Motorola e398 what kind of SD card it supports. All about the Motorola E398 phone. Menus and functions

The Motorola company has been developing and producing new youth phones for a long time. In addition to the original design, the developers also do not forget about the functionality, because the needs of the audience are constantly growing. The Motorola E398 model was created taking into account these factors, and, in general, the creators managed to achieve their goal.

Appearance

If you look closely at the communicator "Motorola E398" (the photo can be seen in our article), it is noticeable that the design of the mobile device was made in a calm manner. You can easily define the appearance of subsequent models in this series. As for the features of the phone, they leave an extremely positive impression. So, in this model, the developers decided to use plastic, which, in terms of tactile sensations, is somewhat reminiscent of rubber. If you have ever held an Ericsson T68 mobile device at least once in your life, then you can imagine a back cover that is identical. I would like to note that during use the phone will not slip out of your hands, even if your palms are wet or damp. The second advantage of such a case is that it is matte, so there are absolutely no traces left on it.

In order to create a unique and sophisticated style, the developers made the keyboard not plastic, but metal. Large buttons are located on terraces and it is very convenient to work with them. Of course, it cannot be said that the keyboard is perfect, but it will not be possible to find any particular flaws in it.

Control

"Motorola E398": characteristics and ratings

The model is really high quality. Paying attention to the screen of this mobile phone, we can say with confidence that the same display was used here as in the V300, V500, V600 devices. More specifically, we are talking about the screen resolution, which in these models is 176 x 229 pixels. In this case, the display is capable of displaying only up to eight lines of text. If we start looking at the screen size from the physical point of view, we can say that its parameters are 30 x 38 millimeters, in fact, this is slightly more than in the V500 and V600 models. The only changes are that in the given model the display is slightly curved and tinted, respectively, the display area has become slightly larger. Admittedly, the Motorola E398 looks a little more massive than it really is. The dimensions of the communicator are as follows: 108 x 46 x 21 mm. The phone weighs 107 grams, but the manufacturer claims 110 grams in the specifications. If you turn your attention to the side of the device, you will be able to notice the speakers that are located at the top. As you probably already knew from the characteristics, this mobile device has two speakers.

Software

If you have a desire to know how to flash a Motorola E398, then contact the specialists from the nearest service center. By the way, some software versions can both worsen the general program parameters and improve them, and you can also completely change the inner shell. In general, we can only say one thing: "Motorola E398" is really worthy of attention.

Changes in the demand structure that took place in the recent past and continue today in the market of mobile GSM terminals have completely transformed the former segment of business models. Previously, all new models with the maximum functionality for the line were automatically assigned to this category, to which, as a matter of course, a strict design and focus on wealthy consumers over 30 years old were attached. This is not the case today. A substantial part of this audience today falls on smartphones and expensive fashion phones with relatively modest functionality that are approximately equal to them in price. There is a separation from the once common business audience of those users who are interested in products with maximum technical capabilities, or simply those corresponding to a high social status, and do not burden the owner with unnecessary menu items. The rest of the business audience seems to manufacturers today to be too small to specifically design classic phones (not smartphones) for them.

And then a strong ally came to the aid of the business segment, somewhat unexpected, but quite natural. These are modern youth. It is young people who are the most active and grateful consumers of complex functions in mobile phones - partly because their lifestyle already initially presupposes the use of some of the capabilities of devices and network services, and partly because the possession of a functional model and the ability to make the most of them is considered prestigious in this environment. The desire of young people to learn everything new, interest and curiosity is also quite obvious.

One way or another, but all those few new models built on the classic closed OS for phones and belonging to the high price class, today have a clearly visible dual positioning - for the business and youth audience at the same time. This tendency can be seen in Nokia 6230 and Siemens S65, it is quite evident in Sony Ericsson K700, and is most fully revealed in Motorola E398.

The basic idea behind the Motorola E398 was to create a youth phone with additional advanced multimedia functionality. In addition to the already trivial built-in camera, they decided to equip the phone with the function of an MP3-player, and to add support for removable memory for its normal operation. The base platform developed for the "triplet" folding Motorola v300 / 500/600 models was taken as a basis. The E398 retains almost all of its capabilities and features, including a large TFT display, a Bluetooth adapter, the ability to play MPEG-4, etc. The platform has added support for the latest T-Flash (TransFlash) flash memory format. In fact, this is a modification of the SD card, which is significantly reduced in size - it is much smaller than a SIM card. The novelty of the format has another unpleasant consequence - T-Flash cards are not yet available in retail. Fortunately, the phone comes with a 64MB module, which should be enough for the first time.

In addition to the MP3 player and expandable memory, the designers have equipped the Motorola E398 with a pair of miniature speakers that are supposed to provide stereo sound. It is they who are hidden under the ribbed slots in the side walls of the case.

Design and construction

Motorola E398 is a candy bar phone slightly larger than the average size for now, but still within the "normal" size - it cannot be called a large one. Likewise, the weight of the phone is felt in the palm of your hand, but does not cause discomfort. The phone's geometry is quite proportional, it looks harmonious.

The main feature of the phone's exterior is the use of plastic with an anti-slip surface - matte, resembling rubber to the touch. The tactile sensations from the phone are pleasant, it fits comfortably and securely in the palm and even seems soft, which adds comfort. The second effect of the use of such a surface is manifested in the black color version: the matte surface gives a deep black color without glare. It sets off the shine of nickel-plated and plain silver body parts, and gives the phone a neat, sophisticated look. In this form, it organically fits into the business style, although some design elements give out youth positioning in it. However, the phone remains moderately austere and quite appropriate in a business setting.

The main feature that conveys the youthful focus of the E398 is the Haptics lighting system. It uses colored LEDs located in the slots of the speakers, another one is the same under the joystick, as well as the white backlighting of the keyboard and screen. This whole garland can blink when there is an incoming call, reminder triggered, and other events. Moreover, Haptics can be used as a light music (Rhytm Light) - in this case, it reacts to the ambient sound (a microphone is used for this) and flickers to the beat.

The E398 keyboard consists of a standard digital block, a five-position (pushed) joystick, call and end buttons, a pair of soft keys, as well as a special menu button, traditional for Motorola. In standby mode, the function of calling the main menu is duplicated by pressing the joystick, but in the windows of various applets a separate key is used to call the context menu with options that are not available in other ways.

