Siemens M55 (Siemens M55)

Member Name: eddude

Product:	Siemens M55
Date:	07/09/03 (4159 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: So many features, Looks great, Great Value

Disadvantages: Pointy pick up/put down buttons, Flashy side lights can be off-putting, Nothing else. This is a great phone

If all you want to know is whether or not to buy this phone, the answer is a definate yes. However, if you wish to know why, read on and you'll find out.
First things first: The appearence. It's a smart looking phone and no mistake. I went for the 'palladium' option, which is a sexy gun metal grey/blue colour. It's also available in two other colours. The neat button arrangement, again, looks smart as does the general styling of the layout. The 'X' on the loudspeaker adds to the eye-candy. The last and most noticable aesthetic feature are the 'dynamic lights'. Five lights (two each side, one near the ariel) flash according to various situations. While this can be quite off-putting (particularly in the dark), they can actually be quite useful. They can be set to flash when you have a signal, and then flash differently when you have a message. Thanks to this, you can check if you've had a call, missed an alarm, got a message and much more at a glance. Added to the diminuitive size, it's a quite a looker.
Now, the buttons. Compared to other seimens phones, I found the buttons slightly harsh and hard to press, and the pick up/put down buttons a bit pointy. However, as these buttons are rarely used, it doesn't matter too much, and the clever button arrangement shines through. Within minutes of owning the phone, you can navigate the menus with great ease. The number pad is also a big bonus, with the buttons on it being a pleasure to use thanks to their large size and reasonable 'give'.
Now, the biggie. Features. This phone is packed with them. In the main menu, you have 9 choices: Addressbook, Records, Surf and Fun, Organiser, Messages, Profiles, Extras, FileSystem and Setup. In the Addressbook, you'll find exactly what you'd expect. You can read through your list of numbers (of which roughly 780kb worth can be stored - that's more than you're ever likely to get). There's also a 'b
usiness card' option. This allows you to create a profile of your details and send them to whoever might want them. You can also group people and you have the option of changing your 'default book'. In basic terms, this lets you switch from a basic phonebook (numbers and names only) to an addressbook (this allows you to store lots of details about people). Next in the menu, we have 'Records'. Nothing exciting here, just fairly useful figures and calls received, dialled and missed. After that, there's Surf and Fun. This allows you to surf the net, or play on one of three games that come with the phone (more can be downloaded). The best game is definately Wappo, a turn-based strategy game that sees you trying to escape from a dungeon with a green thing in. Difficult, but fun. There's also Extreme Games (does what it says on the tin, good fun) and Cubasis Mobile, a disappointingly limited music-production package. Still, as the games are free, you can't complain. Then we have the 'Organiser'. This is a very extensive feature, with which you can plan your whole life. You can plan what you'll do at any time on any day up to the day you die. No, really, you can. If you're that organised. Another great feature is nestled away in the organiser is a dictating mac. This lets you record a whole 8 minutes 40 seconds of sound to use how you wish. A blinder of a feature, and one that siemens, suprisingly, don't mention much. Moving on, we have the 'Messages' option from here, you can send and receive e-mails, SMS and MMS, as well as send them. Good stuff. Then, you have 'Profiles'. Usefully, the profiles have names like "Noisy environment" and "Quiet environment", so you know exaclty what profile you need for you situation. There's also an 'Aircraft Mode'. Normally, this phone turns itself on automatically to take calls. With this on, this doens't happen. Siemens have been very
thoughtful in that respect. Next up is the 'Extras'. Here you have small, but nonetheless useful features like a stopwatch, countdown, calculator, alarm clock, currency converter and the camera (you need to buy a clip-on one to use this). You can also set up voice commands and remote syncs from here. Second to last is the 'Filesystem'. With this, you can browse through all the files on your phone, like pictures, sounds, games etc. and organise them. Suprisingly useful. Last but not least is the 'Setup' menu. This lets you change most things about the phone, from simple things like the ringtones and logos, to advanced stuff like the connectivity and security. Most of the features can be shortcut to, with the simple system of number paths. You can also assign 10 features to 'My Menu' for even quicker access. If that still isn't fast enough, numbers 2 to 9 can be set as 'hot keys'. You just hold them to just straight to the feature they're assigned to.
To conclude, this is one neat package. You get a lot for the £150 asking price, wrapped up in a sleek, eye-catching design. Obviously, there are flaws, but they a few and far between. They're minor things that don't matter too much. Overall, this one great phone that I'd whole heartedly recommend to anyone. It can even ring people.

Summary: