Just the way you like it

Your present phone may not be your dream phone, for various considerations such as price, style or technical features. Even with the plethora of mobile phones in the market from competing manufacturers, it’s still hard to get a perfect match for your needs.

But the mobile life is always replete with possibilities and as technology evolves, phone models are getting closer and closer to perfect individuality.

Siemens’ newly launched mobile phone model, the CX65, is a cross between its two cousins – the high-end and hi-tech SX1 and the more modest ST60. By combining the best features of these phones, Siemens struck a middle ground targeting mobile users who seek a compromise.

"It’s kind of hard to imagine life now without mobile phones," said Lavenia Perez-Revilla, country manager of Siemens Mobile at the launch of CX65. "This is why Siemens continues to innovate mobile phones that are abreast of the evolution not only of technology, but more so of the users’ lifestyle."

Screen Display And Navigability

The tri-band CX65, available in cool silver, is slightly bigger than the ST60 at 108 x 46 x 18 mm but smaller than the SX1. This goes well for people who don’t like wide phones but who neither delight in very lightweight phones. But for an average-sized phone, it makes up a lot in display features with its large nine-line, 65,536 color display screen with a resolution of 132 x 165 pixels.

The screen is big enough for viewing colored pictures, animation and video clips and has a wide room for text and e-mail messages. The menu, while still following the standard Siemens functionalities, has been greatly improved for easier navigation, complete with new color combinations as well as built-in wallpaper, screensaver and logo options.

That the CX65 has a different look and feel is only the tip of the iceberg. In an apparent effort to make this new phone more user-friendly, especially for the benefit of mobile phone users who are not yet familiar with Siemens’ customized features, a help menu has been integrated into every major function.

With this feature, any first-time user need not always consult the manual for guidance. In using the camera for the first time, for instance, the help guide gives very clear instructions in simple layman’s terms: "Press joystick to take a picture. Picture is saved automatically. Direct access to further settings via joystick left/right/ and up/down." As this option is obviously patterned after the "help" button in Windows, most mobile users who are also PC users, will recognize its uses at once.

And like the SX1, the CX65 comes with a five-way joystick that makes navigation much easier.

But the real highlight of the CX65 and one that is very unique to this model is the mobile assistant, an animated character that helps the mobile user download ringtones, logos and games from the Siemens website.

Enhanced Multimedia And Technical Power

The VGA video and photo camera, which are standard features of the SX1 and the ST60, advanced a step in the CX65. This is because the CX65’s VGA camera has an optical (5x digital) zoom that allows users to capture more detailed shots for clearer, better pictures and video clips. Light, so crucial in photography, can likewise be adjusted for greater depth.

This new Siemens phone also comes with a photo editor for photo adjustment and enhancement. In the SX1, Siemens demonstrated the possibilities of photo manipulation for MMS and this comes in very handy also with the CX65. However, the CX65 comes in slightly lower than the SX1 in that it only supports up to 12 camcorder frames per second compared with the SX1’s 15 f/s. In the audio department, the CX5 supports AMR, Midi and Wav.

Just like most new-generation phones, the CX65 is WAP- and Internet-ready and can send and receive e-mails. It supports SMTP, POP3 and IMAP4 e-mail clients for greater connectivity. Data exchange with a PC is possible via serial or USB cable or via infrared (IrDA). It comes with a standard Li-Ion 750 mAH battery with stand-by time of up to 300 hours and talk time of up to 300 minutes.

For Siemens, there is always a choice.