E-TEN Glofiish V900

[Brandon Miniman]

E-TEN is back, and this time it's with the Glofiish V900, a VGA flushscreen device that not only brings to the table an impressive spec sheet, but the ability to watch over the air television broadcasts in Europe and parts of Asia. In the past, we haven't been terribly impressed with E-TEN's offerings, but is the V900 the one that changes our tarnished opinion of the company? We've got a very comprehensive review to follow. Read on for much more!

[kanzlr]

Overall impression:
...
drawing bored
...



bruuuhahaha.

nice review, thanks :)

[bluetoof]

You're right, the Omnia and the Diamond raised the bar. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a Sprint or Best Buy Diamond depending on the coverage. I may however try a Treo Pro since it supposedly get's excellent cell coverage in GSM fringe areas. That's going to be my problem at my new house. I got one bar on ATT and received calls but as soon as I started talking droppity drop drop. :(

Would you say the "dpad/joystick" is worse than the Diamond dpad?

[Brandon Miniman]

bruuuhahaha.

nice review, thanks :)

Haha, thanks for the correction. Using that word was probably a Freudian slip, showing my true feelings about the device :p .

[Brandon Miniman]

You're right, the Omnia and the Diamond raised the bar. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a Sprint or Best Buy Diamond depending on the coverage. I may however try a Treo Pro since it supposedly get's excellent cell coverage in GSM fringe areas. That's going to be my problem at my new house. I got one bar on ATT and received calls but as soon as I started talking droppity drop drop. :(

Would you say the "dpad/joystick" is worse than the Diamond dpad?

Haha, you know, the Diamond D-Pad doesn't bother me too much. After you get a hang of "feeling" for it, it's just like any other D-Pad.

But to answer your question, the D-Pad on the V900 is the worst D-Pad/joystick I've ever seen. It's extremely difficult to use.

[scheich]

When, Where? How much?

[Brandon Miniman]

When, Where? How much?

You can preorder from Clove for around $700:

http://www.clove.co.uk/viewproduct.aspx?product=60F1E4AE-8463-4317-915A-34006E959940

[Anders]

I haven't had the privilege to test the device, but I think you are a bit tough on it.

You said it yourself, in the beginning I believe; this is a BETA model. At least the ROM will be changed/upgraded before it gets available to us mortals. So give it a break.

You list the cons:

"Poor build quality" Ok, I haven't held one in my hand yet, so I don't know.

"Buggy" This will of course be fixed before release.

"Inadequate battery life" Will probably be fixed too before release.

"D-Pad is difficult to use" Can't the sensitivity be adjusted?

"Unattractive and bulky" I think it's pretty sexy!

"Screen rotation feature doesn't always work" Will of course also be fixed.

"Horrible on-screen keyboard options" Maybe 3:d party software could solve that?

"No good web browser included" So download one :)

"No screen protector included" Yes, that would have been good. The screen and camera are in risk of getting scratched.

"Pricey" Yes, but the competition hasn't started yet, and the price will probably drop $100 within the first month, and another $100 within the next 3 months.


Too bad you are unable to test the TV (poor Americans) ;) It is the #1 reason that I want the phone (I live in Europe).

But considering the VGA screen, 3G, GPS, Radio, FM transmitter, TV, TV-out and other things; I think it deserves a 5/5 score in features.

[Pony99CA]

I haven't had the privilege to test the device, but I think you are a bit tough on it.

You said it yourself, in the beginning I believe; this is a BETA model. At least the ROM will be changed/upgraded before it gets available to us mortals. So give it a break.

You list the cons:

"Poor build quality" Ok, I haven't held one in my hand yet, so I don't know.

"Buggy" This will of course be fixed before release.

"Inadequate battery life" Will probably be fixed too before release.

"D-Pad is difficult to use" Can't the sensitivity be adjusted?

"Unattractive and bulky" I think it's pretty sexy!

"Screen rotation feature doesn't always work" Will of course also be fixed.

"Horrible on-screen keyboard options" Maybe 3:d party software could solve that?

"No good web browser included" So download one :)

"No screen protector included" Yes, that would have been good. The screen and camera are in risk of getting scratched.
The problem is that we have to review the device as provided. Yes, bugs may be fixed, but there's no guarantee that they'll get all of them.

As for downloading software, that doesn't count. I've heard that most users don't install any third-party software on their devices. And users who are knowledgeable enough to know about what third-party software is available will figure out for themselves that they can do that.

I do agree with you that making lack of a screen protector a con is a bit picky. Most devices that I've bought didn't include them, and you'll still have to buy more later anyway.

I would be more likely to count it as a pro for those OEMs that do include one so you can protect your screen from the start. I'd only make the lack of one a con once most OEMs start including them.

And, yes, the Features do seem like a 5/5 to me, too. Brandon, what kept it from being a 5?

Steve

[Brandon Miniman]

Hi Anders,

You raise some good questions. To start, I'll second what Steve says in that we review the device with which we are provided, and we assume that if an average consumer were to buy a V900 as soon as it was available, the experience would be similar. That said, it's possible that when the V900 ships there may be a new ROM which fixes many of the problems that I mentioned, but in writing the review, we can't really account for that - plus, we haven't gotten a confirmation from the company on their plans for a new ROM.

D-Pad: sensitive cannot be adjusted. Trust me when I say that it's VERY difficult to use, even after a lot of use.

Unattractive and bulky: in the pictures, it admittedly doesn't look that bad, but if you were to hold one in your hand, after seeing the retro paint job, the use of low quality materials, and the thickness of the device, you'd probably draw a similar conclusion, especially if you've ever held an HTC Touch/Samsung Omnia/HTC Touch Diamond.

