Panasonic VS3 review: Millions of colors

The naughty infrared

Another option you can amuse yourself with is the mobile internet. The phone is equipped with a browser, which manages not only WAP pages, but also simple web pages. Data transferring is ensured by GPRS Class 10. The phone is also able to work as a modem for a computer. The connection between the mobile and the computer gets possible either through a cable or through the infrared port. Well, at least provided everything that is supposed to work, really works.

I am writing this for we had difficulties with the infrared port in our testing phone. We tried to run it, but the operation was unsuccessful. The phone gave us an error alert. It seems, however, that it may be only the tester that suffers this problem for it belongs to the advertising series. For the moment we cannot positively say what the connection of the official phones will be like - whether they will be accompanied by service software and how this software could help. We could aver, thought, that synchronization is outcast. It is a pity since the phone could have won many customers among the more choosy users provided it did not lack this option.

Data communication options

Since we did not have a data cable, we ran across a huge obstacle - there was no way how we could get the pictures out of the phone. Although the device lets you send pictures directly through the infrared port, in our case this was practically impossible for the infrared port did not work. At the same time, the phone does not have an email client and will not even allow you to insert a mega pixel photo into a multimedia message. For this reason I decided to let be the description of the camera for now. Let us first try to troubleshoot this inconvenience and then we will supplement the original review.

The built-in camera takes pictures in a resolution of 1280 × 1024 pixels. It offers three quality levels as well as a color effect. Available are also some extra functions like the one that compensates the exposition, sequent scanning, a self-release or a night mode. The sound of the lens shutter can be changed, but in no way is it possible to switch it off completely. The zoom is digital. It is active in lower resolutions only. Quite an unusual option of the camera is its macro mode. It gets activated by turning the ring around the lens.

Camera's view finder • camera settings • viewfinder in a video shooting mode

The macro option gets activated by turning the silver ring around the lens

The phone knows to shoot video in the 3GP format in a resolution of 176 × 144 pixels. The maximum length of a video record is 1 minute. For pictures and other types of data the phone offers 30 MB memory. Pictures can be additionally minimized, decorated with frames or cut.

Multimedia data manager • picture viewing • memory state indicator

If average quality cannot satisfy you ...

I got familiarized with Panasonic VS3 quite fast. The more I was getting used to its design, its brilliant display and its comfortable keypad, the more I felt sorry that the phone lacks certain higher-class functions. I could possibly get over the lack of an outer display, but I do not want to live without synchronization and Bluetooth. Searching in the phone book by first character and the worse signal selection appeared to be additional factors that took off some of my affection for this phone. Nevertheless, I am still attracted to Panasonic VS3.

In the sense of the above made remarks, I am quite optimistic about the new VS3. I am sure it will find its customers among the common, less pretentious users, who are looking - at the same time - for something more than just a "common" mobile phone. Let's hope, however, that this time Panasonic will get free from its bad habit to kill its mobile products with high prices already at their birth. Panasonic VS3 is expected to hit the market in the third quarter of this year at the price of about 240 euros.