JayM
10-27-2009, 02:24 AM
I need some help selecting a phone for basic use (voice calls & SMS). I've used older Nokias which I hated (1650 for example), an older SE K320 that I liked (no Bluetooth though, just IR), and my SE P990i which I like OK except for its size and weight, plus the fact that the keyboard's going bad. I also had an older Samsung clamshell that was nice except for a proprietary ringtone format and poor battery life.
I prefer either a candybar or clamshell form factor for aesthetic reasons, compactness and ease of one-handed use.
I need:
*Small size and weight for carrying it in my pocket without it making my pants sag. Smile Also it shouldn't be that obvious that I'm carrying it (it shouldn't easily bee seen as a bulge in my pocket). It shouldn't be so small that it's difficult to use or easily misplaced, however.
*Excellent keyboard with good responsiveness and good tactile feel. It shouldn't have decals that can wear off. 99% of my phone usage is SMS texting, so the keyboard is of highest importance.
*Keyboard/controls/file system/menus should be easy to use and understand. There should be a minimal learning curve involved in getting used to my new phone.
*Good weak-signal performance. My P990i often loses connection to Sun where my wife's phone shows a low signal strength but stays connected.
*Good-quality display, easy to read even in sunlight. Support for larger fonts a plus (I'm not getting any younger).
*Bluetooth and USB2- I want to be able to add my own ringtones, wallpapers, themes, etc. and to be able to back up and restore my contacts.
*Alarm clock with multiple alarms. Ability to activate alarms on specific weekdays a plus.
*External memory card and/or plenty of internal memory to hold a few mp3s, themes, apps, plus have lots of contacts & saved messages.
*Phone must be available new in stores, even if it's not the latest and greatest model. I don't want to have to buy somebody's used one and want to make sure it comes with all its bundled accessory items like the USB cable and headphones. I've seen lots of used phones that just have the charger, nothing else.
*Low price. Money's tight just now, plus I don't want such an expensive phone that I'd care that much if it got lost or stolen as I could probably afford to replace a less-expensive one easier. I don't want to have to pay more than around Php 5,000 tops (around US$125).
Nice to haves:
*Sexy looks, colors other than the usual silver.
*Standard-sized headphone jack so I can use my Sennheisers or a pair of external speakers.
* Maps (Philippines) available, even as a third-party application. (A GPS would be sweet but I can't afford it.)
*Text, pdf or ebook reader.
*FM radio. If it plays through the speaker with decent sound quality that would be a plus too. It doesn't have to sound like a nice stereo, just shouldn't be too tinny or garbled. (Do they make any cell phone FM radios that don't need wired headsets plugged in for the antenna?)
*Mp3 player.
*Flashlight for the frequent brownouts here in Cebu (as are the radio and mp3 player, to give me something to do while the power's out).
*Notes, calendar, to do list
*Camera should take decent pictures. I don't need more than around 2 or 3 megapixels though, as I already have a good digicam. A xenon flash would be a plus. (Actually I don't really care if it has a camera or not, but they all do these days and if it has one I'm going to use it occasionally so it should take at least OK pictures.)
*Dual SIM slots.
*Quad band 2G (world roaming).
Don't care about/don't want:
*Touch screen
*QWERTY keyboard.
*Wifi, web browser, email, IM, etc. I don't want an Internet appliance, just a good phone.
*MS Office document readers.
*High-end camera
*Video-call camera
I like the dedicated back button on Sony Ericssons as opposed to the "soft" back button on Nokias: I like always knowing that I can escape from whatever menu item I've inadvertently selected. I've used my wife's new Nokia 2700 Classic and like it pretty well except for the flush keys on the keypad- I'd prefer raised keys. I do like the solid feel of the keypresses, as opposed to the spongy keys on her old Nokia 1650 (which I'm now using and hate). I also like the little joystick navigation tool on the older SEs, but I don't think they make phones with that anymore. The navigation buttons on her 2700 are OK.
