AirOn Element - chasofon in the steel case

Probably, the AirOn brand is still familiar to few. In a nutshell, that is, the Ukrainian company AirOn, which publishes e-books under the AirBook brand and AirOn clock phones. If readers are currently on sale at least a dime a dozen, the clock players still remain exotic gadgets. And so far there are no competitors to the AirOn watch phones that could be bought in Ukraine. That is why they caught my attention and caused a desire to share their impressions of a personal acquaintance with one of the family of watch phones - Element. The gadget combines the capabilities of a wristwatch and phone. Therefore, if it is available, it is not necessary to wear a watch on your hand and you can not take the phone with you at all. You can use the chasofon as a second device for a couple with a smartphone. Then its modest functionality will not be a hindrance. Well, in the end, this is a cool and original gadget that few people have, unlike popular models.





Equipment and accessories

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Let's start with the description of the packaging of the gadget and its configuration. The gadget is packed in a black cardboard box, which, in turn, is packed in a white cardboard cover. On the packaging in addition to branding there are a number of labels: Made by AirOn, UA UCRF, IMEI, GSM 850/900/1800/1900. Without opening the box, we learned that the gadget was manufactured by AirOn, prepared for import into Ukraine, and operates in four GSM bands that are used by domestic mobile operators. Also indicated is the date of production (mine 28.06.2012).



The box contains in addition to the chasofona, which is fixed on the pad, a USB cable, an adapter from USB to a network plug, headphones, a back cover, it’s the battery, and instructions, it’s also a warranty card. Headphones are connected to the microUSB connector, which is very pleased. After all, previous models had only their own “corporate” connector. Therefore, it is impossible to use the usual “ears” with the clock headset. The lid is original - the battery is attached directly to it.



User Guide in Russian. Written briefly and clearly. True, some of the information has a dubious usefulness - in particular, the “Troubleshooting” section. For example, if “Photo is too dark”, then in the comments the following “External lighting is too dark.” Not otherwise, Cap himself helped prepare the instructions.



Contrary to the fashion accessories, except for the little things that came in the kit, the manufacturer does not offer anything else. The same situation is with the first models of watch phones - there are no accessories for them (for example, protective films). In case of loss of complete headphones, you will most likely have to look for a replacement from the manufacturer himself. Since the chasofon should not be a fashion for smartphones, then the lack of additional accessories should not be recorded in his "cons."



Design







The first thing that makes an impression, after the original form factor of the gadget, is the body. It is made of steel. It is written on the back cover, although it is obvious. The quality of the case does not cause the slightest doubt - it gives the impression of a reliable and durable. You could even say that the body looks (and feels) as monolithic. None of the phones I saw can compare in strength to the AirOn Element. Well, you need to feel it yourself - in words it is difficult to convey. And what about the expensive smartphones made of plastic ...



The only removable part is the cover. Under it are hidden slots for microSD card and SIM-card. It also has a built-in battery. Interesting is another. Under the lid, as on the box, there is a label UA UCRF. This label does not guarantee the presence of the phone in the white list of Ukrchastotnadzor. A check on the organization’s website showed that IMEI is included in the database, which means that there will be no problems with disconnection and it is an official, not a “gray” product. However, it would be strange if the situation was different - after all, we are dealing with a product of a Ukrainian company.



The strap made of rubberized plastic also deserves praise. The material is less pleasant to the touch than genuine leather. Leather band is equipped with another watch company - Nox. The main thing is that the strap looks solid and securely fixes the watch-phone on your hand. And thanks to the flexible mounting design - and large, and fragile hand. Reliable fastening will not allow the lock on the strap to unfasten even with sudden hand movements.



Chasofon noticeably larger than normal hours. Both the case itself and the strap. The main thing is that wearing a watch phone is not strained. The weight of 110 grams is practically not felt on the arm. Although, at first, it is somehow unusual if a person does not wear a wrist watch all the time. By the way, about the clock. The screen at the chasofon is not big in comparison with smartphones, but quite comparable with ordinary clocks. Therefore, using them as a watch is quite convenient. Is it necessary to remove the gadget from sleep by pressing a button, but since you do not often look at the clock, it does not bother you.



Iron







Recently, smartphone makers are increasingly focusing on the technical superiority of their devices over previous models and competitors. The processor of this model is twice as powerful as the previous one, and so on and so forth. The AirOn goes the other way and does not attract buyers with impressive TTX. So, there is no clock player with a 4-core processor, a graphics accelerator and an integrated atomic reactor. The support of 3G and fresh (third) version of Bluetooth catches the eye. Well, the current version of Bluetooth guarantees the connection of any modern headsets. And the support of the A2DP profile will allow you to listen to music in the appropriate wireless headphones.



The chasofon cannot be compared with modern smartphones and by such criteria as the display. Against the background of 4 and 5 inch “spades", the chasofon seems like a Gulliver in the land of giants. However, the small display is his “plus”, and not “minus”. After all, the gadget was compact and light. And not all telephones can boast of this. With a 1.5-inch diagonal, the display has a resolution of 240 by 240 pixels. The touch screen is resistive and serves as a key control element.



