| Panasonic VS7 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 / Gsm 1900 |
| Announced | 2005, 1q |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 102 X 51 X 18.8 Mm, 89 Cc |
| Weight | 113 G |
| Display |
| Type | Tft, 16m Colors |
| Size | 320 X 240 Pixels |
| | - Second External Cstn Display, 4096 Colors, 96 X 64 Pixels
- Downloadable Logos |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (40 Channels), Mp3 |
| Amount | 21 Preset |
| Customization | Download, |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 500 Entries |
| Call Records | 50 Dialed, 50 Received, 20 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - 30 Mb Shared Memory
- 2 Mb For Mms |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 Slots), 32 - 48 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes, V1.2 |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| Usb | Yes |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Ems, Mms, Email |
| Browser | Wap 2.0/xhtml |
| Games | Sonic The Hedgehog, Soccer, |
| Colors | |
| Camera | 2 Mp, 1600x1200 Pixels, Video(qcif) |
| | - Java
- Mp3/aac Player
- T9
- Calendar
- Changeable Covers
- Voice Memo |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-ion 830 Mah (eb-bs001) |
| Stand-by | Up To 430 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 8 H |
|
Panasonic - VS7Slim Panasonic VS7
Introduction
Panasonic is not well known for its mobile phones outside Japan, but instead for its home appliance products. For years, they have been releasing mediocre handsets that never made it big in the market. The turning point was in 2002, when they released the GD88. It was the first GSM device equipped with a 132x176 pixel 65k color LCD display, a camera, 16 voice polyphonic ringtones, and all in a reasonably sized Japanese-influenced flip phone design. From then on, Panasonic seemed to have sunk a little, with the X series only popular at CeBIT, but not in the actual market. Their first Symbian flip phone, the X700, lost completely to the Nokia 6260, and the X800 was a flop due to a number of software and multimedia inadequacies. Earlier this year at 3GSM, Panasonic ambitiously announced a whooping nine new models, covering all the way from the bottom end to the top segment. Panasonic is determined to regain market share in the midst of the multimedia chase.
The phone we are looking at today, the VS7, is their flagship for this year.
Physical Aspects
According to Panasonic, VS stands for "Visual Slim," so obviously slimness is one of the major selling points of this device. The weight is a reasonable 113g (3.98oz). Measuring 102mm x 51mm x 18.8mm (4.01" x 2" x 0.74"), the VS7 is neither the smallest nor the thinnest handset around, but to include a 2 megapixel camera, a 2.5” QVGA screen, and a sub display, Panasonic has done a great job in making it very pocketable.
The main body is composed of brushed metallic colored plastic that is quite scratch resistant. The front of the handset is where you can install the customizable faceplate, and depending on the plate you are using, the scratchability of this surface varies.
The screws at the four corners of the handset allow you to change the faceplate whenever you wish – this feature was so popular in Japan that it helped Panasonic challenge NEC’s top market position. The two plates that came in the box were black and silver; both of them look quite attractive. Also situated on the front is the 2 megapixel camera lens, the reminder LED, and the sub display.
The loudspeaker grille holes and battery cover are at the back of the phone. On the left, we have a single port that acts as a charger, data connection and headset port. The infrared port, volume buttons, and camera shortcut keys are all located on the right. If you pay attention to the bottom view of the phone, you will notice a major design flaw - the keypad face is actually narrower than the screen, making the phone a lot less solid than it could have been. Having mentioned that, the overall handset build quality is still excellent.
The one touch open button on the hinge is handy, as opening a heavy screen single-handedly would be challenging. With a light press of the button, the phone springs open. The hinge is solid, and from Panasonic’s three-year experience in Japan, we can trust the durability of this spring mechanism. Also, since the screen is heavier than the VS2, VS3, and VS6, the spring mechanism will not be so strong to flip the phone right out of your hand.
Opening the phone will reveal the huge screen and a disproportionately small keypad. The tactile feeling of the keys is good, but their small size made operation harder. The D-pad is one of the best I have ever used, however. The keypad backlight is white, and is even and adequate for operations in dark surroundings. Panasonic tried to keep the keypad as simplistic as possible, and this has actually made other manufacturer’s keypads look redundant. In addition, there is a small LED under the keypad to indicate battery power status when charging.
Multimedia
Perhaps the best thing about the VS7 is its screen. It is a brilliant 16 million color QVGA TFT model measuring a whooping 2.5inch diagonal. Maximum brightness is 300 candela per square meter. This will translate into the biggest and brightest screen on any non-smartphone GSM handset. Numbers will not do it justice. Under actual testing, color reproduction is excellent but is still slightly less fresh than Sharp's ASV displays, especially the reds. Brightness is more than enough, and I usually set that at the minimum to save battery. Usage under the sun is not a problem even though the screen is transflective.
The sub display is a 65k color 96x64 pixel CSTN unit. Color is of course not as brilliant. A special feature of the screen is that you can set wallpapers to match your faceplate. You can also use the screen for taking self-portraits and reading new SMS messages (more on this later).
The VS7 uses a Yamaha 40 voice polyphony chip, and sound reproduction is above average, but of course not as clear as phones with 64 voice polyphony. Both MMF and MP3 format files can be used as ringtones. Volume is a little on the soft side, and I have personally missed a number of calls because of that. The vibrator is relatively weak as well, adding to the difficulty of knowing when someone is calling.
