Hello BeoWorlder's!

As many of you know, i was invited to Berlin on behalf of BeoWorld to see and experience the launch of the all-new Bang & Olufsen Music Phone developed in partnership with Samsung - the Serenata!

Over this thread i will try and give you as in-depth an insight into the phone as i can.  Bang & Olufsen have kindly loaned BeoWorld a 'press sample' unit for us to review, and you will have to excuse me if the review isn't very good... It's the first one i've ever done!

First and foremost, i will repeat some quotes and technical specifications about the Serenata as outlined in the 'press-pack' which was handed to me on arrival.  This will give you the 'official' facts and figures, and then i hope to be able to give you a more 'human' review, going a little more in depth than most of the other reviewers.

So - here goes!

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Bang & Olufsen - Serenata - Technical Specifications 

Designer - David Lewis

System - 3G/GSM R/F Band, GSM 900, 1800, 1900 and HSDPA 2100

Dimensions - 63 x 109.5 x 19.7mm

Weight - 136g

Battery Capacity  - 1000 mAh

Talk Time - up to 3h

Standby Time - Up to 280h

Display Technology - TFT-LCD

Pixel - 240 x 240

Colour - 256k

Size in Inches - 2.26"

Bluetooth - Yes

USB - Version 2.0 (High Speed)

Browser - WAP 2.0

Message - SMS, MMS, E-Mail (POP3, IMAP4, SMTP, SSL, TLS, OTA E-Mail Settings Configuration)

Memory - 4GB + 25MB (1,000 tracks MP3)

Phone Book - 1,000 contacts

Speaker Phone - Yes

PureMusic - Yes (flight mode)

Offline Playback - up to 5h (speaker) up to 13h (headset)

Audio codec - MP3, AMR (Voice Tag), AAC, WMA, WMA Lossless 9.1

DRM - OMA DRM, Windows Media DRM

Artificial Bass - SRS TruBass

Accessories - Travel Adapter, Cigarette Lighter Adapter, Car Holder, Stereo Wired Headset

PC Tools - PC Studio (OS: W2k, XP)
               - BeoPlayer (OS: XP and Vista)

These are all the tech-specs i have - but i have asked if the EarSet 3 (which in this case has a special plug for the Serenata) may be able to use an adaptor for use with non-B&O phones as the Earset 1 has available.

Next to the press pack!

Lee

I will now basically Cut and Paste some of the press pack for you to read along with some of the images you have no doubt already seen to brighten up the text a little..

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Inspired by nature – driven by technology

State-of-the-art music phone from Bang & Olufsen and Samsung inspired by beach stones.

Serenata is a brand new music mobile phone from Bang & Olufsen and
Samsung with an organic rounded design. For all its high-end technology, the
inspiration for Serenata came from something as simple as a stone:
"I often go for long walks by the sea where I live," explains designer David
Lewis, "and the shape of the rounded stones that are washed ashore has
always fascinated me. These beach stones have been carefully shaped and
rounded by rolling around in the water for millions of years, and they are so
wonderful to hold in your hand. This was what I was looking for when we
made Serenata."

Precision tools

Serenata rests comfortably in the palm of your hand as the outer surfaces are
made of Polycarbonate painted with a robust soft-touch lacquer. The
beautifully turned aluminium wheel is surrounded by an aluminium arc, and
placed in the centre above the LCD screen, where it is completely natural to
place your thumb. The contrast between the cool aluminium and the warm
soft-touch lacquer leaves an impression of organic smoothness much like the
beach stones that served as the source of inspiration.

The "stone" is divided into two pieces - the rear side can be pushed up
revealing the integrated loudspeakers that are covered by a black stainless
steel grid with very small, almost invisible holes. The loudspeaker is unfolded
with a friction glider; so no jolts here, only a very controlled, sliding
movement, inspired by precision tools such as a sliding gauge.

On the back, the aluminium continues into an integrated, foldable stand that
lets Serenata stand upright on the table when playing music or serving as a
speaker phone. The stand leaves Serenata resting in a 60 degree angle to ensure
the best possible picture quality and high quality sound when the
loudspeaker is unfolded. When placed on the integrated foot with the
loudspeaker unfolded, Serenata offers you a portable and top-performing
micro music system that you can take everywhere and place anywhere.

