E-ten Glowfiish M700 review continued..
As I have said in the first part of my review of the E-ten Glowfiish M700 I did not test and use everything. Well I can tell you one thing I still haven't tested everything on this phone. Just to much work and stuff going on to actually test everything right away.
Camera:
I have taken some photo's with the E-ten and I discovered that the camera responds really active on light. I mean to say when it is to bright outside or when the sun/light shines into your lens it will display the lines on your picture. I think they made an error in the software and I hope E-ten will fix this when they update their ROM in a few weeks. If you tweak the Camera and change settings you can actually make decent pictures with it. Please don't compare it with a "real" digital camera...I mean just use that and stop crying if the M700 doesn't make the same pictures as your digital camera!
Ringtones:
Easy to change and the playback of them is great. I made some custom ones from housemusic to old songs from the 70's and they all sound real good. Just place them in the rings folder. There is a tool on the phone "add ringtone" and when using that you seem to get a double entry in the ringtone list. I figured that placing the ringtone only in the ring folder was enough. Also no problem in using custom ringtones per contact in the phone. Just assign it and voila it works.
FM Tuner:
I have been using the FM radio a lot that comes with the M700. If you wonder why you can only hear the FM radio via the headphones, well that is because the headphones are used as your antenna. The reception is really good, I mean I drive to work with the bus through a big city and I keep jamming to House stations they have over here. The weird thing is that the "band" meaning Euro/USA/Japan is messed up. Even knowing that my phone is an imported UK phone the "band" settings still should work. Well it works when I use Euro and guess where I am located, yes the USA. At least it works, but I hope they fix that in the ROM update.
Battery continued:
Using the phone in real life situtations now and placing calls, calling voicemail, using EDGE for internet and Outlook I can tell that my phone has a max usuage of two to two-and-half days without charging. I noticed that it forgets the GPRS settings when you let it go totally empty or remove the battery manually. I think they also fix this in the new ROM update.
ROM:
If my information is correct E-ten is one of the few organizations that will and can support the next version of Windows Mobile, codename Crossbow. Not a lot of manufacturers do this, and this would suck.
GPS:
Although I have not used the GPS yet. I can tell based on information of other forums that these programs work without any problems:
- iGuidance 3.01
- TomTom Navigator 6
- Mapopolis 4.7
- iGo 2006
Applications:
I have installed several custom applications on it. One of them is a RSS/Podcast reader and that works just great. Extracting the .CAB file on the device, got installed and it worked pretty fast. The one I do not like and maybe it's me, but that is the Spb Today suite. It totally messes up my today screen and I really dislike those little blocks at the top of the screen when installing any product from Spb. (Those blocks I have seen on all PPC's)
Update: https://blogs.msdn.com/mscrmfreak/archive/2007/05/14/my-second-review-of-the-e-ten-m700.aspx
Comments
Anonymous
January 16, 2007
PingBack from http://blogs.msdn.com/mscrmfreak/archive/2007/01/09/e-ten-glowfiish-m700-review-my-first-attempt-to-write-a-review.aspxAnonymous
January 16, 2007
Hi, you said: If you wonder why you can only hear the FM radio via the headphones, well that is because the headphones are used as your antenna. I have to correct you on that. You ALWAYS need the headphones as antenna, but it's technically possible to use the speaker to listen to the Radio. It's a feature on several Nokia's for example. Maybe something for a ROM update from E-Ten...Anonymous
January 17, 2007
Frenzy, if you would have read the article correctly you could see I am talking about E-ten. I am not talking about other phones or devices. To hear the radio on a "E-ten M700" you need the headphones and they ARE your antenna. Thanks :)Anonymous
January 17, 2007
Hey, I want to buy this smartphone too but I still have some questions. 1 Are there other smartphones which are better then this one. 2 What is the difference between the X500 and M700 3 What is de quality (I have a symbian nokia now), better ??Anonymous
