Friends, I got a Nokia 6385 (CDMA) handset some 3-4 months back for my Garuda 1x (MTNL) connection in Delhi. Since then I did some 'experimenting' with it and some searching on internet. Here is what I found out about this handset.
First the story in brief why I chose this model. After some thinking I decided that Garuda 1x connection would be suitable for me. So the next question was choosing a handset with features I need (and at price I am willing to pay!). MTNL website said they offer two type of handsets - a cheap one that is used and refurbished and a costly one that is new and comes with a data cable for PC connectivity, but I discovered that they had exhausted their stock and I need to get a CDMA handset from market.
Against popular belief, CDMA handsets are not easy to get in the open market. The trend is that manufacturers sell directly to service providers with all programming codes pre-loaded. LG, Nokia, Samsung, Kyocera, Motorola, etc all said (politely) that I had to find a dealer who is selling CDMA handset. 2-3 of the 20-odd dealers I contacted told that they sell CDMA handsets but they are pre-programmed for Reliance/Tata codes (i.e. meant for these networks).
MTNL was silent about it and offered no help except that a CDMA set is needed. Now the problem was to get a handset in the first place, price and features coming next. Searching on Internet revealed that all the basic features (i.e. except screen colour/resolution and multimedia capabilities) are same for all manufacturers, so I can get any one even though I was looking for a Kyocera one.
Finally I got Nokia 6385 for Rs. 5000/-. Actually I was ready to pay Rs. 7000/- but it seems they sensed that MTNL has got their stock of new handsets from Kyocera and they reduced the price. Strangly, after searching all of Delhi, I found it in the MTNL Sanchar Hat itself. Apparantly they new that MTNL is running out of stock and they wanted to encash the situation.
The fellow said that he got two modles for same price, one was smaller in size, nice looking, with polyphonic ringtones but chose 6385 because I noticed IR port on it and the fellow said it can store 500 contacts with multiple fields.
After using this phone for some time I discovered that it got many nice features, somewhat more than what I looked for or expected. The handset is slightly longer than most phone (so you need a deep pocket for it!). The screen is mono colour but characters are formed like PC screen (using dots) in variable-size and proportional fonts. And the display size look larger, confortable to view.
Battrey standby time and talk time seems to be reasonably good. When network signals are weaker, the battrey exhausts faster. Battrey capacity and network signals are displayed by long bars made of seven dots on the sides of screen, giving a clearer picture of battrey power/network signal.
The handset comes with both InfraRed and Data Cable Connectors for connecting to PC. The price of cable quoted by Nokia dealers was very high (Rs. 3000/-) so I got a cheap USB-to-IR adactor for my PC for Rs. 250/-. With PC I can back up all contacts and other information on my PC. There is a synchronisation feature to update PC and phone with each other.
There is a ringtone composer also that can create new ringtones (difficult for me) or can open various ringtone formats from internet, etc. The software can erase from/copy to all information on phone/PC, thus makiong it possible for exchanging information between two different phones. Contact management is slightly limited: phone can hold multiple number for a single name (home, office, e-mail, etc) but from PC only default phone number is seen. Yet it is a convenient tool.
The phone can be used as a wireless modem for connecting PC to internet. I can either use any ISP in the normal way or, preferably, use Garuda network with a special access number #777. During my brief experiment the speed was not very satisfactory, but it is nice to have a mobile internet connection with you. I hope the speec is bound to improve in 2-3 monthy when MTNL improve its CDMA network and promote this service.
The wireless modem driver I got from Nokia website, however, creates a little problem and I think I did not found the proper driver yet. The IR port of the phone can also exchange business card with other compatible phones. IT is reported that IR is going to be a standard accessory in most laptops modess in the near future. Microsoft has revived and improved support for IR connectivity in Windows XP edition and the trend is likely to continue.
The handset has all standard menus, including proriles, settings, games and organiser. The organisor can hold tasklist and remonders for several years (limited by maximum number). The alarm rings even when the phone is switched off! There is a calculator and other features.
The yellow backlight may not look appealing to some, though it does not matter for me. But I can not turn off, neither control the time it is on automatically, during the day time to extend battrey life. There is no option for it. Mayby it effect on total battrey backup is not much.
As the handset was not programmed by Nokia and the lady at MTNL counter simply 'activated' it, some features like call waiting, call forwarding, voice mail, etc were not functioning on it. From their website and tollfree helpdesk I found the appropriate feature codes and after feeding in these into phone, these are working fine. However I am yet to make the MiniBrowser functional.
I got Garuda networks IP address, etc but I do not know whether they are correct or not. (By the way, can anyone confirm that MiniBrowser/WebBrowser feature is functional on Garuda network, because I noticed that it is not functional on handset supplied by them also.)
Nokia helpdesk is most polite and thorough I ever came across. They handle customers quries in a very professional way rather than giving routine answers. I thought Kyocera helpdesk was best, but they excelled them. their website is also well managed and it is easy to find any inforamtion there. Further, the have the widest network and even CDMA customers are also likely to get a part of this advantage.
Another good thing is that Nokia is phone hackers favourite. Mobile phone related websites are full of 'secret' codes for activating/using various hidden features on these phones.
Those attempting to do NAM programming, etc are likely to find Nokia a better choice than other manufacturers. For example, if a phone is Nokia make and programmed for a particular network, it would be easier to reprogramme it for other network.