The keyboard can be considered quite comfortable. The number buttons, although they are located together, are well distinguished due to the profile, they are characterized by an average travel depth and soft pressing, although the response threshold is clearly marked. The main thing is that the designers managed to combine in one product a large screen and a very comfortable, not "pressed" keyboard, as well as to provide such a balancing of the device, when you can safely work with it with one hand, while the upper part does not outweigh. The metalized joystick raised some concerns, but, fortunately, they did not materialize - the actuation forces and the deflection shoulder were chosen so well that all directions are worked out easily and clearly, without false positives, and the finger almost never slips off. All in all, the keyboard deserves the highest praise.

Additional controls include a two-position rocker key - a volume control on the left edge near the corner, a voice dial activation button in the middle of the same edge, as well as a built-in camera power key, located on the right edge, also in the upper corner. The scroller and the camera call button are located too high, sometimes it is inconvenient to reach them. The rear surface is "decorated" with the lens of the built-in camera, unprotected, but deeply recessed - it is difficult to scratch, but just as difficult to clean. Near the lens are a self-portrait mirror and an LED "headlight" that replaces a flash flash in camera phones, however, without much success.

The screen in the E398 is used the same as in the folding models v300 / 500/600 and the top-end v80. It is a 176x220 pixel 65000 TFT color matrix - bright, rich and smooth. Indoors, the picture on the screen is very high quality, in the bright sun it fades, but it is quite possible to see it.

The phone is equipped with a lithium-ion battery, which is held in the slot with the help of special protrusions in the lower part, while the upper one is fixed only by friction force, but the battery sits so tightly that it is rather difficult to pry the upper part with your nails. But if you turn the device upside down and lightly tap the upper part of the case on your hand, the battery will fall out into the palm of your hand. The battery compartment cover has a sliding mount, for this it is equipped with four protruding hooks on the inside. In the closed position, the lid is fixed with a light snap button. It has no backlash, but the lid material is thin and soft enough that when the case is squeezed, this part makes a creak.

The SIM and T-Flash card slots are located under the battery. The SIM-card slot is equipped with a metal flap, which has a sliding fastening, which does not cause any problems when inserting and removing the card. The T-Flash slot is located opposite the SIM, it has a miniature size and is equipped with a fixed clamping bar. The mutual arrangement of the slots is such that it is impossible to get the memory card without removing the SIM. So we are simply not talking about hot swapping the carrier, for this you need to remove not only the battery (disconnecting the phone, of course), but also the SIM card.

Menus and functions

Motorola E398 with rare exceptions is completely identical to such models as v600 and v80. It is also based on the full version of the "triplet" platform, differing from the lower v300 and v500 in the presence of Bluetooth and the ability to play video in MPEG-4 format.

Accordingly, the appearance and structure of the menu E398 are fully consistent with the above models.

The device is equipped with phone book, designed for 1000 records. As in other high-end Motorola phones, when entering, it is allowed to enter several numbers for the same name - there is an item in the input window More allowing you to add a phone number or e-mail address to the same name. However, when information is stored in memory and the user scans the phone book, he finds several separate entries - as many as numbers and addresses were entered - with the same name, each containing one block of information. That is, in fact, we are talking about the presence of a simple phone book. By choosing a special option to display the address book, these entries can be grouped according to the principle "one name - several numbers", but this is only a half measure, the address book continues to be insufficiently functional. The entries from the phone memory and SIM-card are displayed in a single list. "Privileges" for numbers from the phone memory are the ability to program a voice dialing label and assign it to groups.

On the menu Recent Calls traditionally there are lists of incoming, outgoing and missed calls, as well as GPRS traffic counters. The only thing unusual is Notepad, with which you can quickly write down numbers in order to later transfer them to the phone's memory.

When you press the call key in standby mode, the E398 displays only the recently dialed calls. At least, this is typical for the firmware version with which we tested the device.

On the menu Messages contains all the options for working with messages. The phone supports SMS, MMS and e-mail. For SMS and MMS, shared folders of incoming and outgoing messages are provided, the e-mail service has its own Inbox. Before creating a new message, you need to select its type.

Menu Office tools contains a calculator, a diary, a shortcut menu programming function, voice dialing control, an alarm clock, and an applet for setting additional call options (fixed, service and speed dialing). The calendar has the traditional Motorola monthly and weekly display modes and allows you to enter up to 1000 reminders that are triggered once, daily, weekly, monthly on a specific day of the week or on a specific date, as well as annually. In our memory, two variants of monthly triggering are implemented only in Motorola phones. The alarm clock allows you to program many signals, but all of them are only one-time. The lack of a dictaphone is surprising - this function is in demand by users, moreover, it is implemented in other models on the same software and hardware platform.

On the menu Games & Apps you can find and run Java midlets installed in your phone, both for gaming and business purposes. Once again, we note that the Java-machine in Motorola phones from the "triplet" has the ability to automatically pause the execution of the midlet on command or when the lid is closed. The MIDlet is in a "sleeping" state for the entire subsequent time (if the phone does not turn off) until it is called again through the menu, after which it will start almost instantly and in the state in which it was suspended.

Our sample comes with a number of interesting Java games preinstalled. First of all, this is a very entertaining simulator of acrobatic water skiing Shawn Murray's Wakeboarding Unleashed, as well as a 5-A-Side Football mini-football simulator. Also, the phone contains an excellent pinball Midlet, Plasticulture Troublemaker and The Gimps. and less successful, but still quite interesting race on toy cars JAMDAT Racing. In general, we really liked the set of games, if it remains in commercial series, it will be very good. It should be noted that Motorola's partner in terms of filling the E398 is MTV - Its logo is featured on The Gimps (which, incidentally, takes place in the atmosphere of teenage MTV culture) and a number of screensavers and phone screen savers, highlighting the positioning of this model.

On the menu Web access there is a WAP browser.

Paragraph Multimedia gives you access to phone interface themes, camera, graphics browser, Sounds audio browser, MotoMixer app and video player. The video player is extremely easy to use, it allows you to play MP4 files (they are quite rare on the regular Internet today), preloaded via the cellular network.

The MP3-player function can be realized through a special applet (which was not installed in our phone), or using the standard Sounds browser. The latter utility allows you to program playlists, so that even without installing a special player, it is suitable for listening to music. When entering a playlist, the user ticks off the songs that he would like to listen to, and they are added to the playlist in the order in which they were selected (although the entire list is displayed in alphabetical order). If you wish, you can rearrange the songs by selecting the option from the playlist context menu Reorder.

The capabilities of the built-in camera are standard for a "triplet" platform, they differ only in the presence of LED backlighting. There is a timer shooting function, using the joystick in the viewfinder window, you can adjust the exposure and digital zoom. The image quality is also mediocre, which is typical for built-in CMOS cameras. There is no video recording function in the phone.

In a separate item IM a program for instant messaging was introduced. For its work, you will need operator support.

Finally, the menu Settings provides access to the phone settings (here you can find the control of ringing signals, personalization of the menu and much more), as well as network functions.

The built-in memory in Motorola E398 is 3.7 MB. This is not much, however, one should not forget that the developers were counting on the use of a removable T-Flash card, which significantly expands the memory capacity of the device. The phone comes with a 64 MB module, if you wish, you can buy more capacious ones. T-Flash cards can store not only music, but also other types of files, Java programs, etc.

Impressions and conclusions

Motorola E398 provides normal call quality in urban environments. The loudspeaker is loud enough for most situations, the quality of speech reproduction is good.

The phone operates on a full charge for about 3 days with 10-15 minutes of calls a day and intensive research of menus and games. A substantial part of the energy is consumed by the screen, a few hours spent playing Java games is quite capable of dramatically "draining" the battery.

The use of stereo speakers for ringing tones as well as for simple playback of audio material makes a noticeable difference to the acoustic characteristics of the phone. In general, the sound is really enriched, a fuller, not too squeezed and wheezing low-mid range appears, which is often called "bass", although, of course, we are not talking about real bass - the volume of the resonator for reproducing such low frequencies is completely insufficient. The sound volume is slightly higher than average for modern phones with polyphonic ringing, it also depends to a lesser extent on the orientation of the phone, and does not suffer so much if the device is tightly pressed against something, or closed in a holster. This is also a merit of the "doubled" speaker system. When playing stereo compositions, bringing the device closer to your ear, you can hear the differences in the sound of the right and left channels, but of course, the matter does not reach a full-fledged stereo base - the distance between the speakers is too small.

It is noteworthy that in our sample, MIDI files and MP3 music with a low bitrate played better than MP3 encoded at a high bitrate for playback on computer acoustics. In the first case, a lighter sounding and normal reproduction of the lower middle range was observed, in the second - the result was not so positive: the sound became “flat”, the top sounded harsh and stifled, and the lows practically disappeared. In general, Motorola E398 still falls short of the quality level of a "portable radio". Note that the Sony Ericsson K700, when playing the same composition, provides, although not ideal, but much freer and more balanced sound. And the phone reproduces MIDI very well: it correctly identifies the leading tracks and, if necessary, makes adjustments to the volume so that the composition sounds good even without special processing. Hence follows the recommendation - choose MIDI or MP3 files with a low bitrate for the ringtone, and, having a high-quality recording, recode it with a lower quality. In this case, the playback will be simultaneously loud enough and equalized across the entire frequency spectrum.

A good polyphonic call is combined with a weak vibration signal, the low amplitude and medium frequency make it almost imperceptible even in close proximity to the body. It's sad, but lately this is the second phone with such a problem - a trend?

Our total score for Motorola E398, despite some shortcomings, is still very high. There are three main components of success - a very attractive external design of the device, a high-quality screen and rich multimedia capabilities. There are also a number of other advantages that are typical for Motorola phones based on the "triplet" platform, unfortunately, there are several disadvantages that are just as typical for it. The former should include the presence and stable operation of Bluetooth, good scheduling capabilities, excellent Java implementation and a rich set of games, and the latter, in fact, a simple phone book. IrDA is absent in the phone, but nowadays the Bluetooth adapter can already be considered a full-fledged replacement of the IrDA, since it is not difficult to equip any PC with this adapter.

To be honest, we expected the E398 to be in the price range up to $ 300, but its real positioning turned out to be slightly higher - the device costs $ 350-400. However, this did not affect the evaluation of the device, just instead of a good device from the “expensive youth” segment, we got a good business device with a youth bias.

As we have already noted, the appearance of the Motorola E398 contributes to the final transformation of the "pure" business class into a mixed youth-business class. The direct competitor to E398 is Sony Ericsson K700, which corresponds to this doctrine. Comparing them, you can find that the K700 has a much better address book, a more user-friendly graphical interface, and a built-in radio, which the E398 does not have, but the Motorola phone works better with Java and is equipped with expandable memory, due to the lack of which MP3s suffer greatly. functionality of the K700. As a result, these models can be considered roughly equivalent. Two more competitors with removable memory cards are Nokia 6230 and Siemens S65. They have a more discreet design and have some advantage due to the use of common MMC cards instead of the exotic T-Flash; Nokia and Siemens' user interfaces are also definitely more user-friendly than Motorola's. However, the small and lower quality screen of Nokia 6230 immediately reduces the attractiveness of the model, while Siemens S65 is still a “dark horse” for us, albeit with very great potential. So the final resolution of the dispute over the primacy between the business models of the second half of 2004 will still have to wait.

Multimedia center - in your pocket! Motorola has prepared a wonderful phone for advanced young people - Motorola E398. A real youth multimedia phone! 65 thousand colors on a bright and high-contrast TFT display measuring 176 x 220 pixels allow you to comfortably view photos, videos and MMS messages. Bluetooth support is becoming a standard for more than just business phones. Built-in MP3 player with CD audio quality playback.

According to readers of ZOOM.Cnews
Motorola E398:

Beautiful, affordable, can be a replacement for a player, lightweight, has a large battery, feminine, uncomfortable, simple, with a bad camera.

SPECIFICATIONS

beautiful

Affordable

Can be a replacement for the player

Light

Has a capacious battery

Male

Ergonomic

Functional

Has a good camera

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MAIN TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Nutrition

Battery capacity: 830 mAh Battery type: Li-Ion Talk time: 3.5 h Standby time: 80 h Charge time: 2:30 h: min

Additional Information

Features: light and music; supports video viewing (no video recording); support for stereo FM radio via stereo FM radio headset (accessory) Announcement date: 2004-02-01 Out of production: yes Sales start date: 2004-07-01 Package contents: phone, battery, mains charger, portable hands- free, 64Mb memory card, software disk, interface cable, manual

General characteristics

Type: phone Weight: 110 g Control: joystick Case type: classic Number of SIM-cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 45x108x19 mm Type of SIM-card: regular

Screen

Screen type: color TFT, 65.54 thousand colors Image size: number of lines - 7, 220x176

Calls

Type of melodies: 24-voice polyphony, MP3 melodies Vibration alert: yes Number of melodies: 32 Melody editor: yes

Multimedia capabilities

Camera: 0.30 million pixels, 640x480 Camera functions: digital Zoom 4x Audio: MP3, WMA, stereo speakers Games: yes Java applications: yes

Connection

Interfaces: Bluetooth, USB Internet access: WAP 2.0, GPRS Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900 Synchronization with a computer: yes Modem: yes Protocol support: POP / SMTP, HTML

Memory and processor

Number of processor cores: 1 Built-in memory: 32 MB Support for memory cards: microSD (TransFlash) The amount of memory available to the user: 5 MB Slot for memory cards: yes

Posts

Additional SMS functions: text input with a dictionary, MMS message templates: yes EMS: yes

Other functions

Control: voice dialing, voice control Handsfree (built-in speaker): yes Auto redial: yes Sound indication of talk time: yes Sound coding modes HR, FR, EFR: yes

Notebook and organizer

Organizer: alarm clock, calculator, task scheduler Search by book: yes Exchange between SIM-card and internal memory: yes Notebook in the device: 1000 numbers report an error

Motorola E398 - a phone for advanced youth

The youth-oriented segment of the cell phone market is one of the most promising in the eyes of manufacturers. This is exactly the area where you can make the most daring experiments, and what is interesting, they often find an enthusiastic response in the hearts of users. On the other hand, a modern youth phone is not only a beautiful wrapper, but also advanced functionality, the idea of a phone for the younger generation as a "bright talker" has long since sunk into oblivion. From this point of view, the E398 phone presented by Motorola at CeBIT'2004 looks very advantageous, which combines the best practices of the company along with innovations.

All about the phone Motorola E398

0. Introduction

If you have a Motorola E398 phone in your hands and you are ready to squeeze the maximum out of it, then you have come to the right place at the right time! E398 is a phone legend; for several years now it has remained popular all over the world. And what makes it more popular is that pickers all over the world are trying to improve it, change the design, appearance, speed of work, software filling.

I searched the entire Internet, it used to be on the site motorola.ru, now it was deleted ... Full technical description of E398 and E1, read it for interest.
(4.48 kilobytes) (4.46 kilobytes)

So let's get started.

1. Connecting the phone to the computer

The first thing we need is to connect the phone to the computer. You can use a Bluetooth® or USB cable for this. The second option is preferable, since it provides more opportunities, such as full access to the settings (SEEM) and phone files, full-fledged work with a memory card, changing the firmware, unlocking the operator, etc.

Not necessary, but here are the newest P2K drivers:

For the phone to work in memory card mode, no additional drivers are needed, the system detects the phone as a USB flash drive and installs everything by itself (unless you have Win98, of course).

To change the operating mode of the phone (p2k -> modem, modem -> memory card, memory card -> modem) without disconnecting the phone or crawling through the menu, there is a simple but very useful program by.

Then go to [Backups], check
Working hours: All phone memory
Memory size: 32 MB (can be set to Auto)
Loader type: Basic for 32 MB and 16 MB

We connect the phone, at the bottom it should be written Phone connected.
Click [Create]. The phone turns off and turns into a special flash mode. The switched off phone can be switched to this mode by simultaneously holding down the [on] + * + # keys, this can be useful if the phone does not boot. If the phone is connected to the system for the first time in this mode, then it is necessary to install the drivers in the same way as for the modem (see point 2). If everything is fine, then the bottom should say Phone is connected, and the progress bar should move.

If everything went well, the phone should turn on, and a backup file should appear in the specified folder (by default, the Backups subfolder in the program folder) (example: E1 iTunes Full Backup (06-12-21_181831) .fbp).

You can also create other backups like PDS security zone and boot loader or custom range, which may also come in handy later.

2.2 Restoring a backup.

To restore, go to [Backups] -> Restore backup -> [...] and select the desired backup there.

You can restore someone else's backups, but for this you must have a backup of your own PDS.

To restore the backup, Flash mode is again used. When restoring, the entire memory is erased first, and then the data is written. The process of erasing memory is not displayed, so do not worry, the program is not frozen.

3. Firmware change

I think it's no secret that there is a phone like the E1. Motorola had to fill the gap before the new models were released, so it decided to slightly modify the old model. It is not difficult to notice that E398 and E1 differ not only in color, screen, boot loader, PDS and additional button, but also in modified software. Fortunately, our skilled coders were able to adjust the firmware from E1 to E398, and with the full transfer of all the updated functionality.

Moving from the old platform (R372) to the new (R373), you will only lose the background mode in Java and playlists, but gain speed, the background constantly running Java application corelet (a convenient player, or a file manager with huge functionality, or not yet known at the time of this writing, another corelet), a video camera, version CLDC 1.1 in Java, and most importantly - the result of the work of all coders in the form of patches or software improvements that open limitless modding possibilities.

At the moment there are 2 categories of firmware, they are 4xR or 6xR / 7xR series. Their main difference is the unlimited video on 6xR / 7xR (1.5 hours or 64 Mb) and the different length of the param_table.bin file (which made it a little difficult to adjust the sound for a while). The newest of them are and. Most of the new and came out for them.

If you are flashing a phone with the R372 platform for the first time, then I advise you to install the 4xR series firmware first and make a backup after the transition. on top of it you can put 6xR / 7xR, and on top of 6xR / 7xR you can no longer pour 4xR.

Factory firmware and already adapted ones can be downloaded here: (there is also a manual for flashing there)

I advise you to put them, and not the factory monsters.

4. Component of the phone

4.1 Code groups

All phone memory is divided into specific code groups (CG), each of which has a specific purpose.

CG0 - Memory Map- you don't need to know anything about it. =) (Shl I know almost nothing about this myself)
CG1 - Software- everything that the phone can do is hidden here, the so-called software filling. Most patches change this.
CG2 - Flex- all phone settings, all files, diary entries, phone book, SMS, etc. are stored here. Usually, flex can not be flashed, but other CGs can be changed, but if the firmware is very different (for example, 48R and 6FR), then there may be glitches.
CG3 - DSP- a piece of software responsible for streaming data in the phone.
CG4 - Language Pack- it stores phone fonts, ITap dictionary (smart typing), menu languages.
CG6 - PDS Zone- Phone security zone, it stores the phone's flashing history, a copy of Imei, operator lock, battery settings and other system calibrations. When you change the firmware, this code group does not disappear anywhere, unless of course you are sewing 42R_for_all.
CG7 - Booth Signature- well, see the signature of the boot loader, judging by the name.
CG15 - DRM- all standard phone graphics, all icons, some icons.
CG18 - RSA Signature- a signature that protects the phone from changing the software part (CG1), if there are any changes, then the phone simply will not boot. Now, fortunately, it is broken and instead of it they have generally placed by, an analogue of a regular boot, only giving great opportunities in terms of modifications.

For splitting, collecting firmware, by or new by is used.

4.2 CG1 - Software part

To consciously change this part, you need to know the ACM. A detailed manual for disassembling the firmware is here:. If you don't know ACM, it doesn't matter. You can apply patches, create them yourself using existing special programs. You can change system sounds with by, create patches for Bluetooth file transfers with by, change radio_check and check_box icons with by

All patches and programs for their creation are located here:. Be careful if the patch matches your firmware.

FlashBackup is used to apply patches. Disable RSA before patching (done once for one firmware).

4.3 CG2 - File system, main files and SEEMs

The E398 has a tree structure. The phone has 3 sections, a and c - phone memory, b - memory card. On disk a there are mainly system files, on c - pictures, melodies, videos, etc., on b - files of a flash drive.

There are 2 ways to work with files, via OBEX and P2K. The first mode is used by the official software, it is convenient for quickly transferring melodies, pictures, videos from the phone and back. The second mode gives full access to the file system, allows you to delete system files, change attributes, create folders, etc.

The best file managers are by (P2K) and by (OBEX + P2K).

The most important files:

ALARMCLOCK- alarm settings - editable with by
gain_table.bin- volume settings for speakers, microphones, headsets - edited with, by
param_table.bin- settings for external speakers, adjusts the level of treble, bass, just a little bit - edited with by
dnp.prf- file for personal labels of menu items - edited by
WebSession- file with web session settings - edited with by
ITAP_User_Dictionary- custom dictionary of typed words using ITap - edited by the phone during use
J2MEST- a file with a table of installed Java applications - edited with by when installing applications
DM_DMH_File- reference file - edited
plmn_text_table.bin- list of operators - edited with OpEdit by
MyToneDB.db, MyTempToneDB.db- ringtones database - edited by rebooting the phone without these files or by
mma_ucp- menu items file - edited with P2KMenuEditor by
funlight.pat- light call settings file - edited with by

In addition to files, there are also so-called 's'. Each sim has its own purpose. There are many programs for editing them, but the most convenient ones are by and by. P2KTools can download / upload sims, edit them in HEX mode or bit by bit. However, without any knowledge, nothing special can be done in it. For conscious editing, there is a wonderful program P2Kae, it has collected everything that has been decrypted at the moment. With its help, you can activate hidden menu items, change their settings, remove unnecessary queries, etc. I advise you to make a backup and go through all the settings, you will find a lot of new things. =)

4.3 CG4 - Language Pack

The language pack contains fonts, names of all menu items in different languages, ITap dictionaries.

To edit fonts, there is a program by, which allows you to customize and edit phone fonts in detail, import them from Windows, contains a built-in graphics editor, can edit labels, delete Itap dictionaries. "

4.4 CG6 - PDS Safety Area

The PDS zone is 64 kb, which contains all the system settings of the phone, which remain after flashing, and some of them are unique for each phone. On newer phones, this zone is well protected from alteration, and for good reason, since If you change something wrong there, you can kill the phone with crooked hands. Of course, you can restore it later, but nevertheless, without knowledge of the matter, it is better not to go in there. To split PDS into sims and edit them, you can use PDS Editor from FlashBackup (~ version 2.x and higher).

4.5 CG15 - DRM - Graphical Shell

This code group contains all the system visuals, from the status icons at the top to the button for changing the category in the multimedia. In order to split this code group into files, you need to use the by program. It breaks DRM into many pictures, and if you replace everything correctly, you can completely change the design of the phone (along with the skins, more on that later).

It is important to remember that DRM size is limited to 2,350 kb., Pinch pictures harder to save space.

5. Change of graphic design

The main components of the phone's design are a boot picture, and a few pictures on disk a and c.

5.1 Skins

A huge number of skins are here:.

5.2 Fonts

The fonts are stored in a language pack (CG4). Until recently, only the graphics of the fonts changed, but I managed to change the font size so that the system understood this, and now more data can fit on the screen. There is a wonderful program for editing fonts by. (see p. 4.3)

Ready fonts can be found here:.

5.3 Boot Screen

This is a static picture that you see immediately after turning on the phone. It is located in the program part (CG1), in order to change it, you need to use the by program, which converts the BMP image into a patch, which will then be applied by FlashBackup. Immediately after the boot screen comes an animated gif, which can be either in DRM or in the phone's memory.

5.4 DRM graphics

All graphics that do not change with skins are in DRM (CG15). This is a separate code group, entirely consisting of gif images. In order to split into files, replace them, collect a code group and sew into the phone there is a program by (see p. 4.5). You can download ready-made DRM packages here:

I advise you to look at this topic:

5.5 Other graphics

Here is a list of the rest of the graphics files:

/ a / mobile / mib / pcf / * .gif
wv_emoticon _ *. gif- graphics of built-in IM clients
phonebook _ *. gif- handbook graphics
j2me15x15icon.png- Java application icon, if the application itself does not have an icon
j2me15x15icon_VSCL.png- the same as j2me15x15icon.png, only with VSCL classes enabled
EMS _ *. Emp- animations of SMS emotions, this is a gif of the picture, only the file extension is different
wvim_splashscreen _ *. gif- starting pictures of built-in IM clients.
mms_ * gif- MMS attachment pictures

In order to change the animation to on / off, you can replace the pictures in DRM (No. 1482 - turn on, No. 1600 - turn off) or expose pictures from the phone memory using the by program.

6. Changing the sound design

Sound design consists of key sounding, music on / off, volume and sound quality, vibrating calls sounds, and the sounds of incoming calls, SMS, alarm clock, diary, etc.

6.1 Key sound

This is what you hear when you press the phone keys. There are 2 kinds of key sounds, either through stereo speakers or through the earpiece. The sounds of the first version are of higher quality, louder, bassier, but more voracious and thus fry slow down the phone and drain the battery faster. The second option sounds worse, but is faster. To switch these modes, we use any sim editor, SEEM 0032_0001, Offset 82 h / 130d, Bit 6 (Abs.Bit 1046); or P2Kae (on - the first mode, off - the second).

Sounds of the first type can be replaced, the second cannot (like. To do this, we will use the by program. This program works with CG1 from any firmware, it looks for WAV files in it and then replaces them, creating a patch. To separate CG1, use the SHXCodec program ...

It should be remembered that you need to replace with files in PCM format, 8000Hz, 16 (8) bit.

6.2 Melody on / off

To change the melody on / off, use the by and by program (you can use by or another FM). First, download the mp3 files with the names Start ~ up.mp3(inclusion) and Power ~ down.mp3(shutdown) to folder / c / mobile / audio / and set the attributes "system" and "hidden" to them

Then in P2Kae go to Phone functions -> Turn on and off, there we put daws in front of "Sound when turning on" and "Sound when turning off", [write to phone]. Then we go to Phone functions -> Ring styles -> Update ringtones database -> Delete database... After rebooting, it can throw out the ring styles, then in
Phone Features -> Ring Styles press [read from phone], then [doctor], [write to phone], and [restart phone].

6.3 Adjusting volume and sound quality

There are 2 files in the phone that are responsible for the sound, they are gain_table.bin and param_table.bin. gain_table.bin mainly contains settings for the volume of various sounds, ring volume, key volume, earpiece volume, etc., param_table.bin contains settings for external speakers: equalizer, dynamic volume, distortion effects or something like that; but this file has hardly been excavated, only 5 offsets that somehow change the bass level. If param_table.bin is deleted or filled with zeros, then the sound will play without an equalizer. I personally prefer 79R without param_table.bin. =)

To edit these files, there is a program by, to adapt param_table.bin for 6x / 7xR past, click on the [fix] button in the param_table section.

6.4 Vibrating alert sounds

I think it's not a secret for anyone that in E398, in E1, and in some other motors, the speakers are located in a volumetric box, which themselves resonate at a frequency of 160 Hz. Therefore, instead of a vibration motor, the phone plays files with a sound wave having a frequency of 160 Hz. These are the files on disk / a /:

Vib_dash.wav
Vib_dot.wav
Vib_dot_dash.wav
Vib_dot_dot.wav
Vib_pulse.wav
Vib_type.mp3

I think from the names it is clear what each file is responsible for (the latter is used in Java). Usually, only the volume is changed if the phone cracks during a vibration call. But you can also add other effects, such as modulation.

6.5 Styles of alerts

All other melodies change directly from the phone in the ring styles, if you uploaded the melodies with a P2K file manager, then there may be problems with the styles being dropped from the menu. To do this, go to P2Kae at Phone functions -> Ring styles -> Update ringtones database -> Delete database, then after rebooting into Phone Features -> Ring Styles press [read from phone], then [doctor], [write to phone], and [restart phone]

In order to avoid problems with ringing styles, it is better to upload melodies through OBEX file managers. This is a native FM from the Motorola Phone Tools set, or better than it is no longer native by (the mode is enabled in the settings). They can easily upload multimedia with Russian names and not worry about styles.

7. Working with the phone

There are many programs for working with the phone, various file managers, SEEM editors, file editors, patch makers, etc. Here is a set of programs that every Motorola owner should have.

By- software for taking pictures via cable.

(aka MotoSound, aka MotoTables) by

Contents of delivery

Telephone
Battery
Charger
Instructions
CD with software (includes Mobile Phone Tools, plus about 100 MB of content)
USB cable for PC sync
Stereo headset
64 MB memory card (TransFlash)

The youth segment of the market in the coming years will become the most important for manufacturers, we will see the first models aimed at such consumers this summer. Moreover, unlike phones for young people in previous years, the new generation has become completely different, offering functionality that was typical only for business phones. Manufacturers have abandoned solutions such as interchangeable panels, eye-catching, vibrant colors. The hallmark of a modern youth device is not a defiant appearance, but on the contrary, a consistent design and functionality close to maximum. Such a strange change in the camp of manufacturers is explained by the fact that young people, by their behavior, smashed all the calculations of marketing departments, they acquired business solutions, sometimes saving sales of one model or another that failed for the intended target audience. It is young people who like to experiment, they are attracted by new technologies, while middle-aged people are already more conservative in their mass.

The release of youth phones of the new generation was predetermined - they should combine a strict design with elements of some frivolity, functionality should be close to the maximum, plus the phone software should be less strict and meet the needs of the audience. Based on these three preconditions, the Motorola E398 was created.

The phone's design is kept in a calm manner, it is not flashy. The corners are slightly rounded, which gives a good impression of the overall shape of the phone. In the construction, the developers used plastic similar in tactile sensations to rubber (the back cover of Ericsson T68m was like that). It is very pleasant to hold the device in your hand, it does not slip out, even if your hands are damp. Another plus of such plastic is that it is matte, there are no traces left on it. To emphasize the difference between the plastic, the keyboard was made of ordinary material. The buttons are large and are located in terraces, it is comfortable to work with them. This is not to say that the keyboard is perfect, but it cannot be called bad either.

A good solution is that the vertical center row of keys is raised, and the side rows are slightly recessed. You can dial the number blindly, there will be no mistakes.

The joystick is glossy, medium-sized. The opinions of users who used the device about it were divided, as some said that it slips, others, on the contrary, found it convenient. For some time, everyone got used to it. It should be noted that there were no erroneous transitions, inaccurate positioning due to the joystick from the first minutes of communication with the phone. In my opinion, the main mistake when using it may lie in the fact that a person is trying to control it with only the tip of the thumb, it is better to put the whole finger on it. Menu navigation is possible using only the joystick, so soft keys are practically not required. It should be remembered that the phone also has a quick call to all functions, which is not associated with the joystick, the user himself chooses how he prefers to work.