January 17, 2007
Hello Mark, First of all this is not a Smartphone but a Pocket PC. Ofcourse there could be better phones out there, but this is the one I liked the most. Everything is a personal choice..so do your homework, read reviews and test devices when possible. The difference between the two e-ten phones is that the M700 has a sliding keyboard in addition and some other lil extra's. Compare the full specs on www.etencorp.com. Hope this helpsAnonymous
January 19, 2007
Hey there, Thankyou for writing a wonderful review. I just came across M700.. was checking out K-Jam otherwise. Thanks a ton again! :) Cya SG P.S: would be great if u post some pics u clicked with M700 and maybe, any problems u faced?Anonymous
January 22, 2007
Now you should be using the device for 3 weeks or something. Someone told me that the keyboard gets sliding weirdly in 2 weeks. Do you experience a problem with the keyboard slider?Anonymous
January 22, 2007
Hi Ilia, I have no clue what you mean with sliding weirdly. I do not have a problem with sliding the keyboard in and out. I also do not use the carrying case, i just slip it in my pocket of my jeans.Anonymous
January 22, 2007
Excelent review. As I am considering to get a M700, can you please tell me about its display visibility outdoor, under sunlight and also its Wi-Fi performance? I own today the excelent HTC TyTN but I am very frustrated with those two points. Its Wi-Fi is too weak and its display is invisible under sunlight.Anonymous
January 22, 2007
I must be honest...the display is not that great in sunlight, but I haven't seen many devices that were readable in sunlight. The wireless functionality rocks though. I pick up every secure and insecure wireless network from great distance.Anonymous
January 28, 2007
Having had the new M700 for about 3 weeks, I've got a few opinions also. The pocket pc is a great all around phone. Nothing on it is the best but it has all the features. Like the original poster said, the camera is good, not great and not to be compared to a digital camera. That rule applies to the phone, wifi, keyboard and navigation. This is not to say that these features are poor, au contraire, I think they are very good, it's just that you can't compare it to any one device that specializes in one function. Having said that... The speaker volume is a little on the low side, I've gone into the registry and cannot find where to turn it up if possible. The Navigation (I'm using Navigon) is excellent. It's spot on and updates rapidly. The keyboard works well, (for what it is) the numeric and function keys do not light up but the alpha keys do. Wifi works great. I've heard of a few people with issues but mine hasn't batted an eye, it connects, stays connected and like I said, works great. I overclocked the CPU and at 450Mhz, it'll flat out fly. The battery works great (for at least a couple of days before needing a charge) IF you are not using bluetooth or nav. With bluetooth on, (I talk on the phone at least 1000 minutes a week) the battery won't last much more than 5-7 hours. Regarding the screen in daylight, Eten offers a "scenerio" choice which at a click will allow you to adjust backlight, volume, etc, etc... very useful. Overall, I wouldn't think twice about buying it again. I don't particularily need the keyboard but I've never read anything good about the X500 so I didn't buy it. Just my .02 worth and as my friends say.... worth every penny. MarkAnonymous
January 28, 2007
Mark, thank you for sharing your experience with the M700..at least I am not the only one that really loves this phone. Curious how you overlocked it though.Anonymous
February 11, 2007
I have a problem with the m700. Everything is peachy except when I connect to skype. I have a choppy connections though wifi. I have read may blogs that point to this problem, however I canno find any solution. Do you have this problem? Or better yet, a solution? Any insight would be a great help. StevenAnonymous
February 11, 2007
The comment has been removedAnonymous
February 13, 2007
this phone rock, the wifi n gps is great! I m located in singapore n the in-built gps receiver spot on accurately wherever I go. the additional keyboard come in useful when on the move. like all ppc, it will hang at times but it is due to the os. overall I give it 9/10! because the casing does not stand out like dopod or o2. it is a must-get for all pocket pc user! it functions rocks to the top!Anonymous
February 14, 2007
