Basic Features

The quad-band (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz) ZX10 world phone is compatible with GSM networks worldwide. Additionally, the 3G ZX10 is also dual-band UMTS (850 / 1900 MHz), however since much of Asia and Europe run on 2100 MHz, the ZX10 is incompatible on 3G networks abroad.

However both cases assume the ZX10 is unlocked. Released exclusively for Cingular, the ZX10 is unfortunately locked by default, a common carrier practice to prevent customers from taking discounted phones (purchased in conjunction with a plan) to other carriers. However, good-standing customers can usually request the unlock code after 90 days of service. Only after the ZX10 is unlocked will users be able to take the ZX10 to other networks.

Rating the ZX10's 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery at a mediocre 5.0 and 200 hours (8.3 days) of talk and standby times respectively, real world usage times will be less. Handset manufacturers often list talk-time and standby-time ratings with disclaimers about variable performance, often referring to the times they publish as maximum times.

Screen

With the vast majority of cell phones featuring dual color displays, the ZX10 may disappoint consumers with its 96 x 96 px monochrome external screen. However for users who don't require a color screen to display date, time, battery life, network status, and incoming calls and alerts, the ZX10 has a noticeable advantage. Built on STN (Super Twisted Nematic) LCD technology, energy consumption is greatly reduced, prolonging the ZX10's battery life.

By contrast, the 262K-color internal LCD is made of vivid TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology. Manufactured with circuit transistors placed directly on the glass, the TFT screen can refresh significantly faster than STN from not having to scan each pixel location. Necessary for applications requiring fast refresh rates, such as being used as a viewfinder in Camera Mode, the ZX10's 176 x 220 px screen is among the leading displays on the market today, and an ideal medium to watch Cingular Video service on.

Audio

Loading a TransFlash memory card stored with music activates the ZX10's fairly standard built-in MP3 Player. Converting the 5-way directional keypad into the controller, users can Play / Pause (Center), Rewind (Left), Forward (Right), Stop (Down), and View Playlist (Up) with a simple key press. Storing over a hundred songs per card (512 MB), the ZX10 accepts a variety of file formats and bitrates.

Consumers can set real music as ringtones as well. Supporting MP3, AAC, or 64 chord polyphonic tones, the ZX10 can directly download or transfer ringtones from a PC or through Cingular's MEdia Net service.

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