Samsung E700 Review
First Impressions
When I first got the phone home I was hysterical I couldn’t wait to open the box and get playing around with it, my fist impressions was how small and sleek it was with its navy blue and silver clamshell design that stands out from all the other mobiles. The E700 is so small and light and fits perfectly in my pocket. The buttons and infra-red/ IrDA on the sides really stand out to me and really adds to the look. After the 12 - 16 hour charge I was ready to play around with the phone, the picture is so clear and fresh with the easy to see settings and layout.
Sizes & Dimensions
- Size and weight: 90x 45 x 23(mm), 88 (g)
- Screens: - Internal: 128 x 160 Pixels / 65536 TFT
- External: 96 x 64 Pixels / 256
Whats In The Box
- Battery
- Samsung E700 Handset
- Charger
- User Manual
- Wrist Strap
- Hands free Kit
- Samsung Fun club Invitation
- Warranty Card
- Sim Card
Features
- Built-in VGA Camera With Night Mode
- Multi-shot function & Self Portrait
- Memory: 9MB
- MMS
- GPRS
- Infra-red/ IrDA
- Polyphonic Ringtones
- Games/Java
- Phonebook
- Dual Band (900/1800 Mhz)
- Internal 65,536 colours TFT LCD
- External 256 colours TFT LCD
Menu Structure
I must say that with Samsung mobile the menu structures are not all set out too well but with the E700 they have overcome that and then new look structure proves to work well which includes (messages, call records, sound settings, phone settings, organiser, network services, fun box, camera and my services) all these menus can be reached using the shortcut codes (e.g.) (3.1 = incoming calls), in all this structure proves its self to be useful and it works for me.
Design
The general design of the phone has been planned out well with the small clamshell design, the way that the camera hole is situated above centre of the 256 colour TFT screen on the front adds to the design look very well. When the mobile is open the layout design of the screen and keypad is well thought out with the 65k TFT LCD screen on top and keypad below. Also there is 1 button situated on each side of the phone nearest the battery, the one on the right is for quick use of the camera and the one on the left followed with an infra-red/ IrDA port if for the key volume. The design has been well thought of and proves to work well in my experience.
The Display
The display features 2 screens one external and one internal, the internal screen features a 128 x 160 pixel TFT LCD display with 65,536 colours imbedded and the external features a 96 x 64 pixel TFT LCD display with 256 colours embedded., the display is very clear and easy to adjust too and can support GIFS and other animations as well as supporting complicated graphics, the internal screen consists of a backlight for up to 3 minutes and the external screen consists of a clock and date function which moves side to side in an luminous blue/green colour which is easy to see, this is a good feature to have on a clamshell mobile.
Keypad
The keypad is well laid out and easy to get along with, there is a select button situated on the top left hand side and a back button situated on the top right hand side, there are also 5 navigation keys placed in the centre middle of the keypad for scrolling and quick access to (texts, camera, ring tones, calendar and WAP), in general the keypad is very comfortable to use with the smooth flat buttons that don’t wear out and add to the sleek look of the mobile.
Camera
The E700 has a VGA (640 x 480), 128 x 120 pixel camera and a 5 x Zoom with the multi shot function and night mode, I must say that the quality of the photos are very good for the price of the mobile but could be better, there is no lag at all when moving the mobile side to side, the quality is still the same and consists of being able to turn up and down the light using the navigation keys on the keypad, there is also a function of being able to chance photos into negative, sketch and emboss etc which if useful to have sometimes the camera so far in my opinion some what is better than some other mobiles in terms of resistance.
Battery Life & Signal Strength
The standard battery capacity in the E700 is up to 800mAh, with a talk time of up to 3 hours and a stand by time of anywhere up to 230 hours in total, from my own experience of giving the phone a full charge of 12 to 16 hours I have had a battery life from a full charge last for about 6 – 7 days total, having not have given the mobile a full charge the battery may not have lasted that amount of time without a charge. My experience of signal strength from the E700 on O2 has proven to be at 5 out of 5 bars at all times from the location I am at but I could not say for other networks.
Summary
Overall I think the E700 has met my expectations of being easy to use and work with, especially with the VGA camera and MMS messaging. I think that this mobile would meet any users needs except from the slight let down of not having Bluetooth which many Samsungs lack and would be an ideal mobile to have, I for one am proud to own the Samsung E700.
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