Mar 21, 2009 03:24 PM
5706 Views
(Updated Mar 21, 2009 03:35 PM)
I have been using Virgin mobile services since its launch in March 2008.It has been a year with Virgin now and the same handset vkewl(Huawei C5330)so thought of trying something new. Hence I got a vsleek(Samsung SCH 259)and therefore this review.
The Virgin users who need multimedia capabilities and web browsing in their phones have little options except vkewl and vsleek. Though there are some open market phones like Samsung mPower series and Spice C810.
Since now I have used both, I think that I am in a position to comment on pros and cons of both the phones. I regret that I was unable to find any such information beforehand which could have saved me my 3400 rupees (sob sob)
Anyways being a good Samaritan which I am*(pun intended) *I thought of writing this article which will clearly differentiate the pros and cons of vkewl and vsleek offerings from Virgin.
Pros of vsleek over vkewl:-
Cons of vsleek as compared with vkewl:-
Poor display viz a viz vkewl(65k as compared to 262k)
FM and MP3s can't be played in background unlike vkewl
FM station can't be changed using handsfree( one of the biggest minus as I drive a bike to my workplace and continuously shift the stations in sometimes a hour long journey)
Low SMS storage(200 compared to 1000 of vkewl)
Tiny screen
Poor inbuilt mobile web browsing(vkewl has a Netfront browser which is way better and have more options than Openwave RSA browser of vsleek).
Buttons are tiny and very unconformtable
Full screen view of pictures not possible in vsleek
Wallpapers except the preloaded ones don't cover the entire screen which itself is so small.
Poor battery
Last but most deciding factor is it can't even load Mouthshut properly which I have to admit is one of the most mobile screen friendly sites I have ever come across.
In vkewl, it was very easy to view recently posted reviews in MS by keeping the settings in Text only version. vsleek just throws a memory problem and goes blank thereafter when tried to load Mouthshut. vkewl also gives Insufficient memory error many times but still it makes me read the reviews comfortably. Here I also want to give a suggestion to MS team if they can make their interface a little more intuitive as one has to unnecessarily browse through hundreds of tabs repetitively to read recent reviews and pressing so many buttons is a real pain in a mobile phone.Unless it is a touch screen device where you can just jump and skip the initial tabs to reach your desired destination, stepwise tabbing is hell. If one want to read recent reviews he should not come across the MS categories like Automobiles, Books, Computers, etc and their several sub categories. But still MS at least loads easily most of the times while many others just don't even load.
I am surprised how a comparatively smaller brand called Huawei(virtually nil in comparison to Samsung) outshone Samsung in almost all the departments. Screen which was a forte of Samsung is one of the weakest points in this handset. Huawei has never gave me trouble in past 1 year though I was expecting problems.
My overall decision isI will still keep my vkewl handset with me and give vsleek at my home where the use is minimal and calling purpose is well served with this phone along with occasional music and camera use. I had previous bad experiences with Samsung mobiles(D900i) and I am sad to say that vsleek has just added insult to injury.
P.S:- See this https://samsungcdma.in/samsung-vsleek.aspx where it is clearly written that vsleek supports Hindi SMS inside the specification but there is no input method for Hindi typing except Hinglish support which is nothing but some database of Hinglish words in Roman script. At best there is a Hindi menu. Should I put a case against Samsung huh?
