The only thing you can plug into the Siemens C75 is a power cable.

The VGA camera pales in comparison to the megapixel camera phones available.

The keys are widely spaced and comfortable.

While the market is still buzzing about the recent takeover of Siemens Mobile by Taiwanese electronics maker Benq, doubts have remained over the prospects of this venture between these two firms struggling in the mobile business. Meanwhile, life goes on and the designers at Siemens have unveiled yet another mobile phone to the public. Simply Elegant The Siemens C75 belongs to its non-3G range of handsets. The designers, perhaps taking a cue from its underperforming maker, have created a device that could be easily overlooked in a market filled with feature packed convergent devices. Our first impression of it is its understated simplicity. The specification says it all: there is no built in MP3 player or FM radio. This is plainly just a mobile phone. The VGA camera is the only concession to this ethos and even then it is puny compared to the megapixel cameras found in the better phones nowadays. The minimalist approach extends to its exterior, which is elegant with a silver metallic finish that belies its plastic origins. The design is conventional enough, a bar-like shape with the non-adjustable camera mounted at its back. The buttons themselves are generously spaced and easy to press. Besides the standard keypad, the Siemens C75 has a five-way joystick, call and hang-up keys and a pair of softkeys. Make it Snappy The simplicity on the Siemens C75 shines when one begins using it. The menu is a neat graphical interface with the nine icons arranged in grid. The advantage of streamlining the features to the essentials pays off with a very responsive interface. There was virtually no lag when navigating the menu. Messaging was similarly snappy, with the text appearing on screen almost instantly.

While the speed is obviously not equal to the older phones with monochrome displays, the Siemens C75 must rank as one of the faster 64K-color display phones we have tested. To make it even more accessible for users, shortcut keys are present like any other mobile phone. These include a single key access to the keylock and ringtone toggle, while each direction of the joystick brings up a different application. We only have one complaint about the phone's interface and that has to do with the ugly fonts used. This is probably exacerbated by the low-resolution display of just 132 x 176 though the LCD by itself seems perfectly fine and is appropriately used as a viewfinder for the camera. Just Another VGA Camera The VGA camera built at the back of the phone only has a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 and the videos are limited to a resolution of 128 x 96. The image quality was decent enough but compared to the megapixel varieties available, it is severely handicapped and we have a lingering suspicion that the camera seems more of an afterthought. However, quite a few users underutilize their cameras anyway so the limitations of this camera would probably not deter them. Battery life is more important here and the Siemens C75 only lasted slightly over two days, which is adequate but far from fantastic. Final Words Overall, call quality was fine and messaging was a pleasure thanks to the wide keys and responsive interface. The essential phone functions are kept while extras like MP3 play back and their sort have been omitted for a very competent and utilitarian handset. All this is contained within a simple but elegant exterior together with a fairly decent price of US$200.

Product Specifications Network: Tri band GSM Memory: 10MB Display: 64K-color 132 x 176 TFT Camera: Up to 640 x 480 (still), up to 128 x 96 (video) Connectivity: GPRS, WAP 2.0, IrDA, USB Battery: 750mAh Lithium Ion Multimedia: Polyphonic ringtones, video playback, Java support Dimensions (W x L x H): 103 x 44 x 17mm Weight: 85g with battery