http://www.phonescoop.com/ Phone Scoop is a comprehensive resource for mobile phone enthusiasts, professionals, shoppers, and users. This feed contains status updates and user reviews for the Siemens S56. en-us Copyright 2013 Phone Scoop. All rights reserved. http://www.phonescoop.com/img/rss_badge.gif http://www.phonescoop.com/ 88 31 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=20291#review20291 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=20291#review20291 Sun, 03 Dec 2006 05:33:13 GMT <p><i>viejodave submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>4.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>Excellent phone !!<br /><br />Pros.<br />-Good size for a pocket<br />-Reception in almost all areas nokia doesn't reach<br />-Connectivity 100% (BT, USB and IrDA)<br />-Battery last almost a week talking 30 min/day<br /><br />Cons.<br />-256 colors for taking pictures??<br />-Speakerphone is a mess !!<br /><br />This is the only reason i changed this phone, the display, at least siemens could dote it with 4k colors.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=13588#review13588 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=13588#review13588 Wed, 07 Dec 2005 19:45:45 GMT <p><i>gfbojar72 submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>4.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I've always been a flip phone guy because I hated locking the keys. My most recent phones were Samsung e315, s307, and e105 ... all of which were good phones but I decided to look for a light weight phone with Bluetooth and speakerphone, I really didn't care about a camera, they add too much weight. I had a Motorola V300 that felt like a brick in my pocket, and all the Motorola bluetooth phones weigh a ton. So I find the S56, small, light weight, laundry list of features ... but it's a bar phone. I bought it anyway and LOVE it! It has an automatic keypad locking feature and an easy one button unlock ... problem solved.<br /><br />Pros:<br />-Small<br />-Light Weight (barely noticeable in shirt pocket)<br />-Bluetooth<br />-speakerphone<br />-GSM 850<br />-Solid Construction<br />-Voice Memo<br />-Selectable days for recurring alarm<br />-Large Screen<br />-IR<br /><br />Cons:<br />-Speakerphone could be a bit louder<br />-Awkward shaped and sized keys<br />-That annoying dial sound when making a call<br /><br />But the pros definitely outweigh the cons and I would recommend this phone to anyone who wants a full feature phone without a camera ... which can be bought as an option though ... but my camera doesn't make phone calls, why do I need a phone to take dark grainy pictures.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=10564#review10564 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=10564#review10564 Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:06:51 GMT <p><i>jdbunda submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>2</b> (out of 5)</p><p>Pros: great form factor, decent feature set<br />Coms: low sound volume, poor battery life<br /><br />First, the size and weight of this phone are just right - I like to carry the phone in my pocket, and it's perfect for that. But, after using this phone for about a year, it's got some serious drawbacks. First, despite the advertised long standby time, it needs recharging every three days or so, whether you've used it or not. Worse, the battery seems to drain even when the phone is turned off (I shut it off fully charged as I left for a week-long vacation, when I got back into the US, I turned it on at the airport, and the battery was nearly drained). But that's not the worst - the biggest problem is the sound volume is simply too low - while talking, I can barely hear it while driving (my car is a little noisy), or in a loud room (e.g. restaurant) even with the earpiece. This is even with the phone on its "Noisy Environment" profile. I NEVER had this trouble with my old Nokia 8260. The speaker phone is louder, but nearly unintelligible. The midi-tone ringer is also very quiet, and the "stock" ringtones don't include anything other than cutesy music clips - I'd like the choice of a few "traditional" phone rings also. Signal strength seems weak, more dropped calls and inexplicable network dropouts. I certainly hope newer Siemens models have corrected some of these shortcomings.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=8597#review8597 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=8597#review8597 Mon, 28 Feb 2005 15:45:25 GMT <p><i>davidwilcoxen submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>1</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I've had constant trouble with this little phone. The software is buggy; it tends to forget settings changes for awhile, then they show up again the way you set them, then they disappear. The screen background, for example, is hard to change and then get the change to "take."<br /><br />Reception is bad. The speakerphone is poor audio quality. Voice dialing is very finicky. Menus are labyrinthine. I don't know about other phones, but it's got to be simpler than this to do simple things.<br /><br />Big cool factor though: Everyone wants to look at it when they first see it. "Is that a phone? Cool!" I like the size of it. It's just poorly executed.<br /><br />To top it all off, my keypad started falling apart one month after warranty expiration. Grr.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=6243#review6243 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=6243#review6243 Fri, 22 Oct 2004 05:46:03 GMT <p><i>badsamsung submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>1</b> (out of 5)</p><p>Are you serious? Dont even think about this piece of junk You cannot dial properly with this phone, the buttons are too cloe together and you end up hitting the wrong ones. Bluetooth features are ridiculous: You need to transfer the call to bluetooth (if you are driving try not to get killed in and accident since the menu is so hard to use!) to get it to work. There is no way to program in extra numbers for voice mail access codes. (Even old samsungs could do that!) <br /><br />Bottom line: don't buy it!