In continuing its line of water- and shock-resistant models, Siemens has improved upon its previous model, the Siemens M65, and come up with the Siemens M75 that goes beyond just being an outdoorsy mobile, to one that is "designed for life".

Design
Measuring 110.5 x 51.5 x 20.8mm and weighing 110g, the M75 does not rank highly in terms of size. Add to that a blockish and heavily rubberized design, and there is little to shout about the phone aesthetically. To be fair, it is chunky for a reason, and that is its driving theme of being a rugged, water- and shock-resistant mobile for the highly active individual. The M75 is compliant with the industry standard IP54 which certifies the phone's resistance against dust and water.

According to Siemens, the M75 comes with its proprietary Siemens Protection System which toughens the cellular against knocks and falls by integrating an aluminum frame and rubber cushions on the sides of the casing. To protect the display, a metal frame is also used to prevent scratches and cracks. Together with a solid build quality and rugged design, the Siemens handset certainly offers added reassurance for those intending to use it outdoors most of the time.

Although the M75 is a tad heavier and bigger than the M65, it features a much brighter and sharper 132 x 176-pixel, 262k-color TFT screen. Design-wise, the eye-catching grey-orange combination of the M65 wins hands down. Both candy-bar handsets feature removable pieces for protecting the camera and the battery charger. Improvements have been made in terms of changing the battery pack, which is now secured by the battery cover and a plastic screw that can be easily removed by hand (do remember to remove the protective camera cover first).

The keypad is somewhat stiff, but the buttons offer a good tactile feel and the four-way joystick is exceptionally responsive. The M75 also boasts two quick access buttons on the side for camera and "Walkie Talkie" mode (a service not available in Singapore) and these double as the volume control buttons during a call. The indented design of the "Internet" key makes for less accidental activation.

Features
As with the M65, the new Siemens phone packs all the usual PIM features and more. Of exceptional note is its built-in address book that stores 22 fields for each contact (you can store everything from nicknames to MSN IDs). SMS, MMS and email clients are identical, too, with the terms basic and simple coming to mind during use. Connectivity options are also aplenty on the M75, with Bluetooth, infrared, WAP 2.0, GPRS class 10 and USB/RS232 synchronization with PC.

The phone may not have an FM tuner, but it comes with a decent MP3 player, tucked away in the Extras folder. The downside is you cannot do much other than keylocking the phone during music playback. But you will never be bored by the M75 as it also comes with four cool bundled games: Super Bomberman, Super Stack Attack, Marble Crossing and Spy Hunter. These games can be played on their own or against other players via Bluetooth.

Onboard memory stands at around 14MB, but is supplemented by an RS-MMC expansion slot and normal phone packages will come with a 32MB card.

The M75 features a 1.3-megapixel CMOS camera, though picture quality leaves room for improvement. There is a fair amount of camera controls ranging from seven levels of brightness adjustment to five image resolution levels. Low-quality video recording and playback are possible, too, on the handset.

Reception And Battery Life
During the review period, we encountered no issues with reception or voice clarity. The supplied 750mAh Lithium-ion cell lasted for about one-and-a-half days of moderate use. The highest SAR value for this handset is 0.48W/kg, which meets international guidelines for exposure to radio waves.

Conclusion
At a glance, the M75 seems to be a plain phone with little style. However, its reliable and complete array of cellular and organizer features makes it the perfect companion for the highly active and mobile executive.

The Siemens M75 is available at S$268 with a two-year plan and S$568 without.