You would think that picking up a new phone would be a fun and exciting experience. But choosing the right phone this time round hurt my brains bad... It's 2 years since the replacement Nokia 6230i after a horrible thief incident where I lost the Nokia 7210i. That event is still so vivid in my mind... maybe cause I re-enacted it so many times! The 6230i was my most functional phone yet and still in very good condition. There is nothing I truly desire, especially since the iPhone has not made its mark; and I don't like making a purchase without feeling passionate about the buy.
So I had to pick the most appropriate phone out of my relatively simple requirements:
- Small & Slim (to fit in my jeans pocket for those party nights)
- No flip or slide phone designs (for ease of use with 1 hand... think cycling...driving)
- Radio feature
- Expandable memory slot
- 3G
You'd think that most phones will fit the bill... but I was practically ripping my hair out! It's either size or functionality... and when you think you have found the right match... it doesn't have RADIO!!! What phone these days don't have RADIO?!?!
Making a decision out of a stack of phones... I think I spent a life time at the service counter...
It was one of those occasions I went to the Starhub Corporate Centre without a decision made. I requested for every possible dummy handphone to browse. I was so close to purchasing the Sony Ericsson K810i. Everything about the phone was perfect except for the size! And a smaller fact that it used a M2 memory card... which might set me back another S$40 for an extra 2GB.
It was in the nick of time, I decided to change my pick to the Nokia XpressMusic 5310.
The Nokia XpressMusic 5310 Verdict:
- What I really like about the phone is it's size at less then 10mm thin. By far, the thinnest Nokia phone ever released.
- As a bonus, it's also a MP3 phone. Since I bid my iPod goodbye early last year, I really didn't mind having a device to play music.
Surprisingly, music quality from the earphones and phone speakers were noticeably clear and better then other Nokia phones.
I like the fact that it uses a 3.5mm audio jack, without a need for a converter for normal headphones.
- I already own a 2GB MicroSD Memory Card, making my phone an equivalent to the lower end iPod Nanos. Upgradeable to 4GB, but have heard lag access issues problems. For now, 2GB is more then enough.
- Although 3G was on my list for a pre-requisite, it remains a 'nice to have'. Though it will be a real problem when I travel to Korea or Japan... but I suppose I can live a day or 2 without a phone there.
- The battery life especially after some use of the music player drains off very quickly. Recommended to charge daily if there is such heavy usage.
- 2mp camera sucks... as usual...
In general, the functionality set is very close to my current 6230i. And being another Nokia, I've eliminated all new learning curve. Everyone who have seen the phone like it's slim, stylish and chic look. Adding that the sporty red sides suit me...
As of now... the phone is growing on me :)
Nokia XpressMusic 5310 Specifications:
Key Features
* Dedicated music keys for instant access to favorite tunes
* Switch between songs and calls without disruption
* Stylishly sleek and small in design
* Vibrant QVGA (240x320), 16 million color display
* Bluetooth, integrated speakers and enhanced S40 player
Operating Frequency
* Tri-band EGSM 900/1800/1900 MHz
Dimensions
* Volume: 44.8 cc
* Weight: 70.2 g
* Length: 103.8 mm
* Width: 44.7 mm
* Thickness: 9.9 mm
Display
* 16 million colors True Color 240 x 320 pixels display
User Interface
* Dedicated Music keys (play/pause, forward, rewind)
* Side volume keys also used as zoom keys when camera is activated
Imaging
* Integrated 2 mega pixel camera with 4x digital zoom
Multimedia
* Music player for MP3/Midi/AAC/eAAC+/WMA formats with skins and album art support
o Playback of up to 18 hours
o Exchangeable music themes
* FM radio
Memory Functions
* Combo memory with 64 MB flash and 32 MB RAM
* Hotswap microSD memory card slot
Messaging
* Text messaging: Supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, SMS distribution list
* Audio messaging: Record your own voice message and send to compatible devices
* MMS 1.2 for image message creation, receiving, editing and sending (300k)
Ringing Tones
* Supported file formats: MP3, True Tones and 64-chord/voice polyphonic MIDI ringing tones
Connectivity
* Bluetooth 2.0
* USB 2.0
Browsing
* xHTML
Data Transfer
* GPRS: Class C, multislot class 31
* EGPRS: Class C, multislot class 31
* HSCSD (High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data)* / CSD (Circuit-Switched Data)
Voice Features
* Voice dialing
* Voice commands
* Voice recorder
* SIND (Speaker Independent Number Dialing)
Personal Information Management (PIM)
* Alarm clock
* Calculator
* Converter
* Calendar
Other Features
* Animated wallpapers
* Screensavers, color schemes, ringing tones
* 3GPP Streaming / progressive downloading video
* Download and upload images and video sequences
* Series 40 Java games and applications
* Plug and play mobile services
Sales Package Contents
* Nokia 5310 XpressMusic phone
* Nokia Battery BL-4CT
* Nokia Standard Charger AC-3X
* Nokia Wired Headset HS-45 with AD-57 (remote control)
* USB cable
* CD ROM
* Nokia 512 MB MicroSD card MU-28
* User Guide
Power Management
*Battery - BL-4CT
*Talk time* - Up to 5.4 hrs
*Standby time* Up to 300 hrs
More Nokia XpressMusic 5310 Phone Pictures
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