Hi,

I have been reading some of the posts on this forum regarding the Serene and Serenate phones. There seems to be mixed feelings about these two phones. This made me wondering about a few things. What would you expect from phones in this price range in terms of:

• Design
• Functions/features/technical specifications
• Should be a smart phone (e.g. a working tool) or just a regular phone
• Where should any compromises be: on design OR on functions/features

Also, would you see the iPhone or e.g. the Nokia 8800 range as a better fit? 

Well, just being curious here Any comments?

Personally, I think both are a waste of money.

OK, the Serene is not bad but the Serenata is just awful imo.  Ugly, too big and more of a portable music player than a phone.  Both cases B&O missed the point of the mobile phone/mp3 player.

I own an iphone (have also owned an 8800/50), and to me the iphone think ticks all the boxes for what I want from a mobile phone and this to me will proabably be a phone that I keep for a long time. Your 4 questions are all relevant to the iphone, again only my opinion.  the user interface on the iphone is simply amazing as if teh overall feel an quality of the handset.. we have not even gone onto looks.. Both phones to me represent B&O of today which is confused.

The only critisism I have of the iphone is that it slips and could have done with the rubber feel layer around the edge of the iphone that you see on the serene.

I hear the 2nd gen iphone is on its way with 3g etc.  I dont want 3g so will happily keep my iphone for the next year or maybe even buy another one when they go down in price again due to the release of the new iphone.
 

The 8800 series is definitely what I would expect as a B&O phone as I think these are the best designed phones in the world. 

I guess that B&O wanted to make something different from everything else on the market, which is why their phones look like they do.

As I see it the costumer segment for a B&O phone don't want a hi-tech phone with very techy features, but a nice design that does all the basics.

If I were to make a wish on features for a B&O phone it would be to incorporate the possibilities from the keyring, so you can turn on/off your Beolink system from your mobile, and control the volume like from the BC6000. I've thought about this before, but can't remember which other ideas I had. 

Serene : unparrallelled simplicity, individuality and wow-style, but quite delicate and with a poor camera

Serenata : Beautiful feel, alot more practical and functional, not for me, a little cumbersome, beautiful, but still annonymous looking - along with a nice sounding little (unnecessary) speaker

IMHO the iPhone is very clever, but stressful to use, and just plain boring. 

I actually expected the Serene to have a Beo remote feature built in before i bought it... :( would have been lovely 

mobeyone:

Personally, I think both are a waste of money.

OK, the Serene is not bad but the Serenata is just awful imo.  Ugly, too big and more of a portable music player than a phone.  Both cases B&O missed the point of the mobile phone/mp3 player.

I own an iphone (have also owned an 8800/50), and to me the iphone think ticks all the boxes for what I want from a mobile phone and this to me will proabably be a phone that I keep for a long time. Your 4 questions are all relevant to the iphone, again only my opinion.  the user interface on the iphone is simply amazing as if teh overall feel an quality of the handset.. we have not even gone onto looks.. Both phones to me represent B&O of today which is confused.

The only critisism I have of the iphone is that it slips and could have done with the rubber feel layer around the edge of the iphone that you see on the serene.

I hear the 2nd gen iphone is on its way with 3g etc.  I dont want 3g so will happily keep my iphone for the next year or maybe even buy another one when they go down in price again due to the release of the new iphone.
 

I see the two B&O mobile designs as 'ahead of their time'. Not confused at all, very advanced and eccentric. Just what i love about B&O 

Dave:

I see the two B&O mobile designs as 'ahead of their time'. Not confused at all, very advanced and eccentric. Just what i love about B&O 

I just done see it.. and to me they are like the phillips mobiles that preceeded them, inadequate and irrelevant and extremely dated in all aspects.

As has been said before, B&O needs to stick to its core products.
 

I think B&O and samsung collaboration with cell phones was more of a business move.
I may be mistaken but feels like B&O completely designed serene & serenata phones and handed to samsung for production.
If that is the case than it's pure win situation for B&O as all they did is invested is the design.

I can't blame B&O for making few bucks that way. And in this case I'm glad that these phone have samsung logo on them as well.
Of course I would prefere wording designed by B&O instead but then it would not justify their pricing.

I love my Serene and although laughable to many of you, it's the best cell phone for me. It does everything I need from my cell phone, calls, SMS, calendar, little camera for the odd occasion, clear and simple software and navigation, and finally a beautiful and compact design. I don't need Internet on my phone, videos, a whizz camera or anything else. I have a BlackBerry for email when I'm not moving about with my laptop, but even that I could do on my Serene according to my dealer.

My only complaints about my Serene is its poor battery life and that it's more fragile than other phones. I used to have a 8800 which I liked, but in some places still felt like an average phone. I wouldn't pay £800+ for a 8800. As for the iPhone, it's a remarkable piece of technology, but it has no design in my opinion and is full of lovely gadgets I would never use. The touch technology is the most impressive bit for me (which may I add, kills the battery) along with the usual outstanding Apple software. The iPhone is more of a gadget to me, with a rip-off monthly network rate (in the UK atleast).

For now, I don't want to change my Serene, and if it broke tomorrow I would buy another one. I haven't owned Serenata so I cannot comment much, but I demoed one for a week and preferred my Serene.

Who says Serene is ugly or dated? What phone do you have, or what is your preferred phone?

Henry:

I love my Serene and although laughable to many of you, it's the best cell phone for me. It does everything I need from my cell phone, calls, SMS, calendar, little camera for the odd occasion, clear and simple software and navigation, and finally a beautiful and compact design. I don't need Internet on my phone, videos, a whizz camera or anything else. I have a BlackBerry for email when I'm not moving about with my laptop, but even that I could do on my Serene according to my dealer.

