More Like a PDA Than a Mobile! (Siemens SL45)

Member Name: cyrilthefish

Product:	Siemens SL45
Date:	25/11/01 (1434 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: MP3 player, Dictaphone, Wireless Java support (when upgraded)

Disadvantages: slow data-cable, reception

It's absolutely stuffed with features!

To start with the intergrated MP3 player is of very high quality and handles quite low-bitrate mp3's without loosing too much quality. most simalar specced mp3 players cost £100 pounds and up, so you're getting a bargain!

On top of this are the phone functions themselves:
-dicataphone: full digital vioce recorder offering many hours of recording on the memory card (depending on free space) plus voice dialling features
-large 101x80 pixel LCD screen which is brilliant for WAP access, giving you about 7 lines of text or the option for about 4 lines of larger text size
-Aluminium coated case: this seems to be near-bulletproof as i've had the phone over a month and despite me dropping it at least twice, it still doesn't have a scratch!
-the SMS system has T9 predictive text, and most usefull of all, has the ability to store the messages on the memory card: using this feature i currently have about 70 messages on my phone!
-fully customisable Logos/start-up animations/ringtones: use the supplied data cable and a pc to edit/create logos and animations, and also upload ringtones in the MIDI format.
other features include: a calculator, a stopwatch/countdown timer, calendar, appointments, currency converter and six games

the phone does have bad points, but they're really only minor niggles:
-the supplied data cable connects to your pc's serial port and as a result is horrendously slow (hours to transfer enough MP3's to fill the MMC card). if you intend on using the MP3 player very much you should buy a USB MMC card reader (about £30) also apple MACs are not supported, again a USB reader is required to use the phone with a MAC
-the phone's reciever is not brilliant, displays lower strengh network signal meter readings than other phones.
-and finally the earphones don't use a standard 3.5mm jack, so you can't use your own earphones
(well, not without a soldering iron anyway!)

that said, the phone has so many good features i'd give it 9.5 out of 10 :)
the next phone that siemens produce should be excellent!

the site http://www.club-siemens.com is a good site for reviews and free logos, animations and midi ringtones to work with this mobile!

But the best part about the phone is if you can update it's firmware. you can do this by sending the phone to siemens for a small charge or if you're brave, downloading and updating it yourself.
this updates the phone to support wireless java, which means you can add your own programs to the phone! the programs (or MIDlets) includes games such as Tetris, pacman, snake and pong. also there are full mini-email clients, a notepad-style program and even a spreadsheet program avaliable

truely an excellent phone, and one that gives a hint to what most phones will be like in a few years!

Summary: