NEC L1 review

The 1.3-megapixel camera takes pictures in six resolutions (1,280x1,024, 640x240, 352x288, 176x220, 176x144, and 128x96). Features include a self-timer, a 5X zoom (varies by image resolution), and a burst mode, and you can also choose from three quality settings, six fun frames, four lighting modes, three color effects, and three shutter sounds (there's no silent mode). The camcorder shoots clips with sound while offering a similar set of editing options. Overall, the L1 comes with 26MB of internal memory for saving your work. When finished with your shots or clips, you can send them via Bluetooth or in a multimedia message or transfer them to a computer or printer with the included USB cable. Photo quality wasn't the best we've seen from a megapixel camera; colors were somewhat washed out and the lighting was dim.

The L1 doesn't have great photo quality.

You can personalize the L1 with a variety of wallpapers, color styles, and greetings. If you want more options beyond what comes with the phone, you'll have to buy them over the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. As for more ring tones, the phone supports MP3 files, and it even comes with a rudimentary MP3 player. Don't expect too much, though, as the features and the user interface are basic.

We the triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) NEC L1 world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobile's service. Voice quality was satisfactory overall but it could be middling at times with some static and interference. We also found the volume to be a bit low, so users with impairments should test the L1 first. Call quality was comparable over the included wired headset and the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset.

The NEC L1 has a rated talk time of 2 hours, 20 minutes and a promised standby time of just over four days. In our tests, we eked out slightly more than 2 hours of talk time.