The LCD window is made of chemically hardened glass. It is a colour display
that lets you get full screen display of all your album covers. Basically, the
discrete, almost minimalist typography and graphic style used for Serenata is
almost the same as that used for the critically acclaimed Serene mobile phone.

Knock on wood

Also the ring tones are based on the same principles as those selected for the
Serene mobile phone. Normally, mobile phones force you to choose the lesser
evil from a long list of almost equally annoying ring tones.

For Serenata, however, our acoustic engineers have taken it upon themselves
to try and design ring tones to match any situation and environment. They call
them Steel, Aluminium, Glass, Porcelain, Bamboo, Oak and Ebony, and the
intensity and rhythm of all these organic ring tones can be varied to match
different environments and needs, also depending on whether the music
phone is folded or unfolded.

While all ring tones are perfectly natural, each one has its own distinct
identity: Steel was made using wind chimes whereas Aluminium is based on
the triangle. Glass and Porcelain were made by striking these materials, and
Bamboo and Oak were both made by hitting different types of hollow wood
together, and recording the authentic sound. Ebony is a thinner wooden
sound, achieved by hitting a hard piece of wood.

For wake-up calls, you have the additional option of choosing among a set of
wake-up alarms based on the pre-defined ring tones or the music you have in
your player. All the ring tones and alarm signals are acoustically designed by
Bang & Olufsen, recorded lossless and played back in MP3 quality.

Perfectly natural

Almost paradoxically, Serenata packs all of the latest acoustic and mobile
phone technologies, but at the same time both sounds and feels perfectly
natural. As such, it is another testament to the joint vision of Bang & Olufsen
and Samsung to constantly push the boundaries, and bring to customers
unique and exciting products.

 

Quality sound for your ears only, EarSet 3 from Bang & Olufsen

Bang & Olufsen is introducing a new wired, stereo headset with built-in
microphone, designed to fit any ear firmly and smoothly, and providing the
highest sound quality for the new Serenata music mobile.

Acoustic performance is one of Bang & Olufsen's core competences as is amply
demonstrated even by the tiny EarSet 3. Here, a high signal-to-noise ratio
means that the annoying noise known from many ear sets and earphones is
almost absent; instead every musical detail is audible.

The sound quality is also affected by the placement of the EarSet in the ear.
EarSet 3 has been specially developed to closely match the contours and curves
of the ear, permitting you to hear the sounds that would otherwise slip away.
We also enclose small covers made of foam rubber to make it more
comfortable, and to compensate for the leak that might occur if the ear is
bigger than the EarSet.

The dynamic full tone loudspeakers mounted on a telescopic bar are
constructed according to the open loudspeaker principle that lets through
some environmental sounds. So, you will not be entirely cut off from the world
when enjoying the pure sound of EarSet 3.

Perfect fit for any ear

To complement the focus on acoustics, we have also focused on the way all
mechanical parts work together. We have dedicated special attention to fine
mechanics as precision engineering and ergonomic design are crucial for a
small product that requires many movements when putting it on and taking it
off.

The experience has to be both smooth and precise, and EarSet 3 more than
fulfils this requirement as it adjusts easily to the contours and curves of the
individual ear. Whatever your level of activity, EarSet 3 sits firmly and smoothly,
ensuring that the sound experience is for your ears only.

Finally, the microphone is placed on the wire where it is conveniently
combined with the hook switch.

Okay - i've got another eight pages like that, but you can read all that elsewhere.  I can say there is a tan-coloured Louis Vuitton case for it, which actually looks nice, but probably costs a squillion pounds more than the phone anyway...

I'm sure you are all interested to know what i think of the phone - so here's the schedule!

A total of three people are going to do first-hand reviews on the phone.  I myself am going to do an 'everyday user' review now - taking the stance of a not-so-tech-savvy thirty something. The second reviewer will be Matt Russell, 22 years old and manager at LifeStyle AV - who will be allowed under close supervision to show it to the 'younger generation' (he he) for a frank and forthright review. He is what we call tech-savvy and is completely at ease with jargon and interfaces.

The third will be BeoWorlds very own Peter, who will assess the way the phone works for him, and more importantly the software functionality. This is Peters area, and if it's not easy to use he won't be scared of saying so!! Look out!

