vB Easy Archive - RAZR and 6230 head-to-head

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RAZR and 6230 head-to-head
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Posted by: mo98

I will soon be switching from Alltel to Cingular, and I am trying to decide on a phone. I have the Nokia 6255i with alltel, and I love the features on it. I have tried to do some research, so I can be more specific with my questions. According to my needs and prefs, I have narrowed my choices down to the Razr and the nokia 6230.

My needs and prefs in order:

reception - I live in the ozarks of SW Missouri (Springfield)
size - I carry phone in front pocket
pc sync - I want to sync calendar and contacts with Outlook
memory expansion - plenty of room for pictures and other things (mp3s)

These are the main things, but I like having other features to play around with like a camera and music player.

Razr questions:

Is the size really small, or is it too wide?
Is pc sync easy? (nokia is extremely easy with free software)
Does the razr really capture video or not?

6230b questions:

What are the pros and cons of buying an unbranded phone? My cingular store does not have the 6230, so I would have to purchase off the internet. I have never done that with a cell phone before, so I am not sure.

Do you think I have narrowed down to the best phones for my needs and prefs? Should I just get a cheap phone like the 6010, and wait a couple of months for new phones?

Posted by: SonyStyle

maybe you should get a 6010, because while it is basic, and not the smallest, it does have excellent reception and is very cheap...... there are about 5 handsets that will be out in the next month, so u might want one of those......

Also if u are interested in 3g... that could be coming in less than a year to your area....

The SE Z520a is supposed to be excellent, Bluetooth, Quadband, Camera, Video,

and a few others... its your choice, but since you are looking for a midrange handset, i would wait, and grab a cheap 6010 off ebay or somewhere else.

Posted by: dobiegillis

If you're switching carriers and have to sign a new contract you should get a phone from Cingular. You should be able to get a 6010 for free. Then go get an unbranded 6230 on ebay and keep the 6010 as backup. You'll thank yourself, especially if you like the Nokia OS. If you do buy an unbranded 6230 ask what firmware you're getting. You want something like 5.35 or higher and UNBRANDED. Cingular is notorious for screwing up firmware. If you're not opposed to it buy a used 6230 but get it from an individual (not an ebay dealer). I recently purchased one for a friend that way and it was a great handset. Looked practically new.

Posted by: mo98

dobiegillis,

Thanks for the reply. Should I be looking for the 6230b or the 6230i? I noticed that the "i" has a better screen, but I am not sure if it has 850 band. Do you have any suggestions of places to buy other than ebay? Is letstalk.com reliable? Again, I have never purchased a phone online, so I am a bit hesitant. There are alot of scams out there these days.

How out of date do you think the 6230 will be in a few months? I noticed the Nokia E series that is coming soon. The E series looks promising.

Posted by: boston_errol

you need b for the 850mhz...

i recommend searching the B/S/T forums here. you can also ship your phone out to iunlock to get it upgraded & or unbranded

Posted by: mo98

boston,

Just curious, but is phonescoop wrong about the 6230i?

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=698

I would rather have the better screen.

Posted by: macizcool

Don't even look at the i version. It will make you sick. Nokia is not planning on coming out with a version for the U.S. that supports the 850 band. I heard this from Nokia directly, and do not listen to any random posts around the internet that say otherwise (don't believe it until you see it, basically).

I personally (since I want it

) would say to take the Nokia 6230b with the unbranded firmware. It's a little more unique than the RAZR, IMO, since the RAZR is becoming more and more played out. You rarely see people carrying the 6230b, and it looks like an awesome phone for it's size. And I see they have 2GB cards available now to use in it!

Posted by: mbranscum

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo98

boston,

Just curious, but is phonescoop wrong about the 6230i?

http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=698

I would rather have the better screen.

Phonescoop is wrong...no 850 band on the 6230i.

Posted by: dodgerx88

You're kidding!

6230 = BMW 3 series
RAZR = Ford Focus

Posted by: macizcool

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodgerx88

You're kidding!

6230 = BMW 3 series
RAZR = Ford Focus

OMG.......... I cannot believe you made that analogy!!!!! Now resistance is futile.... I must purchase the 6230 with my credit card and suffer more debt.... (The 3 Series is my passion.........)

Posted by: Rcadden

Given that you have the 6255i, which is basically a flip cdma version of the 6230, I'd say stick with that.

Posted by: HC - NO "i"

mo98,

I have been played with the 3 handsets: Nokia 6230b, Nokia 6230i and Motorola RAZR. Though I am not a Cingular subscriber, I have chances to roam on it... It would be wise to have 850MHz capability with Cingular if your usage in rural regions of the country is frequent.

