Which smartphone would you buy?

J

JustinC

New member
I recently purchased a MDA Vario (as an upgrade to the MDA Compact) - I do like it but there are a few annoyances I have with it:

* It's slow....much slower and unstable compared to my MDA Compact
* It's far too big and fat - not a jeans pocket friendly phone
* Not suitable for one handed use - I'm not really a fan of non tactile feedback touchscreen controls

So...basically, I'm looking for a fast, stable, compact, slim phone - which can be used with one hand. Is that too much too ask?!

I brought it down to three phones (the onboard QWERTY is essential for me after using it on the MDA Vario). TBH, not really bothered about the camera.

* SE M600i
* Samsung i320 - not out yet but I've read recent reports that it's a bit laggy Sad - I've only used the Pocket PC edition. How is the Smartphone edition in comparison?
* Nokia E61 - Don't know much about this tbh. Anyone got it? My sister hates her 6680 for crashing all the time which has kinda put me off Nokia's. Is it an improvement?

The E61 looks interesting to me - the most important aspects to me however is stability and compactness. The thing I loved about the Window Mobile phones was the Today Screen - I had installed a program which displayed the coming appointments of the week which was v v useful. I'm just worried that the Nokia OS is so rigid that it becomes boring and I am unable to install anything
 
honestly id go with the e61, BUT it is wide, so be prepared... i think the e61 is much more stable. BUT if you overclock the mda and tweak it its much better, but the size is an issue for me too. the e61 WILL display appts like the mda too, its a great reliable phone.
 
Thanks mate.....yea, I was really hoping to like the MDA Vario but the stability problems ruined it for me. The size as well - although it was only a couple of mm thicker than the Compact, it really bulged(!)

I'm ok with the wideness - it is a bit wide, but it is similar to a Blackberry - I'm not *that* bothered as I'm likely to be using it mainly for emails and the net. The fact that it is 3G compatible is a huge plus
 
Hi,

I had the T-mobile MDA Vario here in the UK, and even though I managed to perform my tasks I wasn't really happy:

- STABILITY was important for me. The MDA Vario was slow when an incoming call was coming, especially if I had to close the keyboard. Also, occasionaly it would restart without me knowing. In addition to this, it would sometimes freeze when I was on the phone and got a second line - and tried to switch between the two, or just drop the line. I wanted a phone that would be a PHONE first and a PDA second.
- the keyboard was a pain to open and close all the time, after coming from a Treo 600. It was also starting to become slightly loose, which was annoying. I wanted a phone with an "exposed" keyboard to type in my messages and reminders on the go and one handed if possible.
- I got tired waiting for programs to open, the change from one program to the next was not as seamless as it should be.
- I wanted something that would easily synchronize with Outlook, as I use my phone as a mobile "input" device where I keep all my calendar, tasks and I often put in new tasks / calendar items on the go which I then synch easily.

I went for the Nokia E61 and I couldn't be happier!

1) it is a great phone, never have problems with the phone functions such as receiving / answering a call, as well as making calls. I find the Nokia interface quite intuitive in this respect. I am now confident I won't be missing any calls, which is important for me.
2) It is STABLE. It does occasionally hang, maybe once or twice in the 1 month I've had it so far, but I just restart and it's all good.
3) The interface is indeed quite different from WM but once you learn it you can get around quite easily.

The only drawback, I would say, is the width .. you can fit it in a pocket but it's not the smallest phone. Nonetheless, it's quite slim which is good news. I just bought a case which I put on my belt when I need to go out to shops for example.

Finally, as for the Today Screen, it does have something quite similar built-in. I currently display the next 2 upcoming appointments and 2 emails or most recent SMS's. You can also put your favorite 7 programs on the today screen and access them easily. All that's missing now is a good PIM (Calendar, Tasks) program like Agendus for Palm or Pocket Informant for WM, apparently that's in the works.

I'm quite satisfied with the Nokia E61 for now, and it's a good replacement for my Vario. I will only go back to WM once newer and faster processors are out, the phone function becomes more reliable and the transition from one program to the next becomes seamless (overclocking is not the option as it drains battery). Until then.....

Hope this helps,

L
 
wow! that was great help mate! - answered most of my queries as you have experienced most of the annoyances and the reasoning as to why I am looking at the possibility of buying the E61
 
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