Between the three of us, we hope to give you all a balanced, frank and honest review of the Serenata - BeoWorld style!

For the record - if you click on any of the images, you should get an enlarged view in a seperate window.

The first thing i noticed when being handed the Serenata was the size of the box - you could get some small shoes in there!!  Packaging of the smaller 'gift' style items is becoming very important to Bang & Olufsen as presenting a premium product is becoming more and more important, especially in the asian markets.

Next up is the actual contents of the box, as outlined in the initial Tech-Specs list - but here they are anyway for you to see.

Okay - now to the phone itself..

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Handling the phone 

When you pick up the phone, it certainly has quite a heavy and chunky feel to it - but when your head gets around how comfortable it is to hold you seem to forget about this. If it was feather-light, it would feel cheap -  so heavy is good in my opinion. It was also slightly larger than i expected, and i have put the phone next to a regular CD to give you an idea of scale.

As i look at the front of the phone, it has the trademark brushed aluminium panels surrounding the scroll wheel and on the little 'plaque' at the bottom. I do wish it just had "BANG & OLUFSEN" written on it at the bottom and nothing else, but i think Samsung may have had something to say about that!

The scroll wheel is finely turned aluminium and is indented so your fingertip sits comfortably in the middle of it. A beautiful design feature, with the eye to detail we love about B&O. In the centre is the button that takes you to the main menu with a simple, high quality feeling click. Very nice, and very B&O. Before you start about Apple and the scroll wheel, let's remember the BeoCom 6000 was devised in 1995 please..

Display 

What a beautifully sharp and clear screen. I may not have been a huge fan of the Serene personally, but i had never seen (and haven't since) such a fantastic image quality from a small LCD screen. The Serenata is the same - pin sharp, crystal clear and with vivid colours. So far so good!

Slider 

In order to access the speaker, you must effectively 'slide out' the speaker so it protrudes at the top of the phone. I got the hang of opening the Serene very casually with one hand and letting the motor take over, but i was all fingers and thumbs with this one!  It was like trying to knit a sweater one handed, and i ended up looking a complete plank struggling with it two-handed!!

However, i have now perfected the 'one-handed open' you will be pleased to know. You hold it in the middle of your hand and push the front of the phone downwards with your thumb. I knew i'd get the hang of it! Once you have one, you will know exactly what i mean and will find this funny - honest!

Using the Serenata as a Mobile Phone

Bang & Olufsen are making great pains to point out that the Serenata was never designed as a phone - but a portable music device that just happens to have a phone inbuilt.  However, with a name so similar to Serene i wonder if people will just assume it's the next generation of Serene - which is a dedicated mobile phone. Not everyone knows what 'Serenata' translates as, so personally i fear they will think it's just an answer to the iPhone.

Getting to grips with the Menu

Well, i freely confess to being a Nokia-ite - and find their menus and navigation very instinctive and easy to pick up.  I do remember struggling with the Serene badly as i'm not used to Samsung mobiles, and eventually got the hang but was never quite comfortable with it.  Same goes with the Serenata, but it's even harder this time.

Most phones will 'light up' with a spin of the scroll wheel, or the tap of a screen - but once the Serenata goes into 'hibernate' with all the lights off - you have to push the button in the centre of the scroll wheel to wake it up and activate the display. Not something i'm used to - but you get used to it.

As mentioned, a push of the button in the centre of the scroll wheel takes you to the main menu where all the basic everyday features lay. As on the Serene, a scroll down to the highlighted choice and a click gets you to your chosen destination.

There are two more options written on the front of the phone too - Music, and More.  To activate these, you actually touch the glass screen below the word. I find that if you lightly jab the screen it doesn't respond as well as when you actually 'dab' your finger on it. Yes, it prevents 'hair trigger' activation - but it can be a bit frustrating if you're trying to do it quickly. It would also be frustrating if it activated the millisecond you accidentally brushed your finger against it - so it's catch 22 on that one!

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The 'More' section gives you the following functions

Lock Keys

Voicemail 

Silent Mode

Flight Mode

Bluetooth

Connect to PC

Dial Number

Shortcuts

Serenata Demo 

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On the other side, the 'Music' Menu gives you  the following options...

