A different entry level

Gizmo Gallery

Here's something that could seriously challenge Nokia's number one position in my user interface rankings. Siemens, which has been working hard on new mobile phones, has some compelling models coming out from its lines this season and the A55 is one of them.

The A55, which has an uncanny resemblance to the A50 model introduced in Europe last year, is Siemens latest entry-level phone. It is priced at a competitive all-inclusive price of Rs 4,800 to Rs 5,350 depending on state taxes applicable.

The A55 is optimally small. It measures in at 103 x 46 x 21.5 mm "" fits easily into a pocket "" and is lightweight at under 85 grams. The front and back covers of the casing (coming in two colours: biscaya (it looks blue to me, really) and garnet (sigh...red!) are removable and can be interchanged with a range of snazzy snap-on covers for the young and fashion-conscious.

I like the A55's keypad. The keys on the phone are evenly spaced out making it easy to dial, SMS or access its various functions. Siemens would have been better off, though, using rubber or rubber-like material for the keys. The hard plastic keys tend to be hard on the thumb.

Let's get on to the interface: the right soft key is "macro programmed" or hard coded to access the menu function while the left soft key creates a new text message by default. This, however, can be easily changed to bring up any of the phone's other functions. There is an up-down scroll key in between the two soft keys and pressing downwards is the shortcut for the phonebook. Holding down the hash key automatically locks the keypad while a long hold on the star button turns all ring tones on/off. Neat.

Typing a text message has been simplified in the A55 compared to earlier Siemens models. The T9 dictionary feature, now standard in most phones, comes loaded on the A55 making it easy to write out those long SMSs. It has the not-so-widespread feature of telling you how many more characters (from a maximum of 760) you can type in your message and how many messages it will be broken into while sending it.

The A55 has polyphonic ringtones and screensavers, normally not associated with entry-level phones. For the young at heart, there is a "Surf & Fun" menu. Under this option comes packaged a WAP (wireless application protocol) browser, games and a couple of applications.

Three games "" Wacko, Balloon Shooter and Stack Attach "" were hits with my pre-teen nephews. My favourite, though, was a "Move the Box" puzzle where you control a man in a maze, strategically moving boxes around to cover spots on the floor. The calculator, currency converter and alarm clock options are useful.

There are couple of other features that are worth special mention. One is the auto-dial function, which can come handy when calling a number that is engaged. It keeps trying the number till you connect. The second function I liked is the loudspeaker option (labelled "Handsfree", for some quaint reason), which I have seen only in the mid- and top-range phones so far. This is especially useful when you err...drive, though be warned that speaking on your cellphone while driving is illegal in most parts of the world.

So, what are my gripes with the A55? Nothing major, really; but the WAP functionality in the phone can be expensive to use, given that it does not support GPRS (general packet radio service). But, heck, at a sub-Rs 5,000 price, I am not complaining.

Also, Siemens may want to increase the volume response of the loudspeaker; it is not loud enough even if your car windows are rolled up in traffic. To be fair, that could be more a problem of my jalopy rather than the A55!

(Josey Puliyenthuruthel works with content company perZuade. His views are personal and may not be endorsed by his employers, the company's investors, customers or vendors. Comments may be sent to josey@perzuade.com)