With a unique sliding design and a focus on mobile internet and email connectivity, the SL56 packs a powerful punch in a small package that weighs under three ounces. In addition to a built-in email client, and support for multimedia messaging, the phone also features voice dialing, a speakerphone, and tons of phonebook memory. All these goodies make it the perfect complement to AT&T Wireless service.
Design
By going with a slider design, Siemens offers a compact device that offers access to the number pad only when you need it. The front of the phone sports a 101 x 80 color display. Meanwhile, the area below the display offers one touch access to wireless Internet services and your phonebook. There's also a five-way directional key that controls most of the phone's menus and functions. Using the SL56's infrared port, you can synchronize your contacts and calendar events with other devices.
Calling Features
The SL56's generous 13 MB of internal memory provides plenty of space for thousands of contacts, which you can access quickly and easily via the phone's interface. The phone also features a speakerphone for easy handsfree talking, and you can set pictures and graphics to display when specific contacts call you. With 16-chord polyphonic ringtones built in, you can also spice up your incoming call experience. Even more ringtones can be downloaded from AT&T Wireless' mMode service. And for those times you want to keep things discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode.
Messaging, Internet and Tools
The SL56 has all the bases covered when it comes to messaging. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, graphics and sound via messages. Instant messaging is also supported and the phone ships with a built-in email client (AT&T messaging charges apply). T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
Getting on the Internet is easy with the SL56, as well. It supports the GPRS protocol for speedy downloads and wireless Web access. AT&T's mobile mMode service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get sports scores, download games and ringtones, and more.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the SL56 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, a to-do list, and an alarm clock.
Entertainment
The SL56 supports custom themes and wallpapers, plus it comes with two games. Of course, more games are available via the AT&T mMode service.
Vital Statistics
The Siemens SL56 weighs 2.79 ounces and measures 3.21 x 1.75 x 0.86 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 175 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS 800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
What's in the Box
SL56 handset, battery charger, lithium-ion battery.
1 Cool Sleek Phone But It Breaks Too Often
When first released, the SL56 was a great phone. It had many features packed into a very tiny shell. However, the phone now is really outdated and it breaks very easily! I have had my phone sent back countless times because of keys that don't work or buttons that have fallen off. If for some reason you want to purchase this now, I would stay away for there are far better phones on the market!
2 Cute phone, but poorly made
Right after our wedding, I added my wife to my cell phone account. We went to a kiosk in the mall to take care of it, and after much time deliberating, she decided on the sl56. She was happy with it, until it started malfunctioning. During calls, it would just shut off randomly, for no reason. She took it back to get a replacement, and there was another woman there, doing the exact same thing. Aside from the random-off feature, it has quite a low-resolution screen, with a limited color range. Also, the processor is slow, making the display take a big hit when displaying animated pictures, movies, and the like. When it did work, it was fine. But other than it being `chic', I'd have to say that it was a poor investment
3 Bad Combination-- Poorly Manufacture and Poor Performance
I am writing this while on hold with Cingular Wireless, attempting to get a replacement for this phone.
Let's start with the positives: It looks cool. Unfortunately, that is the totality of the positives.
Now, let's discuss the negatives.
First, it is poorly manufactured. Buttons began falling off within two (2) months (I hope that you are good at dialing with your thumbnail). Some of the remaining buttons worked only intermittently thereafter. Finally, the send/receive button gave up the ghost after ten (10) months of use. Cingular and Siemens have taken the position that buttons falling off the phone is not part of the warranty.
Ahh, but when it did work, it worked poorly. First, the buttons are an ergonomic nightmare. I had friends with small, dainty fingers, who would hand me back my phone with disgust, as they were unable to manipulate the minute keys. The four bars AT&T advertises? I never saw more than three, and then I saw three only infrequently. Make a lot of calls? No battery life. You have your choice of either a charger or a handsfree connection, but not both simultaneously.
When I was younger, a friend of mine opined that owning an MG was a true luxury. You not only needed to be able to afford the car, but you had to have the full-time mechanic to fix it. This phone, sadly, while lovely to look at and fondle, is a disappointment to own. Take a pass.
4 compact and feature packed
I bought this to replace my Sony-Ericsson T616. I did not like the weight, size, poor camera quality of the T616. Besides, why the heck would I want a lousy camera on the phone when I got a kick a$$ digital camera? During my one year ownership, I found no use for it.
