| Siemens ME45 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 |
| Announced | 2001 |
| Status | Discontinued |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 109 X 46 X 21 Mm, 76 Cc |
| Weight | 99 G |
| Display |
| Type | Monochrome Graphic |
| Size | 101 X 80 Pixels, 7 Lines |
| | - Navy Key
- Downloadable Screensavers And Bitmaps |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Monophonic |
| Amount | 38 + 4 Custom |
| Customization | Composer, Download, |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 500 X 14 Entries |
| Call Records | 10 Dialed, 10 Received, 10 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - Flexible Memory- 20 Voice Dial Numbers- 10 Voice Commands |
| Data |
| Gprs | Class 8 (4+1 Slots), 32 - 40 Kbps |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms |
| Browser | Wap 1.2 |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Games | Yes |
| Colors | 2 - Pebble Grey And Safari Grey |
| Camera | No |
| | - Dust, Shock And Water Resistant
- T9
- Currency Converter
- Calculator
- Stopwatch
- Organizer
- Voice Dial
- Voice Memo
- User Profiles
- Built-in Handsfree |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-ion 840 Mah |
| Stand-by | 60 - 300 H |
| Talk Time | 100 - 300 Min |
|
Siemens - ME45Stylish but tough with the Siemens ME45
Major Differences
Dust, shock and water resistant
GPRS with WAP 1.2 browser
T9 predictive text input
Dual band (GSM 900/1800MHz)
Synchronisation with MS Outlook
Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) support
Infrared
Voice recorder (Dictaphone) and voice control
Speakerphone feature
Dynamic phonebook feature
Screen saver
Problems/Issues?
Water seeping into back of phone through battery cover
Sales package (should contain):
1 x ME45 handset
1 x ME45 standard battery (Li-Ion @ 840mAh)
1 x ME45 charger
1 x ME45 data cable (serial)
1 x ME45 application CD
2 x ME45 external antenna & base adaptor plugs set
1 x ME45 user guide
1 x ME45 quick start booklet
1 x ME45 GPRS supplement (multi-lingual)
1 x Siemens warranty information leaflet
Overview
This is not just simply another phone. The ME45 is a phone that bundles various features together that has yet been offered by other manufacturers so far. In addition, the phone is friendly to the hand (that is, good to hold) whilst weighing in at just under 100 grams, and adopts the standard Siemens menu system which, again, is easy to use. Good for those who have used the SL45 - but getting use to it is not a hassle.
A selling point of this phone is that it is protected against dust, bumps and water. The first thing that many of us would picture is this big, bulky handset that does just that. But the problem is that it’s just not feasible to take something around which is significantly larger than those used by other people (I am referring to the phone, of course :). Fortunately, the ME45 solves this problem with the phone being sized similarly to a Nokia 3310.
Yes, I did try to “bump it” and “soak it”. The phone is very rigid and solid, and before we even wanted to do some intentional damage to it, we knew that it would take any beating we gave it. On the other hand, when we tried splashing the phone with water, we found that some water had leaked through the battery cover (which was already insulated with a rubber sealing). Other places, such as the external antenna port and the base connectors, had the provided rubber sealants protecting these areas with no problems.
Having received the ME45 for review and doing an initial charge of the battery, I was ready to go trying out what the phone has to offer. The keypad was quite tactile and responsive to my keystrokes and the clicking key sounds gave me that assurance. And after not attending to the phone for a while, the screensaver comes on - featuring an analogue clock depicting the current time, and is very easy to read (a very useful function indeed).
"The keypad was quite tactile and responsive to my keystrokes and clicking key sounds gave me that assurance"
After the phone logged onto the network, the first thing I noticed was the words “GPRS” on the top of the screen. The availability of the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) on the ME45 is another feature that I welcome with open arms - showing that Siemens is responsive to the needs of the market at the right time. I had the urge to try that out immediately - and logging onto the service was a breeze thanks to the preset WAP profiles that had already been loaded on (the unit tested had profiles for Optus, Telstra, Vodafone Australia and New Zealand available). Browsing the Telstra WAP pages through its GPRS service was fast in comparison to similar handsets that I have previously reviewed. Also, the 7-line display and the WAP page presentation by the browser made it easy to use and read the information received.