Artists

Albums

Tracks

Covers

Favourites

Playlists

Podcasts

Audiobooks

Genres

Recently added

Settings

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This is basically an overview of the Menus, and within these headings are obviously more options. Quite impressive to my non-tech mind!

The Sound

This is the question that everyone wants answering - what does it sound like?  Well, you flip down the little sprung rectangle of brushed Alu at the rear - and off you go!

Initially it's really a mixed reaction as my heart was saying 'it's Bang & Olufsen - it's going to be LOUD' - but my brain was saying 'there's no way you are going to get decent sound out of such a small space!'

When you turn the Serenata sideways - it's plain to see the engineers had a mammoth task - it really is thin, and the workings in there must be microscopic!  However, the first thing that hits you is the amazing clarity of the sound. The top end really is pin sharp, and the midrange is strong too. Any vocal or acoustic songs sound awesome, and the pre-loaded song list on the model given to me is obviously designed to bring out the best in the phone.  Hotel California by the Eagles is impressive, but the beginning of 'Here I am' by Jette Torp demonstrates the strengths of the speaker perfectly.

Bass is never going to be it's strong point - but it does pack a little punch! If you hold the phone in your hand when it's on loudspeaker you can certainly feel it, and what it does with the cabinet volume given is miraculous! 

Inbuilt is a 4-Channel Graphic Equaliser that adjusts to every song - a clever feature that reduces the chance of overload and distortion. This seems to do it's job perfectly well, and no matter how loud you turn it up - even on maximum, there is no distortion.

Can the sound fill a room?  Well, yes - it can!  Although it would be lost in a large room, and would be just background music even on full throttle - it gives a pleasant and audible account of itself in a medium sized room.  Think of it as a small transistor radio and you would be about there.  However, this is seriously selling it short again as we are talking about a speaker cabinet volume of five cubic centimetres! Poor old Bang & Olufsen can't win sometimes!

In short - for what they have had to work with, it's gob-smackingly good.  Would i take it and play it in a Hotel Room or in the office? Yes, absolutely. I'm sat here typing with it playing next to me, and it's extremely relaxing. You don't have to just settle for hearing the melody and guessing the rest like on most phones, you can hear every word and every note perfectly and clearly - which makes it really easy to listen to.

Everyday use

Texting..

Texting on the Serenata is like trying to weave fog!!.  I found the Serene hard work, but they have gone one step further and actually made the predictive text accessible by scroll wheel!!  A downside of not having a keypad, and i'm sure this will drive some people mad.  However, if you're not a prolific texter - who cares! 

You can see on the image how this works, and yes - it's as difficult as it looks!

Making a Call

When the phone is in automatic Standby - you first need to press the little button in the centre of the scroll wheel to activate the phone, then you simply tap the centre of the LCD display to access what is essentially a mock-up of a Serene keypad. Quite natty actually, and after a little while i am getting used to scrolling and clicking to dial a number. Most of the time though, you will be probably recalling numbers from memory anyway. I would imagine it would be a real pain if you've lost your old phone and need to start afresh entering hundreds of numbers though!

The 'Down the Pub' test..

I've not done this yet, but i'm sure the little flip down stand will strike a killer blow when you all plonk your mobiles on the table. I'm sure this was unintentional - but it really does allow your phone to sit up and be noticed!

Everyone who has seen the phone has liked it, and not one person has failed to be impressed by the sound quality - so it is scoring highly on the wow factor. Everyone seems very comfortable holding it too, so Mr Lewis has done his job well!

Matt will be conducting the full 'down the pub' review on Friday, but has promised to give a full review and stay sober in return. If he lost it i would have to send Bang & Olufsen one of his limbs by way of apology, so he will be in full 'reporter' mode - with a review to follow very shortly after.

Accessories..

Earset 3..  I sat looking at this, thinking "okay - so how do you detach the one earphone when you want to use it purely for phone calls?" - but no, it's basically a pair of A8's and a button sized microphone with a hang up/answer button inbuilt. I drove out of Heathrow Airport and called a friend to test it out, and making a phone call in Stereo is wierd!!  Once you get used to it though, it's fine - but you do wonder if it's really safe having both ears effectively 'blocked' from the sound of the outside world whilst driving.

