written by combo on 13/03/2004
The siemens sl42 mobile phone has high features which can help one in his day-to-day activities and is user friendly too, but it's only problem is the screen and it freezes sometimes.
written by Sukhy. on 12/04/2003
This phone looked really nice, but the main reason I bought it was the MP3 functionality it provided (I catch the tube to work). Unfortunatly the SL42 does not come with headset+PC cable, which I had to buy myself. In addition I bought a 64mb MMC... these were not cheap (NOTE they come with the SL45 which is identical except it comes with 32mb MMC). I was annoyed to find that songs take forever to upload from PC to the phone! No chance connecting the phone to PC cable and uploading some tracks a few minutes before heading for work.... more like leaving phone connected overnight! Also, contrary to what others have written the menu system is NOT intuitive (Nokias are much simpler) although I got used to it after a few days. Overall, buy the phone for its looks and MP3 functionality, but be warned transfer times are high.
written by FoneDoc. on 31/12/2002
The Siemens sl42 is not designed for lazy people, unlike certain handsets today. This phone really can outperform many of todays handsets in its class and even some of the larger phones. The User Interface lacks some of the Nokia user interface intuitive character, but it certainly makes up for in build quality and functionality. Its a great phone in a small package and shouldnt be underestimated.
My only real gripe is that you have to download the software for this handset, but then again, why am I moaning - its FREE!!
written by RichieG. on 06/12/2002
well what can I say- I'm impressed with my sl42. I've had it since July 2002 and it hasn't let me down at all. There is so many different things that can be done on it. The sms archive is good as you can save as many messages as you want with out having to delete any. The dictaphone is good to because you can record phone conversations. This phone has so many short cut keys on it that makes browsing though it so easy and quick. You can find all the things you'll ever need for this phone at www.l8shop.co.uk Must buy it Richie
written by Dream5. on 28/11/2002
I bought Siemens SL 42 three days ago. So I have it for quite short time to make final decision. But...this is First look: Siemens Sl42 looks just great! Aluminium silver body is actually real metal! Back cover is extremly thin battery. When You take it in Your hand SL42 is very light it weights only 88 grams! Display is one of the biggest it shows up to 7 line of very sharp text with excellent contrast. Features: multimedia card 16 MB You can record voice messages (up to 2,5 hours!) (dictaphone) SMS, MP3 songs on it . To use MP3 player You need to buy headphones though. Any 10 siemens compatibile headphones will work although siemens have pricey Stereo headphones for this model. Also for connecting SL42 to PC if You don't have IR reciver on Your laptop or home PC You have to buy data cable (from 15€-30€) Dictaphone feature works great. You can record incoming and outgoing phone calls, voice memos (directions) etc. Sound quality of the phone is great! Though speaker could be a bit louder... That's all for first look ! This is great phone actually same as SL45 but without optionals like (data cable, headphones ,home charger and a 16 Mb MMC instead 32 Mb in SL45) As price dropped it is great value for money and really a lot of advanced features which is not easily found. Recommended for those technical freaks only neo a bit slow PC connection for everyday uploading/changing of mp3's Hope full review will come in near future.
written by Akuma. on 10/11/2002
Having previously owning a Siemens S25, I wanted to get another Siemens phone purely because I have had a good experience from them. After purchasing this phone (Second hand), and using it for a few minutes, I found a really nice bargain for what this phone can do. The SL42 has so much to offer and with the memory card and the fact that you can upgrade to bigger sizes only pushes the phone forward for expansion as well as keeping up to date. Reception quality is excellent but please note this depends on which Network you are with. The screen size is very big for the size of phone so no more squinting at small screens! Features features and features! It has loads! SMS messgaing is a breeze with T9 input and it can facilitate any new words you spell just like the Nokia phone. You can store your phone numbers in a real address book fashion by inputting the Name, Address, Tel No, Mobile No. Email address under one name. You can program your own Hotkeys to common things you would use like SMS. It has a dictaphone, handy for when you want to make notes. The memory card which really opens the phone wide open can store your Text Messages, Ringtones and Logos etc. And of course it has the MP3 player. Also if you donwload the Data Exchange Software from the official Siemens website and get yourself a datacable, you can transfer logos and ringtones etc. from your PC. If your looking for a phone that has many features and like me is not interested in playing Music on a Mobile phone and using it just for Phone calls SMS etc. then the SL42 is a Star Buy. If your the sort of person that wants all the optional extras in order to play MP3's then the SL45 will meet your requirements.
