BenQ P50 Review - Display & Audio
Display & AudioThe P50's functionality is really centered around its 2.8" touchscreen. Capable of displaying 65,00 colors at a QVGA resolution of 240 x 320, the screen is not quite state of the art, but is more than sufficient for a handheld. The touchscreen functionality works well, and the Windows Mobile software includes user calibration functionality. As with most handhelds, the screen exhibited some readability problems in direct, bright sunlight, but in general performed quite well. Benq includes a peel-off screen protector with the phone, and I highly recommend its use to keep the screen scratch-free. A cleaning cloth and leather case with belt clip case are also included.
Call quality on the P50 was good. With the one exception of a friend who said I sounded "like I was calling from a wind tunnel," I experienced satisfactory results using the earpiece, handsfree stereo headset, and built-in speakerphone. The quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM radio performed well on T-Mobile's network in the San Francisco area, pulling in reception on par with other quad-band phones I've tried in this area.
Stereo audio played using the included Windows Media Player software sounded good using the included stereo headset. As mentioned before, the P50 has a 2.5mm headset jack, which is standard for mobile phones but not compatible with standard 3.5mm stereo headphones.
The P50 also paired easily with Bluetooth headsets, though stereo Bluetooth is not supported. Audio quality of calls over Bluetooth was quite good. Next: Messaging, Internet & Connectivity »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonHalf phone, half PDA, with some laptop functionality thrown in for good measure, the Benq P50 is the mobile executive's dream, at least on paper. Combining a quad-band GSM cell phone, Windows Mobile-powered PDA with QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen display, and Wi-Fi enabled Web and Email capabilities into a handheld unit is no easy task. Was Benq up to challenge when it designed the P50? Yes ... and No.
The P50 has been... Anyone considering a Benq P50 would be doing so for its extensive feature set. Running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC SE (a version of the Win CE operating system), the P50 comes with mobile versions of MS Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook pre-installed, and is capable of running hundreds of other productivity and entertainment applications. It should be noted that newer devices, including the TMobile MDA, now... MessagingRunning Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC SE, the P50 comes with mobile versions of Microsoft Outlook and MSN Messenger pre-installed, and can handle SMS and MMS messaging and POP3, IMAP, and push Email right out of the box. Connections can be made via GSM/GPRS cellular and 802.11b Wi-Fi networks, and the phone can sync with your PC's Outlook client via Bluetooth and/or USB. A plethora of other email and messaging clients... On paper, the Benq P50 offers just about everything a power user could want from a PDA phone: WiFi, QWERTY keyboard, Touchscreen, Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and an operating system that supports Web browsing and Email out of the box and is customizable via myriad downloadable applications. While the phone didn't entirely disappoint me, I'm sorry to say that it didn't live up to my expectations, either.
The main problem I had...
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3.5