Analog clock on the screen are clearly visible, thanks largely to the contrasting theme of the design. The menu can be seen normally, although small elements, for example, a virtual keyboard can hardly be read when typing SMS. And in order to see them, you have to bring the gadget closer to the eyes. If we talk about behavior in the sun, then there is no problem. Everything is seen. In the dark - even more so. Viewing angles do not cause complaints. Well, the color saturation of the display, though not the same as that of smartphones with super AMOLED displays, but quite sufficient.



In addition to the screen, there are two buttons on the side panel. They play the role of buttons "Receive" or OK and "Reset". In addition, they play a special role, inaccessible to the touch screen. Buttons turn on / off the gadget and take it out of standby mode. In addition, there is a USB connector for connecting to a computer in order to upload music there or in the opposite direction to copy the pictures taken.



Previously, the camera on the AirOn chapels was placed on the side of the “clock”, which made it possible to shoot unnoticed by others. Now the camera is placed above the display, like a webcam on laptops, with a resolution of 1.3 megapixels. She has quite good shooting possibilities with her values: the choice of image resolution, white balance (6 presets), exposure adjustment, etc.



The built-in memory of the gadget is quite a bit - about 1 MB. Therefore, if you want to listen to music or shoot something on the camera, you must use a microSD card. Its volume can reach 32 GB. The instructions indicate that the music and video should be poured into special folders. The main thing is that when filling the card to the brim, the phone does not start to slow down, as it happened with old phones. "Hot swap" is not provided, because the slot is closed by the battery.



Soft







The main difference between this watch phone and the first models of the Ukrainian company is the software shell. It seems that it has been completely redesigned, because it is significantly different from what the first models had. The menu has become more simple and attractive. Menu items with an understanding of the case are divided into categories. Therefore, almost from the first minutes of acquaintance with the watch-phone you understand how to use key functions. Although some minor things are lost in the menu, and find them immediately may not work. Icons and captions look pretty, but not like the latest versions of leading mobile operating systems. Some events are accompanied by a funny, slightly old-fashioned animation, such as the arrival of new messages. Everything, in general, is normal, but there are a few problems. First of all, these are the difficulties that accompany text entry. The characters are very small and typing SMS is not convenient, you need to resort to using a telescopic stylus, which is stored on the strap of the same watch phone. Signatures in Russian are not always placed in the space allotted to them and there are abbreviations of the type “Multim_”, “Headphone_”, etc. Such flaws in the menu are not encouraging.







The software capabilities of the Element watch phone are almost the same as that of a regular standard mobile phone - it has all the basic features. Dial from the numeric keypad. There are speed dial features. On modes also did not save. There are 6 of them in total, including “Headphones” and Bluetooth, and each can be very detailed. For example, choose different melodies for the alarm and for the call. As befits the phone, the AirOn Element has a contact book. On the manufacturer’s website it is written that there are “1000 cells for recording contacts”. The manual states that there are 200 contacts that can be stored on the SIM card and 500 in the memory of the gadget. Where the exact number I did not check. But even 500 cells will be enough for almost everyone. Each contact can be assigned only the name and phone number. There is also a calculator, calendar, notes, world time, etc.







I will give the multimedia capabilities of the clock player from the site of the manufacturer AirOn:

Audio Support - MP3, WAV, AWB

Video Support - 3GP, MP4

Photo support - JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG



You can see the shot frame or video. Again, the concept of the clock phone does not provide for its active use as a multimedia gadget. In this, he can not compete with conventional smartphones. However, he is not intended to compete with them.



Autonomy







Weak autonomy is probably the main disadvantage of good smart. And with the growth of the power of the iron filling and the size of the displays, it began to appear more and more clearly. Owners of such gadgets, who use Android, will agree with this. Manufacturers openly do not recognize the problem .... but the battery capacity is increased.

Regarding the Element chasofona, the manufacturer claims that the talk time is 3 hours and the standby time is up to 250 hours. That is, theoretically for 2-3 days the battery should be enough. So far, I have not had time to check, just “overclocking” the battery. I also note that since the chasofon is a day before our eyes, it is almost impossible to miss the discharge of the battery. After all, the gadget will signal in advance about the need to recharge. Conveniently, it can be charged not only from the network, but also from the USB-connector.



Summary







The unusual form factor of this device may surprise more than beautiful figures in the specifications. One way or another, one must understand his purpose before buying ... or not to buy. For example, a chasofon may become an additional phone to a smartphone for those cases when using a conventional smartphone is inconvenient (jogging, fishing, driving, camping, etc.) or serving a second phone number when you don't want to carry with you the second tube. In addition, due to its uniqueness, AirOn will appeal to people who are interested in original things. What chasofonu can not refuse, it is in identity.