Nokia C5 Mobile Phone Review

Posted on 12-11-2010 | By: david | 

Category : Mobile Phones, Nokia

largenokiac5greyThe Nokia C5 seem to be an attempt by Nokia to introduce most of the features of the latest smart phones in a cheaper and easier to use package. Using the latest edition of the Symbian S60 operating system (3rd edition) the C5 is indeed more powerful than previous S40 offerings, but does it compare to well to rivals?

The first most obvious attraction of the C5 is the quality looks and feel of the stainless steel body, the handset feels so tough, with large easy to use buttons on the keypad, that you could imagine the military using it! So it’s smart and durable, but how does it perform?

At first glance the C5 looks like any traditional “candy bar” type phone, with 2.2-inch screen and alphanumeric keypad below. It’s only once you start using the handset, that you will appreciate that Nokia has injected the C5 with some DNA from its high end smart phone handsets.

Typically with Nokia smartphones, the C5 comes with a plethora of “social” applications ready to use ( such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Friendster). Many more applications are available from the Nokia Ovi store. There applications can be pinned to your home screen allowing you to customise the C5 experience.

On board storage is a relatively meagre 50MB, but you can add up to 16Gb using microSD card (a 2Gb microSD card is upplied in retail pack). One of the main attractions of the C5 will be the inclusion of Ovi maps and navigation completely free (for life according to Nokia). However the 2.2 inch screen is perhaps a little small to use when driving!

The 3.2 megapixel camera may sound basic when many manufacturers fit 5-10 megapixel units as standard, however, the camera is simple to use and the results are more than acceptable in terms of quality. The C5 pretty much has everything users want from a smart phone, with one notable exception, Wi-Fi. Of course data connectivity is supplied via 3G so as long as you have a good 3G signal in your area its not a huge problem, on the other hand, if you find yourself without 3G coverage or you have an expensive tariff for data downloads, you will find yourself wishing for Wi-Fi capability!

The C5 is available on contracts with T-mobile and Vodafone and is very competitive, cheaper than similar products such as HTC Tattoo or Samsung Tocco Ultra for example. The C5 is also offered on pay-as-you-go for those who prefer that payment model.

Advantages: Easy to use with simple interface, big buttons that can be operated even with gloves on!, superb build quality and sturdy construction, 3G support

Disadvantages: No Wi-Fi

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Full Review Nokia 1800 with Latest Deals

Posted on 12-11-2010 | By: david | 

Category : Mobile Phones, Nokia

Tags: , , , , ,

large1800The Nokia 1800 is available in four colours (blue colour, red, silver grey and black) in a solid “candy bar” type casing measuring 10.7cm x 4.5cm x 1.53cm and weighs just 78.5 grams. With a 1.8 inch TFT colour screen and the typical Nokia navigation controls below along with call buttons and alphanumeric keypad.

The 1800 is a basic mobile phone, for those who do not require all the bells and whistles (which this type of customer would probably never use anyway). A refreshingly simple product, easy to use and set up, it does what it “says on the tin”, no more, no less. despite this elegant simplicity, the Nokia 1800 has many useful basic features and functions, such as phone book for storing contact names and numbers, calendar, clock, alarm, SMS messaging, FM radio and LED flash light (why don’t other phones have this simple yet extremely useful feature?). The 1800 also supports MP3 ringtones and comes with 32-polyphonic ringtones pre loaded. There is also the option to personalise the handset with a range of covers.


Advantages: Usual functional and intuitive Nokia navigation, decent headset included in retail pack, useful LED torch which would work well in emergency situations, good reception even in rural areas, cheap

Disadvantages: No camera, no internet data connectivity, no email, lack of gimmicky features may put some people off! – no bragging rights, the sleek looks mean the casing design can be a bit slippery to hold!

If you just want a mobile phone for making/receiving calls and some text messaging, the Nokia 1800 has much to commend it. Extremely easy to use with no complicated menu functions nor tons of high tech features which you will never use! With the battery providing 528 hours standby time (helped no doubt by the distinct lack of power sapping features) this would also be a great handset for emergency use whilst driving/travelling for instance. The retail pack includes a Nokia Compact Charger, Stereo Headset and a useful User guide. Most users would have this phone set up and ready to use in seconds (after battery is fully charged). The Nokia 1800 has a high satisfaction rating from customers with very little negative feedback at all – all in all, a budget mobile phone with all the basic features wrapped up in a nice looking handset, with easy to read screen, simple to use navigation and good reliability. Perhaps the best basic handset on the market right now.

Available free with contract from T-mobile, Orange, and Vodafone. Or for less than £10 on pay-as-you-go!

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Nokia 5228 Reviews and Deals

Posted on 11-11-2010 | By: david | 

Category : Mobile Phones, Nokia

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large5228blackThe Nokia 5228 is an extremely stylish touch screen Smartphone which will definitely appeal to the fashion conscious. The 5228 is a “candy bar” type handset with a 3.2 inch high colour (16.7 million colours) touch screen available in white or black with a selection of colours available for the rear casing (red, silver, green, pink, black, blue). Main features include a 2 mega-pixel camera, integrated music player (with dedicated music keys and Speaker ) and Internet browser. The camera also doubles as a video recorder (30 frames per second at 640 x 360 pixels resolution).

A Symbian Smart phone, the 5228 uses the S60 operating system, this allows the use of a built in stylus for making touch screen selections. The built in accelerometer also provides display auto rotation. Measuring just 11.1cm x 5.17cm x 1.55cm and weighing in at 115 grams. This handset, in addition to looking stylish, actually feels high quality and is good to hold. There is a definite high-end feel to this mobile.

