NEC e228 mobile phone

NEC e228 is a dual mode cameraphone, which means it is capable of working on the 3G networks as well as operating as a dual band phone on the 2.5G networks. This is a model offered exclusively by 3, and it comes in a slightly larger than usual candy bar style of body, which is necessary to accommodate the greater volume of electronics that is needed in a dual mode phone. It is not so slim and elegant as 3’s other 3G handset, the LG U8120, but the e228 is currently one of the cheapest 3G phones available, and so its economic appeal would make it good entry phone into the 3G world.

NEC e228This is a phone packed with useful features, and among its most important are the GPRS and 3G packet data technology, 2-way video calling, MMS multimedia messaging, video and audio streaming, MPEG4 video and MP3 audio players, speakerphone for hands-free conversations, Sony MemoryStick Duo™ memory card slot, voice memo recorder (up to 5 in-call memos of 20 seconds each may be recorded), Java™ enabled, and a full e-mail client. There is also an integrated A-GPS system, which allows you to use this handset to take advantage of the location-based services now available to mobile phone users.

The display in the e228 is a TFT type of active matrix LCD, and this screen is capable of a resolution of 220 x 176 pixels, and it can also display up to 65,536 different colours. The display is a high definition screen in comparison to many other phones, and it provides the user with a good means to view the choices that are available in the icon-based menu system. This screen also gives the user a bright and clear presentation of the pictures and videos that can be handled by the phone, for example those that are received in MMS messages. Being MMS enabled provides the user with the chance to send and receive multimedia messages, which may contain a combination of video, pictures, sound and text. To successfully exchange MMS messages requires that both phones are MMS compatible.

There are 2 integrated cameras fitted into the e228. The inward camera is a CIF device, and is fitted just above the display screen. The inward camera takes pictures at 3 different resolutions: Mail (128 x 96 pixels), CLI (120 x 120 pixels), and Large (352 x 288 pixels). The outward camera is a VGA device and is fitted into the upper part of the rear phone cover. The outward camera can take pictures at 4 different resolutions: Mail (128 x 96 pixels), CLI (120 x 120 pixels), Large (352 x 288 pixels), and X large (640 x 480 pixels). Picture editing can be performed on an image, and the following effects are available: negative image, sepia tone, mirror image, soften image, sharpen image or emboss.

You can zoom in or out with the cameras, but the bonus of having two cameras is that you can easily switch between them during a video call, to either show your contact a picture of yourself, or the view you are looking at. This is an easier operation than was the case in the earlier e313, which had a camera that you had to manually swivel between the two views. When you engage in a video call the phone automatically switches to the hands-free speakerphone, as you are not able to hold the phone to your ear and use the camera at the same time. Two picture resolutions of QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) or SubQCIF (128 x 96 pixels) are available for shooting video, or you can choose to use an option that gives priority to capturing the best movement.

The phone can play MP3 tracks and several other formats, including AMR. You can organise playlists and repeat play, and up to 20 playlists can be created in the phone, each containing 20 tracks; or up to 50 playlists can be created, each containing 100 tracks, on a Memory Stick. The player even has a WOW surround sound facility installed to give the best sound effect.

There is no problem with running out of memory capacity, as this phone accepts the Sony MemoryStick Duo™, which allows the user to expand the memory when necessary. The memory stick fits into a slot in the side of the phone, and so is easily changed when you need to swap them. MemorySticks of up to 128 MB in capacity may be used in this phone. You can transfer on to the memory card the videos you recorded and the photos you took using the e228’s camera. In addition, you can use the MemoryStick to download any video, images, audio files, voice recordings, calendar entries, To Do entries or any other files you may have on your phone, so that you can transfer them to a PC or other device with a MemoryStick reader.

For personalisation the phone comes preloaded with several wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones. More of these pictures and sounds may be downloaded over-the-air to enable you to make the phone look and sound the way you wish. You can also take pictures of your contacts and enter them in your picture phonebook for use as caller ID, so that the pictures appear on the display when they call.

The e228 is Java™ enabled and so it can run a wide variety of different Java applications and games. However, no games come with the phone, and so the user will have to download them when they wish to play a game. There are a large number of games and applications available in Java that will work on this phone, and it is possible to download these programs easily.

As the e228 incorporates the technology to handle 3G packet data, and is also GPRS enabled, this provides the user with an “always on” connection to the network and the mobile Internet, which saves time and money on frequent dial-ups. It is easy to gain access to browse the Internet by pressing the dedicated 3 button that is on the phone’s keypad. With its ability to offer you streamed audio and video, the e228 provides users interested in music and film with the chance to stream or download the latest MTV music videos and movie clips, and football fans can stream or download the latest UEFA Champions League and Barclaycard Premiership football, and this only takes a matter of seconds. Another useful feature is the phone’s e-mail client, which supports the standard POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols, and this allows you to access your normal e-mails while you travel around.

The connectivity option available in the e228 is a USB data cable, which must be purchased as an accessory. The accessory CD-ROM contains the necessary tools and utilities to perform file transfers. Once a suitable connection has been established with a compatible PC, then it is possible to synchronise your Calendar, Contacts and To Do lists locally between the phone and a PC using a USB cable, or remotely over-the-air with a 3 server.

The organiser functions available in the e228 are a calendar, To Do list, clock and alarm, calculator, currency converter, and notepad. This phone also supports vCard and vCalendar formats, and has the other standard features of vibration alert and predictive T9 text input.

NEC e228 cameraphone specification

NEC e228 FAQs
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Last updated 10th September 2009, 08:33 BST