Screen

The external screen provides convenient access to call status, date and time, and signal and battery levels. However, while most devices are pushing 65K- and up to 262K-color displays, the V557's 96 x 32 px grayscale LCD is disappointing.

But it does have one advantage. Monochrome LCDs consume significantly less battery power than full color screens. Prolonging battery life at the expense of color, the V557's external displays only shows static information such as time, caller ID, or network status. Thus a simple two-toned screen may be advantageous.

Conversely, the internal LCD is a 65K-colors TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screen. Having a resolution of 176 x 220 px, TFT monitors provide significantly quicker response and refresh rates by placing circuit transistors directly on the glass.

Audio

Progressing past polyphonic ringtones, the V557 alerts users of incoming calls with MP3 ringtones. Rather than recreating sounds through a local synthesizer, MP3s are actual recordings from an audio source. Thus an exact duplicate of the recorded source can be turned into a ringtone. From music with lyrics to recorded voice, anything a users can record can be turned into an MP3 ringtone.

By pressing the Speakerphone Key, users can carry on a handsfree conversation as well. Convenient and safe to use while driving, the V557's speakerphone function comes in handy when attending to another task.

Messaging

Flipping open the V557, consumers can use SMS (Short Messaging Service) and EMS (Enhanced Messaging Service) standards to text messages friends. Adding multimedia to words, MMS (Multimedia Message Service) lets users attach photos taken with the V557's VGA camera. Able to capture that vacation sunset and or record that birthday bash, consumers can use MMS to send more than text by creating digital vacation greetings or birthday video postcards.

Staying in touch through Cingular's network, customers can also access the latest instant messaging platforms through preinstalled chat applications. Featuring AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), ICQ, and Yahoo! Messenger, V557 users can chat in real-time, additionally tracking online status and buddy availability. Going beyond traditional SMS-based chat, users can receive notifications where there are status changes to have real-time access to friends and family on the go.

< Prev Next >

This article is Copyright 2002-2009 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact us.