</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=6187#review6187 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=6187#review6187 Tue, 19 Oct 2004 21:11:11 GMT <p><i>queenc submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>1</b> (out of 5)</p><p>This phone was the worst phone I have ever had. I have had many phones by many carriers and this one is by far the worst. The only good thing that I can possibly say about this phone is the size. Initially when I took it home from the Cingular store, I was impressed by the quaintness of this phone. It was very cute and fit just about anywhere. Now I am assuming that the reason the phone is so terrible is because of the size. I constantly dropped calls because of the bad reception. The phone is not durable at all. I dropped the phone once. My face plate is now cracked, part of the face plate is missing (which I did not know that a piece of the face plate could come out) but it did. I have never had to envoke my insurance, but I had to in this case. I have only had my phone 6 months and it is in such bad shape I would not give it away. It has some feature on it they call speaker phone however it is not. Last I checked speaker phone should be loud enough to hear it. This speaker phone is more like an extension of the regular speaker. In order to hear the speaker phone you need to put the phone on your ear, which really defeats the purpose of having a speaker phone. If anyone is looking to get this phone....Don't waste your money and don't even take it if it is given to you as a gift. You will regret this decision until you get a new one.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5614#review5614 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5614#review5614 Tue, 14 Sep 2004 21:16:58 GMT <p><i>fivebyfive submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>1.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I cannot get reception on this phone no matter where I am...I was in a cingular store and the clerk could not even get a reception...I have had this phone for about 4 months and have had it switched out 3 times now (because of the contract i'm under) and each phone just gets worse...The latest phone has no reception and the speaker phone does not work...I can't believe I bought this phone...</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5512#review5512 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5512#review5512 Wed, 08 Sep 2004 17:10:31 GMT <p><i>xerath67 submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I find this phone to be small but not too small. It easy to use, the screen is easily visible outdoors, and the signal is great(Cingular St. Louis, MO). I did not get to buy a camera for the phone. I used the bluetooth and got it to sync with my headset in minutes.<br /><br />Pros:<br />Signal<br />Reception<br />Screen visibility<br />Ease of use<br />Size<br /><br />Cons:<br />Built in camera would have been nice<br />Keypad is slightly too small<br /><br />If anyone is needing a phone that just needs to be a phone, get this. It is perfect for any carrier.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5398#review5398 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5398#review5398 Mon, 30 Aug 2004 11:27:31 GMT <p><i>amakkar submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>3</b> (out of 5)</p><p>my wife has been using this phone for about 4 months now. <br /><br />She practically never uses the speaker phone because it is not loud enough. she can hardly hear me while driving. The mic is also very poor quality, I have a hard time hearing her.<br /><br />I swapped phones with her, and immediatly noticed the difference in voice &amp; reception quality vs. my Nokia 3200. <br /><br />The voice dialing option is also very bad, it is much easier to use the 1-touch speed dial. <br /><br />overall, this phone has nice options, but if speaker phone is a must for you, look somewhere else.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5215#review5215 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=5215#review5215 Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:44 GMT <p><i>piscean_queen submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>3.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I bought this phone after reading the reviews, and found that everyone was right on. The S56 has a lot of bells and whistles (specifically voice dialing, speaker phone, voice memo, etc.) I found that the bells and whistles I bought it for became a burden. The voice memo has an annoying way of constantly being activated. The voice dialing takes up to 10 tries to get the call to go through. The Speaker phone worked well, but at times my friends complained of having trouble hearing me.<br /><br />As far as coverage was concerned, I never had a problem. I traveled from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C, Chicago, NY, etc without a glitch.<br /><br />Good phone not great. OK for the money.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=4169#review4169 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=4169#review4169 Sat, 15 May 2004 12:32:58 GMT <p><i>jacksparrow submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>4.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>i've had this phone for over 4 months now with attws and i really like it. the rf is great, i seem to get great reception even when others with attws don't. i love the bluetooth and use it all the time with my ibook to log into the internet when i'm away and to fire off pics for the phonebook. java is great too. my only complaints about the phone are the relatively low screen resolution and the small internal memory for storing pictures, ringtones and java apps. also, i seem to have trouble turning the vibrate feature off. it shows that it's off but will still vibrate. that said, it's size and shape are very attractive and i haven't had any problems with ringer or earpiece volume. i really like siemens products and i hope they come out with a quadband phone soon.