My only complaints about my Serene is its poor battery life and that it's more fragile than other phones. I used to have a 8800 which I liked, but in some places still felt like an average phone. I wouldn't pay £800+ for a 8800. As for the iPhone, it's a remarkable piece of technology, but it has no design in my opinion and is full of lovely gadgets I would never use. The touch technology is the most impressive bit for me (which may I add, kills the battery) along with the usual outstanding Apple software. The iPhone is more of a gadget to me, with a rip-off monthly network rate (in the UK atleast).

For now, I don't want to change my Serene, and if it broke tomorrow I would buy another one. I haven't owned Serenata so I cannot comment much, but I demoed one for a week and preferred my Serene.

Who says Serene is ugly or dated? What phone do you have, or what is your preferred phone?

Hey Henry,

I think I may have been a tad harsh on the serene... it is a nice phone and you are right, it does what it says on the box but to me it could have been a lot better just by it have a higher spec and finish, the plastic case lets is down immensly as does the plastic buttons.

Not wanting to turn this into another bash B&O thread, I think the Serenata is appalling.  Everything about it is wrong in comparison.  The 88 series by Nokia is also excellent but the poor battery life and display size has turned me off the range.  I have man hands, and I struggled to use the buttons which was always a 'mare and then having an ipod, phone in a pocket was one too many for me.  The iphone gives me the luxury of a number of uses with a very good design and functionality and kicka55 battery, very robust and has been dropped numerous times and not a problem.

Yes its (iphone) a compromise but a very good one and to me a far better choice than the Serene or Serenata.

mobeyone:

Personally, I think both are a waste of money.

OK, the Serene is not bad but the Serenata is just awful imo.  Ugly, too big and more of a portable music player than a phone.  Both cases B&O missed the point of the mobile phone/mp3 player.

I own an iphone (have also owned an 8800/50), and to me the iphone think ticks all the boxes for what I want from a mobile phone and this to me will proabably be a phone that I keep for a long time. Your 4 questions are all relevant to the iphone, again only my opinion.  the user interface on the iphone is simply amazing as if teh overall feel an quality of the handset.. we have not even gone onto looks.. Both phones to me represent B&O of today which is confused.

The only critisism I have of the iphone is that it slips and could have done with the rubber feel layer around the edge of the iphone that you see on the serene.

I hear the 2nd gen iphone is on its way with 3g etc.  I dont want 3g so will happily keep my iphone for the next year or maybe even buy another one when they go down in price again due to the release of the new iphone.
 

 

I absolutely agree with you. Until the iPhone was announced, I hoped that B&O would produce a simple but nicely designed, robust mobile phone. The indestructible Nokia 8800 is a very good example for a timeless phone. If B&O is able to announce a phone that's not made of plastics and that is capable to sync with the mac I'd buy it. The problem is that, since I have the iPhone, I'm too happy with it, and I don't have interest in other phones anymore. 

B&O had many opportunities before the iPhone era was initiated, but they blew it.  Serene and Serenata were two big disappointments. So is the Beosound 6 (Compared to the BeoSound 2). I mean, what were they thinking when rebadging a dull Samsung MP3 player. This is no B&O philosophy at all. No wonder the CEO had to go. 

 

 

Hi mobeyone,

this is no B&O bashing thread. This is about strengths and weak points of our favorite brand. My belief in B&O loudspeakers and AV systems is still great. I'd never change my BC2, BV4 setup with any high-end solution of another brand. This is the field where B&O has a lot of reputation. High-Value workmanship especially with aluminum and glass and system integration is B&O's excellence.

 

So, my expectations from B&O concerning a cell phone would be as follows:

- A case made of single piece polished aluminum (like the Beo1 remote control)

- Scratch resistant mineral glass display (like Nokia 8800)

- High quality heavy duty metal or vulcanite keys (like Vertu)

- Easy Win AND (!) Mac synchronization

- Optional use as a simple B&O remote (Integration)

- And a feature that differs the B&O mobile phone from others (GPS theft tracking or emergency call service, concierge service ?) 

The iphone is an amazing product. Amongst the product design fraternity it is considered the quantum leap in cell phones. A beautiful, intuitive interface, regular software updates and brilliant synchronisation with apple iphoto, itunes and diary. The Serene and Serenata just don't compare. I got one on the day it was released and I love it – it is indispensable. When compared with Apples touch screen, the click wheel and unfathomable Serene keypad just don't hold up. Considering the price of the iphone, I would hope the B&O phones would provide and do a lot more than they offer. Even the build quality and materials don't justify the price. That said my dealer (B&O Islington) gave me a demo of the music player on the Serenata and even though it is a bit of a lump, I was very impressed – it sounded awesome – anyone know if you can use it as a music player without a sim card?. 

hmmn... got a serene for my girlfriend when they first came out and was amazed at how basic they are (wrt software and spec)- I guess i say that as a htc convert.

Also suprised at finding a dead pixel- quality control??? Didn't bother her enough to replace the unit though.

Can't understand the whole iphone adoration.

I have a love hate relationship with my htc x7500 (most of the hate stems from the flaws in the windows ce plafrom). In most respects it is superior to the iphone. I do wish it had multitouch though....

 

 

 

hungover:

I have a love hate relationship with my htc x7500 (most of the hate stems from the flaws in the windows ce plafrom). In most respects it is superior to the iphone. I do wish it had multitouch though....

Have you seen Microsoft Surface?