My friend said he could hear me loud and clear, as did the next three people i called - so the microphone works well. 

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Docking Station 

Not a DECT as is the Serene - just a curved piece of brushed Alu with a sort of cradle. Looks nice though, and very unobtrusive.

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Carry Bag 

Oh my word.. why?!!  Imagine a leather coin purse similar to the ones pirates heartily toss to each other in the films - but made of black coarsely woven nylon. Then, embroider a big gaudy B&O logo on it in dazzling white, and line it with what looks like the skin of a jet black short-haired hamster. Then - you have the idea..

One to give the children to hold their dinner money methinks.. it may impress the other kids at school - or it may start a rousing game of "capture the doubloons" as your child is forced to walk the plank.. Not B&O at all - a soft touch plastic case would have been preferable to this thing, surely?

Conclusion

Every persons opinion will be different on this one, and that's the beauty of individuality - but here are my own personal thoughts.

Would i find it useful to me?  -  Well, no - not me personally. I have B&O around me all day at work, and around me all evening at home (heaven, i know!) - so i would rarely use the inbuilt speaker. I would either sync it with my cars bluetooth for music, or just use it as a straight phone. If i was on the tube or train, i couldn't see it being socially acceptable to blast out music - so i wouldn't use it there. However, in a Hotel Room, on a picnic - or even relaxing on the beach the Serenata would be an incredible gadget! I had a bath earlier this evening, and had it playing quietly in the background - which is something i'd never have dreamed of doing with my other mp3 phones.

Value for money?   -    Again, on the face of it - no.  However, if you actually stop and think about it - it is!  The internal engineering is world-class, the design is world-class, the build quality is world-class - and you're not going to see them on every street corner. Exclusivity is a pleasant by-product of high pricing, and the only thing i find isn't world class is trying to use it as a normal phone. Yes, i know it's not a 'phone' per se - but you can make phone calls from it, so i expect it to be a little easier.

Would i buy one?   -    For all the frustrations of the texting and calling, i will actually be very sad to see this phone go back to Bang & Olufsen next week. It's achingly cool, and although my Nokia E61 runs rings round it as a phone it just looks hideous in comparison to this beautiful creation i have sitting in front of me!  Bang & Olufsen have seriously not disappointed in it's design - it's B&O, of that there is no doubt.

Will it sell?   -   I hope so.  I see the vision that B&O have, and it's to be different.  You can't compare this to the iPhone, and really you shouldn't. At the Gala Dinner after the launch, i sat next to a photographer had an iPhone, and not having seen one i demanded he hand it over immediately!.  I'm much bigger than him, so he did   I was totally wowed by the gadgetry and navigation, but when he played music on it - it was woeful compared to what i had just heard from the Serenata. This is the difference - the Serenata doesn't even want to compete, and it certainly hasn't tried. It does its own thing - and does it brilliantly.

Well - that's my review. Sorry if you have fallen asleep midway, or have been bored senseless - but as i said, i'm a novice at this!

If you have any questions, i'll do my utmost to answer them as best i can.

Lee

a brilliant review. Thanks

This has just strengthened my desire for this phone. I don't text, and i rarely call people who aren't already in my phone book and i live and i live and die by my MP3 player. (BS2)

Oh and i hate the phone that i have at the moment.

jazz

Sorry about the temporary 'Bermuda Triangle' with the images - i built this thread up "behind the scenes" and when i rolled it out onto the General Forum the links to the images became invalid - Gah!!

All fixed now, only took a few minutes.

Lee

Hi Lee, thanks for the great review, the pictures help get a better idea of how "big" the phone is, and also lets us see the accessories & details like the glass used for the display.

I do have a couple of questions:

- does it have an FM radio, or just digital music playback?

- B&O talked about the "line in" connection to your car receiver or even to bigger BeoSounds, someone even talked about BeoLink integration: is it Masterlink connection or simple line output on the docking station? What are the audio connections on the phone and on the base?

- I also heard about a car holder, what is this? Just a holder, or a car-styled docking station with proper power & audio in/outputs?

- I find the ringtones ridiculous, so can you use one of your music tracks as a ringtone?

Thanks for the precisions!

A very interessting review Lee, thanks a lot for this!