I choose SL56 because of high consumer reviews on other sites. Indeed, it is small, well constructed, and light. Which means it will fit into my pocket just fine. It also has loads of features like appointment reminder, voice/data memo, etc... Which almost make it a small PDA. Its ringtones sounds great. It has speakerphone and it is loud and clear. Shocking consider its small size. Signal/reception is good.
Now for some cons. I would prefer it to have a better screen. Compare to today's top phones, which has at least 65k colors and even 262k colors and superior screens, SL56's 4k colors is woefully sad. No bluetooth or mini-USB connector. battery is weak compare to other competiting phones. 500mA is way too weak for a cellphone battery. If it has tri-band capability, then it would be useable world-wide.
Overall, so far, I am happy with it.
5 sl56
I received the phone as a replacement to the c56, which was very small and light. i had no problems with the c56. The sl56 is smaller when closed and weighs about the same. Its a bit deeper though than the c56. Sound quality is about the same, although people on the other end say the sl56 is clearer.
I hope people realize how cell signal works. A tower can only have so many calls being placed on it, or traffic. This could be a reason for the degradation in call signal strength and sound quality. You should check a coverage map for the gsm 800/1900 signal. The sl56 does not support analog, and most phones of the future will probably not either because this signal is old and not great seeing how it is one of the first digital implementations.
I'm in canada and am on the Rogers gsm network and i have no problems with signal or call clearity. my c56 had a stronger signal in my basement by one "bar". I live outside Toronto which has the strongest coverage throughout canada.
People are very amazed by this phone when you slide it open and a tone plays. This gets annoying very quickly either by the noise (which can be changed or turned off), or by people wanting to know what you are doing when you try to do something with the phone. The phone does not need to be slid open to place or answer calls, or to do anything that doesnt require the keypad.
Many applications can be downloaded from the net, for free, and transfered to the phone. Or, you can find many sites that will send them to your phone to make it a better business tool, if that is your intention. Personally, I could not see this phone being used on a business standpoint.
I also like the feature of the voice recorder. You can activate it while on a call and record the conversation, both ends, during the call. Also, you can record up to 7 minutes - ample time compared to the c56.
I also find some of the ringtones to be really long, around two minutes in length.
The approach of giving the phone a "filesystem" is techy, but unless you are computer literate, you might get lost in the structure.
I'm hooked on the tennis that comes with the phone. I'm upset that Rogers currently does not carry an downloadable games for the phone, and I don't want to waste data chargers on playing real time, online games with the phone.
Overall, its a great phone. And I would recommend it to friends.
6 Really nice phone
I wanted to Escada SL55 (bright purple) but can't get it for Hawaii. My husband and I both have this SL56. It's a great phone. The slide is really nice. We didn't want a flip phone. Reception is no problem for us here in Hawaii. I wear hearing aids and this phone is the only one that didn't interfere with them. The manual doesn't fully explain how to do some things and neither does Siemens website. I didn't particularly care for the polyphonic ringtones provided so downloaded my own. Haven't figured out how to use the USB data cable to download and doesn't seem to be any instructions on how to do so. Overall, very happy with the phone.
7 Hold on flamers...
I just recieved this phone today, with Cingular as my service provider. I don't know why you all had such horrible reception problems, but i live in NY, and am currently in Queens, and I have to say this phone has absolutely crystal clear reception, better than I have ever experienced and I've been through several phones.
Design wise I find it excellent, Its incredibly compact, and the buttons are tiny and not traditionally shaped, so if you have larger fingers (or even medium sized fingers with and little patience) you might want to reconsider or go to a store and try it out first.
I'm not a fan of cheesey, obnoxious, polyphonic ringtones, and therefore was concerned upon finding this phone doesn't come with a standard ring, but after inspecting all the available tones, there are several not-so-obnoxious and original tones.
Excellently designed, original looking so you'll turn a few heads, and does everything a phone should. 5 stars. By the way, just get cingular with this anyway, they own ATTwireless now and within a month or 2 you'll officially be part of the cingular network/company anyway. Also, their plans are virtually identical except cingular gives you rollover on your minutes from month to month.
