KYJELLO
11-29-2003, 09:56 PM
This is my first review so any feedback would be much appreciated.
Design
---
Body: Compact, sleek and attractive, unlikely to snag pockets or purses. Opening the clamshell with one hand has a slight learning curve. No external display is a pain, but not really damning. Lanyard hole is easy to string.
Battery: Fits extremely securely, unlikely to become detached or have improperly aligned contacts. 4 studs help resist scratching when laid down on surfaces. External contacts for charging in cradle charger is a big plus.
Antenna: Better than the n400's antenna in resisting snagging on pockets. Antenna is unfortunately permanent.
Buttons: External - just volume control/scroll wheel. It's a little small. Internal - standard layout for numeric buttons, including tactile guides around number 5. Directional keys lie flush with the phone. They are easy
to press, unlikely to be accidentally pressed, and are actually pretty good for gaming. In the center is a
button that is the rough equivelant of 'ok' and triggers the primary fire in games. Surrounding the directional buttons in a U shaped manner are the remaining buttons. To the upper left is an ok/voicemail
button, the lower left is the green talk button. To the upper right is a menu button, the lower right is the
red end button. Directly under the directional keys is the back button. The ok/voicemail button and menu
button also function as softkeys.
Display: 65,000 color LCD, 128 x 160 pixels. Very noticeably improved over the n400. Contrast is adjustable. Can be
read in direct sunlight, to my surprise. By default a timed power-saving mode reduces the backlight intensity
to save battery life. The display even turns off after an even longer amount of time, although it doesn't do
this in web browser mode apparently. Very high quality
Menu: Fairly intuitive, although more options on the main menu, and less menu depth would have been better. The
nature menu-style is far better than the camera mode.
---
Voice/Audio
---
Ringers: Midi ringers sound much better than the n400. I honestly can't tell if there is any distortion at higher
volumes. QCP and PMD ringers sound fine, but slightly distorted at higher volumes. Standard ringers are loud
enough for almost anyone, even in noisy areas. Vibrate does not rattle phone like some models.
Calls: Little to no distortion at even highest volume. Loud enough for anyone if up to ear. Lack of speakerphone is
a minus. Call quality is pretty good, but not as good as the 8100 (of course). No noticeable hardware-caused
echo. Mobile Broadcast Network quality is hardly bearable, but this can be due to hundreds of factors besides
the phone.
Signal: Signal strength during calls or 3g access is far more stable than with the n400. Signal strength indicator is
very quick to respond, perhaps even realtime. No dropped calls so far when moving.
Other: Real One sounds vastly superior on the VI660 than on the n400. Of course its appeal evens out on this phone
due to the lack of a speakerphone.
---
Performance
---
Web Browsing: Much, much quicker than with the n400, although the comparison is pretty unfair. Status bar is quick to
respond and is actually a good indication of what is going on. Status icon is also quicker. Throughput is
also noticeably faster than with the n400. Caching is obviously in effect here and is a boon to anyone that
regularly uses the wireless web.
J2ME: It isn't stressful to play games or use applications on the VI660 like it is with the n400. So far there is
no noticeable lag, nor any bugginess. Applications appear to access the wireless web much easier than with
the n400. Active Viewer and J2ME VNC are actually functional if you have the patience. Games are actually
enjoyable. Why is there only 1000K for storage? That's only 500K higher than the n400! What gives?!?
This phone does support the gamepad.
---
Overall
---
Pros: Quick to respond, rugged, good call quality, awesome display, compact, ability to adjust volume anytime.
Great battery life
Cons: No speakerphone, no external display, and overpriced at $229.
Final Thought: Great all-around phone with good Vision performance. Not the best for hardcore vision users.
contact me on aim if you want: disposableface
Design
---
Body: Compact, sleek and attractive, unlikely to snag pockets or purses. Opening the clamshell with one hand has a slight learning curve. No external display is a pain, but not really damning. Lanyard hole is easy to string.
Battery: Fits extremely securely, unlikely to become detached or have improperly aligned contacts. 4 studs help resist scratching when laid down on surfaces. External contacts for charging in cradle charger is a big plus.
Antenna: Better than the n400's antenna in resisting snagging on pockets. Antenna is unfortunately permanent.
Buttons: External - just volume control/scroll wheel. It's a little small. Internal - standard layout for numeric buttons, including tactile guides around number 5. Directional keys lie flush with the phone. They are easy
to press, unlikely to be accidentally pressed, and are actually pretty good for gaming. In the center is a
button that is the rough equivelant of 'ok' and triggers the primary fire in games. Surrounding the directional buttons in a U shaped manner are the remaining buttons. To the upper left is an ok/voicemail
button, the lower left is the green talk button. To the upper right is a menu button, the lower right is the
red end button. Directly under the directional keys is the back button. The ok/voicemail button and menu
button also function as softkeys.
Display: 65,000 color LCD, 128 x 160 pixels. Very noticeably improved over the n400. Contrast is adjustable. Can be
read in direct sunlight, to my surprise. By default a timed power-saving mode reduces the backlight intensity
to save battery life. The display even turns off after an even longer amount of time, although it doesn't do
this in web browser mode apparently. Very high quality
Menu: Fairly intuitive, although more options on the main menu, and less menu depth would have been better. The
nature menu-style is far better than the camera mode.
---
Voice/Audio
---
Ringers: Midi ringers sound much better than the n400. I honestly can't tell if there is any distortion at higher
volumes. QCP and PMD ringers sound fine, but slightly distorted at higher volumes. Standard ringers are loud
enough for almost anyone, even in noisy areas. Vibrate does not rattle phone like some models.
Calls: Little to no distortion at even highest volume. Loud enough for anyone if up to ear. Lack of speakerphone is
a minus. Call quality is pretty good, but not as good as the 8100 (of course). No noticeable hardware-caused
echo. Mobile Broadcast Network quality is hardly bearable, but this can be due to hundreds of factors besides
the phone.
Signal: Signal strength during calls or 3g access is far more stable than with the n400. Signal strength indicator is
very quick to respond, perhaps even realtime. No dropped calls so far when moving.
Other: Real One sounds vastly superior on the VI660 than on the n400. Of course its appeal evens out on this phone
due to the lack of a speakerphone.
---
Performance
---
Web Browsing: Much, much quicker than with the n400, although the comparison is pretty unfair. Status bar is quick to
respond and is actually a good indication of what is going on. Status icon is also quicker. Throughput is
also noticeably faster than with the n400. Caching is obviously in effect here and is a boon to anyone that
regularly uses the wireless web.
J2ME: It isn't stressful to play games or use applications on the VI660 like it is with the n400. So far there is
no noticeable lag, nor any bugginess. Applications appear to access the wireless web much easier than with
the n400. Active Viewer and J2ME VNC are actually functional if you have the patience. Games are actually
enjoyable. Why is there only 1000K for storage? That's only 500K higher than the n400! What gives?!?
This phone does support the gamepad.
---
Overall
---
Pros: Quick to respond, rugged, good call quality, awesome display, compact, ability to adjust volume anytime.
Great battery life
Cons: No speakerphone, no external display, and overpriced at $229.
Final Thought: Great all-around phone with good Vision performance. Not the best for hardcore vision users.
contact me on aim if you want: disposableface