Screen

Delivering an impressive 262K-colors, the spacious 176 x 220 px resolution internal screen is vividly bright and clear indoor and out. Built with advanced TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, circuit transistors placed directly on the glass allow fast refresh rates from not having to scan pixel locations. Compared to other phones on the market, the PEBL's screen is one of the best.

Conversely, the external LCD is only monochrome. Opting to conserve battery life at the expense of color, the PEBL's LCD provides an unorthodox 32 x 64 px layout. More of a fashion statement than functional, digital time split between two lines (analog clock is available as well), with additional information including battery strength and reception status.

The LCD design adds to the elegance of the PEBL's unique look. With function bowing to form, usability is sacrificed for innovative design. As a fashion phone, the PEBL's external LCD is sure to attract just as much attention as its head-turning design.

Audio

Much of the PEBL's draw is being distinct, visually and audibly. Like instruments in an orchestra, users can also create their own sound through MotoMixer, a built-in application that overlays base tracks and melodies to mix unique ringtones.

Superimposing up to 24 chords simultaneously, the PEBL U6 can playback polyphonic ringtones through its 22 kHz speaker. While 24 chords is not state-of-the-art (compared to other high-end phones with upwards of 72 chords), the PEBL fortunately supports MP3 ringtones.

As the industry norm, MP3 ringtones allow users to play CD-quality music with lyrics, rather than notes that resemble the song. Available through T-Zones, short MP3 clips (or as T-Mobile calls them, HiFi Ringers) can be downloaded for a small fee. Not to be confused with an MP3 player, unfortunately the PEBL does not support playback of full MP3 songs.

Messaging

While the PEBL's unorthodox keypad places the 1-3-5 keys in a "wave" design, the alignment of the keys are actually quite conventional; so typing is intuitive and unhindered.

Featuring standard SMS (Short Messaging Service), EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service), and MMS (Multimedia Message Service), users can text message with ease through iTAP predictive text.

Additionally, the PEBL comes preinstalled with AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), ICQ, and Yahoo! Messenger clients. Available through T-Mobile's online service, PEBL users can go beyond traditional SMS-based messaging by chatting in real-time. Now with just a few key presses, consumers on the road can connect and keep in touch with friends and family just as if they were sitting in front of a PC.

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