Inspired by a recent post on Habré on practical experience using the iPhone. Looking for a bit did not find even a scant review of the CDMA communicator Anydata asp-505, brought to Russia by Skylink. Since the device is the flagship among Skylink communicators (of which there are only two, including the asp-505 itself and its predecessor, the asp-500), I decided to slash a few lines about it, good, it was acquired by me almost immediately after the immediate release in Russia in October 2008. Yes, everything in this article with regards to questions directly relates to SkyLink - Moscow.

Chapter 1

Introduction. Part one, introductory.

CDMA communication is aimed at those who need to talk a lot, always and everywhere to have on hand fast Internet and so that it doesn’t gouge it all with a butt (or something else, depending on who keeps where and what). This situation is due to the fact that in the service of CDMA telephony
cheaper than traditional GSM. Rivers need less - money, respectively, too. But historically, GSM-telephony has conquered the world and now it’s more expensive to change everything for the good old CDMA. In the GSM sandbox, there is a tendency to switch to third-generation (3G) communications, technologically called 3GSM or UMTS - high-speed communications, which is based on some of the technologies from CDMA (the so-called WCDMA and HSPDA), but these are rather possible modifications of GSM, and native CDMA went along the parallel branch of development (CDMA2000 1x version, EV-DO rev.0, EV-DO rev.A, EV-DO rev.B). By the way, the majority of modifications of both standards affect only the data transmission, the principle of voice transmission is almost unchanged.
So we have the Big Three (Beeline, MegaFon, MTS) go only according to GSM and their ilk, while SkyLink introduces technologies that improve CDMA2000 (at various times, CDMA communication in Moscow was carried out by Corbin, Sovintel (now Golden Telecom), MSS (now SkyLink itself)).
In the West, the situation is somewhat different: large GSM operators have mastered CDMA providers and now work on two fronts, depending on where it is more convenient to sell - although the network belongs to one provider - the homogeneity of communication standards in it may not be observed, GSM / UMTS, there is CDMA2000 / EV-DO.
In the West, operators and phone manufacturers have learned to make fruitful friendship, but for the time being we have only the Big Three + IPhone on the one hand and SkyLink + our own line of rather poor Korean-made Korean CDMA phones, due to the lack of funds for major contracts, of course. On this happy note, I turn to the next part of the introduction:
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Introduction. Part two is final.

For the sake of fairness, I want to mention alternatives that are already starting to appear, but for the time being not appetizing enough for the author to prevent his seizure attacks and “jump off” from CDMA:
For a start, Skylink-Moscow itself: Unlimited voice to Moscow and the Region on mobile and not-so-mobile phones + 100 megabytes of high-speed traffic in Moscow (or they are only 200 megabytes in the region) = 2,250 rubles.
The next candidate is Megafon-Moscow: The same unlimited voice * under the same conditions + 200SMS + 200 megabytes of GPRS / EDGE traffic = 2700 rubles. It would seem that for 200SMS, for some times the best coverage and clear 200 megabytes of traffic, an overpayment of 450 rubles is quite adequate, in fact, the secret rules of the Megaphone are available by an asterisk, accessible only to experienced and select, able to read the fine print: unlimited = 3000 minutes per month equal to 100 minutes a day = 1 hour 40 minutes a day = not enough: (Yes, and the GPRS / EDGE speed of the Internet is so far, quite seriously leaves much to be desired ...
The third bidder is currently represented by only one mobile device, and this, oddly enough, is the young Internet provider Yota, which uses Wi-Max high-speed data transfer technology, popularly called the fourth-generation network - 4G. The cost of a month of unlimited Internet in any city ​​where Yota has already spread its tentacles is only 900 rubles. The built-in Wi-Max module, certified for work in Yota, is currently available only in one communicator - HTC MAX 4G , its current cost is from 23,000 rubles. A decent such apparatus, turned it in his hands, pleases. Of course, besides the Internet from Yota, the device works like a normal GSM communicator. The company promises more toys of this kind. Here, a bunch of unlimited GSM-voice + Internet via Wi-Max does not suit us, of course - too expensive. But IP-telephony, for example, Sipnet , may well compete with the coven. Here you and international calls for a pittance and on home phones of many countries are generally free, but for calls to cellular, even in Russia you will have to pay at least 4 eurocents, and for an external number (so you assigned your own phone number) a subscription fee is set. And the principle of free incoming calls does not work here - this is no longer a cellular, but an IP telephony. So far, only two cities are more or less covered - Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is surprising that in about half a year Moscow has been covered better than Golden-Wi-Fi in a few years. However, there are still white spots and this network. For example, it is noticeable when driving a car (especially in the sleeping areas of the Capital) - the network is lost through the quarter. Either there is no hot transfer mechanism (read, without breaking the connection) to the next tower, or there is simply no next tower. Again, waiting, sir ...
Beeline and MTS, we will not consider here, IMHO - expensive. Tariffs with only unlimited voice> 3000 rubles. It is still without the Internet. Such offers are used by the Elite - those who first had money, and then needed unlimited something, and not vice versa. Not the target audience, as they say.

