N2001V (NEC)
This is the Standard Type FOMA handset. It's about the same size as
existing handsets though thinner and does not include all the multimedia
features of the P2101V. The battery is even smaller and the whole
handset feels lighter than an N503i.
The screen is a very bright Yuki-EL (Organic EL) that doesn't use a back
light. Because of this, the top half of the folding phone is very thin.
The big draw of Organic EL is its low power consumption, but the N2001V
still ran out of battery power within a day. NEC claims that shouldn't
happen and it's more a fault of bugs than the screen. Also NEC has a
serious problem making the screens in mass quantities. Sources tell me
they can make about 4 a day.
Also, unlike existing N50x handsets, this one has no side buttons which
I really miss as they were useful for page up/down when browsing and for
different functions when the phone is folded closed. There is a button
on the back (opposite the screen) so when closed there's at least one
thing to push, though it's not intuitive that it's a button as it's
integrated into the blinky light on the back cover.
The navigation buttons are finally better, with the main button in the
center surrounded by for buttons pointing N,S,E,W (existing 50x handsets
have a four direction button with the main button above it -- not very
intuitive).
The nav buttons are backlit but the keypad buttons are barely backlit;
only the numbers on the buttons light up. This is kind of weak and a bit
hard to see in the dark.
The menu/OS is familiar to anyone who's used an N50x. One major
difference is the ability to store data into the UIM data card (inserted
via a slot underneath the battery). On power-on the handset first reads
from the data card. Very useful as now you can switch handsets but still
keep all your own data like address book entries.
The USB/recharger port is on the bottom of the left side of the handset
instead of on the bottom of the handset like N50x. Not sure if this is a
good or bad thing. I guess it might make it easier when using the USB
plug to connect the handset to other devices...then again maybe not.
The phone has crashed at least once a day; menu just freezes and there's
nothing to do but pop out the battery and turn the power back on.
Obviously still many software bugs left.
When connecting to secure sites SSL is notably faster than on N50x
handsets. So fast it's basically usable now.
Downloaded and installed Gradius i-appli. Didn't seem much faster than
i-Appli on N503i.
Connecting to i-mode was a matter of luck and timing. FOMA coverage is
still very sketchy; sitting the handset on my desk the signal strength
would vacillate between full signal (3 bars), no signal, full signal
within 3 seconds. Often i-mode would just terminate for no apparent
reason. I'm assuming that as DoCoMo builds out the FOMA network coverage
will get better. Comparing service to existing DoCoMo coverage probably
isn't fair b/c of the excellent coverage available now, but that's what
people are used to so there's much work to be done to get consistent
connectivity.
Same issue with voice connections. About half of the call attempts (to
other cell phones, other FOMA phones, and to land lines) don't connect
for whatever reason. Once connected, voice quality varies from great to
terrible.
Calling between two FOMA handsets the voice quality is much better than
between two 50x handsets -- the underwatery echo is greatly reduced and
sounds generally crisper, though it's still not as good as a standard
GSM call between to cell phones in Europe.
The ring tones on the N2001V are amazing -- sounds like 24 harmonics
MIDI -- and the speaker is very clear even at full volume. Reminds me of
all the cool tunes, beats, and loops built into keyboards of the early
80s. Also a couple of human voice ring tones (same as they have on the
N503i) like "wake up!" in Osaka dialect. Very cool.
In all, the N2001V isn't revolutionary so much as evolutionary. The
typical user will experience a jump in features and quality from N503 to
N2001 just as they did from N502 to N503. If the price is reasonable and
NEC can produce enough screens (and if DoCoMo can get better network
coverage) I think this phone can be as big a winner as NEC's current
best selling handsets.
P2101V (Panasonic)
This multimedia terminal is a bigger, thicker, clunkier version of
Panasonic's P503i or P209i. It's bulky and heavy like phones were 5
years ago. The top half with the screen is especially thick; most likely
it's packed with hardware to handle video compression/decompression, the
speaker, and other hardware for the camera.