The VS7 is equipped with a fixed focus lens and a Nu-maicovicon sensor, which is a modified CMOS sensor developed by Panasonic. It was claimed that the color reproduction and noise control would be better than an average CMOS, whereas power consumption and response would be better than a CCD. Apparently, what they claimed was true, as color reproduction in most cases is excellent; it is more natural than many CMOS sensors. Digital noise is more controlled, and pictures are cleaner than the Sony Ericsson K750i.
You may adjust macro and normal focusing range manually using the mechanical switch below the main display, with macro range about 10cm to 50cm. The level of barrel distortion is acceptable, sharpness is above average (better than Nokia), and although pictures tend to be a bit under exposed, it is not a big problem. You can take pictures from 96x54 to 1600x1200 pixels in size. Frames and special effects such as sepia, negative, and monochrome are available. Saving pictures at full size and highest quality only takes about 3 seconds.
Video recording is only average here. The maximum resolution is 176x144 and maximum recording time is 1 minute. The only available recording format is 3GPP.
The VS7 was not designed to be used as an MP3 player, and hence the music playback function is only basic. Sound is clear but the bass is lacking.
Sending music, videos, and photos via Bluetooth, Infrared, or MMS is straightforward. Simply select that from the option menu of the Gallery application list view.
It is a pity that Panasonic decided not to include a memory card slot on the VS7. Internal memory is only 32MB, which is not enough to keep all your favorite photos and music. This will turn many people away.
User Interface
Panasonic redesigned their user interface completely this year; it now looks more like their Symbian-based X800. The interface on VS7 is very responsive, and even with the small number of keys navigation makes perfect sense. The main menu is icon based, and the second level is list based, but you can still see small icons attached to each of the items. Just like other Japanese phones, the signal strength, clock, and battery status are always on the top line of the screen.
There are three themes built in, they all look very plain and should be pleasing to most people. Adopted from the 505i series in Japan, the VS7 allows you to customize individual icons. You can set any of your pictures as icons after resizing, which is a built in function. You may also configure the four directions on the D-pad in stand by mode for any functions you need. In terms of shortcut keys, this is sufficient.
Browsing through pictures is painless thanks to the fast processor (and lack of external memory). The 3x3 thumbnail pages can be shown within 1 second, with a 300KB picture taking less than one second to display in full screen, and another 5 seconds to display in 2 megapixel size.
Phone functions
I am sorry to report that this aspect is probably the weakest part of the VS7. Audio quality and volume over the earpiece is below average, and it is harsh and mechanical. It is simply impractical to talk on a VS7 in noisy public places. Also, the device's reception is only average for a tri-band phone (GSM 900/1800/1900Mhz).
There are five ring profiles you can select, all customizable. You can also customize the alert LED color for missed calls, new messages, and alarms.
Contact management is straightforward thanks to the clean user interface. You can set the number keys as speed dial buttons for your favorite contacts, though unfortunately voice commands and voice dials are not supported. The speakerphone can be turned on in the middle of a call. Typically, the battery lasts for 2.5 days.
Connectivity
The VS7 supports the most common data transfer standards. You can send and receive PIM items and any DRM-free multimedia files via Bluetooth and Infrared. To synchronize with a computer, you may use the USB cable and software bundled. Wired and Bluetooth headsets are of course supported. Customizing connectivity is again very straightforward thanks to the good user interface. This phone is GPRS class 10 compliant, so it will support WAP internet browsing from most of the operators. The browser layout is clean, and the large screen shines.
Messaging
The only noteworthy function about messaging on the VS7 is that you can read messages using the sub display. I find this very handy. When a new message arrives, the external LED will blink until you press a button, then you can simply use the volume down key to scroll down the text and the camera key to exit back to the stand by sub display screen.
English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese T9 input are supported, and you may add new words to the user dictionary. Unfortunately, users cannot rename or create the SMS and MMS folders. To my surprise, the VS7 does not support POP/IMAP email protocols - you would need to get on WAP and use a web mail application.
Applications
The VS7 is not aimed at the business demographic, hence it only has the most basic PIM functions. Calendar, schedule, alarms, a calculator, and a sound recorder are the only applications in place. In addition, you can only have a monthly view of the calendar, but that is acceptable on a 2.5” screen in my opinion.
Games
The VS7 came with two java games: Sonic the Hedgehog and Soccer. Panasonic has not been frugal about games, both of them are full versions, and very worthwhile compared to those found on other phones.
Conclusion
Generally, I am quite pleased with the VS7. Being priced at the exact same level as the Sony Ericsson K750i, it will definitely cause some competition. The customizable faceplates, breath-taking screen, and the handset’s slimness will capture a lot of attention.
However, most of the VS7’s flaws are deal breakers. For example, sound quality over the earpiece is below average, there is no memory expansion, and the keypad is excessively small. There is no reason why Panasonic could not place a memory slot in the VS7, thickness is not an excuse because the technology is already there, as seen from their latest P902i announcement in Japan. The P902i manages to include an extra camera for video-conferencing, a W-CDMA chip and antenna, miniSD slot, and Felica electronic money antenna into the same thickness. Perhaps Panasonic was rushing the firmware for release, or production costs were such a huge constraint for them to ignore the market norm. In fact, the marketing division was pressured so much that they (the Taiwan branch) had to come out and promise similar handsets with external memory slots and 3G support in Spring 2006. I guess we will just have to wait and see. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: panasoni , pahnasonic , 0panasonic , pasnasonic |
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