Shine Little Glowfiish; Glimmer, Glimmer (1/3)
E-TEN glofiish M700 Pocket PC Phone with GPS
INTRODUCTION
Ever since E-TEN's
glowfiish M700 arrived about ten days ago, I've been
bouncing around the house, humming that slightly
modified lyric line in my head. I can't seem
to stop. Weird... I know. But hey...what's a
guy to do? I've had a couple
different E-TEN Pocket PC Phones. My first
experience, with the M500 was rather disappointing.
You can see my New Equipment Blogs with the M500
here: (Day
00,
Day 1,
Day 2,
Day 3,
Day 4). The
radio just would NOT hold a call on the Cingular/ATT
850MHz band. When I was approached with the
E-TEN G500 review, I was a bit cautious.
E-TEN products are nice, but I was still smarting
from my M500 experience That device wasn't bad, but
still had trouble holding calls in Nashville, TN.
Today, kids, it's the brand, spankin' new E-TEN
Glowfiish M700. What kind of gadgety goodness has
E-TEN bundled up in the M700 for us? Does it
shine or <sigh> glimmer any better than the other
two devices I've looked at? Let's take a look
and find out!
WHAT'S HOT
Like
the
X500 and
G500 before it, the Glowfiish M700 has an
embedded GPS receiver in it. That, and the new slide
out keyboard definitely give the M700 that kitchen-sink feel too it. Over the last 10 or so days, I've
been putting this new device from E-TEN through its
paces. Recently, my family moved BACK to the
Chicagoland area after an absence of about 6.5
years. We're living on a different side of town, and
what do I know about the West Suburbs..? Not a
darn thing...and you know me: I have a really bad
sense of direction.
So - about the specifications. It's running with a 400MHz Samsung SC32442 processor, 128MB ROM, 64MB RAM, Quadband GSM with EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0, 802.11b/g, an external microSD slot, FM radio, SiRFStar III GPS chipset, and a 2.8", QVGA screen.
Device |
Size (inches) |
Weight (grams | ounces) |
4.44" x 2.47" x 0.52"
|
132 | 4.65 |
|
4.44" x 2.27" x 0.63"
|
156 | 5.61 |
|
4.74" x 2.63" x 0.43"
|
157 | 5.53 |
|
4.33" x 2.09" x 0.59"
|
117 | 4.12 |
|
4.66" x 2.48" x 0.47"
|
130 | 4.58 |
|
4.56" x 2.33" x 0.67"
|
188 | 6.63 |
|
4.64" x 2.36" x 0.48"
|
129 | 4.55 |
|
3.96" x 2.34" x 0.67"
|
133 | 4.76 |
|
4.68" x 2.44" x 0.67"
|
188 | 6.63 |
|
4.58" x 2.42" x 0.47"
|
120 | 4.20 |
|
4.56" x 2.33" x 0.65"
|
178 | 6.28 |
|
3.92" x 2.41" x 0.60"
|
137 | 4.83 |
|
4.24" x 2.09" x 0.53"
|
117 | 4.12 |
|
4.17" x 2.00" x 0.85"
|
151 | 5.34 |
|
4.41" x 2.24" x 0.49"
|
122 | 4.30 |
|
4.57" x 1.70" x 0.64"
|
140 | 4.94 |
|
4.88" x 2.44" x 0.53"
|
130 | 4.56 |
|
4.21" x 2.20" x 0.55"
|
120 | 4.20 |
|
4.53" x 2.47" x 0.47"
|
146 | 5.15 |
|
4.63" x 2.19" x 0.67"
|
158 | 5.57 |
|
4.35" x 2.07" x 0.67"
|
158 | 5.57 |
|
4.56" x 2.41" x 0.51"
|
125 | 4.41 |
|
4.44" x 2.36" x 0.55"
|
133 | 4.69 |
|
4.01" x 1.98" x 0.55"
|
124 | 4.37 |
|
8.28" x 4.67" x 1.08"
|
640 | 22.5 |
|
4.48" x 2.52" x 0.59"
|
154 | 5.43 |
|
4.17" x 2.38" x 0.68"
|
147 | 5.18 |
|
4.01" x 2.00" x 0.71"
|
165 | 5.82 |
|
4.41" x 2.24" x 0.49"
|
122 | 4.30 |
|
4.41" x 2.28" x 0.73"
|
140 | 4.94 |
|
4.01" x 2.00" x 0.45"
|
110 | 3.88 |
|
4.56" x 2.36" x 0.70" |
200 | 7.05 |
|
4.30" x 2.40" x 0.60" |
120 | 4.23 |
|
4.20" x 2.30" x 0.60" |
136 | 4.79 |
|
3.70" x 2.30" x 0.60" |
126 | 4.44 |
|
4.48" x 2.39" x 0.51" |
116 | 4.09 |
|
4.60" x 2.60" x 0.50"
|
134 | 4.70
|
|
4.10" x 2.10" x 0.60" |
150 | 5.30 |
|
4.40" x 2.32" x 0.75" |
190 | 6.70 |
As you can see from the chart above, the three E-TEN's we've reviewed here at pocketnow.com are all similar in size. The Glowfiish X500 is the smallest of the three; while the G500 is the largest. The other hot item on the M700 is its slide out keyboard; and I'll have comparison photos between it and the KJAM after the rest of the unboxing photos I have.
(all images link to higher resolution)
This is the M700's box.
