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View Full Version : phoneArena Reviews the E-TEN M600+


Darius Wey
08-11-2006, 07:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/ETEN-M600-PocketPC-Review-review-r_1448.html' target='_blank'>http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/ETE...iew-r_1448.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"M600+ is the latest Pocket PC Phone by Taiwanese manufacturer ETEN, which become popular due to models like M500, M600 and G500. As a successor of the M600, is has the same dimensions and design, while the materials used are slightly different. Its technical specifications are also better as it now supports Bluetooth v2.0, the camera is a 2 megapixel one and its quality is quite better this time, and the internal memory is the astonishing 256MB!"</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/wey-20060812-m600plus.jpg" /><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.etencorp.com/products/Communication/600+.php">M600+</a> boasts an impressive set of features: everything from quad-band GSM support to 256MB ROM. However, it still lacks a few much-desired items: dedicated soft keys, backlit buttons, and EDGE support. Is that enough to make you look elsewhere? You decide. Perhaps <a href="http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/ETEN-M600-PocketPC-Review-review-r_1448.html">phoneArena's review</a> can steer you in the right direction.

nnl
08-11-2006, 07:52 PM
Eten M600+ is available here: http://shop.eten.hu/product_info.php?currency=EUR&amp;cPath=21&amp;products_id=70&amp;language=en

x51vuser
08-11-2006, 08:52 PM
RAM is still only 64MB, 256MB is Storage
Although the phone has nice set of accessories, BenQ P51 beats it because of 128MB RAM and keyboard.

HTK
08-12-2006, 01:26 AM
Crappy review, made by amateurs, they rate it for what they personally think of the device taking into account their personal needs and opinions, when they should instead try to impartially analize the product to think what are his strengths and weakenesses.

0.5 out of 5? gimme a break. I don't have this phone but I read a lot about it and i'm pretty sure it deserves more than that.

Darius Wey
08-12-2006, 05:06 AM
...BenQ P51 beats it because of 128MB RAM and keyboard.

If you don't mind the size. The P51 is, of course, much larger.

Hagow
08-12-2006, 05:49 AM
I have the M600+ and I love it!!!

stylinexpat
08-12-2006, 08:00 AM
I tried this new device out along with the new Dopod 838 Pro here in Taipei. The sound quality issue was a problem. The speakers sounded worse then my old Imate PDA II when Playing windows Media Player on Speakerphone or listening through the headset provided. I also tested the call quality and thought it was also poor. These two things kept me from buying the device.

bnycastro
08-12-2006, 11:16 AM
GPRS for data is a bummer! ETEN should try and catch up with atleast EDGE or UMTS. 256Mb ROM is welcome anyday of the week though and I'm sure it will please a lot of M600+ users :)

x51vuser
08-12-2006, 12:28 PM
...BenQ P51 beats it because of 128MB RAM and keyboard.
If you don't mind the size. The P51 is, of course, much larger.

Not true. Did you compare them maybe hand by hand ?
From the specs BenQ is thinner and not so wide, about same weight.
It is only slightly longer beause of keyboard - I think this is ok ?
It also beats Eten by having both 802.11 b &amp; g and built-in VoIP software

palur
08-12-2006, 03:16 PM
Let not the volume issue put off anyone. I have it and it is superb. There is a volume patch for download and with it the volume is much better or equal to any best device I have known.
It is fast stable and very reliable.

Darius Wey
08-12-2006, 06:16 PM
Not true. Did you compare them maybe hand by hand ?
From the specs BenQ is thinner and not so wide, about same weight.
It is only slightly longer beause of keyboard - I think this is ok ?

A lot of users regard length as a far more important size factor than width and depth, but of course, your mileage may vary.

It also beats Eten by having both 802.11 b &amp; g and built-in VoIP software

I've yet to see some significant benefits with 11g on a Pocket PC. It's advantageous in a couple of areas, but the OS still has bottlenecks that limit 11g's throughput. Also, E-TEN's devices do include VoIP software (Skype) out of the box.

stylinexpat
08-12-2006, 07:00 PM
Let not the volume issue put off anyone. I have it and it is superb. There is a volume patch for download and with it the volume is much better or equal to any best device I have known.
It is fast stable and very reliable.

