Need a "Special" Phone

[MetalheadGautham]

My college recently updated its rules, banning mobile phones with bluetooth, wifi, expandable memory and camera (these things are only allowed on laptops). Guess I need to keep my precious Nokia 5130 XpressMusic at home now.

But I being me, realized that the loopholes in the statements are enough to tell me that I can use GPRS/EDGE, Radio, Java Apps and internal memory to the fullest extent.

And thus I am looking for a phone which can bypass these restrictions. It needs to be cheap and should have internet facilities.

My favourite candidate is a Nokia S40 phone, because compared to SE, Sam, LG and Moto, it has the best interface (yeah I find S40 more comfortable than SE) and I like the space key to be in the center.

Because of that I am looking at buying a Second hand Nokia 2626 right now. Its rather hard central button puts me off though.

So I'm open to alternatives. Even though I prefer only Nokia, I don't mind other options if I get a bigger screen or more internal memory. But the phone MUST have Radio, GPRS and Java Support.

And as you can see, cheaper is better for me. I can't spend a fortune on a secondary phone which I use ONLY in college and may share with friends. Nokia 2626 is quite common in second hand market @ around Rs. 800-1000 so its the first choice I got.

Anything else I should be looking at ?

I was considering taking my Mom's Samsung X210 but a few months back it developed an issue due to which the up and down keys don't work properly. They need to be pressed multiple times or extra hard to work. Can it be fixed ?

[krates]

iphone .. just tell them it has no wifi

[satyamy]

cant even think of that

either go for wht u hav searched i.e. Nokia 2626
or assemble a new phone by yourself

[krates]

and camera is so small they can't see even

well get the 2626 as there are no better phones which lacks those functionalities

[MetalheadGautham]

Aren't there any other phones which can fullfill my needs ?
Even if the phone has a VGA camera, I can buy an alternative back cover for it.

But I am looking for other phones because 2mb internal memory is too less for Opera Mini, GMail Mobile and Orkut Mobile apps which collectively take up 1.3mb. Google earth won't fit then.

And a bigger screen would be appriciated.

[MetalheadGautham]

BUMP!!!

Seriously, isn't there ANY other phone I can consider ? I was looking at Nokia 1680c till I realized that it lacks Radio and being new isn't widely available in second hand market. Nokia 7070 Prism fullfills all my needs but its expected to be around 3K which is too high a price tag to justify a phone of its feature list and it looks waaay to flashy to be passed of as a basic phone.

EDIT: Nokia 6030 has 3MB internal memory instead of 2. So its my primary option in the second hand market now...

[desiibond]

it's much better to get X210 fixed than going for another phone that does nothing.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by desiibond

it's much better to get X210 fixed than going for another phone that does nothing.

Point Noted.

Any idea where I can get it serviced and how much it can cost ?

And is there a mobile version of orkut ? I mean a web version because I won't be able to use Orkut Mobile and GMail Mobile applications because there is enough space for just Opera Mini and a 64kb game of chess.

[desiibond]

There is one Samsung service center very near to Axa building in BTM Layour (on Outer ring road). my friend had battery replace for a very old samsung phone there.

just call samsung service center and check availability of keypad/D-pad.

just check for jar apps that can pull mails from gmail. not sure about orkut mobile apps.

[MetalheadGautham]

I found another phone which *might* be worth buying even if I pay for a new one.

Its the Nokia 2323 Classic. Its perfect (stereo radio, radio recording, 32mb internal memory, 160x128 resolution screen, S40 OS), except for the fact that it has bluetooth which I doubt I can find a way of hiding (gimme tips as to how I can disable bluetooth from showing up in S40 firmware).

[MetalheadGautham]

Bump... I need to decide what to buy in time for christmas discount time guys !!!

[Tamoghno]

asemble by yourself :-P

sorry , really cant think of anything that fits your bill.

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by Tamoghno

asemble by yourself :-P

sorry , really cant think of anything that fits your bill.

I'm open to the idea of assembling one by myself too.
I got 10 days of free time and an enthusiastic bunch of friends willing to help IF I find the parts

Anyway, isn't there any hack for Nokia 2323c to disable Bluetooth ?

[desiibond]

hmm. don't think there is a way to hide bluetooth from showing up in phone properties.

[MetalheadGautham]

I managed to find a manual fix for my mom's Samsung X210 key problem - just press it HARDER and it works. But right now I have pushed it as my LAST option because:

1. Its sucks.
2. No backing/moving/copying of contacts to and from SIM card.
3. Crappy key-layout (though the keys themselves are comfortable).
4. All old samsung phones seem to have similar CRAZY design flaws...


Now the only 3 phones still under consideration are Nokias - 2323c, 2626 and 6030.

In second hand market, 2626 and 6030 have similar pricing with more ppl favoring 2626 because of stereo FM. Is stereo FM really worth having, while sacrificing 1mb of space ?

And the phones available in second hand stores in Majestic, Bangalore, seem to be in perfect working condition. But the vendors don't have the original bills of the phones. What assurance can I get that the phones are not stolen or that someone who knows the IMEI number can't come complaining that I have his phone ? Is there any way to verify if a particular IMEI number is registered anywhere (insurance company, etc) or not ?

[Tamoghno]

two / three weeks ago a man was arrested for using stolen mobile phone in my city. he bought it from a second hand shop. Though there are probably lakhs of people using stolen phones from second hand shop , there is always chances of being unlucky.

just get a sim card with fake documents and use ONLY that sim with your phone.

[dissel]

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

I
more ppl favoring 2626 because of stereo FM. Is stereo FM really worth having, while sacrificing 1mb of space ?

