ETEN G500 review

Published on: 18 May, 2006 by PhoneArena Team

Design-wise the Eten is bulky, no need to try to sugar coat it, since it is not a fashion accessory. Instead it is a computer and its size and shape are mainly dictated by the hardware that is put in it. To compensate for the lack of any design in particular they have embedded a blue neon light that is cool looking in the dark and shows you where the buttons are located. Just like all pocket PCs it is small enough that you can hold it with one hand and use it with the other (4.7" x 2.4" x 0.9"). Compared to the M600, the model with Wi-Fi instead of GPS, G500 is just slightly larger and weights an ounce more. The entire device is made out of plastic and its weight is bearable (6.6 oz). You can probably put it in your pocket, but for your convenience it comes with a nice looking leather case that you can attach to your belt. The stylus is actually telescopic and can increase its length almost twice when fully stretched. It is also wider which makes is very comfortable to hold. The main drawback is that it is located on the bottom rather than on the top, so some it might take you a while to get used to.

Eten M600-G500 (left-to-right)

Eten M600-G500 (top-to-bottom)

The 2.8 display of G500 is just excellent very bright with excellent color saturation and contrast. Similar to other pocket PCs it is a touch screen and you have a stylus to work your way around the menus. Supported are both portrait and landscape viewing modes which can be easily changed via the shortcut icon on the bottom of the Today's screen.

Below the screen are the two call/end buttons and the two Windows softkeys. There are also two keys above the screen which when pressed invoke the speed dial and the Desk launcher applications. If you wish, they can be re-assigned to perform other functions. Compared to the M600 keys, the G500 keys are larger and a lot easier to press.

G500

M600

On the side of the Eten, you will find the camera key, the volume slider, the voice commander button, the reset and the 2.5 mm head set jack. On the other side are the power key and the slot for the miniSD memory card. On the back of the phone is located the 1.3 mega pixel camera with self-mirror and the speakerphone. On the bottom of the handset is the data/charger connector which you can either plug into the USB port of your PC or in the outlet on the wall.