8 DO NOT BE TEMPTED!!
Welll, I am currently on my 4th SL56 in a little less than 6 months. My crappy old non-GSM phone got better reception, had fewer dropped calls, and before you think it's an AT&T issue, please note that these things were never an issue with any other model. It not only drops calls but also randomly switches networks and worse, turns itself off for totally no reason, mid-call. If you use the phone for personal use only, sure, it's irritating. If it's your business lifeline, don't allow yourself to be seduced by the apparent convenience of the tiny size--nothing is worth the frustration.
I really did expect a quality product from Siemens, especially at the price. What a tremendous dissapointment. Cheap manufacturing and poor quality overall. All the cute features in the world don't matter when the phone won't reliably accept and make calls in strong signal areas. I will never risk purchasing a Siemens product ever again.
9 THE WORST RECEPTION!
very cute phone, nice size and at a pretty good price
however, this is the worst sounding phone i have ever heard
all of my friends are surprised that this is my new phone,THEY CAN'T HEAR ME!!!
there is also a very annoying hum from my end, so i can't hear them
the other annoying thing is that there is NOT a basic ring on this phone, they are all
lame musical rings, not to mention you can't hear these lame rings
so if anyone is considering this phone in the bay area, DON'T DO IT!
10 Worst Phone Available
This phone is the worst. I have friends with the cheapest cell phones that get better service with the same plan at the same place in time. I can guarantee that your reception will be awful and you will have dropped calls. I live less than a mile from the cell tower.
11 Worst Cell Phone I've Ever Owned
I have been with AT&T for 5 years now, and have never had a reception problem or equipment problem (I even accidentally sent my old Nokia 6590 thru the wash, and it still works fine). Never, at all. At least, not until I bought the SL56.
The SL56, and I am getting my 2nd warranty replacement today (2have already gone bad: 1st in about 5 weeks, and the 2nd in under 3 weeks), is an absolute piece of crap. Besides only being able to make about 70% of my outgoing calls (the other 30% just heavily amplify the surrounding noise, making you unable to hear who you are calling), the reception, when it does go thru, is absolutely ridiculous. It frequently cuts out. It is NOT an AT&T issue, as I switch my sim card to my old Nokia 6590 to make calls at home, where the SL56 rarely works. The Nokia, and the AT&T service it is on, gets full bars and perfect reception. Also, it is not a 'taking good care of your phone' issue, as the SL56 I will be returning today is in perfect shape, not even a scratch on the screen (those of you who own one know what I'm talking about).
Also, and the reason I am constantly getting warranty exchanges, is that the SL56 has horrible keys. After a couple of weeks, a couple of keys will stop functioning unless you really press down hard. Later on, they just stop working. Period.
It sure was nice to buy the smallest phone out there. It looks great on the dresser while I'm using my old Nokia to make calls. On a side note, AT&T has been great as far as promptly replacing any phones with issues, even after the 30 day return period. No complaints with AT&Ts customer service at all there. My only complaint is with the crap Siemens SL56 phone. I wouldnt pay $1 for one to use as a back up.
12 SL 56 phone has reception problems
I dropped Sprint because they were charging me $10 a month because I wouldn't sign a new contract, what a rip.
I went to the store, signed up with AT&T, and I bought a new Siemens SL56. The SL56 has all of the features that I want, small size, recording capabilities, and a speakerphone. I live in San Antonio. As soon as I drove past the San Antonio city boundries, I couldn't receive a cell phone signal. I was really frustrated since I was only a few miles outside of a major city, San Antonio. That night, I borrowed my girlfriend's cell phone. She uses Verizon as her carrier. We drove back to the area that I was in earlier in the day, and she had complete coverage. My Siemens SL56 still had no coverage. The next day, I went back to Best Buy, and I cancelled my AT&T coverage. I, also, returned the SL 56.
13 Not Bad
After trying many phones (and phone services) I am finally content with this phone. Since reception is different for different services all I'll say is that I live in a city and get better reception now than I have in two years. The buttons are the same size as most other phones and I don't find them awkward at all. Internet on any phone is a rip-off so I wouldn't bother cause all it's for is games anyway. For those of you who hate lugging phones around, this one hardly weighs a thing and its small size causes it to disappear in your pocket. I don't think its size makes it easier to lose either... if your the type to lose a cell, it probably doesn't matter what size it is. On one last note, I have been pretty rough with mine and it has yet to break... must be one of those hit or misses?
