E-TEN Tries to Raise the Bar (1/4)
E-TEN Glofiish V900 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
INTRODUCTION
E-TEN is back, and this time it's with the Glofiish V900, a VGA flush touchscreen device that not only brings to the table an impressive spec sheet, but the ability to watch over the air television in Europe and parts of Asia. In the past, we haven't been terribly impressed with E-TEN's offerings, but is the V900 the one that changes our tarnished opinion of the company? We've got a very comprehensive review to follow. Read on for more!
WHAT'S HOT
The V900 has a strong list of specifications. Running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, it's got one of the fastest CPU's to be found in Windows Mobile device - it's a Samsung S3C6400 chip running at 533MHz (the Touch Diamond and Pro clock in at 528MHz). The flush VGA touchscreen is 2.8". It has 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM, plus expansion for microSD. The V900 is a quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and triband UMTS (850/1900/2100) phone, with Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, WiFi b/g, and HSDPA. It has an external telescoping antenna, used for the FM Radio and over the air TV, supporting these TV standards: T-DMB/DAB/DVB-T/DVB-H. On the front there is a VGA camera for video calls, and on the rear is a 3.1MP autofocus camera with an LED light. The V900 can connect to a projector or monitor with the TV-out cables, and can also output audio with the red/blue composite wires. Powering the device is a 1530mAh battery. For even more specs on the V900, check out PDAdb.net.
(all images link to larger versions)
The V900 features a design that is quite similar to the HTC Touch with a minimal amount of hardware buttons and no keyboard.
Though it's difficult to tell in the image, the paint is blackish/blue metallic, which looks interesting in bright light, but is a bit tacky in my opinion.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX
Here's the unboxing of the V900.
Here is a shot of the box. E-TEN is touting the TV capability as the main selling feature for the V900.
This was funny. I think E-TEN used their promotional materials for the box. On the bottom it says "Where to Buy." But wait, if the box is in my possession, didn't I already buy it?
E-TEN does a good job with the accessories. Included is a wall charger and sync cable, an extra stylus, earbuds with extra gels, a composite video/audio out cable with miniUSB passthrough (nice!), and a high quality (albeit bulky) case. Not pictured is an Outlook 2007 trial software CD and short user guide.
THE DEVICE
This is E-TEN's first device with a flush touchscreen.
Like the HTC Touch, the V900 has no hardware soft keys - just a call start/end key, and the D-Pad. The D-Pad on the V900 is horrible - possibly worthless, because it's difficult to operate and not precise. When you move it around, there is no "click" feedback to tell you that you've made an up/down/left/right selection.
On the top we have a light sensor next to the front-facing video camera. The earpiece is surrounded by two system indicator lights. The V900 branding is small and tasteful.
The back is covered in that nice soft plastic, which gives the device a non-slip feel while in hand. Notice the bottom corners of the back. On the left is the stylus silo, and on the right is the TV/FM antenna. We'll cover these later.
Focusing in on the top we have the 3.1MP auto focus camera, self portrait mirror, LED flash, and large speaker. The speaker allows for plenty of volume and clear audio output.
Taking out the 1530mAh battery, we find the SIM card slot. Note the flap on the battery, which will get caught hanging outside of the cover if you don't "tuck" it inside.
Turning over to the side we see a dual-action camera bottom (slight press to focus, full press to take the picture), plus an external microSD slot with a dust cover (nice!). To the right of that is a well-placed soft reset hole, and to the right of that is the standby/power button.
On the other side, we have the volume up/down rocker, plus a button to initialize Voice Commander.
On the bottom we have a 2.5mm headphone jack - which we welcome with open arms (as it's better than having no dedicated headphone jack), though 3.5mm would have been even better. To the right of that is the miniUSB port used for syncing/charging/video and audio out, and the microphone is to the right of that.
And on the top it says "GPS".
The stylus is collapsible and feels cheap, and I found it difficult to remove from the silo at times.
If we pull on the black nub in the left corner (with the front facing you), the TV/FM antenna is revealed.
The antenna, which feels flimsy and will probably break off with heavy use, will extend about 7 inches.
Here is the case, which is more like a holster. It's made to clip onto your belt.
But look how thick the pair becomes when the device is inserted!
And here's a front view of the case. The device comes out to the left.
And if we turn off the lights, we get a red and green glow from the call start/end keys. The lighting is dull and ugly.
COMPARISONS
Here we have a shot comparing (from left to right) the Apple iPhone, AT&T Tilt (TyTN II), HTC Touch Pro, E-TEN Glofiish V900, CDMA HTC Touch on Verizon, and Samsung Omnia.
And here they are again in the same order, stacked. The V900 is almost as thick as the HTC Touch Pro.
And here is another profile shot.
Flip on over to the next page where we will cover all of the software enhancements made to the Glofiish V900.