written by SRS. on 03/10/2002
The Siemens SL42 is an excellent mobile phone. It has MANY features and I love its design. Because the phone has only 16MB memory, I put a MMC and the phone is marvellous! Also, its reception and audio quality is very good. I strongly recommend it.
written by Visi. on 28/08/2002
This SL42 from Siemens is an amazing mobile phone. There is nothing on earth that this phone can't accomplish. The reception is very good, it has an excellent built-in MP3 player and comes with a 16 MB MMC and a very useful dictaphone with which you can record up to 2 hours on to the MMC. Also you can use the 16 MB of the MMC to transfer files between two computers. The IRdA interface is useful to exchange data with onether mobile, a PC or laptop and even with a PDA.
The accesories are a little pricey but it's a good deal to purchase this phone.
written by Genni. on 22/08/2002
This Siemens SL42 mobile phone is great for forgetful people and people on the go.
This phone has a stunning address book, great for business people, it has place for home addresses, e-mail addresses, home addresses etc. Every tiny little detail you can possibly imagine.
The reception is stunning, it really feels like you're talking to the person face to face.
The phone itself is beautiful, neat, and professional looking.
The features are endless, if I had to carry on with praise, we'd be here all day.
written by CW. on 20/08/2002
After upgrading from a Nokia 402 what a delight this Siemens SL42 mobile phone is. It has tons of features, good reception and is easy to use once you get the hang of the menu's. It has a large memory for storing useful info, also stopwatch and currency converter etc etc. Definitely worth having especially if you get it free with your talk plan!
written by colm. on 15/08/2002
I have had many phones of varying quality and cost but never, never have i come across a phone this poor. Its menu is the least user friendly i have ever come across. It is badly designed, extremely slow and many features such as SMS are absolutely useless. A massive memory with obviously a tiny serial bus to carry all this data around. Next it is exteremyl delicate and has poor styling.
the only good thing i have to say about this phone is, its gone.
Written on: 28/11/2002
Having owned many phones I can honestly say that the sl45 was the best by far. When I dropped it and had to replace it, I was devastated to find it was no longer available in the UK. Luckily I managed to find an sl42 and had no hesitation in ordering it. The best (and best looking phone)on the market by far!
written by Mr. Bean. on 26/07/2002
After upgrading to this Siemens SL42 mobile phone from a Sony Z5, I realised that I must have been using very out of date technology.
Menus are nice and easy to use and text messaging is a breeze with T9 predictive text input. The orange backlight is a great alernative to the horrible yellowish green on most phones. Now though, most phones developed have different backlight colours, and some, such as the Motorola V66, have a feature which can change the backlight colour.
The ringing tone composer is ok, not as easy to use as a Nokia's, and there are no sites that show the keys to create these ringing tones. But as I am a master in making ringing tones, I have no difficulty. Unfortunately, this phone does not have recordable ringing tones like its rival, the Sony Z7. (Oh well... You can't get them all!)
The Mp3 player is not as good as its older brother's one, (the SL45) but it will do. The sound quality is great and it is not affected by the phone being tossed around while doing things like skateboarding.
The external antenna is a bit of a pain, but Siemens did their best by making it short and flat, rather than the long thin ones that you get sticking into your leg whilst cycling.
The weight gives a feeling of quality, as a phone weighing next to nothing, (Such as the 8310) feels like there's nothing inside the phone. People go for light phones, but a phone too light tends to give me a cheap feeling.
Along with the outstanding, the SL42e does not lack the usual refinements of an up to date mobile phone. It has them all - appointment reminder, games, vibrating alert, etc.