The 5228 supports Java games which are easy to play with touch screen controls (ships with Roller Coaster game installed). The built in camera has a CMOS sensor and 3x digital zoom and also supports video recording at up to thirty frames per second. Other standard features include music player (MP3, eAAC+, WMA and WAV ), FM radio, handwriting recognition, conference calling, speaker-phone, flight mode setting, audio messaging, email, Internet browser with Nokia mobile search and full connectivity using EDGE and GPRS technology, Bluetooth or the included USB cable.

With 70Mb of internal memory and another 16Gb via MicroSD™ memory card there should be plenty of storage for most users. Being a quad-band handset the phone should be usable pretty much worldwide and the battery provides a claimed 10 hours talk time and 455 hours on standby.

Advantages: An attractive proposition for the price, particularly for young users, clever proximity sensor that turns the phone off automatically to help you save battery life, a great phone for music lovers, familiar (to Nokia fans) and easy to use navigation interface, generous amount of pre-loaded software,( Facebook, MySpace and Amazon applications for example).

Disadvantages: resistive screen is not that responsive when it comes to handwriting recognition, no HSDPA or 3G, downloading large files is a bit slow via EDGE/GPRS.

Available on pay-as-you-go and monthly contracts on T-mobile, Orange and Vodafone. The 5228 is sure to be another big seller for Nokia.

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Nokia X3 Touch and Type Review and Latest Deals

Posted on 11-11-2010 | By: david | 

Category : Mobile Phones, Nokia

Tags: ,

largenokiax3touchblackThe Nokia X3 Touch and Type is an unusual handset offering a combination of touch screen display AND standard alphanumeric keypad ( the only other phone we can think of offering this combo is the BlackBerry Torch 9800) The actual screen size on the X3 Touch and Type is a modest 2.4 inches, it’s a TFT resistive type screen with QVGA resolution and supporting up to 256,000 colours. The resistive screen allows use of stylus and helps keep dimensions down to a snug 106mm x 48mm x 9.6mm and a light weight of only 78g. The X3 is noticeably slimmer than many competitors. As with most Nokia’s, navigation is simple and intuitive and the touch interface works well.

Connectivity is a major advantage with this mobile. A quad band GSM handset, with 3G and both HSDPA and HSUPA enabled, along with GPRS (Class 10) and EDGE. The handset is also WiFi enabled and features Bluetooth 2.1, with A2DP support. Connecting to PC or laptop is easy with supplied Micro USB port. Full support is offered for messaging services like GTalk, Yahoo messenger, Windows Live; and for popular social networks like Twitter and Facebook.

The internal memory of the X3 Touch and Type is a meagre 50MB, however additional memory storage via Micro SD memory card can support up to 16GB (according to Nokia, however users have reported using memory cards of up to32Gb with no problems). This memory is especially useful for the on-board media player which supports all popular digital audio and video formats. A 16Gb memory card can hold thousands of songs along with video’s and photographs, and if you ever get bored of your music there is always the built in stereo FM radio with RDS support.
The Nokia X3 has a decent 5.0 megapixel camera (resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels) which can also record video with and supports for high speed data transfer. Nokia claim 408 hours stand by time for both 2G and 3G with standard battery which is exceptional for a touch screen phone.

Advantages: Exceptional battery life, stylish looks, superb connectivity and very user friendly, quality feel despite wide use of plastic in construction
Disadvantages: No qwerty keypad, Symbain OS some way behind class leaders, camera at 5 megapixels is pretty basic for this class

The Nokia X3 is an unusual phone with touchscreen and alphanumeric keypads with a good range of connectivity features and easy to use S40 software. Lacks the bells and whistles of competitors like Blackberry but this is reflected in price. Currently being offered as a free handset with contract by T-mobile and Vodafone. Another winner from Nokia!

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Full Review on Nokia C7

Posted on 11-11-2010 | By: david | 

Category : Mobile Phones, Nokia, O2, T-mobile

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largenokiac7blackThe Nokia C7 is a mid-range phone with all the features you would expect from Nokia in this price range with no serious shortcomings. In the Nokia range, the C7 is priced above the C6 and below the N8. This was one of Nokia’s first mobiles featuring the new Symbian 3 software and by all accounts, it’s a much faster, more versatile system than previous offerings in the range. Offering quick and extremely slick switching between apps and screens.

This latest operating system provides a choice of 3 different “home” screens, each of which can be customised with a collection of widgets ( such as email, news, social status on Facebook/Twitter and even TV widgets allowing display of channels like CNN or BBC).

The phone’s frame is a classy, solid feeling stainless steel design which feels more robust than some of it’s competitors. Available in black, brown, or what Nokia describes as “frosty metal” colours. The C7 also features a second noise cancelling microphone so you can be heard clearly when making calls despite high levels of ambient noise.

The 3.5 inch screen is an AMOLED design (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode). This is essential in a phone with a clear internet based appeal, providing both Wi-Fi and 3G to ensure seamless, high speed web access almost anywhere.

Heavily promoted by networks which in the UK include T-mobile, o2 and Vodafone, the C7 is available free on a contract basis.

Advantages: Sturdy stainless steel construction, much improved Symbian 3 software is slick and versatile, superb 3.5 inch AMOLED screen

Disadvantages: Although the Symbian 3 software is much improved it still has a way to go in terms of catching up with close mobile rivals such as Apple’s iOS or Google Android, that shiny surface is a bit of a magnet for fingerprints!

The C7 is yet another useful option in the Nokia range, Nokia has made the point (very publicly) that they feel customers want choice and a one phone suits all approach is not optimal (obviously a direct reference to the Apple iPhone!). A mid range handset with a strong bias towards internet users and in particular social networking. Has much to commend it, with very little negatives. The only downside really is the Symbian operating system is not quite a match to the current market leaders, but it’s not far behind and in normal everyday use most users would not feel short changed.

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