14 Bad Clumsy Phone With Bad reception
I bought this phone at first by looking at its compactness. It proved me wrong. The keypads on this phone is clumsy and it comes apart after you use it for a while. Although there are features like internet and games wasting 129 bucks is just not worth it. And it doesnt get reception that well and drops call like crazy. Although the slider feature might seem like a nice touch to someone the sliding mechanism simply is not worth all the pain. The phones slider separates completely after you use it for a while and did i menition the keypads come off and they suck. I am returning this phone and wont take it again even if siemens give me 200 bucks
15 T-Mobile is the best !
No wonder I'm seing people here always complain about AT&T, Veriozon, Sprint, and Nexttel customer services.
Yes, I know, they are all suck!
And the reson for that is very simple: those are all carriers that belong to the USA corporations!
T-Mobile is the only one that belongs to German corporation and that is why according to the yearly national reviews it has the best : Customer service, Sound Qality, and of Course the most straight forward and low plan rates.
In addition, excellent Samsung and Nokia phones, and the cheapest phones as well.
People can argue about many stupid things, but no one will argue that GERMANS are THE BEST!
16 cute phone, bad reception
i have AT&T service, and have had it for about two years with a Panasonic phone. i've never had problems with reception on the Panasonic phone in the Bay Area, but the Siemens phone drops calls like mad. either calls will go directly to voicemail (~25% of the time), or when i try to answer a call, i can't hear anything and the person eventually hangs up (~30% of the time). i am returning this phone because the reception problems are not acceptable. but, the phone is adorable and people really do love to check it out. and, with the rebates from Amazon, it makes it a tempting deal, which is why i gave it two stars instead of the one it deserves. don't buy it!
17 Great Phone, Ok Service
I bought this phone in late December because Amazon had the best deal I've ever seen; I ended up EARNING $100 after rebates. The phone is great. Very stylish and small with no bulky antenna sticking out. The navigator button and keypad is small but you can set up the voice command to access the main features, phonebook and frequently called numbers. Use an infrared connector and you can transfer your Outlook contacts and calendar very easily. Everyone I know wants to look at it and figure out how to slide it open. As far as ATT Wireless, cell signal is ok here in Florida but it took 6 long hours on hold to get my number ported and still I wasn't able to receive calls on my phone for another 2 days. The customer service is basically just as bad as all the other carriers.
18 Great Phone, few complaints...
The SL56 made by Siemens is a great phone. It weighs less than 3 ounces, has a great design (slider), a capable speakerphone which is very convenient while driving. The best thing about the phone is that it can make and receive calls withOUT opening the slider. You can also access any menu option, your phonebook and the voice activation all without opening the slider.
I won't go too deep into features because you can get that from any website. You can download ringers and pictures. It has a vibration function - you can set call groups, picture caller IDs, voice activation. I beamed all the contacts from my IPAQ via the infrared port - the phonebook is extensive as it stores not just numbers, but addresses, emails, birthdays, and groups. It has calculator, to do list, appt calendar, alarm clock. Honestly, for a phone this small, it packs a nice nice feature set. I didn't even list them all here.
Conceptually and from a design point of view, this phone is flawless. Undoubtedly, you will get many comments on this phone because of the unique design. As for me, I love the light weight of the phone. You can't even feel it in your pocket, it's that thin and light.
Service is excellent in the Northern VA area that I live in. This phone understates signal strength. One of two bars on this phone still receives and makes calls perfectly while one or two bars on my old Samsung s105 (TMobile) was call-drop city! The call quality and volume both are great.
Now for my complaints that kept this from being a 5 star phone:
1) Only 4096 colors - you won't see any high quality pictures or wallpapers. Just simple stuff.
2) Keypad too small/cheap - the keypad is very small. If you have large fingers you may have problems and while the base of the phone feels sturdy when the slider is closed, when open the keypad part of it feels a little plasticy and cheap.
3) Menu navigation clunky - the menu navigation is not as intuitive as other phones. I feel like I'm pressing alot of buttons to reach the feature set and there is a slight delay in accessing the phonebook (maybe 1/2 sec - 1 sec).
Overall, this is still a revolutionary, great phone. If size matters to you (small that is) - you won't find a more light-weight phone with these features (speakerphone is awesome!) and call quality. And to top that off - it's a nice nice looking phone.