Currently, I trying to decide whether to buy the M700 or the HTC Tytn. I like the specs of M700 better (especially the GPS), but I'm concerned about its performance as a phone. Quite a few people have complained about call quality and frequent hanging. Have these problems been ressolved?Anonymous
February 20, 2007
Hi Tad, I have never encountered these problems at all. I know there is a new ROM update out that covers a lot of bugfixes and I have to still download and apply it. I am really happy with the phone and performance. The battery life is something that could be a bit better, but hey nothing is perfect :)Anonymous
February 24, 2007
Hi, good review thanks. I have bought an X500 from SuperGPS two weeks ago and I cannot send or receive MMS messages on vodafone. It reports "cannot send all of message". SuperGPS/Vodafone cannot fix and the latets ROM update didn't mend it. SuperGPS are offering a replacement/refund, do you know whether this problem occurs on the M700? Having checked a few blogs, the X500 problem is well known - shame I didn't pick that up 2 weeks ago!! Cheers, TAnonymous
February 28, 2007
hi. i want to know if m700 has a backlight in its qwerty keybord or is it dark?Anonymous
February 28, 2007
Hi atomek. The keys light up blue when touched. They are good visable in the dark.Anonymous
March 06, 2007
Hi Mennotk, what is your experience of the call quality on the M700? I own an O2 ATOM (quanta made), and everyone i speak to complains they can't hear me very well (have had that issue with HTC models as well). Cheers.Anonymous
March 07, 2007
I am happy with the call quality, havent had any complains so far. I do think they could have improved the speaker. Being outside and listening to somebody speak is a bit harder I must admit.Anonymous
March 12, 2007
Tad, the TyTN is fantastic. But I sold it after two months of use due to those problems:
- The Wi-Fi performance is too weak (when compared with my two previous Pocket PCs). It works only at not more than a few meters far from the AP antenna.
- The display is invisible under sunlight. It is impossible to dial any phone number, it is very difficult to shot a picture, etc. I am considering to buy a M700.
Anonymous
March 22, 2007
The comment has been removedAnonymous
March 22, 2007
Beto, Register yourself at www.etencorp.com with the necessary details and you will have access to the updated roms and more...Anonymous
March 23, 2007
I had selected M700 but then I heard about Nokia N95. It,s got a 5 MP cam and GPS. But it,s expensive. Can anyone help me choosing one of these two.Anonymous
March 25, 2007
will skype program work for eten m700 and if it does what version will work??? my email id is sqj5003@yahoo.comAnonymous
March 28, 2007
Saju, please read the comment made by en0x.Anonymous
April 16, 2007
Just wanted to get your thoughts after having this phone for a few months. Thinking about picking up this phone or the x500 to use for travelling around the world and just buying prepaid sim cards where ever and a gps so i don't get lost :)Anonymous
April 16, 2007
Hi! I have bought the E-then M700 and am very pleased. One problem allthough occured after a couple of days: people I'm calling to/ calling me can only hear me if I use headset or speaker on function. How can I solve this?Anonymous
May 14, 2007
Looking at my blog stats, it seems that the posts where I did my very first review about the E-ten M700Anonymous
May 22, 2007
The comment has been removedAnonymous
May 22, 2007
James, take a look at www.eten-users.eu if the site comes back up.Anonymous
May 26, 2007
5/27/07 was wondering if anyone has done any recent searching on where the lowest price can be found on the m700Anonymous
June 19, 2007
Hi, I was wondering about the camera tweak that was mentioned. What is it, how would I implement it and how effective is it. Thanks.Anonymous
July 19, 2007
I hear you about the SPB applications. I had the same problem. If you configure the application, just uncheck the "battery taskbar indicator" and ....Voila, no more irritating blocks. You have the screen to yourself againAnonymous
July 19, 2007
I hear you about the SPB applications. I had the same problem. If you configure the application, just uncheck the "battery taskbar indicator" and ....Voila, no more irritating blocks. You have the screen to yourself againAnonymous
August 06, 2007
i have eten X500.once i connected headphone and disconnected,i will not hear voice now.i already reset.but when i coonect headphone i can hear.