vB Easy Archive - $400 for my next phone... S60 or iPhone?

Pages: 1

$400 for my next phone... S60 or iPhone?
(Click here to view the original thread with full colors/images)

Posted by: Helicon Twist

I've been pretty pleased with my Nokia E50, but its recent fight with concrete left a few wounds

I've come to appreciate Nokia for their build quality, reception, and call quality (volume and clarity), in addition to their renewed Mac support. And I like what S60 can do for me, now that I've finally learned how to use it

In my price range, my options are the E65 and N73. I would prefer the E65, since I have an iPod and don't care much for phone cameras. However, some chatter on the S60 forum indicates Nokia has already abandoned it - there've been no updates to the "v1.0" firmware

The N73 would be OK, but IMO, its styling is so boring, it's ugly. Plus, $400 is a lot for an "old" phone.

Apple's recent price reduction has me reconsidering the iPhone. Full iPod functionality in an iPhone would be great , for not having to fumble two devices during music + calls, and I could ditch my gadget bag, too (a huge plus). Furthermore, the physical quality, display, and UI are deservedly legendary. However, although its shortcomings are indeed short, they are too numerous too ignore: AT&T enslavement, crippled Bluetooth, no MMS, no voice dialing, can't use my own ringtones (from my own music!?!), awkward headphone jack, piss-poor speakerphone, the list goes on. There've been rumblings of poor call quality and volume, too. The final wrinkle is the fact that I live in an area with full 3G coverage and almost no public WiFi - just the airport, the library, and the 1 (too many) Starbucks in town. So the iPhone's web capabilities are lost on me, since EDGE is useless for anything more than WAP.

That last point makes waiting (and saving) for the US N95 another possibility.

You experience-based advice is welcome

Posted by: Topy

More of E65 v N73 fights

I'm not sure what i'm doing, but i might say iphone(yes i hate myself already), but i wouldnt buy N73 just because its so slow. I had E65 and it was great. Slider was great and liked the looks(red!), but in the end it was a bit boring. If you have even slightest feeling that you might want ro watch videos you already know what phone you should get

Thought US N95/N958GB is always the right way to go if you got the nerves of steel and the cash.

E65 http://www.mobile-review.com/review/nokia-e65-en.shtml
N73 http://www.mobile-review.com/review/nokia-n73-en.shtml
.... http://www.nseries.com/index.html#l...n95_8gb,gallery

Just if you wouldnt have already read punch of these.

Posted by: comp_king

F*** the Iphone... just buy the new Ipod Touch... If you must get an Iphone, why not get an unlocked one?... they're down to about $600 on PureMobile...

Posted by: braindead5400

The biggest problem with buying an unlocked iPhone is that software updates could relock it, pretty much just like flashing an unbranded moto phone with a locked monster pack. While I guess you could always go through the steps to unlock it again, you may have to pay for it.

If you don't see a need for the N73, I don't think you'd be too thrilled with the N95. I used to LOVE the phone before I actually got one. I don't really think it's worth the price. At least for me, the GPS wouldn't be anything more than a novelty. Wifi browsing was terribly slow and plagued with memory problems, the camera cover opened every time I took it out of my pocket and after using my M600i for so long, the lack of touchscreen and a qwerty was annoying.

Posted by: Topy

How about Nokia 6120 classic? Nothing too flashy(thought the white looks great), but still a S60 phone with great speed.

http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobile...0437140p,00.htm

Posted by: unrealii

If possible, check if you can play around with the s60 phone first. Some are slow in response, while others are quick. Right now I've got a nokia 6290 (its the cheapest S60 3rd ed fp1 that is available) and an iphone. Both have their positives and minuses. My biggest gripe about my nokia is that it doesn't have enough ram. I can hit an out of memory error while browsing and having another app open. If you are considering s60, make sure the phone has more than 64mb ram. There's an thread about this in the s60 forum stickied. You can also view phone specs here: http://www.forum.nokia.com/devices/matrix_s60_1.html

Just my opinion, I wouldn't buy an s60 with such limited amount of ram. The new n81 is supposed to be pretty good. I'm tempted to sell my nokia now, live off the iphone and hope apple doesn't lock it, then go with an n81 when its out.

Posted by: huskyfan23

The E65 is nice

Posted by: ogami_ito

You sort of contradicted your self with "I would prefer the E65, since I have an iPod and don't care much for phone cameras. " and " Full iPod functionality in an iPhone would be great , for not having to fumble two devices "

If you want music, go with Nokia 5700 or wait for the N81. I believe that has 3G. The N73 is probably too slow. The E65 is a good phone, but not good for music (has pop-port). And since you are not interested in Wifi, why even consider this.

Personally, I don't see why people would get phones to watch full video. A clip here and there fine. But if you want to see a video, you have your dvd player and your computer to watch it on. I also think phone camera is a little stupid too, other than to get a quick shot off. Cheap digital camerals from a year ago still outperform the most high-end phone cameras.

Posted by: patrixl

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogami_ito

Personally, I don't see why people would get phones to watch full video. A clip here and there fine. But if you want to see a video, you have your dvd player and your computer to watch it on. I also think phone camera is a little stupid too, other than to get a quick shot off. Cheap digital camerals from a year ago still outperform the most high-end phone cameras.

As a traveller, and someone who likes to walk around lightly without carrying a lot of things, phones with camera and music players are GREAT. I carry one device that fits nicely in my pocket, rather than bring a bag with 3 devices in it.

Patrix

Posted by: ogami_ito

Thank you Patrix... I actually understand now (i'm serious). When I travel, I usually have a book, or kids to keep me busy, and I want my best camera to take pictures of places and kids.

I think the camera and video features are more about how you travel than about how you use the phone.

Posted by: Helicon Twist

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogami_ito

You sort of contradicted your self with "I would prefer the E65, since I have an iPod and don't care much for phone cameras. " and " Full iPod functionality in an iPhone would be great , for not having to fumble two devices "

Let me clarify. I would much prefer to have one device for everything (patrixl hit the nail on the head), e.g. a phone with an iPod built-in. Which is why I'm considering the iPhone. However, if I decide against the iPhone, then I'm deciding for a 2-device solution: an iPod + a phone. In the latter case, then, I wouldn't need a phone with strong multimedia capabilities.

Quote:

If you want music, go with Nokia 5700 or wait for the N81. I believe that has 3G. The N73 is probably too slow. The E65 is a good phone, but not good for music (has pop-port). And since you are not interested in Wifi, why even consider this.

In my experience, nothing - nothing! - beats the iPod, especially for iTunes users. Software like SyncTunes are only marginally better than manually drag'n'drop-ing music files. I went down this road with a Sony Ericsson W810i and it was aggravatingly frustrating - that phone's "Walkman" app drove me screaming to my 8GB Nano. YMMV, of course, but this is what I've learned for myself.

And I'm not totally disinterested in WiFi, I just wouldn't have regular need for it. But every once in a while, I do travel, and it would be nice to have at the airport, the hotel, etc. (I was shocked to find my hotel room in Snowbird, UT had free WiFi!)

Quote:

I couldn't agree more. Were I to choose an iPhone or iPod Touch, I wouldn't have more than a handful of movie trailers and maybe a TV show episode or two. I would mostly use that gorgeous display for photos. 100% agree about the cameras, too.

Posted by: Helicon Twist

Quote:

Originally Posted by unrealii

If possible, check if you can play around with the s60 phone first. Some are slow in response, while others are quick.

I've had an E50 for a few months now, so I know about S60 - and slowness

Posted by: sneakypure

if you like s60. seriously look up the n81. not too big phone wise. 8 gigs. 2 megapixel camera, can do video (15 fps). it's got a navi wheel on it kinda like the ipods. has the ngage platform on it. list can go on and on.

Posted by: jontymisra

E51 was announced, and N81 has Wifi as well.

Posted by: Helicon Twist

Quote:

Originally Posted by comp_king

F*** the Iphone... just buy the new Ipod Touch...

If only HoFo'ers could qualify comments like this. What's so awful about the iPhone? Especially at its new low price?

But like I said, my main iPhone interest is combining my mobile phone and iPod. (So the N81, any Sony Ericsson "W" phone, etc. need not apply, as these work terribly with iTunes.) I wonder if I would sacrifice too much features-wise for convenience and simplicity

And iLounge panned the iPod Touch. For about the iPhone's price, you get fewer features and a lower-quality display. If I have to carry two devices, I'd get an iPod Classic instead.

Posted by: sneakypure

well you might have answered your own question then. nothing is going to do itunes better than iphone

Posted by: Helicon Twist

Thanks for the responses. Based on this + Internet scuttlebutt, I think it's too soon to buy an iPhone. Per my profile, I'll wait for version 3.0

In the meantime, I think an N95-3 US + iPod Classic is the way to go. I also need to think about how, for gym use, an N95 would perform as an iPod Shuffle/small Nano replacement.

Posted by: patrixl

Quote:

Originally Posted by ogami_ito

Thank you Patrix... I actually understand now (i'm serious). When I travel, I usually have a book, or kids to keep me busy, and I want my best camera to take pictures of places and kids.

I think the camera and video features are more about how you travel than about how you use the phone.

I'ts also a lifestyle/usage thing, my gf just mentioned that to me. with a mobile phone, you can take a picture and immediately send it to friends who are missing the event, while with a digicam you have to wait till you get a computer, copy it over, then email the friend..

It's also cheaper (not always lol) to own one device that does all...

Glad I could help you understand though

Patrix

Posted by: Aleki

kaiser...
if youre not in a rush to get a phone, wait till it drops to 600 unlocked. i played around with one and i am very impressed with the build quality of the phone. built in gps, tomtom, 128mb ram 256mb rom, fast processor, vga screen, supports virtually every band available, and who could forget it has wm6 ppc so it can do everything my pda already does.
the guy who owns it said he cant find the ir port but he said he was able to beam files to someone else. if this is true, that would mean the phone can also substitute for a universal remote! heck i'm thinking of selling my 51v for that phone, lol

Posted by: jontymisra

Kaiser will never drop to $600 unlocked unless you get it used. It's way to new and it'll only drop to that if say, an upgrade for it comes out. It'll realistically drop to $600 in the next 3-4 months, or maybe a little later, who knows. HTC phones hold value for a while.

Posted by: Aleki

Quote:

Originally Posted by jontymisra

Kaiser will never drop to $600 unlocked unless you get it used. It's way to new and it'll only drop to that if say, an upgrade for it comes out. It'll realistically drop to $600 in the next 3-4 months, or maybe a little later, who knows. HTC phones hold value for a while.

hence why i said "if youre not in a rush"

i would imagine the price for unlocked would drop around 100, a few weeks after att releases it that is
anyone know for sure when tmo will carry it?
ps: screen isnt vga, my bad

still looks awsome though

Posted by: tamoghno

i think if you have the nerve to wait a few days you should consider n81. It'll be perfect for you as you are a s60 user. It has 42mb of free ram ! & camera is just 2mp. 8 gb memory + 3.5 mm jack can replace your ipod. & i agree with you not to pay premium for cameras that dont even have optical zoom

Posted by: zephxiii

What about the e61i? can probably get one of those for around 400, has a pretty good camera as well.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_e61i-review-142.php