Samsung E1170

Editor's Review of the E1170

The Samsung E1170 is pretty much a standalone phone, with no USB or Bluetooth support. It cannot even connect to the Internet as it has no support for GPRS and EDGE access. Forget about high speed 3G access or wireless Internet connectivity. Samsung also skipped on the GPS and multimedia support.

Samsung has further stripped the features down by not providing a camera and even a radio tuner. Internal memory at 16 megabytes is more than enough for call records and up to 200 entries on the phone book. You really would not need much because you will have no need to store pictures, music files, and video files.

So what, exactly, does the E1170 have? It has the basic call and SMS sending functions. The only concession that this handset have in terms of features are its preloaded games and an organiser.

Battery for its standard lithium ion 1000 mAh battery provides up to 10 hours and 30 minutes of talk time and up to 830 hours on standby. Power, however, is what differentiates the Samsung E1170 from other similarly stripped down phones.

This mobile phone has solar panels that can be charged for extra talk time. This is perfect for emergency situations wherein you do not have access to a power supply to charge your main battery.

What is more, this handset comes with a biking feature. The biking feature bars any number aside from those stored in your phone book from calling you. This feature enforces the notion that the E1170 is geared towards younger teens and kids, as the feature adds an added layer of security for its user.

In the looks department, however, the Samsung E1170 is up to par with other mobile phones. At first look, it is highly similar to Samsung's Shark. It features a cutting-edge futuristic design, making its rich black casing more elegant and sleek. More than this, the handset has a 1.52 inch LCD screen that has a resolution of 128 pixels by 128 pixels. The CSTN screen can display up to 65k colours.

Measuring at 108.7 millimetres long by 46.1 mm. wide and around 14 mm. thick, this handset is surprising lightweight at only 72 grams.

Limitations

The Samsung E1170 is admittedly a very bare bone mobile phone that should cater to a specific target market: those that cannot be bothered with advanced technology, or any other features on their handsets, or those who are looking for a no-nonsense handset that should be very light on the budget. However, there are similar phones in the market that are priced within the same range and should appeal to those who want a no-nonsense phone like the Nokia 1616 and the Alcatel OT-608.

Both of these phones have a FM radio included, and the OT-608 even has a built-in camera, while the 1616 has a flashlight on board. Any rational person would surely choose one of these over the E1170: more functionality at about the same price.

Moreover, the solar panels are not that attractive, if you think about it. One hour of leaving the E1170 in direct sunlight provides just enough battery juice for a 10 minute call. It may be enough to send a potential distress call, but certainly not enough to cover the important stuff.

The rechargeable solar panel is not unique, either. It has previously been seen on Samsung's Blue Earth smart phone. The 2009 mobile phone has the same convenience of being able to get battery juice from the sun packed with most features that people have come to love about mobile phones: Internet connectivity, full multimedia support, camera and other what-nots. If you are going to buy this phone just for the novelty of having a rechargeable solar power source, then opt for Blue Earth.

Plus, in a time when mobile phones are getting cheaper that most people carry at least two of them, coupled with the release of better batteries that have longer battery life, the chances that you are going to need the power provided by the solar panels are very slim.