Sendo D800

Sendo is a name you might not have heard before. It's a new UK mobile phone manufacturer, and the D800 is the firm's debut model. The D800 is notable because it's very small, light and has some interesting user interface features.

Sendo joins a surprisingly exclusive club. GSM mobile phone makers number only a couple of dozen, yet the annual market is over 100 million units. Birmingham-based Sendo says it will break even in its first year by selling 'just' half a million phones. However, Sendo adds that it will be disappointed if it doesn't get near its target of two million. Even then, that's small beer compared to the Nokias, Ericssons and Motorolas of this world. Sendo reckons its small size in such a large market is not a disadvantage as there are relatively few competitors.

To differentiate itself from the rest of the GSM gang, Sendo has decided to be ambitious. The D800 is a flip-design that weighs just 68g - claimed to be the lightest GSM phone yet. However, its lithium battery will, in optimum conditions, keep it going in standby mode for up to 300 hours or almost a week, with its maximum talk time on a single charge claimed to be 180 minutes. During the evaluation both these claims were borne out without any dispute.

The diminutive weight of the D800 is echoed by its modest dimensions. These size limitations don't prevent the inclusion of an IrDA port, and the D800's built-in data/fax modem supports the higher 14.4Kbits/sec maximum GSM data rate.

The D800 features a clear and bright 96 x 64 pixel graphic LCD, backlit by an attractive ice-blue LED light source, and uses animated graphics to spice up the interface. This is an easy phone to master and it's also fun to use thanks to its animated graphics and selection of four games. The 50-strong standard ring tone selection is bold and imaginative, with Nokia-style picture messaging also featured.

For the business user, the D800 offers both a wired option and the wireless infrared modem capability. The SMS message editor has a Tegic T9 predictive text-input function, and a full car-kit installation is available as an optional extra too. An agenda calendar function, with clock and alarm, is also built in. More interestingly, Sendo mentions it will be supporting vCalendar and vCard data exchange standards, though neither of these is featured in the current D800 manual. A WAP-enabled version of this phone will appear in the spring, distinguishable from the D800 by a lack of flip, but otherwise the same size and weight.

Our early production review phone did give cause for concern over its moulding quality and paint finish. These are recognised by Sendo, and work at their Chinese manufacturing facility is focusing on quality improvements. However, in use the D800 worked well, with its strong signal reception and tri-level codec delivering very clear audio quality.

The Sendo D800 will carry a subsidised contract price of around £152, which is quite pricey for a phone of this specification. But exclusivity and the product's visual charm may help in the short term, providing the production quality can be raised.

Author: Ian Burley