Every mobile phone company has one in its product line-up. It's the cute mobile that appeals to the young, the young at heart or the fashion conscious. But how much of a phone's technical integrity do you compromise for this end? The Ericsson T20e GSM handset makes a good case study.
The phone is so bubbly it would come as no surprise if the T20e were to squeek, emit cute pre-recorded Disney-esque phrases or squirt water at the push of a button. To find that its available in bright colours is certainly no surprise, and if it gives you a feeling of de ja vous, that's because the phone is essentially a T20s that supports Ericsson's enhanced messaging standard, EMS.
It would be just as accurate to describe the T20s as a T29s caked in a thick plastic shell, and it's hard not to question the wisdom of that move.
As mobile architecture trims down, bringing the conventional brick handset form-factor with it, the clamshell design is, if not unnecessary, less imperative when seeking a 'discreet' mobile. If the design is to be used, it makes sense to capitalise on its advantages, which are mainly ergonomic. However, Ericsson has taken the technological ingredients for light and compact, and created heavy and chunky - surely there are better ways of improving the phone's appeal for youths than making it look and feel like a bar of soap.
Admittedly, the plastic armour does give the phone a little more resilience - handy if it's placed in the service of active people - but there are some problems with the design. Worst of all you can't hear the phone's speaker properly and there's no way to alter its volume. The problem seems simple enough: it appears that Ericsson has used it standard interior components, but added the thicker facade without considering its audio insulation qualities.
The new shell's buttons are also more sensitive to grit and dirt than previous models. Beach sand, difficult for most Australians to avoid, is especially menacing to the phone. Even the tiny bits of detritus left in the pocket after a short stop on the shore will find its way under the buttons, locking them until it finds it way out again.
Ericsson needs to update its variation of the clamshell design. The company is trying to promote its enhanced messaging standard, directly competing with equivalent technology that's been available through Nokia's smart messaging standard since 1996. Arguably, this task is going to be hard to achieve if you don't give the technology a screen that lets it stretch its legs. The mailbox window implemented throughout Ericsson's clamshell series doesn't. With this in mind adding EMS to the T20s to create the T20e, though not a waste of time, will not give the phone a killer edge.
The T20e's problems are most regrettable as the phone performs strongly in many other respects. The Ericsson mobile OS is still one of the most usable and intuitive ever compiled, and the phone's feature-set is as competitive as any on the market. Although we're not in agreement with the notion that consumers should place WAP-capability high on their list of priorities when buying in a GSM phone --time-based cost metering is too expensive-- the phone's voice recognition features, pre-compiled short messages and well-designed address book (part of the OS) are still winners.
At AU$360 the phone certainly isn't expensive, but remember that mobile phone subsides will be discontinued in Australia from January 2002 onwards. From now on future-proofing consideration should be carrying a little more of the weight once placed on the shoulders of price in handset purchasing decisions; you probably won't be upgrade your phone as frequently.
Ericsson T20e mobile phone
Company: Sony-Ercisson Mobile
Price: AU$360
Distributor: Selected mobile phone suppliers
Phone: 1300 650 050
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