The camera in the hinge is cool -- can take snapshots of three quality
levels, rapid fire snapshots, or videos. However, only lowest quality
snapshots can be attached to emails and sent; attempts to send anything
larger result in "Data too big" errors. The camera is built into the
hinge and can rotate to point at the user or out the back of the camera.
Rotating it to point out essentially flips the camera upside down, so
you have to go into the camera settings and select "reverse image" to
make it appear right side up. The camera position should be detected and
the video image automatically flipped, I think, but since Panasonic
isn't so good at software I don't expect this feature to be added.
The screen is pretty good; backlit and white is a bit washed out -- just
like it is on the P503i. Nothing amazing there. The speaker is pretty
powerful but gets tinny at high volume. I hoped that a multimedia
terminal would have a considerably bigger screen and stereo speakers
(form factor more like a pocket board or something).
When connecting to i-mode had the same network connection/stability
problems with the N2001V, but the P2101V was even worse at connecting.
Side-by-side the N often had 3 bars while the P had 1 or none. This is
nothing new as existing N50x handsets seems to have better reception
than existing P50x handsets.
Ring tones on P2101V are very good (but not as good as N2001V I think).
OS/Menus are familiar to anyone who's used P50x handsets. Personally I
think the menu navigation and input method is clunky compared to NEC's,
but that's just me. Didn't feel much snappier than P50x. Built-in Tetris
game is very good, but I wonder if it's an i-appli or native source;
seems to snappy and responsive to be Java.
I'm assuming it's because it's only a trial, but getting into M-Stage
from the i-mode was a pain:
Click on M-Stage on the i-menu, click enter or enter channel # directly
from M-Stage top page, enter name and password (a complicated mix of
numbers and letters, tough to input) and then navigate to and select
video.
Channels include movie previews, news, sports, and weather.
I initially didn't have a username and password so I had to go to the
handset's Network settings, select Mopera -> quick start settings,
connect to M-Stage, and get assigned a username and password. Again I'm
assuming this is b/c it's a test trial and real service will be easier
to use.
Now, the interesting part is M-Stage is actually a CIRCUIT connection
directly to the Mopera network (so much for packet switched 3G!) The
handset dials *9603 to initiate a 64k circuit connection to the Mopera
network. While connected at 64k M-Stage, there is a serious lack of back
buttons to return to the previous screen.
Watched the trailer for Planet of the Apes streaming at 64k.
The video was 2 minutes 15 seconds long. A bit dark, but contrast is
adjustable. Sound was good, though the speaker gets a bit tinny at high
volume. The stream didn't stutter at all -- felt like a solid 64k the
whole time. Couldn't pause, forward, or rewind the video even though
there were forwards and backwards buttons. There's also a Surround Sound
mode but I couldn't really notice a difference (tough to do surround
sound with one speaker).
Once the stream is done, I ended up back at the main M-Stage top
page, so I had to re-enter login and password to get back into the
channels.
The handset then promptly crashed, requiring a power off, battery
remove,
battery insert, power on.
But watching a Planet of The Apes trailer on my cell phone was pretty
damn cool. Battery died after watching about 5 minutes of video, though.
Managing to successfully make video calls about 5 out of 100 attempts.
Once connected to video picture is pretty good; at 64k motion isn't too
blurry and the signal (once established) seems stable in the sense that
the screen is constantly updating not freezing too much (though it did
disconnect when network connectivity drops for whatever reason). Sound
quality is better than 50x handsets, but when making a video call
without the earpiece can't hear anything.
The real problem with mobile video phoning is: once you wave at the
other person and show then the room you're in, there's not much
advantage over holding the up to your head and talking. The Cool Wow
factor wears off pretty quickly, and at 1.8 times the price of a regular
cell phone call, who's going to pay for this service?
When it works, the 3G technology if this multimedia terminal is
impressive. Watching streaming videos and doing video conferences with a
cell phone is pretty cool. But the handset is clunky and unless the
price is very reasonable, I don't see much mass appeal for this handset.
Then again it is just a prototype and the first of its kind in the
world, and as far as showing the potential for the technology it's a
great success.
r e n
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Received on Fri Jul 13 03:59:49 2001