![]() Sanyo SCP-5300's, the NEC 525's external screen functions as the camera viewfinder when you take a self-portrait. Also on the front of the phone are the camera's lens; a seven-color LED light; and a two-way button that controls volume, works the camera shutter, and activates the ring silencer.
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![]() 515, the 525 features a 500-contact phone book, in which each contact can hold up to seven phone numbers, two e-mail addresses, and two text information entries. You can create up to 35 caller groups, designate ring tones, use pictures taken with the camera function for caller ID, and choose from the seven colors on the cover's LED indicator to specify incoming calls. The phone has a calendar and a to-do list that can be synchronized with the phone book, and you'll also find a calculator, a notepad, a currency converter, T9 predictive software, trilingual menus (English, French, and Spanish), a choice of wallpapers, and multiparty-calling capability--but no speakerphone or voice dialing. Using mMode, you can download more wallpapers, pictures, graphics, and 40-chord polyphonic ring tones. With the optional USB cable or via the phone's IR port, you can sync the phone book with Outlook contacts on your PC.
The features for the NEC's 100,000-pixel camera include a 2X zoom mode; a brightness-level adjustment; and a selection of Normal, Fine, and Superfine image-quality modes. There's no option for image size, however, so all shots come out as 352x288 images. The upside: Even photos taken in Superfine mode are small, typically about 8K, so it takes little time to send a picture message. The phone dedicates 1MB of shared memory for pictures, phone book entries, and ring tones, so you should have ample storage space for your photos. Other goodies include a self-timer to let you get in on the action and a selection of six decorative frames for your shots, which can be snapped in your choice of monochrome or sepia tones.
If you'd like to send photos via e-mail or MMS immediately after taking them, it's simple: just click one of the soft keys and enter the appropriate contact manually or from the phone book. Sending stored photos, however, requires you to get through the messaging menu. It would be nice to be able to send previously stored shots while in camera mode.
Finally, this handset features two processors: one for phone functions and one for DoJa apps, which allows for faster game loading and simultaneous key-presses. The 525 comes with three games: Blackjack, Star Diversion, and Bowling. Unfortunately, the phone supports only DoJa (DoComo Java), so your selections are limited, and existing J2ME games won't work with this model.We tested the quad-band (GSM/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900) world phone in the Chicago area using AT&T Wireless service. Call quality was generally strong, and callers frequently commented that they couldn't tell we were using a cell phone.
Battery life was excellent, as well. We coaxed about 5 hours of talk time, in range of NEC's maximum rating of 5.4 hours, and managed 7 days of standby time, compared with the company's claims of 6.25 days.
![]() Average User Rating 2.0 stars out of 166 user reviews Rating Breakdown -
5 star: 9 -
4 star: 42 -
3 star: 28 -
2 star: 44 -
1 star: 43 My Rating 0 stars click stars to rate product Most Helpful User Review 0.5 stars 3 of 3 users found this review helpful Pros Alarm Clock Works Well Cons Phone Is Useless - Reboots constantly Summary Never knew about reboots or resets until I saw an article in the newspaper talking about how little recourse consumers have toward some cell phone manufacturers. I originally purchased four NEC 525 for my family circa Oct. 2003. All have had problems with resets; returned a couple. Originally thought it ... Expand full review Summary: Never knew about reboots or resets until I saw an article in the newspaper talking about how little recourse consumers have toward some cell phone manufacturers. I originally purchased four NEC 525 for my family circa Oct. 2003. All have had problems with resets; returned a couple. Originally thought it was AT&T wireless connectivity, but now believe it's the phone since other friends with Motorola, etc. and are on AT&T Wireless (now Cingular) don't have the same problems. My own phone, virtually every single time I now turn it on and then initiate a call, will freeze up on me. Though signal still shows connection, have to push the "off" button for about 15 seconds to get it to reboot, then wait for it to cycle up, then make the call again. NEC should have had a class action suit against the sale of this product. All the other stuff is a nuisance too: can't hear it ring, can't turn the volume up enough to hear when there is any noise around, etc. Will never, ever buy a NEC product of any sort again. Waiting about 8 more months to get new phones under a new 2-year contract. Most Recent User Reviews (Showing 2 of 166 reviews) Thanks for your submission!
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