Siemens C35i Cell Phone
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- Style: Candy Bar
- Network Type: GSM 1800 EGSM 900
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Packs a punch, without a dent in your wallet.
Pros
possibilities, quality, price
Cons
volume control, battery indicator
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Siemens did a great job offering loads of goodies in a smart package. With great sound and equal reception quality they have a winner.
Siemens, a well known brand for cordless Dect phones, introduced a series of new cellphones starting with the affordable c35/i through the m35 to the top of the line s35. I got mine for 50 with a new subscription I think they retail for about 200 to 225.
The basics
The major differences between the three models is that the c35 has an antenna (a benefit in my opinion), the m35 is shock and "waterproof" and the s35 has most noticebly a bigger screen, an irdaport and some extra buttons.
The goods
Affordable doesn't mean cheap in specs though. Siemens packed loads of goodies in their entry level phone to get a bigger share in the market. You the consumer benefit from: T9txt input, vibrating alert, Sim-toolkit (network dependent), melody maker, games and last but not least WAP.
The design
The phone is very well built, together with a good weight distribution, it gives a sturdy impression. The slight S-curve and rounded edges provide a firm and secure hold in your hand, unlike flat and square on models from other brands. The buttons are well laid out and big enough even for bigger hands. The feel of the rubber buttons is somewhat mooshy compared to the more expensive s35 or most Nokia's. The "softkeys" beneath the screen takes you through the menu items. A cool touch is the backlighting. The backlight dims instead of just going out.
The menu
I do agree with other writers that it is somewhat intimidating the first time you flick through it. The phone offers so much, one has to get used to some of it's possibilities. Anyway it has a build in basic help menu to get you through it. About the number entries... I have no difficulties at all with it. Maybe there is a software difference between Euro and US versions. To save an entry just punch a number and press save. You may get three options the first time but after that it saves all numbers to the phonebook you choose as default. I save all my numbers on the sim anyway. If you would like to use the personalized features like adding faces and melodies to a number then you would have to use the other phonebooks offered by the c35. But that means you can't take them with you on the sim.
The goodies
T9txt input, great when you do a lot of SMS. But it does not work when you input an email, grrrrr!!
Vibrating alert. When left on a table for instance, the raised ribs on the battery cover plus the tip of the antenna seem to amplify the vibration. A very alarming noise. For me it works. But I think it lacks the ability to vibrate and then kick in the melody like with Motorola's.
Sim toolkit. I won't go into this since it is network dependent. But mainly it's an SMS based service your network either provides or not.
Melody maker. Nice if you want to have the latest tune on your phone. Unlike with Nokia's you can't have them sent to you via sms. You have to input it manually or via a serial cable. I tried it once. Be patient!!! Look for txt examples at www.yourmobile.com, they have hundreds of free ringtones for your phone.
Games, appointments and other stuff. You get 4 games of which minesweeper is a nice classic. Using the appointments is fiddly. Only useful other things are the alarm clock and currency converter.
Wap do you mean? Setting up the appropriate menu for wap is a major hassle and wap do you get? Almost nothing. If you need the latest forecast or stock exchange I suggest you join a free sms service.
Gripes
The biggest shortcoming of this otherwise excellent product is the lack of volume control via buttons. They had to cut corners somewhere. The s35 has extra buttons on the side for volume control and one extra for voice memo. The c35 lacks all of this. However you can control the volume either by default or through the softkeys during a call. But that means you have to hold the phone of your ear and look at the screen to see what you are doing.
Although the standby time is more than substantial (about 4 to 5 days)the indicator on the screen is not very accurate. Between 5 hours left and nothing you can't differentiate anything anymore.
Overall
Siemens did a great job offering loads of goodies in a smart package. With great sound and equal reception quality they have a winner.
The basics
The major differences between the three models is that the c35 has an antenna (a benefit in my opinion), the m35 is shock and "waterproof" and the s35 has most noticebly a bigger screen, an irdaport and some extra buttons.
The goods
Affordable doesn't mean cheap in specs though. Siemens packed loads of goodies in their entry level phone to get a bigger share in the market. You the consumer benefit from: T9txt input, vibrating alert, Sim-toolkit (network dependent), melody maker, games and last but not least WAP.
The design
The phone is very well built, together with a good weight distribution, it gives a sturdy impression. The slight S-curve and rounded edges provide a firm and secure hold in your hand, unlike flat and square on models from other brands. The buttons are well laid out and big enough even for bigger hands. The feel of the rubber buttons is somewhat mooshy compared to the more expensive s35 or most Nokia's. The "softkeys" beneath the screen takes you through the menu items. A cool touch is the backlighting. The backlight dims instead of just going out.
The menu
I do agree with other writers that it is somewhat intimidating the first time you flick through it. The phone offers so much, one has to get used to some of it's possibilities. Anyway it has a build in basic help menu to get you through it. About the number entries... I have no difficulties at all with it. Maybe there is a software difference between Euro and US versions. To save an entry just punch a number and press save. You may get three options the first time but after that it saves all numbers to the phonebook you choose as default. I save all my numbers on the sim anyway. If you would like to use the personalized features like adding faces and melodies to a number then you would have to use the other phonebooks offered by the c35. But that means you can't take them with you on the sim.
The goodies
T9txt input, great when you do a lot of SMS. But it does not work when you input an email, grrrrr!!
Vibrating alert. When left on a table for instance, the raised ribs on the battery cover plus the tip of the antenna seem to amplify the vibration. A very alarming noise. For me it works. But I think it lacks the ability to vibrate and then kick in the melody like with Motorola's.
Sim toolkit. I won't go into this since it is network dependent. But mainly it's an SMS based service your network either provides or not.
Melody maker. Nice if you want to have the latest tune on your phone. Unlike with Nokia's you can't have them sent to you via sms. You have to input it manually or via a serial cable. I tried it once. Be patient!!! Look for txt examples at www.yourmobile.com, they have hundreds of free ringtones for your phone.
Games, appointments and other stuff. You get 4 games of which minesweeper is a nice classic. Using the appointments is fiddly. Only useful other things are the alarm clock and currency converter.
Wap do you mean? Setting up the appropriate menu for wap is a major hassle and wap do you get? Almost nothing. If you need the latest forecast or stock exchange I suggest you join a free sms service.
Gripes
The biggest shortcoming of this otherwise excellent product is the lack of volume control via buttons. They had to cut corners somewhere. The s35 has extra buttons on the side for volume control and one extra for voice memo. The c35 lacks all of this. However you can control the volume either by default or through the softkeys during a call. But that means you have to hold the phone of your ear and look at the screen to see what you are doing.
Although the standby time is more than substantial (about 4 to 5 days)the indicator on the screen is not very accurate. Between 5 hours left and nothing you can't differentiate anything anymore.
Overall
Siemens did a great job offering loads of goodies in a smart package. With great sound and equal reception quality they have a winner.
