| Siemens A55 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 |
| Announced | 2003, 1q |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 101 X 44 X 21 Mm, 84 Cc |
| Weight | 84 G |
| Display |
| Type | Monochrome Graphic |
| Size | 101 X 64 Pixels, 5 Lines |
| | - Softkeys
- Downloadable Logos And Screensaver |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Polyphonic (16 Channels) |
| Amount | 20 + 4 Custom |
| Customization | Download, |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 50 Entries, 4 Contact Groups |
| Call Records | 10 Dialed, 10 Received, 10 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - 120 Kb Shared Memory
- 25 Short Messages
- 9 Sms Templates |
| Data |
| Gprs | No |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Infrared Port | No |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Ems |
| Browser | Wap 1.2.1 |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Games | 4 - Stackattack, Balloon Shooter, Wacko, Move The Box |
| Colors | 4 |
| Camera | No |
| | - T9
- Calculator
- Currency Converter
- Exchangeable Clip-it Covers
- Built-in Handsfree
|
| Battery |
| | Standard, Li-ion 700 Mah (eba-510) |
| Stand-by | Up To 250 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 2 H |
|
Siemens - A55Dainty with the Siemens A55
Major features
16-chord polyphonic ringing tones
Handsfree speakerphone feature
SMS/EMS messaging with concatenation and group sending support
Screen saver functionality
Built-in WAP browser
Profiles and phone book caller group support
Alarm clock, calculator and currency converter application
Problems/Issues?
No auto-keylock feature
Polyphonic tone volume somewhat lacking
Sales package (should contain):
1 x Siemens A55 handset
1 x lithium-ion battery @ 700 mAh
1 x travel charger
1 x A55 user manual
1 x A55 SAR leaflet
1 x warranty information leaflet
Overview
Simplicity and practicality usually go hand in hand. This fact is once again proven by Siemens’s latest entry-level model, the A55. Being lightweight and a size which can be easily handled by the guy or gal, there’s certainly no excuse for any newbie to overlook such a finely tuned handset for the masses… :)
Bells and whistles there are not - but the German manufacturer has included what is most crucial in this phone that I consider to be the best I’ve seen so far!
New/outstanding features
The A55 takes in many of the design and feature aspects of Siemens’s new range of handsets, which I can feel makes a big difference in how I use and ultimately perceive the product (that is, good or bad).
In addition to various physical design alterations (from the A50), the A55 also comes with polyphonic ringtones support, being one of the first entry-level phone to come with such a feature. Although not everyone is all excited about better-sounding ringing tones, the A55 may just set a new base standard for future entry-level models to come - which could ultimately mean no more monophonic tones.
Physical aspects
There are several major differences here with the A55 when comparing back to previous Siemens models.
Firstly, the re-tailored keypad was certainly the most welcomed change for me. On the A50, I found the two horizontal buttons below the screen to be quite a pain to use given each physical button had a soft key plus directional control on either side. This keypad design was similarly incorporated on the M50 model as well.
Therefore, the most logical way of redesigning these keys were to go back to the traditional design - having separated soft keys and the up/down navigation key together in a standard vertical orientation. This, in my point of view, was definitely much more practical for every-day use.
Keypad tactility was another major difference that made the A55 much more usable. Being very much similar to the C55 "glow in the dark" model, the reactivity to user keypresses is immediate - straight after you feel the "click" in your fingers. I would consider this to be the most important improvement because good keypad usability means greater ease of use.
Lastly, its lightweight and somewhat conservative design makes the A55 easier to accept by most first-time users, which this phone is targeted towards. Even for me, I quite liked this model because of its "back to basic" design - a mobile phone designed to be a mobile phone, nothing more.
User Interface & display
The A55 retains the traditional Siemens user interface design, and seems to be very similar to that of the C55 model - in terms of both look-and-feel and responsiveness to user keypresses (almost immediate). Its high-resolution black-and-white display with orange backlight isn't any harder to read either. Good enough for texting and games!
But if you may be someone that finds the standard-sized font to be a bit hard to comprehend, the A55 (like most other Siemens models) comes with the "big letters" feature that doubles the normal font size and bolds them for menu items. The result - easier to read menu descriptions displayed on a single screen.
Making and receiving calls
Generally, the A55 does quite an okay job in handling voice calls. No complaints from me in the area of voice quality - was able to hear all calls loud and clear through the provided earpiece. Accessibility to functions such as the phone book and last number redial can be done simply with a single keypress.
Alike most other Siemens models, the A55 does not come with a headset included in the box - but can be purchased separately as an accessory which plugs directly into the base socket of the handset.
But are you looking for an affordable speakerphone-enabled handset? No worries - the very-affordable A55 is probably the first entry-level handset to have this feature built right into the phone. Quality of the handsfree speakerphone feature was only average, and would only work well when you have the phone quite close to you - like if it’s in front of you on a table or something. But it’s certainly handy to use this feature should you end up having to wait for someone to speak to you - saves having to hold the phone next to your ear minute after minute!
