This handset started the Budget revolution of Camera Mobile Phones and most probably changed the expectation of what you could get for less than £100 in the Mobile Phone market place.
Its fair to say that this handset is a good looking piece of kit, not too big or heavy. The X design gives the phone a different look, so it will get you noticed when you take it out of your pocket.
The phone has features a plenty with the much talked about Camera with dedicated Camera key, MMS & EMS messages, GPRS for quick access to WAP and fast downloading of Pictures & Games etc, JAVA for additional Games and Applications, 1.87MB of Memory, Calender, Polyphonic Ringtones and Recordable Ringtones via the Microphone built in.
It also has Chanagable Profiles for different environments (Noisy, Quiet etc), Voice Dialing and Voice Commands (i.e. Say 'Text' and a New SMS msg starts ready for inputting) then we have other features like Animated Screensavers and Backgrounds, customizable Menus and customizable 1 touch Hot Keys for various tasks, chanagble Covers the list goes on.
This really is a feature packed
phone like all models Siemens seem to produce. Although the one thing which seems to be lacking from this particular Siemens handset is Quality.
By design Siemens do not make many bad handsets. But this handset is lacking compared to others introduced by the company in the past and present. If your a new to Siemens then the differences may not be apparent. If your familiar to Siemens phones the Navigation and Interface is similar to previous models, for new people this means Straightforward lists of options to get you to the function you need.
I guarantee that once you get used to the interface you’ll wonder how you used any other phone. So for ease of use it definitely scores highly.
Where Siemens really slipped up was in the way things work. I my opinion through using the phone for the last 5 months functions work correctly but not as quick as you’d expect. Let me give you a few examples of were frustration will soon set in.
Java: The range of titles are vast, maybe not as many as other phone manufacturers, but there is a good selection if you look hard enough. The frustration comes when you try and play them. Simple games are ok, but the lag (speed) of more complex games is poor and will result in you not playing them for long, that’s if your not put off by the loading times too. I’ve not tried many application on the handset but text based applications are fine.
The Screen: Not brilliant in the slightest. Images taken with camera don’t look to clear on it, other images you download will look ok though. This is the handsets worst feature. Doesn’t react well in direct sunlight either!
Camera: The camera although again not brilliant. It’s definitely not the worst out there given the price. The pictures do look poor when viewed on the Handset, but downloading them to a computer will soon change your opinion of what it can do and believe me in good light I’ve had some Brilliant results. Although there is no Night Mode on the camera, if you are out and about in Nightclubs etc, depending on the lighting the results can vary. REMEMBER the camera is for MMS and not snapping stunning vistas. So for taking quick pictures of friends messing about etc its definitely up for the job. It’s also worth noting that the camera is comparable and can perform better than phones in higher model classes i.e. Sony Ericsson T610 and the Nokia 7250.
Although there are only 3 niggles with the handsets it’s worth noting that it’s the features which will be scrutinised the most. Everything else about the phone is good and up to Siemens standards of old. Call quality and Reception are very good as always with Siemens products. The Voice Dialling/ Commands work really well, and the Hot Keys, which allow you to customise the number keys to do specific functions i.e. Text MSG, Dial Phonebook Number, start WAP Browser etc are really handy (Siemens was the first brand to introduce this feature).
The Polyphonic tones are of decent volume, but should not be considered loud, this could result in the odd phone call being missed from time to time. There is a good range of tones which come with the phone to start with, but you’ll be soon off downloading your favourites. If you want to save money on Ringtones, you could use the built in Recorder function to record clips of your favourite songs or use .WAV files as ringtones. It’s also worth mentioning the Handsfree mode, which is very good and I use it a lot.
EMS Text messaging is as straightforward as ever, with a good T9 predictive text dictionary to start with, if words aren’t in there you can add them manually. EMS texts also allow you to add simple Sounds and Pictures to texts too, although they will only be seen on other Siemens compatible handsets.
MMS messaging has a few features, which aren’t available on other makes of phones and that is the facility to add extra slides to your messages. This means you could send 3 Pictures in one MMS message, with different pieces of texts for each picture. Sound can also be added, but it’s worth mentioning that MMS is limited by size. But I’ve sent 4 High Quality Camera Pictures in one message, saving me about £1 in credit.
The Phonebook is good, but it could be a lot more comprehensive, as it only allows you to store 1 phone number and 1 email address per contact, but there are 100 spaces in the handset on top of what your Sim can hold.
Lastly to comment on is the space available for Games, Pictures, Tones etc. Although it seems small, you’ll be surprised by how much you can fit on there. I currently have 3 Games and 1 Application, some of my own Pictures and Sounds, and there is still enough space left for 20+ high quality pictures etc. My advice would be to buy a Datacable if you have a computer and manage the contents of the phone memory from there. If you have a game or picture you want to keep download it to the computer, you’ll also benefit from being able to backup your Phonebook, Texts and sent MMS, Synchronisation with Calendar Appointments in Microsoft Outlook and for the more technically minded or if you have a laptop you’ll be able to use the phone as a Modem and access the Internet while out and about.
To sum up, this is not a bad phone by any stretch of the imagination and as I’ve read time and time again “You get what you pay for”. In some ways this handset definitely does throw that statement into the rubbish bin, in other ways you have to sympathise with it. Competition in the Budget Camera Phone sector has increased, so it’s worth having a look around, some other handsets have a better Screen or Infra-reddata transfer (which would have been nice here), and having played with some of them, (notably the MotorolaE365) I would still probably opt for this handset because its so user friendly and smart in design. I don’t think I know of many other Phone Manufacturers that give so much for such a small price.
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Dispatch Time Guaranteed or Money Back - 1 Working Day Genuine Siemens Mains Charger AX75 more
C55 C60 C62 C65 CF62 High Quality Genuine Mains Charger Same Day Delivery or Next Day Delivery 2 Years Manufacturer Warranty 14 Days Return Policy For Your Peace Of Mind Fabulous Customer Service - 24hr Response Time 100% Always In Stock Big Enough To Cope,Small Enough To Care This Product is Compatable With The Models Below Works With Siemens: A55, A57, A60, A62, A65, A75, AX75, C55, C60, C62, C65, C75, CF62, CF75, CL75, CV65, CX65, CX70, CX70 Emoty, CX75, M55, M65, M75, MC60, MCT 62, S55, S65, S75, SK65, SL55, SL65, SL75, SP65, SX1 Xelibri: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
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Advantages: Great price, easy to use, nice design, improved siemens keyboard Disadvantages: can't play mp3, low quality pic preview... but hey, not huge memory
markusstamina 27.08.2004 (27.08.2004)
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Review of Siemens MC60
Apr 26th, 2004
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