Opening the top box flap reveals the device, peaking through the box. The white, rectangle covering the M700 is the screen protector that E-TEN includes with the device.
The device on
the left, and the included belt case on the
right. Everything in the
box, all nice and neatly wrapped.
The contents of
the box, unwrapped and laid out.
From left to right, the E-TEN Glowfiish M700, the screen protector, the 1530mAh battery, the US AC plug, the Getting Started Guide and Software CD, the headset, the device case; and in the center are the Universal AC adapter and the mini USB cable. Clearly missing from this rig versus the gear included with the G500 is the windshield mount, car cradle and auto adapter. Its a good thing that I had a mini USB auto adapter that I had used with my KJAM. Without it, using the M700's GPS functions while driving would have been problematic. GPS needs to have a constant flow of power, or else the device will shut down/will time out after no button or screen activity.
Front View from left to
right, the Siemens SX66, Palm Treo 750,
Glowfiish M700, Palm 700wx and iPAQ 6945.
As you can see from the picture above, the M700 (in the middle) is about the same size and width as the two Treo's to either side of it. The screen isn't as wide as any of the other devices pictured; and it's just a little bit longer than the screen on the 6945. The screen on the SX66 is just WAY bigger than anything pictured. What really disappoints me the most about the M700's screen is that for all the case it has, the screen is only 2.8" diagonal. The screen is the same size as the screen on KJAM that I have. The device could have had a MUCH bigger screen, and really could have been a better GPS device for it.
Please make sure you click the image above, and check out the specifics of the buttons on the front of the M700. There are 4 buttons, plus the softkey buttons on the face of the M700. The two near the top are the GPS and MDesk buttons. The GPS button launches the internal GPS applet. It's great for showing the actual global position of the GPS satelites that the device tracks. It also shows you a compass and other interesting information (see additional pages of this review for software screen shots). MDesk is the application launcher that E-TEN includes with all of its devices. Personally I don't like app launchers and specifically don't care for MDesk. It eats a lot of memeory.
You'll also notice that the phone buttons are oddly shaped on the M700. This unusual shape makes them especially difficult to work with, and I've had trouble answering and ending calls with them. The DPad and Action button on the device are also unusual. The Action button almost seems like a joystick, as it moves in a circular motion around the DPad; but it doesn't function that way. It also isn't easy to work with, and seems rather confusing. Plainly put, the buttons stink, and their placement isn't that great, either.
Back View from from left to
right, the Siemens SX66, Palm Treo 750,
Glowfiish M700, Palm 700wx and iPAQ 6945.
Each device, except the SX66, comes with a 1.3MP camera or better. The M700 has a 2MP camera. The pictures from the M700's camera aren't bad. However, it doesn't handle motion well at all. There's about a 1-1.5 second delay between live action and what displays on the device screen when the camera app is active. Below, is a GREAT example of motion problems and the camera app. During a recent trip to the Bass Pro Shop in one of the local malls here in Chicagoland, I tried to take a number of photos of my kids. The results were NOT impressive. My son doesn't hold still for anyone. He is always on the move, taking in the world around him.
Let's take the Glowfiish M700 and a couple other devices for a spin...here is the left side of each device. On the M700 (in the middle), we find the volume up and down buttons, the record/Voice Command button and the wired headset connection. The device's keyboard also slides out from the left side. Again, I'll have a keyboard comparison shot later in the review.
The bottom of
each device. On the M700 (in the middle),
you see the microSD slot and the mini USB
port. The stylus silo is on the very
bottom of the right side corner.
It's unfortunate that the device uses a microSD card instead of a miniSD or SD card. I'd like to thank Judie Hughes of Gear Diary for giving me a 1GB microSD card (for another project on Gear Diary), other wise I wouldn't have one. I think the microSD format is too small, and that the flash cards will get easily lost between devices (for those of us that happen to switch devices a lot), be they mobile devices or other electronics that might use the card format.
The right side
of each device. On the M700 (in the middle),
you see the camera button (to activate the
camera app and snap pictures), the soft
reset button 3/4 of the way up the right
side, and the power button. Compared to the
other devices, the M700 seems rather slim.
The top of each
device. On the M700 (in the middle), there
is nothing at all.
The biggest addition to the Glowfiish line of PPC Phones on the M700 is the inclusion of the slide out keyboard. The keyboard on the M700 reminds me of the keyboard on the HTC Apache. The keys are large, square and evenly placed. Like the G500 and its TRON look and feel, the keyboard on the M700 has blue plastic, backlit lines between each row. The keyboard is also backlit with a blue light.
When using the keyboard for e-mail or Contact lookup, a quick simple nudge opens it up. The nice thing is that the keyboard slider seems nice and stiff, and seems to lock in place well. I'll let you know over time how it holds up, or if, like my KJAM, it loosens up.
Here is a comparison of
the keyboard on the M700 and the widely-used i-mate KJAM.
I honestly didn't like the keyboard on the M700 very much. The action on the keyboard was a bit flat, and seemed a bit out of place for such a big keyboard. I really expected a little more tactile feedback from the larger keys. Honestly, I am also a little spoiled with the Treo 750 and iPAQ 6945. Using both of those, with the keyboards on the front of the device, like a Blackberry, has made typing out e-mail very easy and more efficient. I don't have to turn the device on its side and slide the screen up to get to the keyboards on either device. However, the keyboard on the M700 isn't bad. I just like the keyboard on the 6945 and the 750 a little better.