If you are considering a good phone, go to www.mobileshop.com (The world's best mobile phone shop!) and purchase one! £149.99
written by Janaka. on 19/06/2002
The manual and product features for the Siemens SL42 mobile phone say it has an MP3 Player, but when I took it to the carphonewarehouse shop, they said it doesn't have one. There is even a menu for MP3 player. I don't understand the meaning
Written on: 06/08/2002
This phone has an mp3 player, and it works like a charm too! Easy to use, and very functional - thankyou very much!
<br>What you may not have realized (if you are a complete tool) is that you have to copy the mp3's from your computer - HUH? they don't give you the phone with the mp3's on it!?
<br>The accessories are expensive though, which is a shame, but get past the first outlay of money and you're set.
<br>It's an awesome phone, one that will provide more enjoyment and use than any nokia they've created.
Written on: 09/09/2002
The SL42 has a built-in MP3 player. You just have to buy the headset accessory to be able to listen to the music after you copied them to your phone.
<br>I for sure would know it, because i have an SL42 phone.
written by Dek Painter. on 29/05/2002
The Siemens SL42 mobile phone looks stylish and good but don't let that fool you into buying it! The accessories needed to make the phone be of use cost the earth and they are not easily found. To use the MP3 is just not worth the hassle, you'd be better off getting a Nokia 8310 and use the superior FM radio. The phone has a nasty habit of switching itself off during calls and sms messages, and if you like to move quickly between the menu then the phone does not like this either and oh! off again. My advice would be to stay well clear.
Written on: 10/11/2002
If you wanted all those accesories then you should have compared it to the SL45 and bought that instead. Saying it's not value for money because you didn't get those extras is a stupid comment, because if you wanted those, you should have got the SL45.
written by Bill. on 25/05/2002
Although the Siemens SL42e is a small, light and neat mobile phone, its poor SMS abilities let it down badly - in fact i'm even thinking of sending my back.
The voice recorder is sizeable and MAY be a useful feature for some people.
I've been unable to try the MP3 player as it doesnt come with ANY MP3's to play!
There are a number of stored ring tones but they aren't very loud and all the built in SMS message tones are inaudible!! (does anyone have a classic Nokia SMS tone for the SL42e - please send it to me!)
Written on: 20/08/2002
Sorry m8! Totally dissagree, i can write fast with the sms on the siemens sl42e. Also, it can hold tons of messages as you and store them in your archive!!!
Written on: 09/12/2002
I have a siemen sl45 and i think it has good fetures such as a mp3 player and there is nithing wrong with the sms feture what are you on about?
written by Nathan Campbell. on 25/04/2002
Well to be honest this Siemens SL42 mobile phone is a piece of junk. I wanted one because i thought it would be cool and play mp3's and the rest but really it was just a waste of money.
The phone crashes and turns itself off every so often for no reason. The reception is very poor and i have wanted to smash my phone on the floor every time it cuts out on me.
The sms system is very slow so if your into sending sms this phone is a no no. It makes you very angry. The 16Meg MMC holds next to nothing when it comes to MP3. Plus you need to buy headphones which are expensive and a MMC reader for decent transfer speeds.
This phone has a lot of good features but most of them are too hard and time consuming to bother using.
Please heed my advice and don't go for this phone just because it can play MP3. Buy a MP3 player and a phone for calls, sms etc.
Written on: 15/08/2002
decided to get this phone and traded in my nokia 8250...was a mistake... this phone hung on me the 2nd day i got it.. and the response time is so slow... transfering data on a serial cable is turtle slow.. really regreting my decision ... should have gotten 8310 instead.. but i was enticed by the MP3 player in the phone .. to my horror.. 16mb... you can hardly put anything in it... for me it's only 2 mp3... that's all....and getting in it the card itself take ages... SMS is a definitely hassle... slow compared to the nokias... besides being fully packed with features... i think siemens should improve on interface time and usablitily...
