[ENG_TRAN] A Brief View to BENQ P50

A Brief View to BENQ P50 (click here to view the original text in Chinese)
by tyhuang // translated by: cafe-cartel, 瑪達蓮, CornGuo

I've finally gotten a P50 engineering sample today. For me, its size is just right, and the screen's wide enough, however the buttons are so small that I can hardly press them. It's also slightly heavy, but the overall feeling is still great.

It runs programs well and I've not seen it crash so far. The built-in WLAN also works fine (I don't have a BlueTooth dongle, so I can't test it yet), but it failed when I tried to transfer files via IR with my notebook. But that doesn't really pose a problem since it can still connect with the PC by using a 4-pin mini USB cable.


The recording and the volume buttons.


Camera button: when pressed, the camera application can be activated. USB port and the earphone jack.


The camera lens and speaker are at the back, and you can see the white-coloured battery as well.


Power plug-in socket and the SD card slot.


The 1.3MP camera module. The speaker is loud, and the sound quality's good while using Media Player to play MP3 files.

It supports 3GP files, you can use MPEG-4 (QVGA, QCIF), or H.263 (QCIF) to record videos. I haven't found its recording time limit yet; I guess it depends on how much usable memory left. Note that there's no microphone at the back of P50, so when recording a clip, it may sound a bit weird.


The start-up/suspend button, and the IR port.


Charging in progress...


After the phone is switched on, the familiar screen appears. There are a few inbuilt themes which you can change, but I feel that they are about the same. However, the 2.8" 240x320 LCD looks pretty nice.


As you can see, the CPU inside is PXA270, and memory information is also indicated.


After taking pictures with the camera, you can add some effects to the images, including picture frames. There are also some built-in white balance presets.


The built-in WLAN is very convenient and easy to handle!


The screen can be rotated by 90 degrees in either direction, depending on whether you're comfortable with using the device with your left or right hand.


I can use IR to connect P50 with my notebook, but file transfer fails.


Compared with Sx230, P50's smaller and slimmer. It feels more like a mobile phone.


Changed to the black-colored battery.


When using the USB cable to connect with a PC (driver installation is needed), the speed was good. The protective cover on top of the socket can be rotated.


The indicator light's colors
When connected to a computer -> Orange
When WLAN function is activated -> Green
When BT function is activated -> flashing Blue


Software:
I've successfully connected P50 to the computer, then I started to install some softwares.. But many of them could not be installed (like PowerLevel, Pocket Screen Capture.. It seems that I have to search for another capturing program). Afterall I have only installed Skype 1.0. The voice quilty was okay (but then there are plenty of problems, for example, it'll hang while closing the program.)


Simply UI to let you enable or disable the WLAN.


Built-in programs.


I think the most special program is RECON. Your P50 can act as a remote controller by this program.


The built-in product information database. Needless to say BENQ products are included.


You can use RECON to control the TV, the air-conditioner, or other devices..


The image capture program also has a simply-to-use UI.


The image thumbnail viewing window.


Built-in JAVA car racing game.


Messaging program.


You can choose to send messages by E-mail or SMS.


The account setting menu.


Compared with Mio8390.


The side view.


The view when Mio8390 is opened up.


Summary:
P50 is just like a PDA, but the phone and camara functions are also included. Although it has a keyboard that enables you to type more conveniently, the number characters are not printed clear enough. The phone functions well, but I don't like the built-in interface.


Overall, I'd call this a "PDA" rather than a "Phone"
I've not encountered a fatal system crash after playing with it for half a day.. therefore, I think it's better than Sx230 or 8x80 because its CPU speed is much faster.

The JAVA programs run well. Many of BENQ's software have been included, but I think RECON is more fun and useful than others. Images captured by the camera can be saved quickly, but they have turned out to be pretty blur.

I'm not satisfied with the battery life, though PPCs are usually regarded as 'power killers'. Hope this will be improved when it is officially launched on the market. In addition, I've observed that if you turn on WLAN while charging, the back of the device will become very warm.

Though the keyboard's presence can increase the speed of text input, I feel that the keyboard buttons are too small to be pressed that I hardly can type by using only one hand.

But overall speaking, I still hope P50 can be launched on the market soon.