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=4144#review4144 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=4144#review4144 Tue, 11 May 2004 13:00:00 GMT <p><i>markdp submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>4.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I recently switched to Cingular GSM and got the Siemens S56. I wanted a bluetooth phone to work with my Tungsten T3 and Jabra 250 as well as sync with my Mac. It does so with flying colors. The only critique of the S56's bluetooth networking is that I wish it could negotiate more than one device, so I could have my T3 dial or send a vCard, and then immediately thereafter use the Jabra to place a call. Currently, there's no headset profile or other way of getting both to work at once.<br /><br />Otherwise, its a great phone. I wish the bottom buttons were slightly larger, but its fine. Its amazingly small/light for what it does. The speakerphone can be set quite loud. Ringer can also be very loud when set for "noisy environments". Its almost odd when somehting so small can be made to ring so loud.<br /><br />And I'm glad not to have a camera - I'd rather put more weight and space towards more usable features such as battery, screen, internal hardware, radio, etc.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I'll never use all the features and menus this little phone packs (menu system is very intuitive, by the way). But its by far the best phone I've had. Previous phones were all Nokia's and my last was a great, simple, robust model: 3360 with AT&amp;T.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=2975#review2975 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=2975#review2975 Mon, 08 Dec 2003 18:56:05 GMT <p><i>dmarkson submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>3</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I picked up this phone because of its good RF and 800 MHz capability. I picked up this unlocked AT&amp;T branded phone on e-Bay.<br /><br />Currently using phone on T-Mobile in southern NH. Have used on AT&amp;T. Will probably use on Cingular at some point.<br /><br />Phone lives up to its RF reviews - I could hold calls where others could not. Also use for field test mode - one of a small handful that have that capability at 800 MHz.<br /><br />Very small, compact. Nice size.<br /><br />Buttons kind of crammed, but not unexpected for size.<br /><br />Has data, BT, IR, don't care, don't use.<br /><br />Disappointment is the earpiece/speaker. The phone is poor in the car. You can barely hear the speaker-phone when you hold it, forget about placing it in a bracket. Earpiece is also very weak. In addition callers told me they could hear all sorts of car noise. Phone works fine/sounds good in a quiet room, but many phones do. Speaker-phone also very tinny sounding. Would not know the difference, except my Kyocera SE47 speaker-phone is fantastic compared to this one.<br /><br />Would have given 4+ stars if not for earpiece/speaker.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=2154#review2154 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=2154#review2154 Sun, 10 Aug 2003 07:54:17 GMT <p><i>mrtasle submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>2.5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>Just got mine from ATT Wireless. There are a lot of features here for such a small phone. mMode works great with this phone and the reception is wonderful. You coud spend a lot more for the same features but you don't have to. Siemens did a great job with this phone.</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=1721#review1721 http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=213&r=1721#review1721 Sat, 14 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT <p><i>uncommonstuff submitted this review of the Siemens S56:</i></p><p>Overall rating: <b>5</b> (out of 5)</p><p>I LOVE this phone. I purchased it not too long ago from Cingular for 199 because I didn't want a 2-year contract. (1year instead).<br /><br />Pros:<br />Small (great to fit in pocket)<br />Bluetooth (awesome wirless technology)<br />Easy to use menus (for the simple-minded)<br />Polyphonic ringtones (to impress)<br />Sleek design (again)<br />Long battery life<br />Speakerphone is GREAT<br />Color screen is very attractive<br />Solid construction<br />Very CLEAR reception<br /><br />Cons:<br />Loud, but not loud ENOUGH.<br />Color screen could use more colors (only 256 compared to others that have 4,096 or 65,000)<br />Being so small could be bad if you are prone to loosing things<br />Keys need to give better feedback when you press them<br />VOICE DIALING- you have to say it EXACTLY as you recorded it, or you will end up saying it 40 times<br />Unless you get a bluetooth headset, you won't be able to use any brand to connect to the phone, you have to use Siemens brand headset.<br />Camera is not a STANDARD feature on phone. <br /><br />Personally, I love this phone, they couldn't have done much of a better job. I would like to see more standard ringtones on the phone, so it would be a little more professional sounding. I also would like to see better games. I used to have a Nokia 3360 before this... I definietly miss the ease of use, and the explanitory messages after EVERY feature you go to. On the Siemens, you definitely have to read the manual if you are the average joe. I even found my self checking it out a few times how to figure things out. I had about 200 phone numbers in my Nokia when I bought this phone. Thankfully they both have infra red, so I was able to transfer the numbers without even breaking a sweat. (find the number in the nokia and send it as a business card). I don't like how you can't pick a certian ringtone for a certian person. my MAJOR peeve with this phone is that is NOT LOUD ENOUGH! My Nokia was super loud and this just doesn't cut it, but for what it has, I'm willing to sacrifice.<br /><br />BUY THIS PHONE!!!!</p> <p><i>(Follow link to rate this review or report it to us as inappropriate.)</i></p> http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/p_forum.php?ff=213