picture editor, which is one of the built-in Java applications, and all sorts of unspeakable frames, moustaches and hats can be added to the pictures stored on the phone if that is what the user wishes to have.

The built-in camera, which has an optional flash attachment, seems to capture images rather well, but certainly lacks the sharpness of the camera in my Sharp GX15. Videos, however, are just as bad as in camera phones these days. At least all the usual features, such as a digital zoom, adjustable light level and different picture sizes are available. With 11MB of memory in the phone, a lot of images can be stored, which is good news. Unfortunately, the standard of the games supplied by Orange (on whose network I have been using the phone) is not very good. Excellent games like Siemens 3D Rally and Worms, which are standard on the S65 and new CX75, for example, are left out in favour of Stack Attack Advance and Conquest Arena Pro, both of which are very difficult to play, and not worth reviewing. The good news is that there are a number of options to get the various file types on and off the phone.

The file browser on the phone itself is very easy to use, and it is even possible to mark groups of files to move around into different folders. The same trick can be used to transfer the files to another compatible phone via infra-red. I tried this with my Sagem MYV-75 and Sharp GX15 and both times this worked with no trouble. The Sharp sometimes had trouble accepting large files, but this is not a reflection on the CX65. The software which can be downloaded for the phone from www.my-siemens.com works just as well as on the S55, but a compatible official serial data cable will be needed. Due to all the firmware updates that my Siemens 65-series phones have needed, I am in possession of this cable, but it did cost something like £15 on Ebay. As a serial cable, the transfer rates are also rather slow, but at least it does work and my sister even understood how to work it, so it is fairly easy. The phone also has several other office functions.

The Multi-Media Messaging client on the CX65 is very easy to use. I managed to send a photograph with sound with no trouble at all, and then was able to receive an MMS from one of my friends, which came out clear and exactly as it should. It is still quite an expensive way to exchange information, however. The GPRS function, although not as fast as my Sharp GX15, was able to allow me to access my Yahoo inbox when I was away in Cumbria recently with relative ease, and the large screen, as mentioned previously, means that this was a pleasant experience. The only real omission is Bluetooth, which would have been a nice feature to have, but then the phone may have stolen too many sales from the more expensive S65. At £50, this is not really to be expected either. Finally, has there been a compromise in build quality in the CX65?

The Siemens S55 was a very solidly built phone, and probably the best I have had apart from the exceptional Mitsubishi M320, and the CX65 cannot live up its illustrious predecessor. Although the back cover initially seems quite loose, it is in this condition, it seems, because otherwise it would be almost impossible to remove. In the months since I have had this phone, this has not got any worse, and only now the front cover appears to be creaking a very small measure, which is probably to be expected with removable covers. The principal issue is the amount of dust which has collected between the front cover and the screen, necessitating a little experiment with the handy tool Siemens include in the box with the phone for removing the front cover. Woe betide anyone who looses this essential piece of equipment! At least the front cover did not appear to become any looser after this cleaning operation. Overall, the CX65 is actually fairly well-built, despite certain appearances to the contrary.

The CX65 is a phone built with compromises. The MP3 player, Megapixel camera, memory card and Bluetooth of more expensive models are lacking. However, for £50, which is the price that such a phone seems to command on Ebay these days, this is probably irrelevant. This is probably the highest quality screen available for the price, and lovely details like the fully functional infra-red port, easy to use file system and video camera certainly belong in much more expensive hardware. This is certainly worth looking at for a decent camera phone at a reasonable price.

Joseph Lloyd

Summary: