AT&T Fuze Cell Phone Review - Organizer
|
Marianne Schultz Published on April 24, 2009 Comment on this |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| The Fuze is made to manage your PIM data and offers solid synchronization options and all the applications to keep track of every last bit of information. We had some trouble accessing some PIM applications through the TouchFLO interface which really soured our experience with it and we can't reiterate too many times that TouchFLO should really just be turned off as soon as you get the Fuze. | |
 |
|
Synchronization (7.0)
The Fuze comes with a CD containing software for your PC to enable syncing with your PIM data in Outlook and even manage your media. As with the Touch Diamond, the Windows Mobile Device Center software offers enterprise-level IT functionality to support device fleets in organizations, and is strictly for use with Windows Vista. If you're running Windows XP, you'll have go with the included Microsoft Activesync software instead, and this is easy with a wizard to walk you through the entire process. The first sync must be done using the included USB cable, but you can choose to have future syncs done wirelessly via Bluetooth after this.
As mentioned in the Messaging section, there's a link in the Programs folder to "Get Blackberry Connect" though this leads to a web page that states it's not yet available, so the Fuze earns no points for it here. However, when this is available, it will add another synchronization option.
As with every Windows Mobile device we've seen, there's no way to sync the Fuze with a Mac out of the box. Mac users will want to look at a 3rd-party option like PocketMac for a synchronization solution.
Alerts (8.0)
Alerts on the Fuze are pretty flexible and should be able to catch your attention most of the time. Calendar alerts are set to on with each new event by default, scheduled to sound 15 minutes before the start of the event. You can choose any pre-event time for the alert, though its sound and vibration setting are set by the global profile settings in effect at the time of the alert. When an alert sounds, the virtual Menu key will show you options to snooze the alert or view it, while the left virtual soft menu key will allow you to dismiss it right away. If you miss an alert, it will sound again in a few minutes, lighting up the screen as well, and then repeat once more if you still haven't acknowledged it. When you go back to the Fuze, a missed-alert icon will be in the system status bar at the top of the screen, and tapping on it will show the alert.
When setting an alert, the preset options offer the ability to set it to sound 1, 5, 10, 15, 30 or 45 minutes, days, hours, or weeks prior to the start of the event. Using the keyboard, you can enter any number aside from the available presets.
Over-the-Air PIM Sync (2.0)
The Fuze is capable of over-the-air synchronization via Microsoft Exchange Server, earning it 2 points here under our scoring guide. The Blackberry Connect software would earn the Fuze another 2 points here were it available out-of-the-box.
Adding Contacts (7.68)
As with any text entry on the Fuze, you have a couple of options to enter a new contact. One is to use the QWERTY keyboard, which adds some navigation quirks, or to use an on-screen keyboard with the stylus. We found using the keyboard to be the fastest way to enter the names and numbers of our test contacts and it took an average of 13.02 seconds, giving it one of the better scores in this area relative to our comparison phones, where only the T-Mobile G1, another device with a slide-out keyboard, beat it. For more information on how we conduct this test see this article.
Creating a new contact
We did encounter one annoyance in performing this test. When you go to open the keyboard quickly using your left thumb, it's easy to press the Push-to-Talk button that's centered on the edge right where you'll instinctively apply pressure, thereby accidentally activating this feature. The more we think about it, the more we wonder how it made sense to put any buttons along the portion of the phone where you'll need to apply pressure to reveal the keyboard. This is not the smartest idea, in our view.
Looking/Sorting/Search (8.50)
There are a plethora of options to search through and sort your contacts on the Fuze, making it easy to get through a large phone book. Contacts are listed alphabetically by last name by default, and a View By option in the Menu allows you to change this to alphabetically by company.
A QWERTY search of the contacts list
A Filter option allows you to see recently viewed contacts only or by assigned categories. You can also do a QWERTY or T9 search by first name, last name, or company if this is the selected sorting method, using the on-screen or physical keyboard. There's also an alphabet strip on the right side of the screen that will allow you to quickly scroll through the alphabet by dragging your finger along it, or simply by tapping on the desired letter to jump to that section of your contacts list.
Fields (8.20)
When you create a new Outlook contact on the Fuze, you are presented with 40 fields to enter anything and everything you know about the person you're adding. A second tab in the new contact dialogue offers a Notes field where you can enter additional information. There is no option to add additional fields to augment the already-impressive number of fields provided, nor are there any user-customizable fields.
The new contact dialogue
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (5.67)
The Fuze has a voice command feature that does not require you to record a voice tag for each contact in order to use it. By default, the system is activated when you press and hold the Send button. We tested it with each of our test contact names and it correctly identified them all without issue.
The voice command settings menu
You can also assign contacts to a speed dial number to avoid searching through your contacts list, allowing you to enter just a 1- or 2-digit number to make a call. There are 99 speed dial slots, a couple of which are already set to standard services out of the box.
Adding Calendar Items (11.14)
If you have a busy calendar that fills up quickly on a regular basis, you'll be happy to know it's quick and easy to add a calendar item on the Fuze, taking an average of 8.98 seconds. There's a shortcut to the calendar on the home screen below the time, and clicking here will take you to the calendar's default agenda view where you can click on a date, select New Appointment from the Menu, and get started. For more information on how we conduct this test see this article.
