BenQ-Siemens S88
- I
- Ivo
- MVG
- 21 Jan 2007
Hey, thx 4 ur answers, the service said that there is a newer firmware and they are gonna updtade it, but im not so sure if this will solve the problmes of the phone, any1 that uses newer FW some opinions? :)
- S
- S88owner
- nnC
- 21 Jan 2007
@Ivo
1/don't know 'bout memory card, but yes, menu is too slow
2/AFAIK it's very hard to upgrade FW (there is no suitable cable so U need to ask in gsm service if they can do that), so i think it's even harder to modify FW on your own,
if there is a way to do this, someone please tell me!!!
I've read that new firmware is better
3/only about 10-12 alerts available in the phone firmware can be set as sms ringtone, mp3 cannot be set as sms
4/u can see the images, use the calculator, stopwatch, make notes.. but u surely cannot write sms f.e.
FW has even more "great" features (besides those mentioned in earlier comments):
-no way to send a number from phonebook except sending a vCard which takes 2sms;
-cursor during sms writing (without T9) can be moved only by a ONE! letter at once (or up/down by one line), it's not possible to move by page or word;
-volume of mp3 ringtones is not high enough for me (and I'm not deaf even a little !! :));
-converation volume is too low as well;
-max size of MMS 100kb - is this a joke or what?;
there are probably more "bugs"
FW is real crap, the only hope for this mobile is upgrading it with good firmware .. but is there a good one? :/
if I won't find a way to upgrade it, I'll be forced to look for another mobile (or I'll just say sorry to my old S45)
I'd love to know (and have all neccessary things) to modify and change the FW, but I'm losing hope it's possible :((((
- I
- Ivo
- MVG
- 20 Jan 2007
and 2 more q.)
3) Is it true that u can't set mp3 as sms-alert
4) And can't u really do anything else, while listening to the mp3
- I
- Ivo
- MVG
- 20 Jan 2007
Hey, I think i'm going to buy this phone soon, but i have 2 q.)
1) will the phone work very slow with 1 GB card and is it really that slow in menu
2) will the phone work much better with the newer firmware, cuz i think i'm going to modify it
- Y
- YANiPOPO
- RIC
- 14 Jan 2007
looks a hell lot like 6680 with 6233. however, features from this manufacturer are the things i dont like.
- k
- kolofsson
- T41
- 08 Jan 2007
1. excuse me
2. excuse me :)
3. i was not aware that such thing exists.
I'm waiting for any other comments/advices.
- S
- S88owner
- nnC
- 07 Jan 2007
1/English only ;)
2/ not "koles"
3/ it was wihout a plan/tariff or whatever u call this, it only had simlock on Plus
4/U can buy things on ebay if seller marked he is able to send to Europe or European Union (or worldwide ;))
5/yes, sometimes u can buy phones on ebay cheaper than in PL
- S
- S88owner
- nnC
- 07 Jan 2007
blablabla
3 weeks ago there was an opportunity to buy 6233 for 670pln but there was simlock on PlusGSM so I bought Benq :D
U can also check SE610i, the price is similar to s88
and try ebay.de
- k
- kolofsson
- T41
- 07 Jan 2007
All i can say to this is blah blah blah. On top of all these phones i would put nokia N80. but why dont i buy it? too expensive!
I buy stuff via polish auctions website - similar to eBay. The pricings are as follows:
BENQ S88 - 500 PLN ($170)
SE K750i - 620 PLN ($205)
SAM D600 - 850 PLN ($285)
NOK 6233 - 820 PLN ($275)
as you see you propose phones even $100 more expensive than im looking for. that's not difficult to find a better phone, but please count the price also.
- S
- S88owner
- nnC
- 07 Jan 2007
I recommend Nokia 6233 or Samsung D600 :D, Benq S88 is fine but firmware quality and speed is unacceptable (I'm getting used to it, but it's still annoying), and I don't like K750 :P
- k
- kolofsson
- T41
- 07 Jan 2007
Hello people. I want to buy a new mobile phone, but i cannot decide which one to buy.
I checked the auctions. The S88 costs 500 PLN (170 USD). The K750i costs 600 PLN (200 USD). Which one do YOU recommend?
For me the 2Mpix camera is a must, i also care about the price. My father has the K750i so i know that it's good. I was about to buy it until i spotted this s88 for an incredibly low price.
