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shaliron Posts: > 500

Sony Ericsson has announced (?well it's from the FCC) the Z712a and W712a for North America. It apparently is dual band GSM 850 / 1900 and are Hearing Aid Complient (HAC), which mean that these don't interfere with hearing aids etc. There's not much else really.
Same design as the Z710/W710, except, wait for it, ugly black antennas coming out from the top. Don't ask me why. I thought the loop antennas were already quadband, so this makes the phone have two antennas? Only explanation would be if these were also CDMA. But this still doesn't tell us why two GSM bands were cut from the original.
Craziness if you ask me. Is this a cost cutting measure from SE?

Read more:
engadgetmobile
FCC on W712a
FCC on Z712a

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Posted: 2006-08-10 10:15:56
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c96sthl Posts: > 500

you already mentioned Hear Aid Compliant

you already said dual band GSM

so how to get CDMA in?
I am not suprise it is due to the HAC compliant tht make the phone
have that antenna pops out.

HAC is something FCC in USA insist all phone maker to produce
so people with hear aid can use the phone with no interference to their
hearing aid.

Read the following, they even have a deadline on it.

FCC Reaffirms Hearing Aid & Cell Phone Compatibility Issues
6/24/2005

The FCC recently reaffirmed its rules concerning HAC compliance to accommodate technical challenges expressed by the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) in petitions to the FCC. In response to these petitions, the FCC made some modifications to the percentage and number of HAC handsets initially required by September 16, 2005. The obligation for all wireless carriers to ensure that 50% of all handset models are HAC compliant by February 18, 2008 was not altered. Other elements brought in the petitions are outlined in the provided FCC release.

To clarify in-store tryout and right to return privileges, the Commission stated that mandatory tests were to be conducted live and on-the-spot in retail outlets, in combination with “real-world” testing over the course of thirty days and flexible return policies, to help ensure that people with hearing aids have a meaningful opportunity and sufficient time to identify suitable wireless phones and become comfortable with them.

Submitted to Audiology Online by the Hearing Industries Association, HIA

[ This Message was edited by: c96sthl on 2006-08-10 09:46 ]
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Posted: 2006-08-10 10:44:49
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shaliron Posts: > 500

CDMA was the only explanation, if any, for why SE decided to put an extra antenna on the phone. Otherwise, why is there two antennas?
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Posted: 2006-08-10 10:48:21
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Kimi Posts: 293

I recently read in a marketing study, that in certain markets specific features of a phone are considered a "must".
For Europe this is a candybar design and a camera
For the US this is - attention - an external antenna!

Im just googling for the source and post it here. So it is not stupidity, it is marketing...
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Posted: 2006-08-10 10:53:12
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shaliron Posts: > 500

@Kimi
You're not serious are you? The RAZR hasn't got an external antenna...

@c96sthl
I read your edited post. Even if the antenna was able to be 'popped' out, then what's the point of having the phone if you can't make calls and have no reception?
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Posted: 2006-08-10 10:56:30
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koao Posts: 5

Simple.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/s[....]1_1_1&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10327

That is the z502a, with band 1900 only.

Now, with the added atenna, that must be for the 850 band to work.
The 1900 band lies within the phone.(the other antenna)
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Posted: 2006-08-10 11:12:14
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Kimi Posts: 293

Well - I found this:
http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/02/treo_hollywood_.html

In the section "Looks + Specifications" it reads:
Treo “Hollywood/800p” is expected to be a slimmer and fancier 3G/GSM smartphone without external antenna to appeal to European customers

That's not the article I read about 3 months ago. I'm still searching. What we can se from the article above is, that European customers don't like antennas on their phones - which I can say is true. You can hardly sell a phone with an external antenna in Europe. Noone wants them.
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Posted: 2006-08-10 11:24:19
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shaliron Posts: > 500

@Kimi
Well, I know that US customers are less 'sensitive' to there being an external antenna, but it certainly doesn't mean that they prefer having one!
What my main question was, was why SE decided to create a whole knew phone by simply taking the Z710/W710, removing two GSM bands, and adding HAC and an ugly external antenna with no advantages.
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Posted: 2006-08-10 11:29:21
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Kimi Posts: 293

As far as I know mobile phones have to be HAC compliant in Europe as well. I was working for an hearing aid manufacturer a few years ago when this regulations were discussed.
So that cannot be the reason. That's why I was thinking customer taste might be the reason. Otherwise I have no clue.
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Posted: 2006-08-10 11:34:08
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Bob Adams Posts: 13

Whats the big deal about small stubby external antennas??? makes me feel a little nostalgisic about the T39m!!!!
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Posted: 2006-08-10 11:40:57
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