Nokia 6151

Nokia 6151 is Nokia’s attempt to bring 3G WCDMA/UMTS phones to the masses, and also to preempt any similar moves by its competitors. As of now, it is Nokia’s cheapest 3G handset available across the different continents on earth. Nokia anticipates the pricing of 6151 to be anywhere near 240 Euros + taxes or equivalent dollars/pounds/INR.

Regarding features, the Nokia 6151 comes equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel camera, 30 MB internal memory, microSD memory slot, MP3 player that supports MP3, AAC, and WMA formats, FM Radio, voice dialing, push-to-talk, Bluetooth connectivity, flight mode, 262k color display of 128x160 pixel resolution, and an easy to use S40 interface.

Nokia 6151 has a Li-Ion battery, which, according to its manufacturers, gives 4.5 hours of talk time and a standby time of 4.5 hours. On a user scale, this equation translates to 2-2.5 days of battery survival, assuming that the user spends at least an hour daily on the phone, making or receiving calls, and occasionally using MP3, games, or other applications.

Prices of Few Popular Sony Ericsson Models In India

Walkman Phones

• W300i --------------- 9,500 INR.
  
• W550i --------------- 10,200 INR.
• W700i --------------- 11,700 INR.
• W810i --------------- 14,900 INR.

Megapixel Camera Phones

• K790i Cybershot -------- 18,800 INR.
• K750i ------------------- 10,600 INR.
• K510i ------------------- 6,500 INR.
• Z550i ------------------- 8,000 INR.

Snap Shot Phones

• K310i -------------- 4,950 INR.
• Z530i -------------- 6,800 INR.

Business Phones

• M600i ------------- 15,800 INR.
  
• P990i ------------- 30,800 INR.

Easy Phones

• J100i ------------- 2,300 INR.
• J220i ------------- 3,150 INR.
  
• J230i ------------- 3,250 INR.

These are the rates as on Decemeber 2006. For more info on the models mentioned, visit http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=in&lc=en&ver=4000&template=ph1&zone=ph

Samsung D830

Samsung D830 is the clamshell design in the newly released Ultra Thin Edition phone series. It is named Samsung Ultra Edition 9, the last digit hinting the thickness of the phone case, which stands at 9.9 mm. Samsung D830 measures 103x54x9.9 mm and has a weight of 92 gm. One may well think how Samsung had managed to cut the weight of its handsets. Pretty simple, except the battery and the electronic circuits, make all other parts plastic. Samsung D830's front and back cover may appear like metal. But in realty, it is not.

Samsung D830 comes with a 2 mega pixel CMOS fixed focus camera, which is located on the rotating block near the flip axis. In fact, that is the only place in the entire phone body where the camera could have been embedded, thanks to its 9.9 mm thickness. The camera functionality, the ISO settings and white balance, they are pretty standard and similar to comparable Samsung models. The picture quality is ok, if not that great. Comparable models of Nokia and Sony Ericsson produces better quality pictures under the same conditions. However, the biggest drawback in terms of taking photos and videos is that the user cannot automatically save the pics directly into the memory card. One may have to do it manually. Worse, the counter problem with Samsung’s earlier models persists in Samsung D830 as well. Having taken the pictures, if the user moves the image files to some other location, the counter resets to 1 again. This could cause problems when you download images to your PC. There you may have to deal with too many files with the file name 001.jpg. This software flaw is really irritating, to be honest.

Another negative – if thought that way - with Samsung D830 is its keypad, which is a sensor numeric keypad as in Motorola RAZR. Its problem is that the user won’t realize if he had actually pressed the key while typing. Hence, it is mandatory that you follow the display as well closely. Else, you could end up calling wrong numbers or mistyped sms.

Samsung D830 has a 2.3’ TFT display that is capable of showing 262k colors, at a resolution of 240x320 pixels. The downside however is that the display fades under bright sunlight. Else it is very much ok. Other features of D830 include blue tooth connectivity, MP3 player, expandable memory slot, GPRS, GSM 900, 1800, and 1900MHz bands support, Wap browser, email client, 80 MB internal memory, and flight mode.