Written on: 29/11/2002
I just got the phone on a free upgrade mainly tempted by the mp3 player! ;/ Initially I got a fright when I found out how much the official leads and headset cost BUT one can get a £9.99 hi-fi lead for it which can then be used to connect your own headphones to it. And you can get a USB-MMC writer for under £11 now too, so it is not so bad after all... and memory is getting much cheaper now too ;]
Written on: 22/11/2002
sl42 is a cheaper sl45, thats why it only has 16m
Written on: 10/11/2002
Saying the reception is poor is totally rubbish because it totally depends on which Phone Network your with!!
Written on: 22/08/2002
But at what price. The phone it worth a mint its self.
Written on: 20/08/2002
I agree with CW, it's got great features on it, has always been reliable even though i've droped it too many times! It has never hung on me, and find the menu interface dead simple 2 operate, you have to be pretty dense not to be able to. Also, looks much better than the boring common nokia phones!! As with CW, I dont c the point in just buying a phone for an mp3 player, just get a portable mp3 player idiot!! The mp3 player is a bonus, and its better with it than without! Also, if you haven't realised, you can upgrade the memory spec on the phone to 64megs and hopefully soon even 128megs!!!
Written on: 20/08/2002
I don't agree with the review I find the phone easy to use, has great reception and hasn't hung on me once. Maybe I'm just lucky. Surely buying a phone just for an MP3 player is a bit silly.
written by mohsen. on 20/04/2002
I was considering between SONY Z7 and the Siemens SL 42 mobile phones. The Sony has great graphics and animation, very nice jog dial and graphical games with a Different ring tone to other mobiles. I really wanted the Siemens to be good phone but on the third day it crashed and was dialling 111111111111111111 all the time which also cost me my free minutes because it called answer phone and I could only stop it by taking the battery out. The graphics are not as smooth as Sony and the menu can be bit difficult to get used to. Playing Mp3 on it sound nice (Standard on sl45) But will cost you another 100+ considering the 16Mb MMC is not enough and you have to get a larger one also you need the cables and headphone that are not easy to find .
On the plus side you can save your funny SMS messages on the card and you won't run out of space. The Dictaphone is useful. The appointment book and calendar are good. The games are nice although not very graphical. The phone really looks nice and the silver colour will definitely not fade out like the Sony. By the way the lights under the 7,* has gone so .
written by Bart. on 08/04/2002
If you want a mobile phone with everything on, the SL42 is it. It is the same as the sl45, just with less memory and no data link cable in package. The composer works well but I have been unable to find a site on the internet to key in tunes, i don't think you can key in like nokia (still trying to suss it out). The reception is nice and clear- much better than my nokia 3310. Looks stylish and slim and it weighs so light if you want a mobile than can do everything then this is the one for you. Best mobile on the market at the moment. If anyone finds out if you can key in tunes with the composer like the nokia phones could you let me no please at [email protected] thanks.
written by caz. on 21/02/2002
i recently bought a Siemens sl42e mobile phone. It constantly crashes and turns itself off. I wouldn't advise anyone to buy one-not very pleased at all, so i exchanged it for a sony z7e
written by Andy the student. on 03/02/2002
I bought the Siemens SL42 phone after having a Nokia 8210 for a year. I was sick of it going wrong and constantly needing repair so i decided to go for the Siemens SL42 (same as SL45, but with a 16mb mmc card and no software or computer link cable). I wanted a phone that was light and small, but that still had a wide range of features. This phone boasts practically every feature you could ever want or need, although gprs would be nice as the wap can be a bit slow.
I have had no problems at all with my SL42 since i bought it and think it is a far better quality mobile phone than my old Nokia 8210. The only real down side is quite a short battery life, but higher capacity batteries are availble. Also, a link cable to download ring tones and MP3's would have been a good addition to the phone.
Some people have mentioned that the Sl42/45 turns itself off randomly, I have had no such problems so far. If you want an all singing all dancing mobile that is still stylish and light go for the SL42/45, you won't be disappointed.............
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49821_Akuma.'s Response to colm.'s Review
Written on: 10/11/2002
Menu system is easy to use, picked it up in no time. And how exactly is it slow? If it's badly designed and has poor styling, why did you buy it in the first place?