FM-transmitter in practice: E-TEN X650

FM transmitter - theory, tools

FM-transmitter... we can see more and more devices with this label and with a decreasing price. Based on its name it’s easy to figure out what does such a device really do: it transmits data on shortwave. The question is what kind of data, as most of us FM means radio devices, but this time we’re talking about something different, so if you’d like to operate a pirate radio than go looking somewhere else.

This won't work

We can perceive FM transmitters as car handsfree sets. When sitting in our car many of us might have thought that it would be much better to listen songs from our MP3 players instead of dumb words flowing from the radio, but in the era of car CD players we don’t have many choices. The first is to buy a BMW, which has an iPod cradle… hooray. The second opportunity comes if our player has a line-in port, than we have a really simple task. Third case: the CD player has a USB port, but this might be problematic, as this is not compatible with all MP3 players, usually only with those that can function in USB Mass Storage mode. In the era of tapes everything was solved with a converter tape.

FM transmitters solve all our troubles in a very simple and logic way. Almost all cars have an FM tuner (radio), so we just have to transmit MP3 music from an MP3 player/phone/anything on a certain frequency and then set the radio to the same one and the miracle’s done.

All countries have an official authority that is responsible to specify who can transmit on which frequency. There are usually two frequency ranges on which transmission is allowed without a license. The first is the 26 960-27 410 kHz 40 band, except 26 995, 27 045, 27 095, 27 145 and 27 195 kHz frequencies. In these ranges only F3E or G3E (frequency- or phase-modulated) type CEPT PR 27 radio devices are allowed to function. The second range includes 446,0-446,1 MHz, in which short-range commercial radios (PMR 446) can operate. As we can see both are quite far from the 88-108 MHz range used by “normal” radios. Still, the use of FM transmitters is not illegal, but they are forced to have a capacity below 500 mW. As an interesting fact, in the UK transmitters cannot be used without a license.

That’s about that theory. Our current review is about E-TEN glofiish X650 Pocket PC, which is a PDA that theoretically has an FM transmitter. We are planning to write a review in the near future about accessory transmitters, that can be used with any device.

E-TEN glofiish X650 - exterior, hardware

So it’s E-TEN X650. It’s clear that the phone is the successor of X500+, while the previously reviewed X600 is the successor of the plain X500. There were no major differences between the two older ones either, and this is the same in case of the 600 series too. If we don’t look at the label on the right of the speaker and we’re color-blind, than we can’t even make a difference between them, as they look the same. So we have the same high-quality device, the phone with a size of 58 x 107 x 14.7 mm and weight of 136 grams fits perfectly in the pocket and there can be no complaints about the use of materials either.

There are more changes on the inside. The physical size of the display is the same, but the resolution is four times more, as the 2.8” display in X650 has VGA resolution. Picture quality is okay, but there was something fishy about the sample device, as the screen was vibrating, flashing, that made it practically unusable. There’s a high chance that this was a unique flaw, so I won’t be talking any more about this.

Hardware became more powerful too. The CPU is still Samsung SC32442, but it’s 100 MHz faster than the one in X600, meaning that it runs at 500 MHz. To our greatest regret, the size of RAM didn’t change (64 MB), but ROM has been doubled (256 MB). We still don’t have much space for running programs, there are only 24 MB. For storing data we have to make use of 115 MB, and if this wouldn’t be enough than of course we can plug a microSD memory card in the bottom of the phone.

There are no changes in data transfer. The GSM module is a quad-band one (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), fastest available data transfer protocol is EDGE. WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS receiver have all remained intact, the camera’s resolution is the same too, but it has autofocus. Exposure is incredibly slow, we have to wait looong seconds after pressing the button and it’s advised to keep the phone still or we’ll get a blurred picture. The settings are the same; unfortunately the software hasn’t been changed. Picture quality is medium, here are the test pictures:

There are no other changes, who would like to know more about what’s inside, should read our review of X600.

