Which Mobile Phone?

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MrPlum
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Which Mobile Phone?

Post by MrPlum »

Thinking of replacing my ageing lump with a new slimmer model. The new smart phones are fashionable and I like apps such as maps and Skype.

However, there seem to be some downsides...

1. I don't see me using all the bells and whistles enough to justify buying something like a Samsung SIII.
2. I don't care for the fiddly on-screen keyboard
3. It seems easy to make a mistake and trigger a function accidentally
4. There is a risk of dropping and breaking the screen (not as rugged as older style models)
5. If you keep poking it with your finger it surely must get dirty/scratched?
6. How are these phones with battery life?
7. I think you need a bigger screen to get the most out of surfing, which increases the size of the phone.

Is there a mobile phone out there that is around or under 10,000 that has a keypad with buttons and gives me similar functionality, without a touch screen?

Finally, do I buy from 3rd floor market village, online or go to Pantip/MBK?
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

Battery life is brilliant, if you're not using it.

It's the screen on time that isn't great. My S2 is 4 hours max, screen time. 1 or 2% overnight. The S3 is a bigger phone, hence a bigger better battery.

S2 is probably still the best bang for your buck. Screens wipe clean very easily with a swipe over your shirt.

You don't seem sold on touchscreens so I won't go digging, but if you'd get a touchscreen I'll go on siamphone and look what I'd buy in your budget if you want?
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by PeteC »

The Nokia N8 has a slide out keyboard. A bit dated as using their Symbian ops system and not the new Windows since Nokia went into partnership with Microsoft. Should be under 10K for sure now, was 26-28K a year or two ago. Look it up as may be just right for your needs. Pete :cheers:
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by richard »

prcscct wrote:The Nokia N8 has a slide out keyboard. A bit dated as using their Symbian ops system and not the new Windows since Nokia went into partnership with Microsoft. Should be under 10K for sure now, was 26-28K a year or two ago. Look it up as may be just right for your needs. Pete :cheers:
Well I've a Nokia N8 which I'm trying to sell but what's this 'slide out keyboard'?
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

There's basically an N8 with a slide out keyboard, it's called the E7.

As you say the N8 hasn't got one.

There's nothing wrong with touchscreen keypads MrP.

I personally prefer the experience over physical keys and some crappy joystick/joypad .
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by Whaler »

You may not want all the bells and whistles but don't underestimate how the new smartphones with touch screens etc make things easier especially if you use reading glasses

The ability to change font size on the fly in sms screen, big keyboards and large photo contacts helps to keep your glasses in your pocket

A built in camera for those odd moments and accidents makes sense and the ability to use it as a USB drive is a bonus

You can always slip a jelly case on the phone if you are woried about dropping it
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by margaretcarnes »

I've just stumbled across the Nokia 6230. Only available now second hand, but it gets very good reviews. Looks like your regular mobile. Tough - good battery life - wifi connectivity - bluetooth - no touch screen. Used price in the UK around £30.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

margaretcarnes wrote:Used price in the UK around £30.
Cutting edge.

Look at the state of it.


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My 4 year old son would bin that.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by PeteC »

richard wrote:
prcscct wrote:The Nokia N8 has a slide out keyboard. A bit dated as using their Symbian ops system and not the new Windows since Nokia went into partnership with Microsoft. Should be under 10K for sure now, was 26-28K a year or two ago. Look it up as may be just right for your needs. Pete :cheers:
Well I've a Nokia N8 which I'm trying to sell but what's this 'slide out keyboard'?
See photos. I had an N8 about 18 months ago and it was clearly labeled "N8" with a keyboard. Perhaps they've changed model numbers as BaaBaa indicates below, I don't know. Pete :cheers:

EDIT: The second photo may be wrong although it was labeled N8 by the source. the top pic is the one I had.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by MrPlum »

BaaBaa. wrote:My 4 year old son would bin that.
Your 4 yr old doesn't have to cough up to replace it when you have left it somewhere, had it stolen or dropped it. Even with my Nokia N70 all I used it for was making and receiving calls, sending texts and playing the odd game when killing time. I paid 17,000 for it, the picture quality was poor, I didn't listen to music or radio or access the web. You get the idea. A 500 thb phone would probably have been sufficient, if not particularly sexy.

Having said that, the photo quality has improved tremendously and I might possibly use the map app to stop confusing Pranburi with Petchaburi.

Just last night I saw someone getting frustrated with their touch screen not responding. Are they all like that or is responsiveness something you can tweak?

Perhaps a topic 'How do you use your Smartphone?' would educate me on how to get the best out of it and in 3 months you'll see me posting... "I couldn't get by without my Smartphone."

:cheers:
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

My old man bought a £100 Huawei, it's decent in most aspects but the touch responsiveness isn't as good as mine. You get what you pay for.

Your mate SJ has got a 2nd hand S2.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by MrPlum »

BaaBaa. wrote:Your mate SJ has got a 2nd hand S2.
Now there's someone I would play golf with. Looks good. If I buy, can he track me with it? :wink:
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by VincentD »

Mr P
If all you really want to do is just make and receive phone calls, don't bother binning what you have. It'll do the job. I have exactly the same model that Mags has posted, and it does what I want it to, make and receive phone calls.
I also have a Nokia N97 mini which is great for emails as it has the slide out keyboard, and I can get emails apart from SMSs with a limited internet package. It is considered a 'smart' phone.

However...

The N97 can jump onto the internet for no apparent reason (and without your knowledge) even when it has been programmed to 'ask' before doing so, adding unnecessary expense to your bill. The RAM is very limited by today's standards (256K) so will be very unresponsive and may not be able to open some email attachments. Symbian (the platform used by Nokia) is dated and you can't play avis or other Windows based attachments without using some sort of conversion program.

I have in my hand a Samsung Galaxy 2 (rooted - meaning you can use other applications than Samsung) and sadly will be jumping ship due to my needs.

Main points:
The 6230 has great battery life - up to 3 days on standby - so is the one I use with the company-provided SIM. The added advantage of using this is that I am unable to receive company emails on my free time (that is what the desktop at work is for).

The N97 mini is great for sending SMSs and emails - it is my phone of choice for this (even though it does have a touchscreen and a virtual keyboard. I can't get my head around swype).

The Samsung will be replacing the N97 as my personal phone as it can cope with everything that is thrown at it. The Nokia will become my standby as it does have some good points (like free updated global maps and gps and the pop-up full qwerty keyboard) so it will not be binned.

Samsung S3, although nice, needs a microSIM; with the S2 I just pop the old one out of the Nokia into the Samsung (and vice-versa)

Nokia 6230 2nd hand - 1,500 baht.
Nokia N97 mini 2nd hand - 3,000 baht
Samsung S2 2nd hand 8,000 baht.

Rule of thumb: Any new phone will be obsolete 6 months from the time it appears. Buy with your needs in mind and it may not cost an arm and a leg, it'll keep you happy too.

My two cents.
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Re: Which Mobile Phone?

Post by BaaBaa. »

MrPlum wrote:
BaaBaa. wrote:Your mate SJ has got a 2nd hand S2.
Now there's someone I would play golf with. Looks good. If I buy, can he track me with it? :wink:
In short, yes. :laugh: :wink:

Disagree on the 6 months thing Vincent. The S2 still compares to the newest phones, admittedly it was a beast when it came out 18 months ago.
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