Siemens SX1

Infobox Mobile phone
name = Siemens SX1


imagesize =
manufacturer = Siemens AG
carrier =
available = 2003—2005
screen = 176x220 (65,536 colours) TFT display
exterior_screen =
camera = Integrated VGA camera
2nd_camera =
operatingsystem = Symbian OS v6.1, Series 60 v1.0 UI
input = Unique keypad arrangement
cpu = 120 MHz
ringtone = Polyphonic (16 channels), WAV
memory = 4 MB internal memory
memory_card = Hot-Swappable MMC
networks = GSM, GPRS
battery = Standard, Li-Ion 1000 mAh
connectivity = IrDA, Bluetooth
size = 109x56x19 mm
form = Candybar
weight = 116gms
music = FM Radio, MP3

The Siemens SX1 is a GSM mobile phone running version 1.2 of the Series 60 platform for the Symbian OS. It is the first such smartphone from the German phone manufacturer Siemens AG following their licensing agreement with Nokia for the use and development of Series 60.

Though unveiled in February 2003 it launched only in December of that year, but has since seen good sales.

The phone has a very high feature list and very good performance, but there is some controversy over the non-standard keypad arrangement, which has elicited praise from some users and criticism from others.

Features

The phone has a very high feature list for its time of release. It had three built in games and support for more by downloads. The three games which were bundled with the phone were "Mozzies", which was awarded the title of best mobile game in 2003, "Typegun", which was a game made for acquainting users to the keypad layout, and "Sitris", a Tetris version with multiplayer support (via Bluetooth). In "Mozzies", the Camera is used to detect the motion. So you have to position the gun on the flying mosquitoes which are superimposed on the video feed from the camera. The objective is to shoot down the mosquitoes by moving the phone around and clicking when you are aiming correctly.
The phone also has a good number of connectivity options from Bluetooth to IrDA. It can also be used as a Fax Machine by connecting it to an appropriate device like a computer through the software provided. The File Manager allows sending and receiving of various files over either infrared or bluetooth. The phone has two shortcut keys on its side. One is used to start the camera and click pictures, while the other can be used to make a voice command driven call or start the voice memo. There is a built in picture editor which allows modification of images taken by the camera or any other type of image present on the phone. The phone has a few organizer capabilities. There are applications to take down short notes, a "To-Do List", a scheduler application with reminders and a converter to convert currency and different measuring units.

Specifications

* General
** Network - GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
** Announced - 2003, February (Released, December)
* Size
** Dimensions - 109 x 56 x 19 mm, 110 cc
** Weight - 116 g
* Unique keypad arrangement
* 5-way joystick
* Display
** 65,536-colour screen TFT LCD
** Size - 176 x 220 pixels, 35 x 44 mm
* 132 MHz Texas Instruments OMAP310 CPU
* Ringtones
** Type - Polyphonic (16 channels)
** PCM (wav) files support for Ringtones
** Customization - Download, order now
** Vibration - Yes
* Loud speaker
* Stereo Output through earphones provided.
* Memory
** Phonebook - 10 fields, in shared memory, contact groups, Photo call
** Call records - 10 dialed, 10 received, 10 missed calls
** Hot-swappable MMC card slot (up to 1 GB tested)
** Internal Memory - 16 MB total RAM memory, 24 MB (in earlier revisions) or 32 MB (in later revisions) Flash memory with 4 MB available to user
* Data
** GPRS - Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbit/s
** Bluetooth V1.1
** Infrared port
** USB Support
* Features
** OS - Symbian OS v6.1, Series 60 v1.0 UI, Java MIDP 1.1
** Self-update capability with downloaded firmware
** Messaging - SMS, EMS, MMS, Email
** Browser - WAP 2.0/xHTML
** Clock
** Alarm (repeated)
** Games (Bluetooth multiplayer) - Also 3rd party games available for downloads
** Camera - 640×480 pixels resolution (VGA) camera with nightshot
** Video recorder mode 176×144 pixels resolution (QCIF) at 15 fps (limited by free memory)
** Integrated FM radio (87.5-108 MHz, frequency range 20 Hz-20 kHz)
** T9
** PIM
** User profiles
** Voice Recorder (AMR Format)
** MP3 player
** Video Player with pre-installed Real Player
** Media File Support
*** JPG, GIF, BMP
*** RA, RM, MP3, 3GP, WAV, AMR, H.263
* Colors - Ice blue
* SyncML
* Support for 3rd party downloadable Java based and Symbian applications.
* Battery
** Standard, Li-Ion 1000 mAh (EBA-540)
** Stand-by - Up to 200 h
** Talk time - Up to 4 h
* Package contents:
** Cellular phone device
** Charger
** Handsfree
** USB to phone cable
** Siemens Data Suite installation CD
** Instructions booklet

Similar phones

The SX1's interface is very similar to that of the Nokia 6600 as the Symbian OS was being jointly developed by Siemens AG and Nokia. There are other phones with similar specifications and functional similarity.
* Nokia 6600
* Nokia 3660
* Sony Ericsson P800 (It is more advanced and also based on a different version of the Symbian OS - UIQ).

System Codes

These are a few system codes which have to be dialed on the main screen like a telephone number.
* *#06# - To get the IMEI number
* *#7780# - To restore to Factory Settings
* *#7370# - To Reset the phone (Hard reset)
* Press Joystick and Start Button to enter the firmware update mode (Do this before connecting to the computer for the firmware update)
* To format the phone (and restore it to factory specs), while holding * and #, press the "On" button. When it connects, release the on button.

Reviews

* [http://reviews.cnet.com/Siemens_SX1_GSM/4505-6454_7-30683133.html Siemens SX1 Review on CNET Reviews]
* [http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h542.htm Review by ITReviews.co.uk] ITreviews
* [http://www.i4u.com/article1122.html Review by I4U News]
* [http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/mobilephones/0,1000000685,39119216,00.htm Review by ZDNet]
* [http://cellphones.about.com/od/an_siemens/a/ansie_sx1s.htm Review by About.com]

External links

* [http://www.benq-siemens.com/cds/frontdoor/0,2241,hq_en_0_130289_0_xcs%253A_xcp%253A132668,00.html Official Siemens SX1 site]
* [http://my-symbian.com/ My-Symbian]
* [http://www.symbian.com/symbianos/index.html The Symbian OS]
* [http://sourceforge.net/projects/linux-on-sx1/ Linux on SX1 - Main site]
* [http://linux-on-sx1.wiki.sourceforge.net/ Linux on SX1 Wiki]
* [http://www.handhelds.org/moin/moin.cgi/SiemensSX1 Linux on SX1 on Handhelds.org (outdated)]
* [http://www.simaniac.com/forums/siemens-sx1-linux-vp245848.html Linux on SX1 Turkish How To]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oCOV5cgQOo Linux on SX1 Video]
* [https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=349333&native_or_pdf=pdf|SX1 User Manual]
* [http://oslik.ru Russian SX1 site: Patches; actual developers of linux port, ...]
* [http://sx1.pl Polish SX1 site: Patches, Cristal project, ...]