E-TEN glofiish X650 - speed, software

Although the CPU is faster than the one in X600, it has to work more because of the hi-res display. Based on experience, the Samsung chip in E-TEN devices is not the best choice for VGA screens, that’s why speed test results are really interesting. Besides the usual Pocket PC Mark I also used VsBenchmark 2007, which we’ll be using in the future too, because it’s free, so our readers can also run it on their own machines without problem.

After running the tests, our beliefs were justified: graphics test results are less than a third of X600’s. CPU tests were also strange, as X650 is just a bit faster in the Dhrystone test, while in Whetstone we can see a 20 percent speed-up. Memory and file system tests both had a bit weaker result, so we’re not satisfied with the big picture.

There are practically no changes on the software side. The operating system is still Windows Mobile 6 Professional, which includes SPB Mobile Shell software too, so we can access a speed dial screen from the Today screen for example.

We won’t see anything new when browsing through the subdirectories of the menu, there’s just the FM Transmitter that appeared under Mutimedia.

E-TEN glofiish X650 - test, conclusion

For using the transmitter we first have to launch the application mentioned previously, which immediately displays a screen warning us to connect the headset, or it exits in 10 seconds. It’s okay that an FM tuner application needs an antenna, but it’s a bit strange for me, that a transmitter also needs one, so the headset functions as an amplifier (or parabola if you like). If we have connected the said accessory we can see a list with frequencies, from which we have to choose one and press start. After running auto-scan the device only showed the 87-89 MHz frequency range for some reason, which is no problem, as most people in the region use 88.8 MHz for this purpose. It’s absolutely important what frequency we set, as most radio stations “spread” their signal, so they can be heard with a +/- 1-2 MHz offset, and thus they can disturb our transmission.

After launching the program all, and I mean all sounds get transmitted, not just music being played in the media player, but phone calls, message sounds and the navigation software’s voice too. Calls can be set, however, to make the ringtone be played through the speaker, but speaking to be concluded with the headset. All other sounds are played on the car speakers.

As a first trial I used a Nokia phone to receive the transmitted sounds. The results were catastrophic: although I found a clean frequency after a long tuning process, but sound quality… there was hissing and cracking and although I could hear the music but it was far from clear and it was even silent. After repositioning E-TEN’s headset I could hear the sound improve a bit, but the background noise was still present. Though it was separate from the music but it still disturbed me extremely much. The results were similar in the car too, the radio received the signal only if I stretched the X650’s headset towards the rear seat, and those sitting there were holding it in their hands: ridiculous. We shouldn’t even be dreaming about putting down the phone somewhere and listening to the music. In case of a distance larger than 2-3 meters there was absolutely no signal, which reveals a very poor transmitter, as there are many commercially available ones that perform well up to 5-6 meters. With such a distance we can even interfere with the neighbor’s radio in a flat and above all: we can get enjoyable quality music inside the car. Unfortunately E-TEN glofiish is nothing like this.

Bocha

Translated by Szaszati

The sample device has been provided by www.speedshop.hu, thanks. Please click here to access the shop.

Specifications

E-TEN glofiish X650
	Technology	GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
	Operating system	Windows Mobile 6 Professional
	Size	58 x 107 x 14.7 mm
	Weight	136 grams
	CPU	500 MHz Samsung SC34224
	ROM/RAM	256 / 64 MB (115 / 24 MB free to use)
	Display	2.8” diagonal, 480 x 640 pixel resolution, 16 bit color depth touchscreen
	Expandability	microSD (SDHC-compatible)
	WiFi	802.11b/g support
	Infra/Bluetooth	none/2.0 (A2DP too)
	GPS receiver	20-channel SiRF-Star III
	Audio	2.5 mm jack output, microphone, mono speaker
	Camera	2 megapixels, autofocus, flash
	Battery	1530 mAh changeable Li-Ion
	Other	Built-in FM-transmitter, voice control, TMC support, SPB Mobile Shell software