Chapter 2

Equipment. Part one, introductory.

For the CDMA communicator market in Russia, the Korean firm AnyData has made two revolutions: the first is the asp-500 communicator, the flagship that opens the market, and even with what functionality: support for the simultaneous operation of two sim cards (Skaylinkovskoy CDMA and the familiar GSM), standard Windows Mobile 5, well and all the charms of a modern handheld: GPS, 2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the second battery in the kit, several stylus, wired headset, memory card per gigabyte. But about a year later, the second communicator from AnyData: asp-505, whose revolutionary qualities will be discussed in this opus, is born.

Equipment. Part two, directly on the topic.

Figure one. Himself a hero of the occasion.

To begin with, I will not rewrite existing, excellent (that is, almost without criticism) theme reviews on iXBT and on Mobiset , there is a description of almost everything that was in the box and in the machine itself initially, with photos, screenshots and even comparative performance tables. I will present here only my thoughts, a squeeze based on experience of use.
Communicator really looks notable, compact, gloss in front, rear - strict plastic. Black and gray shades are quite harmoniously assembled and intertwined through the whole body. Externally, the asp-505 percent at 80-90 resembles the HTC Touch, which has long been universally recognized. But there are a few differences. A very cool find - an interesting device is placed on top of the asp-505's central button - something like a mobile TouchPad, a special area of ​​dark violet-red plastic, such a dark window. If you press the power button quickly twice, the cursor will appear on the screen in the form of an arrow, which is controlled by driving your finger over this small window. Thus, if you have a broken touchscreen, you can easily manage the communicator in the manner described above. In normal mode (no cursor), this button plays the role of a standard multi-key: lightly swiped from bottom to top — as if pressed on a multi-position key (popularly, on a joystick) up and vice versa. The same is true for left-right.
In general, the asp-505 apron is made quite unusual: all in one level. That is, there is no convex border around the screen, everything is smooth, one continuous glossy layer, in the middle under which is the screen itself. In short, if you want to stick a protective film on the screen, and even beautiful, you will need to glue the entire front part of the appliance, only cutting the holes for the three buttons in the film beforehand (the aforementioned central AKA is a multi-point one, plus the accept / cancel buttons) hole under the speaker, from which you hear the interlocutor during a conversation. Jokes, jokes, and the film may actually be needed - the slightest scratch in the front of the communicator immediately spoils its appearance, starting to disharmonize with the screen that is flush. Still, one of the most disgusting properties of gloss is a quick (almost instantaneous) transition from purity to slapiness. One conversation - and on the screen already remained a fat print of your ear. At first, the working surface seemed not so dirty and was cleaned with little blood (apparently there was still some kind of magical factory coating), but after a month or two the cleanness came to an end. Running to the hozmag for the "toilet duckling" for a trim.
The start and cancel buttons (or popularly, the Green and Red tubes) are located at the bottom of the front surface of the phone and are completely symmetrical to each other, both in appearance and in location. As they say in fundamental science, the dimensions of something are so small that this something can be neglected, so almost the same is true of our buttons: they are so small and unsightly (tiny elongated, shiny metal sticks, no longer than a centimeter) that, at first glance (at least mine), generally seem a matter of decor. Here is such a beautiful body. And what, quite a advertising slogan.
On the sides, the asp-505 has fairly standard controls: if you look at the screen, then on the left there will be a volume up and down button for volume control (surprisingly, very decent and easy to use even when talking), plus a little lower at the middle of the device Covered with a slot for microSD memory cards. The bottom right is the button to turn on the camera, made to resemble a camera: you hold the device sideways and press the button to the right for the photo. However, my button is periodically pressed and without direct exposure to it - that is, by chance. Bottom is located, again, covered with a plug, the socket connecting the charger.
The format of the charger (and indeed the entire connector) is completely ripped off from the Samsung (I do not remember which series, but not the most modern). This means that the missing wired peripherals directly from AnyData can be borrowed from Korean brothers. For my part, I want to note that the connector is not very convenient, due to the constant loss of charging from it, as well as its jamming sometimes when connected (crookedly somehow comes in and then - no room, no syudy). The design of the nest is rather fragile, but the flight is normal for more than half a year. True plug came off. I did not expect this. My previous Skaylinker phone, ubiquam u-300 (recognized as the best of all Skaylinkovsky at all times, by the way, asp-505 compares it to him in the review from Mobiset, note ed.), With the same operation (quite tough, I do not argue), 2.5 years retained its plug for the charger. And this dandy - for 8 months already lost. Not ice. True, if I also took out a memory card as often, then the stub would fall off there, but, the memory card is not charging, it does not require so much attention.