Let's move on to the phone screen, it is similar to those used in Motorola v300, v500, v600. That is, the screen resolution is 176x220 pixels, it displays up to 8 lines of text, two service lines and a line of icons. The physical size of the screen is 30x38 mm, which is slightly larger than the screens in Motorola v500, v600. The explanation lies in the fact that in this model the protective glass is slightly curved, and besides, it is tinted. Hence, a slightly larger size of the displayed area follows.

The display is made using TFT technology (65000 colors), it fades in the sun, but remains one of the best in terms of behavior outdoors in summer. That is, in comparison with other devices, some of the information remains readable. On the whole, the device is extremely comfortable in terms of the quality of information display, the colors are vivid and juicy. The device is by far the best in its class in terms of screen quality (you can only compare it with Sony Ericsson K700). Perhaps, competing products from Siemens, Nokia are much inferior to this model in terms of the quality of the screens installed in them. Screens that can be compared to Motorola E398 are installed in new Samsung phones, but they are positioned differently.

Let's go back to the design of the device, its dimensions are 108x46x21 mm. The device is visually larger than its real size, if you put it next to the same Sony Ericsson T630, you won't see much difference. The phone weighs 107 grams (the manufacturer says about 110 grams).

On the sides of the device, you can see the holes for the two speakers. The diameter of each is 16 mm, together they give a surround sound. The Motorola E398 phone de facto becomes the first device on the market with stereo speakers. Despite the fact that similar models have been demonstrated for a long time by Korean manufacturers, it is in this model that the function is implemented and this device will appear the first on the market.

Many may say that stereo sound on the phone is a pampering and is needed by a few. Such statements are typical for those who do not belong to the target audience of this device, they are middle-aged people. What are the advantages of two speakers ?! The first and most obvious is the volume of the melodies being played (both regular and mp3). In this model, as compared to Motorola V600, the bell sounds about twice as loud. More precisely, almost twice as loud, the increase in sound is non-linear. The installation of two side speakers made it possible to make the volume of the main speaker, which is used during a call, a little less, in my opinion, this is not always justified. In noisy rooms the phone is often heard a little worse than Motorola v300, v500, v600. There is no perfection in the world, if you simply did not hear those models and missed the call, then the call is heard here, but the interlocutor is difficult. I'll make a reservation that the volume of the main speaker is low in comparison with other devices from the company (vX00), you won't notice the difference with phones from other manufacturers.

Light indicators are built into the grilles of the side speakers, they can change their colors depending on the selected color scheme. That is, when you call, any event, the phone signals it not only with sound, but also with color. This technology is called Rhythm and Color on the menu, in the Haptics brand name. For the first time we saw the full application of this technology in Motorola v80, everything is the same here. It is curious that both devices will appear on the market at about the same time.

Especially for discos there is a light music mode, just set the microphone sensitivity, the operating time of the function, choose your favorite color scheme and the phone on your chest will begin to sparkle to the beat of the music. In reality, the activation of the mode takes a couple of seconds. The backlighting concerns not only the sides, the keyboard also participates in it (only one white color). This function is ideal for the target audience of the device, it expresses the essence of the phone. At the moment, none of the manufacturers has analogues of this feature.

At the top there is a stereo headset connector covered with a rubber cap attached to the body. The advantage of this solution is that the standard interface connector located at the bottom end is not used, although you can connect a headset there as well. But in the latter case, the construction turns out to be cumbersome, this solution is incorrect. The Nokia 6230 can serve as an example of this kind; the dimensions of the device with the connected headset increase by almost a centimeter, which cannot be called optimal.

The phone is compatible with all standard Motorola accessories, which is a consequence of the standard interface connector and the same triplet platform.

On the left side surface you can see two volume keys, below is the Smart button. We saw it in old models from Motorola, then they abandoned it and now it appears again. The advantage of this dedicated key is that you can assign almost any action to it, it's convenient. Calling the function works not only from standby mode, but for a number of functions and during a call (depending on the software version). For example, by assigning a voice recorder to this key, you activate it with one touch during a call. If the voice dialing will hang on it, then pressing the key during a conversation will not lead to anything. Taking into account the rich possibilities for configuring the phone programmatically, inside the menu and the presence of such a hardware key, we can say that the device offers the user literally all the ways to work with it, it remains to choose the most convenient one.

A dedicated camera key is located on the right side surface. The camera itself is located on the back surface, it is a standard VGA. Improvements concern only the fact that the device has a flash (yellow window on the back). The flash helps only in low light conditions, otherwise it is not needed, this is more a marketing function than a real improvement in functionality (like other manufacturers). We will not talk about the camera in detail, all settings are similar to other triplets, the photo quality is the same.

Opening the back cover reveals the battery. The lid has no backlash, it sits firmly in its nest. The phone uses a 700 mAh lithium-ion battery, according to the manufacturer, it can provide up to 210 hours of standby time and up to 7 hours of talk time. Under the conditions of the Moscow MTS network, the device worked for about 2 days with 2.5 hours of listening to an mp3 player, 45 minutes of calls and up to 40 minutes of games. Bluetooth was activated all the time. More modest user requests show that the device is capable of working for about 3 days. Power consumption is directly related to the screen time, the number of games (sound) or incoming calls. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the battery. The first few charges may take longer, this is normal. In our case, during four charges, the device showed the charging process for about 5-6 hours. Based on the number of functions used, we can say that the operating time of this model is comparable to the devices of the same class.

Under the battery there is a SIM-card holder (it is standard), and next to it there is a slot for T-Flash memory cards. These cards appear for the first time in Motorola E398, and in the future they will be used in many devices of the company. It is necessary to say a few words about the T-Flash standard developed by SunDisk and why it came into being.

TransFlash

TransFlash cards were previously known under the name TriFlash, later the SunDisk company changed the name. These cards can also be called T - Flash, in many presentations of mobile phone manufacturers this standard appears exactly in this designation.

The appearance of TransFlash memory cards is due to the need to use small-sized memory cards in mobile devices, the cards existing at the time of the development of the standard did not satisfy the miniature condition. The second problem that the developers tried to solve was to create a storage medium for the phone's program code, all kinds of settings, and so on. This use of TransFlash cards has led to the fact that they can be either hot-swappable or mounted in the device next to the SIM-card slot (change only when the phone is turned off). The first devices use the second option, the cards can be changed only when the device is turned off.

TransFlash cards are compatible with SD cards, in particular, they are read in appropriate adapters. At the same time, the size of TransFlash cards is only two-thirds of the size of a SIM-card (15x11x1 mm). These are the smallest memory cards currently on the market.