Where did you see that patch for download? The device was just released here in Taiwan not long ago. The sound was really bad for both the phone and for the media player on both speakerphone and through the ear-peace.

x51vuser
08-12-2006, 07:05 PM
Not true. Did you compare them maybe hand by hand ?
From the specs BenQ is thinner and not so wide, about same weight.
It is only slightly longer beause of keyboard - I think this is ok ?

A lot of users regard length as a far more important size factor than width and depth, but of course, your mileage may vary.

We are talking just 10mm. Integrated keyboard is what made Treos winner.
Without it devices look the same, like another clone of Jamin


It also beats Eten by having both 802.11 b &amp; g and built-in VoIP software

I've yet to see some significant benefits with 11g on a Pocket PC. It's advantageous in a couple of areas, but the OS still has bottlenecks that limit 11g's throughput. Also, E-TEN's devices do include VoIP software (Skype) out of the box.

There is really one benefit that counts: surfing net made faster.
With 802.11n around the corner I am surprised manufacturers do not upgrade from de facto legacy b.

stylinexpat
08-12-2006, 07:06 PM
Eten and Imate are quite bad in my opinion with a few things. They only want their product owners to know of their product problems so only those who own their products can see their updates for downloads as you must first register and in order to register you need the product number. So if a person was doing research to see if an item had the most up to date rom or software one would be unable to do so by going to their website just as well as one would be unable to see if the device had a history of problems :roll: The downloads should be available for everyone to see on their website rather then hidden to owners only.

palur
08-13-2006, 12:22 AM
Let not the volume issue put off anyone. I have it and it is superb. There is a volume patch for download and with it the volume is much better or equal to any best device I have known.
It is fast stable and very reliable.

Where did you see that patch for download? The device was just released here in Taiwan not long ago. The sound was really bad for both the phone and for the media player on both speakerphone and through the ear-peace.
You could download it from Eten users forum www.eten-users.net

bnycastro
08-13-2006, 01:36 AM
you must first register and in order to register you need the product number. So if a person was doing research to see if an item had the most up to date rom or software one would be unable to do so by going to their website just as well as one would be unable to see if the device had a history of problems :roll: The downloads should be available for everyone to see on their website rather then hidden to owners only. dopod is also guilty of this even if you're a registered member you can't see what are the newest patches and roms you should be a registered member with a registered dopod device too see these things. some operators/companies go as far as requiring a phone number [i.e. O2], I have an Exec parallel imported so no O2 number, good thing there are community sites where we can get both info and files on our devices.

Anyway back on topic: IMO ETEN is relatively new in the PPC PE market [their first few PPC PE's were sorry excuses for PPC PE's forgot the model number but they had antennas] they've actually come a long way from those and I expect that the company needs a bit more time to get their formula right, but I'd say the m600+ is a step in the right direction.

I do think that these companies try to stay with what is the norm or what is much more prevalant i.e. maybe they [htc, eten et al] assume that operators [their primary customers] like t-mob germany's wifi hotspots are b or b/g so why should they make a 802.11n that is backwards compatible with b/g when they can make a b/g now and sell you an n tomorrow?

Darius Wey
08-13-2006, 04:27 AM
We are talking just 10mm.

Actually, it's more like 14-15mm than 10mm. It might not sound like a lot on its own, but tack it on to a device and it all adds up and contributes significantly to a device's size.

Integrated keyboard is what made Treos winner.

I'm not implying that integrated keyboards aren't valuable. However, the general consensus is to pack an integrated keyboard on to a square-screen device than a 3x4 screen device. There's a reason why the Treo 650/700w has proven so successful, yet devices like the BenQ P50/P51 and moboDA 3360/3380 have hardly achieved the same level of success.

There is really one benefit that counts: surfing net made faster.

Got the proof for this? This is one bottleneck that I was referring to earlier. Pocket PCs can only sustain a limited throughput, which makes the jump from 11b to 11g almost meaningless from a speed perspective. Also, even if there was no speed limit, if you're connected to a standard wireless AP that serves a 3Mbps internet connection, 11b offers ample bandwidth as 11g for you to enjoy the full speed of that internet connection.

With 802.11n around the corner I am surprised manufacturers do not upgrade from de facto legacy b.

That's because 11n is still undergoing last minute revisions and approvals. Once it becomes completely established, I'm sure we'll see and hear more about 11n.

