Europeans aren't the only ones to be graced with new handsets from Siemens; new models including the SX1, M56 and SL56 are slated for availability late this year in the U.S.
Having launched a range of new and advanced phones for the European market at the recent CeBIT fair in Hannover, Siemens is following up with North American versions of several of the products. Siemens' first Series 60 smartphone - the SX1 - will be arriving in the third quarter along with the SL56, while the M56 is slated for introduction in the fourth quarter.
 | The SX1 is Siemens' new top-of-the line smartphone
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The tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz SX1, Siemens' first Series 60 phone, sports a rather unusual design where the device has strips of keys built into each side of the phone rather than an ordinary keypad. Sporting a 16-bit color display, the SX1's embedded software includes a full PIM suite, support for SMS, MMS and e-mail (POP3/IMAP4/SMTP) messaging, as well as camcorder and picture management applications to handle the input from the built-in digital camera. Also on the feature list: Bluetooth, GPRS, J2ME, WAP 2.0 and desktop synchronization.
Weighing 4.1 ounces and measuring 4.3 x 2.2 x .8 inches, the SX1 will come standard with a battery charger and lithium polymer 1000 mAh battery that providing more than four hours of talk time and 200 hours of standby time, according to Siemens.
Although not as advanced as the SX1, Siemens' SL56 also sports a few novel traits, including a keypad which slides up behind the 12-bit (4,096 colours) display of the phone, dual-band GSM 850/1900 MHz, GPRS and Bluetooth. Intended for use in the U.S. market only, unlike the tri-band SX1, the SL56 offers support for both SMS and MMS, as well as a built-in e-mail client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP. Additionally, it also supports a camera clip-on accessory with built-in flash.
Voice capabilities in the SL56 include speakerphone, voice dialing and voice command to quickly access applications such as the WAP 1.2.1 browser cruising along at GPRS Class 8 speeds. The SL56 will come standard with a battery charger and weigh in at 2.8 ounces with its lithium ion 500 mAh battery that provides up to 2.5 hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time. Also, the phone supports J2ME.
The Siemens M56 is the least advanced handset of the three new models, but still offers a wide range of features including dual band GSM 850/1900 MHz, a 12-bit display, SMS, EMS and MMS. In addition, the phone features an application for letting owners mix their own ringtones called Steinberg's Cubasic Mobile Soundmixer. Tunes created by users can either be used as ringtones, or sent to other handset owners. J2ME support is also here in place.
Like the SL56, the M56 supports the Siemens clip-on camera accessory, and comes standard with a battery charger. At 700 mAh, its lithium ion battery offers more capacity, however, providing up to five hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby time.
Additional hi-res images of the Siemens SX1, SL56 and M56 handsets are available on the following pages.
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