Here are the specifications for the TransFlash cards.

The manufacturer announces at the moment only about the production of memory cards from 16 to 128 MB. In reality, by the end of 2004, memory cards with a capacity of up to 1 GB will already be presented. The cost of cards will range from $ 14 for 32 MB and up to $ 39 for 128 MB. Based on the fact that these memory cards should become widespread, we can expect a slight drop in prices, especially with the advent of more devices using them.

Technologically, the cards are built on the basis of NAND MLC memory from SunDisk, the same memory is used in the company's miniSD cards.

Motorola was the first mobile phone manufacturer to announce massive support for TransFlash memory cards in its products. Siemens is expected to join it this year and plans to use this type of memory in Siemens SL65 product.

The main competitor for TransFlash memory cards at the moment are RS-MMC cards (reduced size MMC). In fact, these are ordinary MMC cards, which are half the size. This standard has no obvious advantages in comparison with TransFlash, they will exist in parallel. In my opinion, depending on the success of a particular manufacturer of mobile phones in the market with products using memory cards, the success of the standards will be measured.

Let's give an illustration of this in the form of a forecast of sales growth, memory cards for various devices, as you can see, it is mobile phones that make the main contribution.

And again aboutMotorolaE 398

The phone comes preinstalled with a 64 MB memory card, which allows you to record about an hour of music in high quality, or up to two hours in worse quality. You can also record any files on the memory card, use it for transporting them. Files with unfamiliar permissions are not displayed in the viewer of the phone itself, but are visible in the sync program. In general, the memory card serves not only as a collection of musical compositions, but also as an extension of the phone's usual memory. So, the device addresses all memory in the same way, you just need to select a source (by analogy with disks on a PC). There are no differences in where the files are located on the memory card or in the main memory for the phone. So, if you do not need mp3 compositions, then your right to fill the whole map with various screensavers, games for your phone.

The package includes a USB cable for PC synchronization, and the full version of Mobile Phone Tools is included. The presence of the cable is due to the fact that not all users have Bluetooth on their PC. The disc with the software also contains about 100 Mb of various pictures, melodies, and additional games. All content was created in collaboration with MTV, as part of a global Motorola contract.

The speed of data transfer to the memory card is high, it will be possible to hammer it to the eyeballs through the cable in 7 minutes.

We will not talk about all the functional capabilities of Motorola E398, all of them are well described in the review of Motorola v300, v500, v600, this model belongs to the same class, this is a typical triplet. But at the same time, this is an improved version of the (programmatically) listed models, there are very nice features that were previously absent.

I will try to list them in order. Firstly, in standby mode, when the custom screen saver is not working (it can be any static or animated picture), the phone displays the charge level and the network signal strength against a dark background. Unfortunately, information about missed calls and events is not displayed on this screen saver, apparently this is a matter of the future.

Secondly, the phone has changed the capabilities of skins or in the original Skins. Now, when you change the theme, literally everything changes, including the design of windows, the appearance of analog, digital clocks. The appearance of the phone varies greatly, the company's website promises to constantly add new themes that can be downloaded to the phone.

In the phone book, in addition to correlating his personal melody, photo, the subscriber has the opportunity to assign his own backlight color, this is an additional function.

In most menus, where, one way or another, it is required to confirm an action, the developers have provided feedback. For example, having typed a number on the keyboard, you need to call it, in general, a standard procedure. Here, after pressing the call button, you will feel its slight vibration and a sound signal. These things are fully used in games.

Finally, the interior design of the phone, a set of pre-installed templates, this is a clear understanding of the needs of the target audience. For example, MMS templates are pretty pictures that are interesting and curious.

Games (all games are made in Java, the device supports MIDP 2.0) also differ in variety. For example, the phone has Pinball, which is implemented very well. To be honest, this is the second time a Motorola phone takes a lot of my time playing games, the first case was the Monopoly on Motorola v500. There is also a game with water skiing, it is for an amateur and to some extent a tribute to fashion. Football as such is not very interesting, but again, someone will like it.

Especially for the new series of youth devices, in cooperation with the music television MTV, a large selection of games has been launched under the name of plastic culture - Plastikulture TM. In these toys, the company tries to create fun games for young people. Two games are already available, Hairstyler TM, this is a game of skill and memory, the second toy is more interesting, it is called TroubleMaker TM

In the second game, with which we managed to get acquainted, we need to run around the house, take objects and generally deliver all sorts of problems to the household, besides, you can communicate with them. In general, the game does not carry a destructive bias, it is funny, largely due to the caricature of the characters.

Impressions

The connection quality does not give rise to any criticism, the device performed well in various conditions. As mentioned above, the presence of stereo speakers makes the call signal loud, it is well heard in various conditions. The vibrating alert remained average in strength, it is not always possible to feel it.

The start of deliveries of this model is expected at the end of July, beginning of August. The price of the phone in the standard configuration (the maximum possible) will be about $ 330-340. Higher prices are possible in the first week, they can also be held due to the lack of the required number of phones. In its segment Motorola E 398 has a small number of competing models, its direct competitor is only Sony Ericsson K 700. Both phones will appear in the same time frame, the cost of K700 will be $ 30-35 higher. The advantages of the K700 include the built-in radio, a larger volume of internal memory, and the presence of an IrDA port. At the same time, the E398 has replaceable memory cards, a richer package bundle, and a more interesting set of pre-installed games. Both devices have Bluetooth, which is practically the maximum range of functions for today. More than one user will have to decide what to choose between them. The E398 has such unique features as stereo speakers, removable TransFlash memory cards, light and music. For other manufacturers, the presence of one or another unique opportunity would already be a reason for raising prices, but this is not observed here.

And finally, a lyrical digression. The phone is almost perfect in its segment, it suits well the needs of young people. The device made a strong impression on almost everyone who communicated with it for at least five minutes. A similar effect was produced by K700, these are two of the most interesting devices for young people this summer. Of course, their price is higher than the cost of budget solutions, but young people are different, in large cities both models will be in demand. I can say one thing with certainty, both models will become hits of sales, they will not be given another.

P.S. Among the last devices that we had on the test, there was some kind of enchanted band of models with problems, not very good characteristics, and just plain hack. It was all the more joyful to see several similar models at once, you learned one of them from this review, others are on the way, in particular, the Philips 855, so stay with us.