Regarding battery life, Samsung D830’s 630 mAh Li-Ion battery scores only below average when compared with similar models of Nokia and Sony Ericsson. About one hour spent on calling, and no other applications used, the charge may last up to 2 days. If you are an avid gamer or music buff, then most probably you may end up recharging it every 24 hours.

Final Call – Not worth the money spent, especially since other models in this category performs far well than Samsung D830. A Samsung X820 or Motorola KRZR would be a better choice. Samsung D830 is priced at around £230/$400/17,000 INR.

Nokia N73 - A Review

Nokia N73 can be viewed as a thinned down version of its own N70, with enhanced features such as QVGA display and a 3.2 mega pixel auto focus camera. It measures 110х49х19 mm and weighs 117 grams with SIM card present.

Starting from the front, the display of N73 boasts a resolution of 240x320 pixels and is capable of displaying 262k colors. The translucent metallic substrate that lines the display ensures that it remains readable even under the brightest of sunlight. Above the display, to the right, is the VGA camera, tailor made for video calls in 3G networks. It can take pictures as well. To the right of the VGA camera is the light sensor for controlling the backlighting of the keypad. The sensor also carries a blue tooth indicator LED.

The 3.2 mega pixel camera is at the back of the phone’s body, protected by a sliding shutter. In order to switch on the camera, what all one has to do is to slide open the shutter. It starts running automatically. Regarding performance, it has good picture quality, quite comparable to that of its immediate competitor, Sony Ericsson K800i, with a fast enough auto focusing and decent macro mode for close-ups. The camera menu is also very much user friendly. The zoom control/volume control button lies to the right side top, while the shutter button and click button can be found at the bottom, same side.

If there is any glaring negative in N73, then it is its keypad. It is crammed and small, and it will be really awkward if the user tries to manage it single-handedly. Another con is the sunken position of the joystick inside the casing. Compared with similar Sony Ericsson models, this one is rather more difficult to operate.

Like other models in this price range, Nokia N73 comes with EDGE, 3G, blue tooth 2.0 with EDR, complete PIM applications with synchronizing to Outlook, MP3 player, email client, web browser, and 42 MB internal memory. The SD card slot is at the bottom, and it can be expanded to 2GB if one wishes so. On the downside, N73 lacks WiFi support.

To conclude, Nokia N73 is a great phone, especially for the tech savvy younger generation, who always want to keep abreast with the latest technology. N73s battery life however is not quite as good as Sony Ericsson K800i. But, then, it has its pluses as well, which no other competitor can match. Nokia N73 is priced at around £350/$670/27,000 INR.

Sony Ericsson K750i

Sony Ericsson K750i, released in the second quarter of 2005, still remains the best buy in its price range. No other mobile phone companies offer a comparable model in the price range 10-11k INR.

Going right into its specifications, K750i spots a clearer TFT screen than its predecessor K700i, easy to use keypad, and a very userfriendly user interface. Its 2-megapixel autofocus camera performs reasonably well under well lit conditions, but hopeless in poorly lit surroundings. Its built-in flash is of very limited purpose. The music player gives good audio quality, few of the drawbacks being the lack of graphic equalizers and the inability to forward the current playing track. Dedicated hardware buttons help the user to go straight to the media player without having to navigate through the menu.

K750i supports GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz networks, alongside HSCSD and GPRS. Unfortunately, EDGE and 3G are absent. Bluetooth and Infrared manages short distance connectivity. The phone comes with a 32 MB non-volatile internal memory and a 64KB memory stick in its expandable Memory Stick Duo slot, which can be expanded up to 2 GB. Other features of Sony Ericsson K750i include mms and sms, polyphonic as well as MP3 ring tones, email, WAP 2.0 support, USB 1.1 connectivity, and Java MIDP.

On full charge, assuming phone conversations for more than a hour daily, and the phone switched on for 18 hrs on a trot, the charge will last for two such days. MP3 playback drains the battery faster. For every one hour of MP3 music, it consumes nearly 20% charge.