Regarding the Features rating, I consulted our rating system definition page (http://pocketnow.com/ratings.html) and found my sentiment about the device closest to a 4: "This product either does several great things, or executes its core feature well." It's quite capable and has a lot of features, but the bugs often prevented some of the features from working. The FM transmitter didn't ever work, the OCR software was poor, and heck - sometimes I couldn't even use the device as a phone because it wouldn't come out of standby. That sort of low quality implementation of some of the features leaned me away from a 5/5.

[fdsfas]

I agree with Anders and Steve about the features. Even ignoring the FM transmitter and OCR it still has TV and radio. Also, this is not just an analogue tuner but a digital one. Also, not just standard radio but DAB radio. The incorporated aerial means you don’t have to use the headphones cord as an aerial.

We know the TV function works okay from the other youtube videos.

Finally, don't forget the light sensor, 802.11g or accelerometer.

This is even before considering the other more features - VGA, TV-out, HSDPA and GPS.

[Anders]

There is of course a reason that E-ten hasn't released the final product yet to the public; they haven't worked out all the kinks just yet. So you always have to have that in mind when you are reviewing a pre sample version.

I don't know when you first got the device, but from day one they sent it to you, they were probably working with a new ROM. Other reviewers have not reported any major problems with the device.

They all seem very impressed by it and it seems to have delivered on its functions.

I seriously doubt that E-ten would just leave these software problems be. They will release a product that works well by 90%.

The other, minor problems, that are left in the remaining 10% will be worked out and fixed "by-and-by" as with all other manufacturers that releases fixed ROMs all the time, like Nokia.

I can excuse a few software problems, since they can- and usually will- be worked out.

It's a bigger problem if hardware features are missing...

Which takes us to the hardware/feature rating: I haven't read your standards of rating, but as a consumer - I can't really think of more features this phone could have(!)

I mean; 3(,5?)G, GPS, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Windows mobile 6.1, 128MB RAM, 533Mhz, VGA screen, Light sensor, Camera, front VGA camera, Radio, FM transmitter, TV, TV-out, SDHC up to 32GB, Mini USB for charging, syncing and TV-out.

To me; no other known mobile phone can compare with it. Especially considering the DVB-T, which only 2 other smartphones known in the world has.

I guess it COULD also have a built-in satellite dish, but I think that would be pushing it ;)



"Unattractive and bulky: in the pictures, it admittedly doesn't look that bad, but if you were to hold one in your hand, after seeing the retro paint job, the use of low quality materials, and the thickness of the device, you'd probably draw a similar conclusion, especially if you've ever held an HTC Touch/Samsung Omnia/HTC Touch Diamond."

Well, considering all the features that have been built into this device, keeping the weight down is probably a must. Hence, a metallic shell would make it a heavy device, and people would complain.

HTC Touch/Samsung Omnia/HTC Touch Diamond cannot compare with the built in features of this device, I'm sorry if I'm a bit obsessed by it, but all other phones are worthless in my opinion if they lack DVB-T :)

[Pony99CA]

There is of course a reason that E-ten hasn't released the final product yet to the public; they haven't worked out all the kinks just yet. So you always have to have that in mind when you are reviewing a pre sample version.
If it was mentioned in the review that it was a beta, that's keeping it in mind. But a reviewer can't just assume that the problems will be fixed, either.

Given that, if an OEM knows they have a buggy ROM, they probably shouldn't ship it to reviewers until they've worked out most of the kinks.

Which takes us to the hardware/feature rating: I haven't read your standards of rating, but as a consumer - I can't really think of more features this phone could have(!)

I mean; 3(,5?)G, GPS, USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, Windows mobile 6.1, 128MB RAM, 533Mhz, VGA screen, Light sensor, Camera, front VGA camera, Radio, FM transmitter, TV, TV-out, SDHC up to 32GB, Mini USB for charging, syncing and TV-out.
True, it has a lot of features, but the rating system (which you probably should read before debating it further ;)) doesn't just count how many features a device has, but it takes into account how well they work.

To me; no other known mobile phone can compare with it. Especially considering the DVB-T, which only 2 other smartphones known in the world has.
Unfortunately, in the U.S., DVB-T is useless, isn't it? So if we can't really use it here, how can we give it much credit?

I'm sorry if I'm a bit obsessed by it, but all other phones are worthless in my opinion if they lack DVB-T :)
No worries about the obsession; we all have our own peccadillos. :) But lack of DVB-T means nothing over here in the U.S.

Think of our device reviews like movie reviews. You may not agree with everything a movie critic says, but it's one perspective on the movie. The best you can do is either find a reviewer or two whose reviews you generally agree with and just read their reviews or try to read as many reviews as you can and use them to form a consensus.

Steve

[invisiblesense]

Anders,

I agree with your comments about the V900, I am also totally obsessed by it!
I was watching a video review at theunwired.com and the reviewer was saying he is hoping to install a new rom very soon and that Eten have told him most bugs will be fixed...

This phone has huge potentials.

Even though the review wasn't very nice for v900 fans like me, I still want to thank Pocketnow.com... I really enjoyed the unboxing and all the picutres.

Regards

[Anders]

Thank you, invisiblesense.

I also agree with you; Pocketnow has done a good and through review, so I appreciate that.

Now awaits an excruciating longing for a release date and the release itself :)

[CNA51083]

i just get my v900 i am situated in france
first of all price is lower in france : +/- € 539
two questions because as it has a lot of spec and i would like to make a joke for one of my friend
i cannot find :
- fm tansmitter
- fm radio
and in fact tmc spec
if someone could help me i will be very pleased
many thanks