I also have one question left:

So as i understand, the navigation is done with the wheel, and you touch the display to come to "Music" or "More". So is this toch functionality just this? Or is the touch screen also useable in other ways? For example to select a menu item? 

Hi Lee, thanks a lot. Realy good job.

Two questions, Is the sound better than in an iPod with A8? Is there any compatibility with iTunes?

Regards.

A fan rockin tastic review,

Any idea about the price

With regards,

faisal 

Hi Lee - well done on a thouroughly profeshneal review and trip report.

Serenata question - have you used it with the PC studio? It would be interesting to know how well that process goes (certainly in the case of entering phone books etc it would be done here rather than with the phone itself). It will also allow Matt to fill it full of "trendy, young folk friendly" tunes for his pub demo on Friday.

Is it in the shops yet?? - It would be cool if you or Peter could demo it to your local dealers!

Very interesting looking device - and not an iPhone clone which is good. The lack of a keyboard will frustrate people who text - I don't so doesn't worry me! I don't care about a lack of camera either as if I want pictures, I will use a proper camera, whether compact or SLR depending on situation.

To be fair, this would not be the phone I would immediately think about - I tend to go for simple devices or my Blackberry. However the portable player idea is really rather attractive. I suppose the only deficit for me would be the lack of a built in radio as most of the time I would listen to the radio if it was in a stand up sound position. If I were to want to listen to music, I would use the earphones and get stereo and a better frequency range.Spoken word radio would however be better on the speaker.

The other point is the price. Remember that the iPhone costs £400 but onto that one adds at least £35 a month in the UK. So that is the thick end of £800 and you need some decent earphones - Earset 3 comes to mind! - so we are talking £1000. The Serenata is an open phone - I spend about 20p a month on my normal phone - I have a special contract with Orange with no monthly standing charge - and even my Blackberry is £6 a month with unlimited email and web browsing. The Serenata suddenly doesn't seem so expensive...

Peter:

Very interesting looking device - and not an iPhone clone which is good. The lack of a keyboard will frustrate people who text - I don't so doesn't worry me! I don't care about a lack of camera either as if I want pictures, I will use a proper camera, whether compact or SLR depending on situation.

To be fair, this would not be the phone I would immediately think about - I tend to go for simple devices or my Blackberry. However the portable player idea is really rather attractive. I suppose the only deficit for me would be the lack of a built in radio as most of the time I would listen to the radio if it was in a stand up sound position. If I were to want to listen to music, I would use the earphones and get stereo and a better frequency range.Spoken word radio would however be better on the speaker.

The other point is the price. Remember that the iPhone costs £400 but onto that one adds at least £35 a month in the UK. So that is the thick end of £800 and you need some decent earphones - Earset 3 comes to mind! - so we are talking £1000. The Serenata is an open phone - I spend about 20p a month on my normal phone - I have a special contract with Orange with no monthly standing charge - and even my Blackberry is £6 a month with unlimited email and web browsing. The Serenata suddenly doesn't seem so expensive...

Haven't I read somewhere that it is available from Vodaphone only??

Hi Lee, thanks for the very comprehensive review!

I think I have fallen for it already, but your review has made my mind up I WANT ONE NOW!

I called my local dealer and they still haven't got one, but hopefully they will in the next few days. So with any luck I can go and take my Credit Card for a spin!

A couple of questions:

1. Does it have HSDPA as I use my existing very inferior Samsung mobile as my mobile broadband connection to my laptop and it works if signal strength is 3.5G!  I have been looking for a new phone that would be a good portable personal music player, and the fact it comes with stereo headset, then i can just carry one device that will do everything for me

2. Does it take an SD card?

Well as soon as my local dealer has one I will go and see it and report back.

Cheers

Ricardo

Hi Peter

Some good points regarding the price there, but I should point out that the iPhone will be £269 in the UK, rather than £400.

I already have my A8s that I'll be using with my iPhone so that's my earphones sorted out. My current Orange contract costs me about £25 a month so moving to a £35 O2 contract with free wi-fi at 605 spots in London will make it worth it.

It certainly won't end up costing me the earth compared to buying a Serenata and sticking with Orange.

Still, the Serenata looks lovely and if the iPhone wasn't coming out I'd consider it. I'm especially intrigued to hear what the music sounds like through the speaker.