Attention charging process asp-505 really requires a lot. The manufacturers managed to make the new model really very thin by the standards of Skaylinker communicators. If thin phones in the CDMA line-up can still be found, then the only communicator in the sandbox is asp-500 in the well-known reminds of the famous “bricks”. Our test subject is almost the same size as modern GSM-communicators, but this is very much to the detriment of the battery. The standard, complete battery of the device is 1270 mA, which is quite a lot by GSM standards, but for a continuously cracking Internet, and even a CDMA device, this is so, seeds. It is necessary to charge everywhere: at home from the network, in the car - from the cigarette lighter, at work with the help of the lanyard for the computer / laptop USB port that is always dragged along (which is not always effective, the current is rather weak), on the way home again from the cigarette lighter, at home from network. The most interesting thing is that in the intervals between these charges, the body can be cut down due to a dead battery. But you shouldn’t get very upset, he always works on charging: D, and I use his resources to the fullest (I talk a lot, I spend the Internet every day).
On the back of the phone there is a camera window. It proudly says that it is a two-megapixel one and around it a circumference is described of mirror-like, toned (!) Plastic from the same shade, and of the same material, a tiny round mirror. I can understand the shading of the edging, but toning an already small and wretched mirror is akin to tinting the Oka headlights (and indeed any car). Why stop people from reflecting in a mirror, if it is intended for this? For the sake of style? Design is primarily ease of use, and aesthetics and fashion - one of its last components. Well, yes and God bless them. The main disadvantage of the camera is not just a mirror, which is not so much used, but the lack of a flash. God, how did me, and now my brother, save me and save flashlight in motorola e398. In the aforementioned ubiquam u-300, the flash did not work in flashlight mode, but when photographing, it illuminated everything within a radius of 5 meters like a day, and the camera was megacoustically sensitive, and in the twilight and without a flash it snatched images to detail. Unfortunately, in asp-505 such joy is not provided: neither a flash, nor high sensitivity in the dark. And the settings for this is not particularly correct. True illumination to some extent can brighten up your gloomy affairs with its brightness, even in strong sunshine, brightness is sufficient to reasonably distinguish text on the screen. A few words about the back cover itself: to get to the battery (which you will need often enough), you need to remove this back cover. The process of disconnecting the cover with the device is described in the communicator reviews and forums are not the most flattering way. In general, to remove the lid, you need to press a few fingers to the middle of it and then, without releasing the fingers, move the object upwards (towards the on button on the upper edge) or move the device downward relative to the lid (remember pressing the lid ). The sesame opened, we cope with the needs that have arisen, we close it: we put the cover a little higher relative to the asp-505 on the rails and click it down to its original (right) position.

Equipment. Part three, long live interconnect !!!

In this brief part, we will focus on additional parts attached to the communicator (they are also accessories), both complete and external:

Contents of the box (by the way, very pleasant to the touch):

- read reviews

From the useful here - the presence of a headset (some kind of Korean-Perkorean, but still there) and the second stylus. Honestly, I haven't tried the headset, but it looks like the headphones from the iRiver player, tobish nothing particularly new. The stylus is very standard - plastic at the top and bottom, in the middle of the metal tube. It is installed in the hole of the upper right corner of the communicator until it clicks, which, again, does not introduce any revolutionism.
From external devices I tried to connect with Motorola's Bluetooth-headset: the strangeness in what worked first, then stopped, while the headset normally plows with other devices. Apparently - AnyData software glitch.
It's cool that any accessories from Samsung are suitable, like chargers from a cigarette lighter, headset, wires to a computer, etc., etc.
Successfully tested it on car and outlet charging. What to say: it works, there are no complaints.

Behind this, I finish my opus on AnyData asp-505 hardware, a pen test on Habré with a reserve for the upcoming parts: Software and Operation

The end of the first movies. To be continued...

upd: Transferred to the thematic blog.