Any suggestions as to make and model I should look at? I'll probably be getting the new phone for Christmas, so I should have enough time to look at and try various models, but I want to narrow it down to a few phones first.
I prefer either a candybar or clamshell form factor for aesthetic reasons, compactness and ease of one-handed use.
I need:
*Small size and weight for carrying it in my pocket without it making my pants sag. Smile Also it shouldn't be that obvious that I'm carrying it (it shouldn't easily bee seen as a bulge in my pocket). It shouldn't be so small that it's difficult to use or easily misplaced, however.
*Excellent keyboard with good responsiveness and good tactile feel. It shouldn't have decals that can wear off. 99% of my phone usage is SMS texting, so the keyboard is of highest importance.
*Keyboard/controls/file system/menus should be easy to use and understand. There should be a minimal learning curve involved in getting used to my new phone.
*Good weak-signal performance. My P990i often loses connection to Sun where my wife's phone shows a low signal strength but stays connected.
*Good-quality display, easy to read even in sunlight. Support for larger fonts a plus (I'm not getting any younger).
*Bluetooth and USB2- I want to be able to add my own ringtones, wallpapers, themes, etc. and to be able to back up and restore my contacts.
*Alarm clock with multiple alarms. Ability to activate alarms on specific weekdays a plus.
*External memory card and/or plenty of internal memory to hold a few mp3s, themes, apps, plus have lots of contacts & saved messages.
*Phone must be available new in stores, even if it's not the latest and greatest model. I don't want to have to buy somebody's used one and want to make sure it comes with all its bundled accessory items like the USB cable and headphones. I've seen lots of used phones that just have the charger, nothing else.
*Low price. Money's tight just now, plus I don't want such an expensive phone that I'd care that much if it got lost or stolen as I could probably afford to replace a less-expensive one easier. I don't want to have to pay more than around Php 5,000 tops (around US$125).
Nice to haves:
*Sexy looks, colors other than the usual silver.
*Standard-sized headphone jack so I can use my Sennheisers or a pair of external speakers.
* Maps (Philippines) available, even as a third-party application. (A GPS would be sweet but I can't afford it.)
*Text, pdf or ebook reader.
*FM radio. If it plays through the speaker with decent sound quality that would be a plus too. It doesn't have to sound like a nice stereo, just shouldn't be too tinny or garbled. (Do they make any cell phone FM radios that don't need wired headsets plugged in for the antenna?)
*Mp3 player.
*Flashlight for the frequent brownouts here in Cebu (as are the radio and mp3 player, to give me something to do while the power's out).
*Notes, calendar, to do list
*Camera should take decent pictures. I don't need more than around 2 or 3 megapixels though, as I already have a good digicam. A xenon flash would be a plus. (Actually I don't really care if it has a camera or not, but they all do these days and if it has one I'm going to use it occasionally so it should take at least OK pictures.)
*Dual SIM slots.
*Quad band 2G (world roaming).
Don't care about/don't want:
*Touch screen
*QWERTY keyboard.
*Wifi, web browser, email, IM, etc. I don't want an Internet appliance, just a good phone.
*MS Office document readers.
*High-end camera
*Video-call camera
I like the dedicated back button on Sony Ericssons as opposed to the "soft" back button on Nokias: I like always knowing that I can escape from whatever menu item I've inadvertently selected. I've used my wife's new Nokia 2700 Classic and like it pretty well except for the flush keys on the keypad- I'd prefer raised keys. I do like the solid feel of the keypresses, as opposed to the spongy keys on her old Nokia 1650 (which I'm now using and hate). I also like the little joystick navigation tool on the older SEs, but I don't think they make phones with that anymore. The navigation buttons on her 2700 are OK.
Any suggestions as to make and model I should look at? I'll probably be getting the new phone for Christmas, so I should have enough time to look at and try various models, but I want to narrow it down to a few phones first.