I believe the inclusion of this handsfree functionality will encourage handset manufacturers to include this feature as standard on most future models, irrespective of which group of users a product may be focused upon.
Messaging
Sending text messages on the A55 is simple and takes a beginner minimal effort to get use to.
By default, the A55 comes with the "new SMS" option set for the left soft key in the standby screen (of course, you can change this soft key to reflect another phone function instead). Choosing this will bring you into the messaging screen, where you can begin typing your message. The "options" function (right soft key) allows its user to send and save the message, as well as inserting objects and formatting the message to his/her liking - which in turn makes it an EMS message.
Furthermore, message composition is made easy with the availability of the T9 predictive text input system. Siemens's implementation makes it quite easy for words to be chosen and added into the custom dictionary (should the word be unrecognised).
Build quality
Considering the handset’s physical construction and distributed weight, the A55 was undoubtedly very well built and feels extremely solid in the hand. Both the removable covers (front and back) were easily removable when they needed to come off - and they’ll simply click-clack back in place when replaced properly. Most of the inner construction of the A55 handset is made of hard plastic, and there are barely any moving parts except for the little metal slide that locks down the SIM card in its slot.
Battery life
The A55’s battery provided a sufficient amount of usage and standby time, and should suffice for most people if you are after something that will last you through at least (on average) two days on a single charge. On average use, I was able to attain approximately 2-3 hours talk time and 2-3 days standby.
Major features...
16-chord polyphonic ringing tones
The A55 is the first market-entry handset that supports the use of polyphonic ringing tones. A 16-chord polyphonic ringer plays ringtones that can include multiple instruments playing at the same time, instead of those high-pitched beeps and squeals of traditional tones (however, these are still available on the A55 should you favour them over these new ones!) The A55 also allows the downloading of new polyphonic tones via the WAP browser.
Handsfree speakerphone feature
Another first for el-cheapo mobile handsets is the inclusion of the handsfree speakerphone feature - commonly found in models that are overdone in features and possibly out of reach due to a too-high price range. The speakerphone allows users to engage in phone conversations without the need to hold the phone right up to their ear.
SMS/EMS messaging with concatenation and group sending support
A fully-equipped messaging function is included on the A55, allowing for basic text messaging (SMS) and the ability to add pictures, sounds and animations along with your little note (which ultimately becomes an EMS message). Message concatenation means that you can write up a text message of up to 760 characters, while group sending allows the sending of the same message to a group of users (defined by the caller group function).
Screen saver functionality
The A55 comes with a basic screen saver function that is enabled after the phone has been left idle for a predefined period of time. A default analog clock screen saver is set by default, while there is also a choice of animated and static (non-moving) backgrounds to choose from as well.
Built-in WAP browser
Access to the Internet is made possible with the inclusion of a WAP browser on the A55, which can browse WAP-based sites at standard GSM Data (dial-up) speeds.
Profiles and phone book caller group support
The A55 also supports profiles (allowing different ringer, call screening, bitmap styling, font and tones settings) and caller groups functionality (ability to group specific users within a group - up to five groups available).
Alarm clock, calculator and currency converter application
Although organiser functionality was excluded from the A55, the essentials were certainly not left out. These include the alarm clock, calculator and currency converter features - which are probably the more important (and most basic and commonly used) functions out of the rest.
Problems/Issues?
No auto-keylock feature
This was a real shame to learn, given that most phones nowadays come with this feature built into them, including those el-cheapo entry level ones! Everything about the A55 was great - but how could Siemens have overlooked such a simple feature to include?
You can, of course, lock and unlock the keypad manually by holding down the hash (#) key until the screen confirms the procedure. But when the time comes along when we may forget to do this, that is when it matters most… and this is what I’m talking about! :(
Polyphonic tone volume somewhat lacking
Although refreshing, there is a certain downside to polyphonic ringing tones.
To make them heard you will need to have a louder-than-usual ringer when compared to the traditional monophonic tones. This is because traditional tones uses beeping tones at differing frequencies to generate the sound, while each individual polyphonic chord imitates a true instrument sound instead. For example, if you had a ringtone that includes the drum instrument for a particular chord, you will hardly hear it.
When compared to some of the other polyphonic-enabled handsets in the market, the A55 does lack a bit of volume for its polyphonic tones. It may sound okay when it’s sitting there on the table. But once you have it in the pocket, it may become a bit harder to hear. A suggestion would be to enable the vibration alert feature along with your choice of polyphonic tone.
In Summary
The thing that really impressed me about the A55 was its finely-tuned set of features for basic users - a phone that comes with the simplest of mobile phone features plus those that matters most (like the alarm clock and calculator features). The availability of the speakerphone feature makes it all that attractive to consider, given the handset’s pricing, and the polyphonic ringing tones just about does it!
Again, I do not believe you will find another handset on the market that will offer a similar feature set at the price it is being sold off for. We are, of course, talking about now - and I am sure that other manufacturers will be coming out with new models to compete. But for now, the A55 is the one to get if you are after something that’s both affordable and practical. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: sijemens , siewmens |
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