Spice QT-56

Overview

Pretty Average Phone

Overview of Spice QT56

Spice QT56 is a QWERTY keypad bar phone like all other Spice phones in the QT series. All phones in this range come in only the black color and the Spice QT 56 is no exception. It is however a Dual mode, Dual SIM mobile phone.

Spice QT56 Design and Build Quality

The face design of the Spice QT-56 is rather rectangular, measuring 113.4 x 61.3 x 14.1 mm. It weighs 95 grams. Its edges are smooth and it comes with a black face and keypad though the edges of the phone have a metallic stainless film. The flexible keypad has useful shortcuts for messaging, camera, and video as well as playback for audio and video media. Each one of the two networks has its own call button. The phone is equipped with a flashlight and 2.0-inch display. The display type is TFT (256K colors) with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels. The pixel density is 141 ppi (pixels per inch). It is also vibrator enabled for call and message alerts besides having 64 polyphonic ringtones (MP3/Midi). It operates using a standard Li-Ion 1000 mAh battery that has a maximum talk time of 3 hours and a maximum stand by time of 220 hours. The Spice QT 56 is a dual mode (CDMA 800/1900 & GSM 900/1800 MHz) 2G enabled phone for both SIM networks and has an internal antenna.

User Interface and Comfort to Use Spice QT56

Like other Spice phones in the QT 50’s range, the phone’s Operating System (OS) is Java while its user interface (Menu) is the standard Icon Grid for bar phones. The Menu button is at the right side of the phone, above the End-Call button and one can easily manoeuvre through the Menu Icons using the center square button to access their phone features.

Telephony and Phonebook

The Spice QT56 has a phonebook that allows for 1,000 entries. Its call log for the dialled, received, and missed calls displays the last 20 calls for each. It has the loudspeaker feature for hands-free calls.

Messaging and Emails

This phone supports SMS, MMS and IM. It can store up to 500 SMS. It does not include EMS and thus does not support Emails. There is a predictive option for text editing that one can turn on/off in the messaging options menu. Other features in the Messaging Menu include:

• SMS Templates
• IM
• MMS
• Concatenated Messages
• Send to Many
• Sent to Group
• SMS Counter

Gallery, Photo Viewer and Video Player

The gallery consists of a digital camera, Video Recorder and a Video Player. The phone, however, does not have an internal memory and therefore requires an SD microchip external memory of up to 4GB for storage of pictures and videos.

Spice QT56 Music Player and FM Radio

The phone has an inbuilt Music Player and FM radio. It also supports wireless FM. It allows for scheduled FM recording. The quality of the FM sound will depend on signal strength as usual but is has good audio qualities for all these features. One may improve the quality of the sound by using superior headphones.

Spice QT56 Camera and image Quality

The phones digital camera is 0.3MP (640 x 480 pixels) which has zoom features besides allowing the user to adjust brightness levels. It is flash enabled, allowing for night vision. The camera is a single touch. For 0.3MP, the image quality is generally low.

Video Camera and Video Quality

The video camera is the same (0.3MP) as the still camera. The phone does not have a secondary camera. The video recorder captures motion picture at the rate of 8fps (frames per second) though the video player plays the stored media at a rate of 12 fps. The video formats supported by this phone are MP4 and 3gp. In general, the video quality is also low.

Spice QT56 Connectivity Options

The connectivity options for this phone include:

• WAP version 2.0/GPRS Class 12 (4 + 1/3 + 2 Slots) 48-64 Kbps
• Bluetooth version 2.0

The phone does not have infrared and Wi-Fi connectivity options.

Organizer and Other Utility Tools

The phone has the standard organizer features like:

• Calendar
• To-Do list; and
• Voice Memo
• The other utility features are:
• Games (Java Supported)
• Alarm
• Calculator
• Currency/Unit Convertor
• World Clock (Both 24hr and 12 hr formats)
• Incoming Call guard.
• Caller Group
• Torch

Spice QT56 Web Browser and Applications

The phone has an internal WAP 2.0 internet browser. The phone’s OS can also support the popular Opera Mini browser. However, since the phone is not 3G enabled, its internet speeds are generally slow.

Google Maps and GPS

This phone does not have either of these features.

Distinctive Features of Spice QT56

The Spice QT56 is rather plain looking and quite rectangular compared to the standard QWERTY Bar phone. It has very straight edges and only at the corners is it rounded but rather sharply so.

Value for Money

It is a cheap phone, with its price ranging from Rs. 3,700 – 3,900 (approx., may vary). All the features in this phone are pretty much standard and it offers no unique selling points. For its price range, it lacks important features like 3G network and a decent internal memory (1GB+). Since the price of the phone should be much lower that its current retail price, it is only average value for money.

Verdict

The phone allows for both GSM and CDMA network formats but only supports CDMA on the primary SIM slot. CDMA offers top quality reception and clarity but is mostly useful for crowded areas. Thus, the phone’s CDMA format is only useful if the primary SIM network operates on CDMA, otherwise it might as well not be there. The dual SIM feature allows the user to operate two networks concurrently thus giving them the freedom to explore cheaper options as well as those that offer competitive value added services. The biggest frustration with this phone in the modern mobile communications environment is that it is only 2G network enabled. Its GPRS feature allows for maximum data speeds of 64Kbps. This makes using the phone browser to access the internet an annoying experience. The conclusion is that it is a pretty average phone for the low end and/or rural market. It is only recommendable for those who are only interested in making and receiving calls and messages. Other than that, only the FM Radio and wireless FM offer any useful additional value for this phone.