Help me find the mobile I need
Posted on 23.11.05 at 22:37 CET
I’d like to buy a new mobile phone (GSM), the problem is I can’t seem to find one that fits my needs.
I currently own a Sony Ericsson P800 which I bought at an extortionate price practically the first day it came out in Belgium (Gadget lust). And, to be honest, I think it’s a very expensive piece of shit. As powerful as it may be, the interface feels like it was built for engineers, not users. The pseudo-keypad broke quite fast, and I’m now running it in virtual keypad mode, which is very nice sitting at a desk, but another story in the street. I’ve gone through at least 10 stylii, luckily the Sony-Ericsson center seem to like me and I get new ones for free or that would have been quite an expense already. Granted, some of these things were fixed in the P900/P910 but were no quantum leap either and certainly not reason enough to upgrade. The P950 looks better but is overkill for me.
My needs have also changed and I don’t need a phone that can call the space shuttle or make toast in the morning.
So, what’s my ideal model like?
- It should pass the bike test: I should be able to pull it out of its holster and answer it with one hand. It should also be strong enough in case it hits the bars or, worse, the road. Good audio while standing next to passing vehicles and a ringer I can hear in those conditions would be great too. Maybe a clamshell design?
- It should work with iSync via bluetooth.
- I need a simple agenda. Input mainly happens on the mac, so entering data isn’t a priority, reading it and getting reminders is. Ideally, next appointments should be displayed on the wait screen, does this exist? You always seem to have to dig down, unless you’re using a smartphone/pda.
- A todo list would be great too. Also easily accessible and syncable.
- I don’t need GPRS, MP3, MMS or any other acronyms. I don’t need a camera either, although I’m sure it will be difficult to avoid.
- In an ideal world I should also be boycotting Sony for that evil rootkit trick they pulled.
Any suggestions? I tried asking salesmen in a couple of shops and all it did was make me understand why people buy online.
Thanks
24 comments
Well, some of them look good like the RAZR but the interface sucks and it only syncs via USB.
I own a Nokia 6600 for over 2 years (http://europe.nokia.com/nokia/0,4879,33210,00.html)
Pros:
It does pretty much all you need.
Screen is nice
Symbian
Dimensions are ideal
Cons:
Can be slow
Battery time < 2 days
Cold boot time (which occurs every other month)
I’ve had this device for 2 years; and if I had to rate it, I’d give it 8/10
Since its first day, I put it in a leather protection which I never removed; and I can tell : that thing has a survival instinct ; it fell down, got wet, got squeezed but still works great…
I have the Siemens S55 for about 2 years now. It has all you need (bluetooth, agenda, small, no cam). Though now, the buttons seem to be getting a bit loose (they don’t fall of and still work though). It has great battery life (well, except when you use bluetooth a lot), I do about a week if I switch of bluetooth.
The ringer can be a bit silent for custom sounds, but the factory defaults are loud, and it vibrates.
And… it not Sony!
A bluetooth headset (is it how you call an oreillette ?) would make any phone easily pass the bike test, wouldn’t it?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38638000/jpg/_38638535_bigphone150.jpg ? ;)
If you want a phone with usable software/interface then in my opinion you should ONLY consider a Nokia.
All other phone manufacturers (and perhaps even the prettier, more featureful Nokias) seem hellbent on annoying the user.
Your requirement for the syncable, bells and whistles calendar and bluetooth means the simple, cheapie but durable Nokia I have won’t do you. If you can do without those features you can almost certainly get a Nokia 1100 for nothing on contract, or next to nothing on pay as you go.
All other Nokias I’ve had have been great (usability if not featureset-wise) too. Motorola awful, Sony not so great, Samsung absolutely dire (even on SILENT you get a loud tune turning the phone on or off, and beeping when running out of battery - gah!)
I’ve got the P800 myself but have been using it with the Tracker GUI upgrade, without the actual flip, almost from day one. It means that I can use the phone very easily and quickly with one hand using the jog dial - it’s great. The phone is getting on a bit now but I’m hoping it’ll last out until the P990 comes out next year . . . with Wi-Fi!!
Thanks for all the answers. Keep’em coming :)
Seb’s option seems interesting, even if those models have gadget overload too.
Siemens doesn’t sound too bad but I heard they were stopping production fo mobile phones.
@arnaud: I used to have a bluetooth headset, but I never liked it when outside, then I lost it. Those damn things are so small. What maybe wasn’t clear was that I don’t intend to phone while riding the bike (there’s enough to look out for as it is) but I need to be able to hear it ring, pull over to teh side of the road and take the call.
@kmd: that would survive a fall ;)
@Thomas: another vote for Nokia. I’ll check them out. I never liked the interfaces in the early models. THere are no mobiles on contract in Belgium though, it’s illegal.
@Adam: I use tracker already. It made things better but still not good enough.
Well, I’ve been recommending the SonyEricsson V600/K600 as _the_ phone to get this Xmas (check my site for why, but excellent Bluetooth and iSync are a big part of it), but you might want to check out the K750i. It’s slightly more compact and rugged.
just buy a cheap basic model and give the money you saved to the poor bastard who is freezing his ass off on your doorstep
I saw the V600/K600 but it seemed like overkill for me, if the K750 is its little brother, I’ll give it a spin. Their on special offer all over the place right now.
Thanks.
lol sorry but I become blind if discuss about celular or cellphone.. forgive xD
I prefer the qtek 9100!
http://www.pdashop.be/product/18887
I own the V600i and it’s the K750’s little brother, not the other way round. I wrote a review if you’re interested, but if you think it’s overkill…
(BTW, the link to my article won’t work, because it’s been “blacklisted”. Any idea why?)
I’ve had a Nokia 6600 myself for about a year and a half and it’s reasonably functional. The camera is poor, though - I’ve had maybe a handful of good shots from it and they’re usually so blurred that I don’t even bother with it.
Symbian is alright, but switching between things is agonisingly slow - not sure whether that’s a processor or memory issue.
Nokia connectivity software is dire and always has been - it installs all sorts of crap that stays resident in the Windows system tray. I’ve found it easier to e-mail myself an image from the phone rather than jump through hoops to get Bluetooth connectivity with my pc’s. Nokia also disable sending certain types of file via Bluetooth - just to make sure that you don’t go sharing those ring tones the service providers charge so much for. The 6600 could actually send and receive midi files via Bluetooth initially, but the later firmware upgrades disabled this.
I’d advise checking out the forums at http://www.allaboutsymbian.com - they’re a bunch of phone freaks there, so if there are gotcha’s with a new handset they’ll have found them. Best of luck - let us know what you get; I’m due an upgrade. ;)
@Alex: no idea why you’re blacklisted. It’s a centralised list that’s downloaded off the net. Just post it without the http bit if you can.
I still haven’t made a decision but it will be happening soon.
Maybe you could go to a proximus shop and try the interactive screen. Say what features you want and you will be presented with a choice. And you don’t have to buy that model there…
What about <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38638000/jpg/_38638535_bigphone150.jpg “>this
one</a> ?
ok, ok, last try!:)
http://membres.lycos.fr/carm1940/hpbimg/Table tel bon.jpg
Keep it simple: go to a shop like the Phone House, get at least 20 euro for your old one, and don’t pay more than a 60 euro for a new one. You don’t need a high tech gadget that takes pictures, plays Beethoven, shows your favorite soap,...
Consume, ma non troppo!
Did you read his post? He says he wants specific features without all the multimedia gadgets.
His old phone is also worth more than the low amount you get from a shop like The Phone House. It’s a great offer if you’re still using a Motorola brick from 1999 but a P800 will fetch more on eBay.
I suggest the K750 also, it’s often on special offer so you can get very good deals. I own one and it fell down the stairs and survived with only a small scratch on the back. My previous phone, a Nokia, fell from the table and died. I treat my phone rough ;-)
It’s not about consuming as little as possible, it’s about consuming intelligently. If I get the mobile with the right features, I won’t need to change as often and I won’t need to buy other items to compensate for lack of features.
As for the phone house, that’s the last place I would buy a mobile from.
Motorola?