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The ultimate mobile configuration: Cheap Nokia + iPad/Nexus One?

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Reader Dominic Travers (one of the chaps behind the upcoming Droidcon event) commented on the Nokia transformation post I wrote yesterday.

His opinion is chiming with mine. See what you think:

I have got sick and tired of Android devices and iPhone missing calls and generally sucking at voice in general. So much so, I got the genius £5pcm 1GB 3UK SIM and a copy of the 3 Skype app for Android which actually works. So that’s my Nexus working as a Mifi, email and Skype hub.

But I run an mobile events company and need to make and receive time critical calls every day. So a couple of weeks ago I bought a Nokia candy bar phone for £180 of Amazon. Lo and behold, it rings every time people call me, and I can hear what they’re saying properly too. It’s amazing after 18 months of shouting what, sorry, I didn’t catch that in to a variety of HTC, Motorola and apple smartphones, I can have proper conversations again. On the last charge I got through 5 hours of calls, 25 MB of packet data and finally had to charge it after day 6, yes that’s 6 days.

Obviously the software and UX is rubbish, 10,000 button presses later it nearly does things as I want it too. There is some shit hot IP in Nokia hardware, particularly in antenna performance and efficiency where they are literally a decade ahead of everyone else. If they can get beyond a ridiculous maze of menu cul de sacs, and deliver some logic and consistency on Meego devices they’ll come flying back.

I’m thinking of holding on for a few more weeks for the western media to pan the N8, then buying a load of Nokia stock when it’s at it’s cheapest.

Their only problem is software, and that’s by far the easiest one to solve…

I’ve been thinking about doing the same. Dominic’s a huge Android fan, so obviously the Nexus One makes sense for him. I’d a reasonable Android fan… but I do quite enjoy the mobile experience on the iPhone and the messaging experience on the BlackBerry.

For a long time I’ve been thinking about going and buying a simple Nokia handset to use for decent voice calls.

There’s nothing better than a Nokia when you’re making phone calls, is there?

7 COMMENTS

  1. I thoroughly recommend the Nokia E52, the 1500 Mh battery makes it *the* class leading voice phone for business. Once you have managed to locate the Mail For Exchange app it can synch all your contacts over the air too.

  2. I have a beef about the call quality of voice. It’s either good, or just don’t bother.Pretty much the only phones that can do this decently are Nokia’s. The iPhone is truly awful and sounds like you are talking with your head being flushed down the bog. Android ones are full of buzzing and whistling, you could be at the local crackhouse or football match (not sure which is worse). My old Blackberry Curve used to do good voice, but shite everything else.I’m now using a Nokia E71 for voice and email, with Twitter and the like handled by Gravity. Then connecting to my iPod Touch using Joikuspot for when I feel the need for a fart app, etc.
    I found this quite amusing too… http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/wireless_voice_calls_are_obsolete/

  3. Judging by the Nokia N900 I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for MeeGo. It sounds fine, but it often forgets to ring when someone calls. I think it’s the way the telephony stack is done on new smartphone OSes and having to compete for resources on the main CPU.

  4. I don’t remember where I read it, maybe it was boingboing, but the author was talking about how he was fed up his phone sucking and bought some cheap Nokia S40 phone. To fulfill his geek needs, he uses a 3G iPad. I think its a good combo.

  5. +1 to just about everyone. In my case it’s the N95 with Joikuspot servicing the toys.

    +1 on the N8 comments. I have too much bitter experience with shoehorning ‘5-9s’ server applications onto Linux to trust it as an kernel for a phone – same problems on a different scale imo.

  6. Only last week I got a crappy Samsung GT-E1170 for my business phone. It has provided excellent call quality and battery life. Making around 30 minutes of calls a day, I’ve charged it twice. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t “fun,” but it works very well for making calls.

    My iPhone3GS is my daily use phone for friends and family as it has contracted minutes, email and internet. Even with my Mophie the battery life sucks if I dare to actually “use it.”

    In summary, I guess my world needs both styles of phone. I need my toys and features, but I also need a reliable platform for making calls.

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