Siemens S46
Average Ratings
The best phone I've ever had!
This is the best phone I've ever had, provides great coverage and voice quality all over the US, and it worked w/o any problems even in Europe!
And even though it has more features than I need (e.g. 38 ringtones, plus 4 downloadable/editable tones), the great user interface makes it extremely easy to use - some other manufaturers should have a look at this...
And, BTW, the power saving in this phone is very sophisticated, I just need to charge it every once in a while :-)
GREAT phone nothing like this has happened before!!
This is an amazing phone with unique technology you also have a feature packed phone. what can you possible want more. This is tiny sturdy as a rock great battery life and you are in service whereever you go not only in US but abroad too!!!
Works great in Tahoe!
I got this one because the TDMA network covers
a lot of area in rural Northern NV, but it seems
clear the future in the US is GSM (past for the rest
of the (ex-Japan)
world. Even if the phone "updates" are free you
still have to move over your setting and address book
which isn't free.
I'll tell you the TDMA coverage is impressive - I made
a call from Mt. Rose summit during a snowstorm -
I don't think anyone else has coverage up there!
According to ATT-WS's map it will also work at Pyramid
Lake - will try that this spring.
Overall the phone is fine, a bit thick and heavy,
but the included belt holster is well-designed and
helps make up for that.
On GSM service I get 5 or so days of standby battery
life which is good enough for me (I rarely make
calls). The AC charger is quite small so would
be easy to carry around.
The menu structure is a bit clunky - it seems to always
require an extra keypress that I would expect.
[Example - to delete an inbound message you select
messages, delete, then you need to confirm with OK...]
Sound quality is fine, form factor is OK, and
it seems to be built like a brick (or should I say
Panzer?).
I would prefer a jack for a normal 3.5mm headset
but as I can't see using the headset and power
adapter at the same time I don't find this a major
issue.
Are you ready for this gadget?
Looks like a machine.. so masculine. It's feature packed. Name any features you ever wanted in a mobile phone. You will have it. On top of it you have GPRS. Enjoy browsing with the internal WAP browser OR connect it to your laptop & get online. Most of all, it can be used virtually everywhere on earth due to its GSM/GPRS(triband) & TDMA technology compatibility... and yes, the phone finds the best service as you keep roaming from places to places. I'll say, there is no such phone in today's market. Try it !!
Great Features packed all together
This one is the best phone around, you have world coverage, go anywhere in the world and you are in touch!! Amazing voice quality and reception, no one can beat it in as far as the features go: Voice dialling, WAP with GPRS(boy its FAST), SMS can be recieved & replied to any mobile phone (let it be GSM or TDMA), Email to any mobile or pc, Address book which can store 3 phone number,fax and email address. IRDA to send/recieve address book entry's to any other phone or pda. Create your own music tone, send it to anyother phone via SMS or via IRDA.you can download, send and recieve bmp's or music tones . I wonder how they managed to pack all these things in such a small sleek phone body. boy just go for it. It's the thing to have.
not bad
GSM 1900 reception on this phone is very good. TDMA reception is about average, on par with the Motorola V60. The previous reviewer is correct, the phone has a tendency to hold on to an unusable GSM signal, when a strong TDMA signal is present. Fortunately one can switch the phone to "TDMA only" mode for those situations.
Audio quality is about average. The speaker volume isn't really loud enough for noisy environments and there is a fair amount of background hiss. Not bad, but not inspiring.
The phone works well for wireless data, either with the IR port or the data cable AT&T sells for an extra $30. I had GPRS data working with my palm, and my laptop under win2k, and FreeBSD without much trouble. You don't need the AT&T software to get this to work with windows, just set it up a generic modem and dial *99#
I'll be happy to send FreeBSD configs to anyone who wants them. The only real surprise is the need to use the "novj" option. Otherwise a standard chat script dialing *99# works just fine.
Overall, I'm content, but not thrilled. I'd like the phone to be smaller and I'd like better audio volume, but it generally works well for voice and data.
Good to Great Phone
I recommend this phone to anyone who wants a really good sturdy and reliable phone with TDMA and GSM capabilities. The form factor is very good. I like the reinforced plastic body which has a much sturdier feel when compared to the newest GSM phones (Nokia 8390 and Ericsson T68). The sound quality is excellent in GSM and TDMA modes. The included handsfree earphone worked great. The voice dialing functions makes driving a whole lot safer. Using the IRDA function cut my normal 45-60 minute setup of phone numbers to about 5 minutes. GPRS works great. I did not review this as a perfect phone because of the following things that would have made it perfect. A phone like this screams for a better OS. The siemens UI is excellent, but it's hard when you compare it against the OS on a T68 or Palm based phone. Bluetooth functionality would have propelled this phone to top of the heap.
But otherwise this phone is excellent, I recommend it for anyone who is a talker more than a PDA user and for anyone who wants nationwide (US) GSM and TDMA functionality.
New gadget for Mr.Gadget?
I hv shelved my digital diary these days and hv postponed buying plans for the Palm when I came across this small wonder (in my fav color). Its such a wonderful assistant! Lost in the streets, I dont shuffle through my mapquest printouts these days. I just WAP it!(over GPRS). I dont need to carry 3 different phones on my business tours worldwide. This cutie works all over. It packs lotsa features and power. I am more organised, always in touch. I am saving my money(all 3 phones shelved too for this 1) and I return home with a smiling face. My wife wonders whats wrong(or right), am I into something? I say ..yes, S46. There it gets another fan ! ...good job folks.
Cool Phone/Lousy Service
My initial impression of the S46 has been tainted by AT&T buffoonery in rolling it out in my area. I live in the hinterlands of KS and probably need a phone that does analog also, but beyond that the phone itself is very nice. I like the IRDA port , synchs up nice with my laptop. Much better than punching in all your address book info on the keypad. Am told that this phone will even function as a wireless modem. I have yet to make it work, but have been able to dial out using RAS on my PC. Lots of initial glitches in the KC area, I receive phantom text messages everytime I get a voice mail, and the phone turns itself off if it can't find a suitable network. I think I need a firmware upgrade, phone was shipped with v12 and I have heard that Siemens is now on 17. Voice actuated calling is also very cool. Makes me feel like Capt. Kirk
So far a good phone.
I live in Phoenix, AZ and have been AT&T for six years. My last phone with them was a Nokia 8265. It worked well when I was in CA, but when I moved back to Phoenix, the TDMA service was not as good. I decided that I needed to take advantage of the newest technology and still have the reliable backup TDMA service. So far, I am happy with the s46. The clarity when I place or receive calls have been outstanding. What a difference from my old phone. Keep in mind, I have not traveled outside of the Phoenix area with this phone. Phoenix is an AT&T GSM area and service is good here.
The true test is when I cross over to a TDMA area. The S46 is a good phone. It is a little bigger than some of the other phones, but it is user friendly. It also does not have a lot of bells and whistles, but I don't require them anyway.