I also know about the BenQ-Siemens bankruptcy. Should i really care about this? Please help me to decide.
- M
- MarcinP
- nnC
- 02 Jan 2007
Thanks for answers
I know how to uncheck all t9's in settings but the problem is that every time I turn the phone on they're all checked :) and I have to uncheck them over and over again :) The phone just doesn't keep the t9 settings.
- Q
- Q answers
- nCN
- 02 Jan 2007
@ marcin...
1)) to switch ti silent mode immediately, just press and hold the right soft key "the camera" key on the main screen...
2)) to change the input, go to
menu>settings>input>available list.. and in there uncheck all the t9 text inputs and there you go...
3)) the low volume speaker, i don't think its a HW issue and i don't think it can be fixed
4)) and no you can not upgrade the SW on your own, at least AFAIK!!
- h
- hoangtien
- wu0
- 31 Dec 2006
I really love this phone, because of its style, very elegant! I want to make a unique choice while all of my friends are using S88's rival K750i! But S88 makes me dissapoint a lot
1/ cannot set MP3 as SMS alert
2/ cannot fast forward or backward in MP3 player
3/ cannot do anything while listening to MP3
4/ cannot create more than 1 playlist
5/ the phone is slow
All that troubles is just because of firmware, why don't BenQ-Siemens release anyone for us to upgrade?
I have to admit MP3 & camera (2 main functions) the phne beats K750i :D
- M
- Marcin
- nnC
- 29 Dec 2006
Hi. I've recently bought this mobile. It's quite ok but unfortunately it has some annoying bugs
f.e there is no "hotkey" to turn off ringtones immediately!!! or U can't see on the main screen what's set on the 0-9 shortcut button, and of course slow software or v.small size of MMS! :/
but my real "problems" are:
1/ I have to disable all T9's every single time I turn off/on the phone - and there's no "hotkey" to do this like it was in S45 f.e. (I don't have my native language in s88 so i don't use t9). any solutions of this problem? is it possible to disable t9 for good?
2/annoying and important bug is low speaker volume (I mean the one ur using 4 normal conversations, not the "loud" one)..
any1 knows how to fix this low volume problem? is it possible to increase it by changing software or some hardware interference?
3/can I upgrade firmware on my own? if yes then what do I need to do this?
Please help me - it'll allow me to really enjoy this mobile :) (Now it's a little irritating)
- i
- informer
- MsN
- 23 Dec 2006
hey guys....just a piece of information. Benq in joint venture with Siemens has gone bankrupt. these models are available for clearance sale at throw away prices in Bahrain market with the condition no return and no warranty. so watch out. Now the latest news is that Nokia is taking over Seimens facility and going to come out new series of models and probably called Nokia Seimens in due course.
- ?
- Anonymous
- Pxs
- 21 Dec 2006
Hi Jonathan, I sent my S88 to my local Benq-siemens service centre for the firmware upgrade. It takes about 4 hours. I have no idea whether can this be done maually by ourselves.
Yes, if decent sound and camera from a mobile is important to you the S88 will fulfil your requirements. Have you checked out the sample pictures by S88. they look pretty decent for a 2MP mobile camera, close to (or comparable to as some might say) SE K750i. Hope this helps. Do write a review of how you feel about the S88 if you get it!
- J
- Jonthan
- PYM
- 20 Dec 2006
Yeah, i think i made up my mind bout it. U c, i think i can manag with d lag. The mp3 player n cam r really important 2 me, so i'll take this one 4 noww... Cn u plz tell me where can i download teh newer firmware? Thnx so much!
- ?
- Anonymous
- Pxs
- 20 Dec 2006
Hi Jonathan,
Seems like you made up your mind to get the S88? Don't worry so much, the trick is like any other phone try to upgrade the firmware to the latest possible. It is said that the lag improves with newer firmware. i upgraded mine recently, ok it's still slow but to be fair it's more stable and more responsive than before.
Whatever your final decision, hope you had fun with your new handphone. :)
- J
- Jonathan
- PYM
- 19 Dec 2006
Thnx 4 ur comments... They were really helpful... The lag is bad!!! But if u say cam is gr8 n so is sound, I think I can manage. I am not a heay user, so I hope it will fulfill my expectations. When I'll get it I will c if i put my own review on this phone, lol. Thanks anyway ppl!