Calendar Views (7.0)
The Fuze offers a variety of ways to view your calendar, some useful, others not so useful. The Options menu allows you to choose which view is shown first when you open the application, though the Agenda view is set as the default. You can also choose to define Sunday or Monday as the first day of the week here, and select a 5, 6, or 7-day week for the week view. The Filter command in the Menu allows you to show only items in specific categories.
The agenda view
An Agenda view calls to mind the combination of both appointments and tasks to be accomplished, but this isn't what you're shown. Instead, you only see a list of appointments for the selected day, and a blank screen if there are no appointments. The day view shows the exact same thing, though with time slots so you can see where your appointments fall throughout the day.
The day view
The week view shows the most information about your general availability, where time slots occupied by appointments are shown in a different color. The month view doesn't give you much information about your availability, only showing a small triangle in a corner on days where appointments are scheduled. Tapping on a day will bring you to the day view for that day. The month views of the iPhone 3G and Nokia N96 are more useful since more information is available in the view on appointments on selected days.
The week view
The year view is just a handy way to see the entire year at once and it shows absolutely no information about your availability.
The month view
If you're shopping for a smartphone and considering both the HTC Touch Diamond and the Fuze, there is no difference in calendar views and functionality between the two.
The year view
Fields (11.0)
With 11 fields for a new calendar item that cover all the basics and more, busy users should have no problems staying on top of their agenda with the Fuze. In addition to a calendar item's start and end times and dates, you can add attendees, customize a reminder, designate a category, set the recurrence schedule, and more.
Creating a new event
Adding ToDo/Task (3.98)
Adding tasks was often an exercise in pure frustration on the Fuze. We found the quickest way to get to enter a new task was to slide it open to reveal the keyboard, which then shows a modified home screen with quick links to several applications, including Tasks.
The new task dialogue
Inexplicably, the Tasks application would close down on its own right after we opened it about 50% of the time, requiring us to re-open it to complete the test. This issue led to some dreadfully long times that affected the Fuze's score here, earning it the lowest score among our comparison phones that do have Tasks applications. For more information on how we conduct this test see this article.
To Do/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (7.0)
The Menu in the Tasks applications offers options to sort them by Status, Priority, Subject, Start Date, or Due Date. The default sorting scheme is by priority. The Filter option allows you to view just recently viewed tasks, tasks by category, or active or completed tasks. The default Filter is All Tasks. The Fuze earns full points under our scoring guidelines here for these options, matching the Blackberry Storm and Touch Diamond.
Sorting tasks
Fields (9.0)
When you create a new task, you have 10 fields available to capture everything from the intended start date, category, priority, and more. You can even set a task to recur, which we don't see as often as we'd like. However, the ability to even create tasks to begin with is great considering that the T-Mobile G1 and iPhone 3G don't even come with tasks applications out of the box, though there are 3rd-party solutions to address this lack.
Adding Notes (3.98)
Unfortunately, we encountered the same issue in this test as we did for adding a new task - the Notes application would shut down on its own immediately after being opened using the landscape home screen's shortcut.
A new note - see the recording bar at the bottom
This is the TouchFLO interface, and these incidents only reaffirm our advice that Fuze users turn this feature off and never, ever use it. Despite these shenanigans, the Fuze managed an average time of 14.34 seconds to enter a new note, giving it just an average time relative to our comparison phones. For more information on how we conduct this test see this article.
Note Interface (3.0)
The Notes application interface isn't fancy, but it's more robust than we usually see, as is appropriate for a business-oriented device. You can sort existing notes by name, date, size, and type. A drop-down box in the top-left allows you to view notes saved in a specific folder and organize them by creating and editing folders. You can't categorize notes or search through them, however.
The notes interface & sorting options
Note Formatting (4.0)
The default text entry mode in the Notes application is writing, allowing you to use the stylus to draw free-hand on the touchscreen and still enter text using the on-screen or physical keyboards. The other default text entry option is Typing that restricts you only to text entry via the on-screen and physical keyboards.
The default note template is a blank note that looks like a piece of lined paper, but this can be changed in the Options menu where your other choices are Meeting Notes, Memo, Phone Memo, or To Do. In case you're wondering, the To Do template does not take you back to the Tasks application - it is simply a template structured like a bulleted list.
Other than these standard templates, which you cannot change, there is no way to change the font, font size, font color, or any other aspect of how notes are formatted.
Voice Memo (6.0)
Voice memos can be added to Notes and there is also a dedicated Voice Recorder application. There is no one-touch button to start a recording, though you can program a button to get to the application in the main Settings menu, if you'd like, or even get to it via the Voice Command feature, which is activated by a button by default.
The voice recorder application
Saved memos can be sent as attachments in messages and used as ringtones. Saved voice memos can be sorted by name, date, size, or type, and organized any way you'd like in the default folder or multiple folders you can create and edit to your tastes.
| Previous Next | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
