The ‘My S-7’ from Sagem looks just like any other standard camera phone until you switch it on. Running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, My S- 7 is a decent blend of the usability of a cell phone with the functionality of a smartphone. Measuring 49.5 x 20.8 x 109.8 mm and weighing 120 gm, the Tri-band GSM/GPRS device is definitely not the lightest, but is certainly pocketable! Encased in a metallic grey casing, the look is business-like and the build quality, good. Apart from the standard 12-key numeric pad, two soft keys and the standard ‘Call’ and ‘End’ keys, the front facia sports a home and a back key, with a five-way joystick. The 2.2-inch transreflective LCD displays 65K colours with a resolution of 176 x 220. The other controls include a volume key along with a rubber-covered memory card slot on the left side and the Infrared port on the top next to the headphone connector, again covered by rubber.
Powered by an Intel PXA 262 200 MHz processor, My S-7 has 32 MB of RAM, the same amount of ROM, 15 MB of which is available to the user. You can add more memory through the SD/MMC card slot. It has infrared, but sadly no Bluetooth. It can be synchronised with a PC using the bundled ActiveSync cradle and USB cord. Installed applications include Internet Explorer, MSN Messenger, Photo ID, Pocket MSN, Tasks, Video Player and Windows Media Player. As far as usability is concerned, the keypad is simple to use, thanks to the fairly large keys coupled with a slanting shape that offers more depth to click. The joystick is also fairly large and smooth—one of the most comfortable ones we have used. However, we did have issues
with the joystick, and ended up clicking in one of the four directions when we actually wanted to click the centre. The menu response is speedy and the 200 MHz processor handles most applications with ease. We installed a demo of the game Sky Force, and it played nicely, with no jerks. Voice clarity is good, even in areas with low network strength. The screen is vibrant but is a problem to read in daylight. The VGA camera is pretty decent for daylight stills and video, but outputs grainy results in low light. Audio output for ringtones and MP3 playback is also acceptable, though not very loud. The battery lasts about three to four days with standard sage.
At close to 20K, the Sagem My S-7 offers a good combination of features, usability and erformance. Now, if only it had Bluetooth…
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