Siemens Phone PDA

The Siemens SX45 is a beefed-up Cassiopeia that has swallowed a Siemens SL45 (the cute MP3-playing phone). The result could have been an odd child, but it isn't.

It's a big baby at 132 x 82 x 25mm and 280g - or about half an inch thicker and 100g heavier than an iPaq or its close relations, the Sagem WA 3050 and Trium Mondo. But it's much bonnier.

For a start, there's a slot for Compact Flash (CF) Type II cards, one on the side for an SD or MMC card and a headphone connector that takes the same stereo headphones as an SL45.

There are the standard CE traits: three buttons on the front with a four-way cursor, a record button on the side, a jog dial and infra-red.

An interesting addition is a switch that turns the phone bit on and off. The phone can be turned off through software too, and when the battery is low, it does so automatically.

But what really makes you forgive the size is the screen. When you switch on the SX45 it glows at you with 65,535 colours. The resolution is 240 x 320 but it's so crisp and bright you really want to start using it.

What really makes the combination of Siemens and Casio is how well the bits have been integrated. To use the modem functions you don't have to have the phone dialler application running as you do with the Mitsubishi and Sagem.

There is plenty of memory - 32Mb plus expansion - although you can't use both the CF and MMC (MultiMedia Card) at the same time.

The Pocket PC contacts program is integrated into the phone side of things.

Tap and hold a contact name and you'll get the option to email, call or text message them. The Trium can't do any of these things and the Sagem just offers call.

It's almost as good as a Nokia 9210. The Nokia integration is better still and, ironically, the Nokia can show PowerPoint presentations while the Microsoft-powered device cannot.

The voice integration extends to the recorder function of Windows Pocket PC to record both sides of the call, albeit only 20 seconds, and you can entertain callers by replaying earlier recordings.

The Siemens cannot be used as a phone held against your head, but only with the headset. This solves a major engineering problem. If you put a microphone and speaker in the unit, you have to find space not just for the components but also for the speaker to reverberate within.

Data integration is good, but at 9600bps, it's slow. As this review was being written GPRS was still pending, and, even if it had been available on the device, the service isn't.

By the time you read this, Siemens should have GPRS hardware, and Vodafone and BT Cellnet should have a service that offers more than just Wap.

The SX45 does not come with a docking station, although one is available as an accessory. There is a USB cable in the box, and when you plug it in, the SX45 identifies itself as a Casio. This has a non-standard connector on the SX45, which is a shame as USB was designed to fit in small spaces and will be more robust than the edge connector Siemens has used.

Siemens has customised the software, too. One part maintains a list of details for ISPs and Wap gateways, so you just need to select the choice to use Demon for the internet and Orange for Wap, and settings such as IP addresses and phone numbers are automatically downloaded.

When considering a connected PDA there are lots of pretenders but only two serious options - the Nokia 9210 or the Siemens SX45. There are some interesting politics behind the Siemens. It's a MIPS R4000-based device and the new version of Pocket PC will only run on ARM-based machines.

Casio has something suitable in the wings but, in the meantime, Siemens has signed to Symbian. It's possible that Siemens will take the new Casio hardware and build a CE device and Microsoft people have hinted at such, but it's also likely that Siemens will go Symbian. Guessing would be dangerous.

Contact
Siemens: 08457 400 700 www.siemens.com/mobile