Screen
The CG225's 96 x 64 px monochrome external display is unimpressive but
effective. Revealing the time, date, day, signal strength, battery charge,
caller ID, and sound and vibrate settings, a static cloud image lights up
behind it when one of the volume buttons is pushed to improve its visibility
in the dark. The screen's small size and lack of color pays dividends in
that it is able to remain active with little battery drain.
Close in size to many external displays, the 65K-color internal LCD display
is undersized at 128 x 128 px. The Super Twisted Nematic (STN) display is
bright but the colors are a bit washed out, making the menu less sharp and
the overall look less appealing. STN displays have limited color range and
a smaller viewing angle than TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screens, however
offer prolonged battery life.
Both internal and external LCD screens lag well behind the current phones
on the market. Their undersized STN displays lack the clarity and vibrancy
of high-end devices. However, these same phones usually suffer from increased
power usage and shorter battery life. While the CG225's dual screens may not
amaze consumers, its outstanding battery life will.
Audio
The CG225 offers very limited audio capabilities, lacking an MP3 player
and a voice recorder. It does come with eight ringtones and offers vibrate
and silent modes, but with limited memory and no expansion slot, only a
few ringtones can be added.
 While
space is limited, users can download MP3 ringtones through Cingular's MEdia
Net service, for a nominal fee. Integrated into the phone's menu, downloads
are convenient but starting at $1.99 each, users may prefer to use the optional
data cable to transfer them from their PC.
Conversations were clear on the CG225 but the earpiece volume was low
which made it difficult to use in loud environments. The headset has a full-duplex
speakerphone but it relies on the earpiece speaker so it provided similar
performance, clear calls but low volume.
Messaging
While the CG225 lacks capabilities in some areas, it has the full compliment
of messaging features offering SMS (Short Messaging Service), EMS (Enhanced
Messaging Service), and MMS (Multimedia Message Service). These messaging
options allow the users to do more than just send simple text messages up
to 918 characters - they can also include photos, animations, and sounds.
Unfortunately the CG225 doesn't offer email access either through traditional
services or 3rd party email accounts.
However, for users that want to stay in contact through instant messaging
even when they are away from their computers, the CG225 provides an excellent
choice of the most popular chat clients. AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), ICQ,
Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger and can handle up to 10 open IM conversations
at one time.
T9 predictive text helps the user keep up in IM conversations and text
messages as it anticipates what the user is typing to save keystrokes. The
keypad on the CG225 provides relative ease of use as its buttons offer adequate
size and backlighting.
With messaging becoming essential to mobile technology users, the CG225
delivers in this area by allowing a full range of messaging options. While
the handset does not provide email access, its traditional keypad is best
suited for IMs rather than lengthy emails.
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