The ME45 also boasts a speakerphone feature that allows conversations to be conducted with the phone placed close to the user. Sound quality was good and I didn’t need to shout too loud to have the other person hear what I’m saying. This is another feature that I find useful if I had no hands to hold the phone (like when I’m under the table trying to fix something!)
The Li-Ion battery that comes with the ME45 allows for an average standby time of approximately 4-5 days and average talk time of 3-4 hours. As the battery has just completed only one charge cycle, these times will increase as more charge cycles are done.
Other features of the ME45 includes a voice recorder (or Dictaphone) function that allows around three minutes of recording, voice functions, WAP browser, profiles, two games, stopwatch and countdown timer, infrared port, EMS support, organiser functions, a dynamic phonebook, and a synchronisation feature linking the phone’s organiser with MS Outlook.
Major differences...
"The phone does well in protecting itself from both excessive shock and dust"
Dust, shock and water resistant
The phone wins 2 out of 3 (dust and shock resistance). But when it comes to repelling water, everything is protected except for the back - where water can seep through the battery cover even though a seal is present - which is supposed to protect the phone. In other departments, the phone does well in protecting itself from both excessive shock and dust.
GPRS with WAP 1.2 browser
The ME45 is the first phone of its kind to have a WAP over GPRS feature available. This means fast, always-on browsing of WAP pages without the need to dial in to get a service. One does not need to use a premium phone to have GPRS!
T9 predictive text input
The built-in T9 dictionary means that typing up SMS messages becomes less troublesome and time-consuming. Several language options can be chosen - with most of them European. The T9 on the ME45 keeps up with a user’s typing speed quite well - whether the pace is slow or fast.
Dual band (GSM 900/1800 MHz)
The ME45 supports most European, African and Asia-Pacific networks - ones that run on either 900MHz or 1800MHz bands.
Synchronisation with MS Outlook
The supplied data exchange and QuickSync software allows for easy management of your contacts between your PC’s MS Outlook software and the dynamic phone book on the ME45. In addition, appointments can also be kept in sync as well.
Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) support
In addition to supporting SMS, the ME45 also supports the displaying of predefined pictures and sounds from a received message thanks to EMS. Phones that support EMS is able to send and receive messages that are not restricted to simply words and text.
"One of the games - Stack attack"
Infrared
The built-in infrared device allows communications between computing devices (for example - PC, PDA, etc) that can utilise the ME45 as a modem enabling data connections. It can also be used between other mobile phones for business card exchanges.
Voice recorder (Dictaphone) and voice control
The ME45 has a built-in voice recorder that can take up to just less than three minutes’ worth. This function can be activated with ease via holding onto a button on the right-side of the phone. Also, an exhaustive list of functions on the phone can be activated via using voice - with some of them including missed calls and the activation of different profiles.
Speakerphone feature
The ME45 allows a user to conduct telephone conversations without the need to hold the phone or use a headset. This feature becomes convenient when having a third hand is a wish whilst you’re being busy with the other two! :)
Dynamic phonebook feature
The dynamic phonebook on the ME45 can hold up to 500 contacts - with each contact holding up to a maximum of 14 entries. That’s plenty for just one contact!
Screen saver
The analogue clock screen saver is a very useful feature that acts something like a watch when the phone is not being used. If you prefer something else, then maybe loading up your favourite picture (or bitmap) would be an alternative.
Problems/Issues?
"Somehow, water was getting through the rubber seals of the back battery cover"
Water seeping into back of phone through battery cover
A major problem that I found after testing the phone for water resistance is that, somehow, water was getting through the rubber seals of the back battery cover. Although the design of the phone’s backing is very sleek, proper protection may have been sacrificed for better looks. I think Siemens could have done a better job at protecting this area of the phone from the possible penetration of liquids.
In Summary
I like this phone. It’s well constructed and is designed with the greater consumers in mind (not like the likes of the Ericsson R310s and Nokia 6250 - which are way too big and heavy for our liking!) Unfortunately, the testing of water resistance failed - but I do not see this as a major problem (not unless you’ve decided to take the ME45 for a swim as well!)
The phone is reasonably priced. With so many features, I don’t think you can find another phone similar to the Siemens ME45 anywhere on the market at the moment. Offering all-round protection, WAP over GPRS, and built-in organiser functions, it’s really value for money. Siemens has delivered the goods once more. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: sieme3ns , siemnens |
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