With an MP3 player, video and picture capturing ability, 3G data transfer, and much more, the NEC E338 seems like a feature lover’s dream phone, but the dream may be broken when the camera is revealed to no have high quality versions of any of its prominent features.
The E338 takes the functionality of a block form 3G phone, such as their E313 or E228 models, and puts it all into a more lightweight flip. Coming in two classic colors—silver and black—the E338 has a nice, streamlined image.
The eye is immediately drawn to the top mounted digital camera. With the capability of rotating 180 degrees, this camera was designed to take pictures (while you use the display as a view finder) and to facilitate video calling, incorporating 3G technology. The resolution on both the video and picture capturing is extremely poor in light of more recent advances in phone/camera hybridization, but if high resolution is not as important to you as a stylish, low price phone, then the E338 may be right for you.
With an MP3 player integrated into the device, you may wonder how just 19 MB of internal memory could support a multimedia phone such as the E338. Luckily, NEC has added a Memory Stick Duoä slot, making your potential media storage virtually endless. With the E338 and a few Memory Stick Duosä you can carry all the songs, pictures, and other media that you want, without worrying about filling up the limited memory on the device.
But alas, no Bluetoothä! Again NEC has neglected this increasingly popular method of connectivity. Bluetoothä allows you to synch your phone with a number of different devices, including a Bluetoothvä earpiece, allowing you to transfer data to friends and talk handfree all day with maximum efficiency. The lack of this feature is sure to turn some shoppers off.
The main complaints about the block form E-series were that they were too heavy and that they lacked high camera resolution and Bluetoothä. With the E338, NEC has fixed the weight and size issue, but we will have to wait for another upgrade to see about getting some higher-end features.
NEC e338 Technical Specifications
General
Status Available
Introduced July 2004
Network (2G) GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
Network (3G) UMTS 2100
Form factor Clamshell
Antenna type External
Size
Weight 114 g (with battery)
Dimensions 93.8 x 47.1 x 23.3 mm
Display
Type Graphical
Coloured Yes, TFT, 65K colors
Size 176 x 220 pixels
Memory
Numbers in phone 500
Received calls 20
Outgoing calls 20
Lost calls 20
Shared memory 18 MB
- 4 MB maximum for MMS
- 960 KB maximum for JAVA appl.
- 5 MB for personal files
Ringtones
Number 13
Polyphonic ringtones Yes, 40
Ringtone profiles Yes
- Audio formats: MIDI, MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV
- Picture formats: GIF, PNG, BMP,WBMP, JPEG, MPEG4 Video, WMV
Networking
GPRS Yes, Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps
3G Yes, 384 kbps
USB Yes
WAP Yes
Browser Yes, WAP 2.0/xHTML
Infrared No
Email client Yes
Features
Vibration Yes
SMS Send / Receive
MMS Send / Receive
Camera Builtin, CIF, 352 x 288 pixels, rotating lens
Java Yes
Games Yes
Clock Yes
Alarm Yes
Calculator Yes
Calendar Yes
Voice memo Yes
T9 Yes
Handsfree Yes
- Video and audio streaming
- SyncML
- Audio/video player
- PIM functions
Standard Battery
Type Li-Ion
Amperage 1300 mAh
Standby time GSM: 180h
Talk time GSM: 2h 30m