Patrick Y.
08-13-2006, 06:08 AM
RAM is still only 64MB, 256MB is Storage
Although the phone has nice set of accessories, BenQ P51 beats it because of 128MB RAM and keyboard.

I have to agree with Darius. It really depends on what a person favors. Some people prefer keyboard, and some value portability. I, for one, like lighter, smaller devices. 14 mm actually makes a lot of differences when you put it in your pocket. Also, for people with fat fingers typing on the keyboard is actually slower than taping with the stylus. Personally, I think implementing 128MB of RAM is a really bad idea on BenQ. Not only does it increase the price, the phone will have shorter battery life, which is a big drawback. And on a simple QVGA device, I doubt you'll need that much RAM. Putting 128MB of RAM on a memory-hungry VGA devices like x51v would be more practical. However,even on x51v, you'll only need tha much RAM if you play games like Tony Hawks, Enigmo, etc. With WM5, it's better to have more ROM. Lastly, like Darius said, you'll not feel any speed increase with "g" while surfing. From what I heard, the reason manufacturers implement "g" is to solve the compatibility issue with "g" only router. You can't just decide which device is better by comparing only a few features. Each device has its own weaknesses. For example:
Left, Eten Right, BenQ
2MP vs. 1.3MP
None vs. GPS
Samsung vs. Intel (Samsung CPU is usually more powerful than xscale processor at similar clock speed.)
Questionable, but Eten has brighter screen?
256MB ROM vs. 128MB
64MB RAM vs. 128MB
etc.
etc.

x51vuser
08-13-2006, 10:38 AM
Yes it is 10 mm and keep in mind weight is the same.
There is no bottleneck in OS to put 802.11g - another example is streaming video.
At bitrates over 550kbs you are getting interruptions with 802.11b. And yes 128 RAM is optimal, this discussion reminds infamous Gates' words on 640KB in PCs.

Square screen gained popularity because of user's technological dumbness and skilled corporate marketing. 4x3 devices (with keyboard) showed too late on the market to go into the battle - however they showed in response to actual demand.

Darius Wey
08-13-2006, 01:57 PM
4x3 devices (with keyboard) showed too late on the market to go into the battle - however they showed in response to actual demand.

Have you forgotten about the h4350? It came into the market long before the Mobile Messenger series and the Treo 700w, and it turned out to be a royal flop because no one wanted to carry a brick in their pants.

x51vuser
08-13-2006, 02:26 PM
Well indeed in the case of h4350 you could say it was much larger in size (and heavier) - unlike P51 which is the size of M600+

Hagow
08-13-2006, 03:53 PM
I wouldn't mind a keyboard but I just feel with more buttons come more chances of the device to break. So for someone like me that don't really need the keyboard I definitly prefer the smaller size units. Bottomline I LOVE my M600+. I will probably only upgrade when I see a device that is the size of the M600+ with VGA screen, 2+mp camera, Wifi, Bluetooth...the list goes one.

phreaker18
08-14-2006, 01:47 PM
Nice discussion going on in here..... i just wanted to know how serious the phone speaker n earpiece issue is when it come to playing music on the media player n while on a call.... and what about the call quality??

Darius help me with this

palur
08-14-2006, 02:33 PM
With volume patch available fron Eten-users.net, it is absolutely no problem for me. It is a fine device and I never had a problem except for volume and was sorted out with the patch.

Darius Wey
08-14-2006, 02:50 PM
Nice discussion going on in here..... i just wanted to know how serious the phone speaker n earpiece issue is when it come to playing music on the media player n while on a call.... and what about the call quality??

Darius help me with this

There should be zero issues with music playback, especially if you're using headphones. Call quality shouldn't be greatly impacted, but if you're finding it a little soft, grab the volume patch (as suggested by palur) and that should solve your problem.

XandeR803
08-25-2006, 03:05 AM
I've been using the m600+ for several weeks now and have run into some issues with my bluetooth headset. I'm using the plantronics 655 and incoming call quality is fine but the other end reports very bad distortion and static. I know it's not the headset because I've tried it on numerous other phones and they all worked fine. Anyone know of any tweaks that would help here? I've tried here as well as eten-users but all I can find are registry settings related to A2DP. Thanks.