19 Terrific phone, but AT&T customer service is LOUSY!
This really should be two reviews, one for the service, and one for the phone, but since it is just a review for the phone, I will limit the five star rating to phone only.
Very nice phone, perfect blend of needed features and omission of trivial features (if you want to take pictures, bring a digital camera folks, much, much, better quality and many are barely larger than the most cell phones!) It has great sound and reception, and also has a durable feel to it. Small size is the most important thing for me, and this fits in your pocket perfect with smooth, rounded corners, and it is light as well. Have really enjoyed the loud speaker function, Sony Ericsson T616 does NOT have this, nor does it have voice activated dialing.
Be warned though, with AT&T, you will be spending hours on the phone for changes to account or anything else. No exaggeration, I spent seven hours on the phone, on hold, being bounced from department to department, only to be told the department I REALLY needed to talk to was now closed. I honestly can't see how they stay in business with such poor service. I have no choice but to have AT&T due to service area, but I would stay away if you could.
If you are looking for a nice small quality phone without the gimmicks, I think this would do you fine. If you feel the need to take poor quality pictures, or have bluetooth, you may need to look at the new Sony. I am a flip phone fan myself, and this is the best of both worlds with the sliding screen.
One last thought, be sure you have GSM in your area as this phone, as are all other GSM phones (unless you have a dual mode phone) are NOT capatible with TDMA/AMPS networks!
20 Great Phone but signal not so great.
I have been using this phone for about 7 days. The signal here in Texas is not so great. I currently have Cingular.
The look of this phone is nice, it looks "smart" The keypad is lighted when you open-slide the phone. Siemens has a feature called ProSlide and what it does is that everytime you open this phone, it plays a polyphonic sound.
It has IrDA so you can transfer files using the Infrared port on your devieces like a laptop. You can also buy a serial cable or a USB cable to do so in case you don't have a laptop with Infrared.
If you are an advanced user you can also create your own ring tones and transfer them to your phone.
The phone has many features like an agenda, calendar, stopwatch, java games, some java applications, to do notes, voice memos, clock alarm, GPRS modem (you can conect your cellphone to your laptop and use it as a wireless modem for internet. You can create text messages and emails and send them with animations (gif or jpg). It also has 1.4mb of memory to store your files.
The only reason why I would not give this phone 5 stars is because the signal is not so great and the calls get lost sometimes when indoors. Also it does not have many animations, the interface lacks of animation.
Call time is aprox. 2.5 hrs
Standby time is aprox. 5 days
if you would like to read more about this phone i would recomend
www.club-siemens.com
and if you want to see a Flash Demo with GREAT pictures go to:
http://www.my-siemens.com/MySiemens/CDA/Index/1,1652,US_en_0_product%253AMW%252FHD%252FHD%252FSL56%252Ftt%252F,00.html#
or
http://www.my-siemens.com/MySiemens/CDA/Index/1,1652,HQ_en_0_product%253AMW%252FHD%252FGPRS%252FSL55%252Fdesc,00.html
and click on the Animated Demo (designed for desire)
Another thing, almost every girl likes this phone ;)
21 Great Phone but signal not so great.
I have been using this phone for about 7 days. The signal here in Texas is not so great. I currently have Cingular.
The look of this phone is nice, it looks "smart" The keypad is lighted when you open-slide the phone. Siemens has a feature called ProSlide and what it does is that everytime you open this phone, it plays a polyphonic sound.
It has IrDA so you can transfer files using the Infrared port on your devieces like a laptop. You can also buy a serial cable or a USB cable to do so in case you don't have a laptop with Infrared.
If you are an advanced user you can also create your own ring tones and transfer them to your phone.
The phone has many features like an agenda, calendar, stopwatch, java games, some java applications, to do notes, voice memos, clock alarm, GPRS modem (you can conect your cellphone to your laptop and use it as a wireless modem for internet. You can create text messages and emails and send them with animations (gif or jpg). It also has 1.4mb of memory to store your files.
The only reason why I would not give this phone 5 stars is because the signal is not so great and the calls get lost sometimes when indoors. Also it does not have many animations, the interface lacks of animation.
Call time is aprox. 2.5 hrs
Standby time is aprox. 5 days
