Apr 22, 2006 09:32 AM
6506 Views
(Updated Apr 22, 2006 09:32 AM)
Dear reader,
I think at least this used to be the case. Maybe not true any longer. But for a long time when cell phones were just coming out of the elite mindset, for all media a cool cellphone meant this model.
And you find its pictures in all articles about cell phones. Well back then.
Now of course things are different. A lot of water has flown under the bridge and technology has marched forward.
And of course, cell phones have become synonymous with Nokia so much that people ask you, '' So you have a Nokia phone right?''
But variety is what makes life interesting. And certainly this model still has its ecological niche.
I bought this model in late 2001 when the model was just released. I bought it with bill for a whopping Rs.10000.
But I never regretted it because not only could I afford it then it was also very good value for money. These days I think the price is more in the 4000 range.
What is sexy about the phone is exactly that. It is sexy. Its looks are sexy. Its interface and software, its controls, its display, its fonts, everything about it is sexy.
I don't think Nokia phones are as appealing in terms of the looks as Samsung ones. Samsung phones do have some sex appeal but when it comes to what is cool, surely Nokia rules.
Anyway coming back to the main functionalities of a mobile, viz, talking and SMS I think this phone really rocks.
I have not seen a better screen with a brilliant hue of blue as backlight in any other phone. I have used this several times as a torch.
And reading SMS and even sending SMS is pure joy. Its design is simply marvellous. The width and height of the display is just perfect.
Voice quality is also very good though these days it doesnt matter much.
Obviously the phone must have something or else it wouldn't have captured the market so well. In some ways I think this phone was ahead of its time and once the boom happened it quickly grabbed the market.
There are some defects though other than the fact that it is no longer cool to own this model. And also it is certainly outdated.
My phone used to get heated while talking. Sometimes I felt that my hands were going to get fried. But this problem is very very rare and I am sure Samsung fixed it later.
And it doesnt have a polyphonic ringtone. So its ringtone is not cool and sometimes not audible enough. But its vibratory mode is quite good and there is a mode in which it vibrates three times and then rings.
It has got certain other features like dialing again if the call doesnt go thro' and things like that.
But I think its SMS memory is limited. Obviously being old that is forgivable.
And you can't store more than 100 phone numbers on the mobile.
I don't know about later enhancements. Maybe today this model has a significantly upgraded firmware.
And there is a small LED at the top left corner to indicate the communication with the base station. If you set it to violet color, your phone will be like a glow worm at night. My mother used to call it helicopter!
All in all a good buy especially if you are buying a second hand mobile.