Hi,

I have a chance to use Nokia 2626(brand New) for a week or so. And it was full black color...when it is OFF I mean on stand by this phone gives you looks(feeling) like big screen phone like 2 inchs...once the display is active its gone.
That first thing I liked...it even bits my 3250 in looks in standby (I know it's brick)

I am never good at S40 so can't mange the Internet surfing or using inbuilt mail client (bitter experience earlier with 6070).

what I didn't like is Ringtone Volume...it is barely noticeable in the noisy room forget about public place like Rly Stn or College Canteen unless u put in your pocket with vibration on.

But one u put 2.5" jack in the hole,start radio & put in the loud-speaker...& boom...every one can hear your radio...It's an Amplifier (& again it put a shame to my 3250 radio performance).

So if u are radio fan...go for it unless u ok with it's ringing vol...So. man ka radio bajne de jara... .(I am not a fan of radio or any artist)

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by dissel

Hi,

I have a chance to use Nokia 2626(brand New) for a week or so. And it was full black color...when it is OFF I mean on stand by this phone gives you looks(feeling) like big screen phone like 2 inchs...once the display is active its gone.
That first thing I liked...it even bits my 3250 in looks in standby (I know it's brick)

I am never good at S40 so can't mange the Internet surfing or using inbuilt mail client (bitter experience earlier with 6070).

what I didn't like is Ringtone Volume...it is barely noticeable in the noisy room forget about public place like Rly Stn or College Canteen unless u put in your pocket with vibration on.

But one u put 2.5" jack in the hole,start radio & put in the loud-speaker...& boom...every one can hear your radio...It's an Amplifier (& again it put a shame to my 3250 radio performance).

So if u are radio fan...go for it unless u ok with it's ringing vol...So. man ka radio bajne de jara... .(I am not a fan of radio or any artist)

I want a comparison of the radio capability of this phone and 6030. Have you used it too ? And what do you think are the odds that someone will want to exchange their 2626 or 6030 for my sammy x210 ?

[dissel]

Originally Posted by MetalheadGautham

I want a comparison of the radio capability of this phone and 6030. Have you used it too ? And what do you think are the odds that someone will want to exchange their 2626 or 6030 for my sammy x210 ?

Sorry, I never use the 6030 and know anything about it's radio func, So can't comment it.
But 2626 delivered nice(loud & clear) radio reception in my house(any location) more than one frequency where other 6070 & S60's (3250,N82,E63) only make Hizzzz sound of their respective default Headset.

[MetalheadGautham]

OK, I decided to go for a compromise.

There are a few nokia phones it seems which fall at aroun 2K in price, are Nokia S40 5th edition FP1, with 128x160 screen and 32mb internal memory and don't have expandable memory.

Problem is, ALL of the phones in this series have either camera or bluetooth if they have radio.

So I decided to go for a radio separately (a tiny collar clinging radio costs Rs. 80).

This way I found just ONE phone in Nokia website, Nokia 2320 Classic . Seems good enough for me.

Problem is I can't find it in Univercell.in and it seems largely unheard of. Is there any store in India where I can buy this phone ?

And are there any other similar options for me ?

[desiibond]

there is a big nokia store at indira nagar. if you want i can check stores in btm layout

[MetalheadGautham]

Originally Posted by desiibond

there is a big nokia store at indira nagar. if you want i can check stores in btm layout

Thanks for the help. But problem with this particular phone is its rarity even on the internet. I can't find it even on gsmarena.com though its listed on forum.nokia.com as a valid existing model.

Best part with me going for one of these is that they are S40 5th Edition FP1 lite, while my current phone is S40 5th Edition FP1 full. These two can synchronize easily with each other with the help of PC Suite. So I can keep both my phones organized the same way with minimal effort.

[rehan_mahmood]

All u need in a special phone.
http://tinyurl.com/yb5g7u6

[MetalheadGautham]

I guess my purchase is now narrowed down between TWO products:

1. Nokia 2323 Classic

I searched a lot and discovered that 2320 Classic is not available anywhere. But the two share identical hardware. I am buying this phone only if I find a way to flash firmware of 2320 Classic into 2323 Classic. Is this thing possible ? Because it would be an ideal purchase for me since the phone syncs with my existing phone. Other advantages include Java MIPD 2.1 which is the latest as of now and very few phones support this and gives this a performance edge when it comes to java applications. Screen size is 128x160 but this has no difficulty running Opera Mini and surfing the net. GMail Mobile, Orkut Mobile and Google Maps work comfortably on this phone. I can also run quite a few Java Games on this which can keep me entertained. Only issue is lack of radio but hopefully I would not miss that a lot. Besides I can get a standalone radio. Price is Rs. 2100/-.

2. Nokia 6030

I found a second hand store which can sell me this phone for Rs. 1000. Speciality of that store is that they ask for either ID proof or Original Bill when accepting phones second hand. So when I asked the owner, he said he could get me a phone WITH original bill given a few days time. Unfortunately Orkut Mobile and GMail Mobile don't work on this phone. But the plus point is that Opera Mini is largely supported with only occasional out of memory errors which I can live with. And m.gmail.com and m.orkut.com are decent enough for me to not miss the application versions of the google services. Google Maps I may miss but then again, I need to make compromises for a cheap phone. This phone has Mono Radio support which means I don't need a standalone radio set. Best thing about this phone is that it looks cheap and old so ANYBODY in my college will have a hard time believing that I surf the net on it. Meaning I get to go about my activities largely unnoticed.



Obviously I prefer Option #1 over Option #2. But for that I need to know if its possible to do such a firmware flash or not. Can someone give me inputs as to what I can do ?