For the RAZR, I have tried countless version of firmware / FLEX (including those with video capture), editing the SEEMS to make it work relatively closer to my needs... Still, it is a nice-looking crap! Sure, I travel in style with it - the size, the feel with metal housing. But, "hello? hello?" - just like its hellomoto promo ads, but in reality that because many RAZR owners have the problems with its relatively disappointing RF performance (cannot hang on to the weak signal in some odd spots) along with the audio quality (clipping, soft volume, too much side tones / background noise if crank it to the max), with the weak battery, without memory expansion (until the version 2 of the RAZR, that comes with TransFlash slot), without the EDGE support for faster online data transfer.... Video capture can be added but it makes the handset a little unstable somtimes, i.e. takes forever to open up the call logs or frozen. Regarding the PC Sync, you can use the officially sanctioned mobile Phone Tools but it is not exactly free (except the cracked version). It is clear that this moto is not a recommended pick. In fact, I could not stand it so much that I traded it in on the first day of my trip in Hong Kong! That's right! I left it behind in foreign soil! Take the cash to shop for more meaningful thing - contributing to the purchase of my 6230i there!

For the 6230i, sure that it improves the keypad (with the dedicated centre / select button), the display screen (208x208 pixels) camera resolution (1.3 MP and better quality), the memory (32MB internal and 26MB accessible) over the original 6230 / 6230b. They both can stick in a MMC card for memory expansion. However, without the access to 850MHz in the 6230i, the b would be wise if you intend to use it 850-only regions. What would a handset with better screen do without service coverage? Unbranded or branded is more like a personal preference in my opinion. Cingular, once offers 6230b, but recently suspended its sales. Some suggests the new firmware has issues with its network and some suggests the 6230i MAY have a b version developed... If you want to put in the MMS, WAP, email settings profile into an unbranded one, you can use the free service at Nokia site... http://www.nokiausa.com/support/set...1,1921,,00.html It will send it wireless to your Nokia handsets. One more unique item that I like about Nokia: the accessories. It share many common accessories with majority Nokia handsets over the years - from chargers to data cables. So unless you would use GSM phones only in big cities here in North America or traveling overseas, the 6230b is recommended.

The bottom line: If they were cars, RAZR sure looks like an updated sexy-looking sport car but with a weak, horribly tuned, gas-hustling engine, lousy tires / brakes, fewer features (not even options)... 6230b, on the other hand, looks like a bit outdated and boxy passenger car but with a refined engine that is fuel-efficient, good tires / brakes, more features (and options). 6230i is almost the same but newer model year, just like an imported version that has not passed the crash test, emission test here in North America and no insurer will insure it for the road use.

Posted by: what_up

I had both and here are my comments:

Reception : Razr a tad better than the 6230. RAZR has been the best phone for reception for me.
Display screen : I returned my 6230 as I hated the tiny and crappy display on that phone. That's the only thing I hated about the phone.

6230 has external memory, FM radio, and MP3 player.

As for the size, both phones are very good size. You can easily keep them in your pocket.

Razr looks way cooler than the 6230.

I would suggest RAZR for two reasons : It gets excellent reception and 6230 has tiny and crappy display.

Posted by: mo98

whatup,

Do you mind if I ask where you are located, or at least what kind of terrain? I kind of live in the hills (the Ozarks), but I am very close (8 miles out) to a big city.

My area has not added all of the AT&T towers yet, but it is coming soon.

Posted by: johngotti

I am a long time Nokia fan but dabble in everything... I thought it would be necessary to point out that if you go with a 6230 then might want to get one that is Nokia and not Cingular branded... they were recalled a month or two ago for locking up and restarting uncontrollably... mine didnt forever then one day I had a ton of problems with it... when my 6230 was working though I was much more impressed with it than the razr I test drove....

Posted by: what_up

Quote:

Originally Posted by mo98

whatup,

Do you mind if I ask where you are located, or at least what kind of terrain? I kind of live in the hills (the Ozarks), but I am very close (8 miles out) to a big city.

My area has not added all of the AT&T towers yet, but it is coming soon.

I live in Illinois suburb. Not a bad area for coverage. I just have one spot(forest preserve) on my way from home to work and vice versa, where I always got dropped calls with my all other phones. With RAZR so far, I haven't had a dropped call. Keeping my fingers crosses. I have noticed that RAZR gets better reception almost everywhere so far. I am really impressed.