Within the past year, I've managed to upgrade both of my mobile
phones to new models. Longtime readers will recall that I had both a
Nokia 6230b and an Ericsson T610. Both of these phones were quite
competent when originally purchased, and the Nokia remains still a very
good model, despite being three years old. Both had Bluetooth, color
screens, and cameras (though not very good ones), and the Nokia had an
MMC card slot as well as the capability to have MP3s as ringtones.
The Ericsson, however, did not have that capability and was "on it's
way out". It wouldn't always charge, because the charger contacts on
the phone were corroded, and each time I'd clean them, they'd get
re-corroded within a month. The '8' key worked sporadically, and the
phone started dropping calls.
The Nokia worked, but the battery life was down, and thanks to a
fall onto concrete, there was a crack in the case.
Motorola KRZR
I decided to try something different for the replacement of the
Nokia. My contract was with Cingular (now AT&T), but I'd been
hearing more and more about unlocked phones and felt that in case I
should ever want to switch to T-Mobile or use the phone overseas, an
unlocked phone might be a good idea. About $200 later I had a blue
Motorola KRZR off of
eBay. For $30 I purchased a 2 GB microSD
card, as I felt I may be using the 2 MP camera.
The phone is great. It interfaces easily with my MacBook Pro via
Bluetooth, and I can copy ringtones and pictures to and from my phone
with Apple's Bluetooth utility. Battery life is great, and the
construction is solid. It's Achilles' heel is the interface, which
looks like something out of 1996. There are no options to change
colors, and menus are clunky and hard to understand.
LG Chocolate TG800
For my Canadian phone, I ended up going with a white LG Chocolate
TG800. This is the European version, not the same unit Verizon gets.
The design is vastly superior, with both a cleaner appearance as well
as a much easier to use touchpad (there's no fake "wheel" on this
model). The interface is elegant, much more modern, but integration
between the phone, MP3 player, and camera aspects of the device are
mediocre at best. For instance, in order to set a photo you took as a
desktop picture on the phone, you must go into the photo album in the
camera section, not the "change wallpaper" option in settings.
In addition, the memory is a non-expandable 1 GB, and switching it
on silent or vibrate mode requires going through a myriad of menus. You
can do it with three clicks of a button on the KRZR - with the flip
cover closed.
The best part comes when using Bluetooth. Yes, you can copy photos
you took with the phone to your computer, as well as MP3s to play as
music on your phone, but in order to add MP3 ringtones, you must
physically connect the computer to the phone with the (thankfully
provided) USB cable. I haven't figured out the logic to this, but I'm
just glad it's Mac compatible.
Why Apple Created the iPhone
I'm beginning to see why Apple felt it could produce a better phone.
While both of these phones have some very redeeming qualities (design,
camera, size, clear sound), they also have some glaring issues which I
can't believe the designers didn't notice. Only being able to copy
ringtones over via USB when other phones can do it with Bluetooth? I'm
sorry, but that's just not acceptable. That being said, the iPhone also
must be connected via USB - but at least it's more consistent in
respect to it's other computer-to-phone functions.
I didn't purchase an iPhone for a few reasons. I had a first
generation iPod, and it was very reliable. But the second generation
models had better wheels (touch sensitive) and the option of a larger
hard drive.
Essentially, I'm waiting for at least a second generation of the
iPhone. The current iPhone has no 3G capabilities. Sorry, but I'm not
spending $400+ on a phone without that. Secondly, Apple has announced
it will begin supporting certain applications, and even though there
are hacks, I'd like to wait and see.
Finally, the iPod touch is available, and it provides almost all of
the functions of the iPhone without the phone (or the calendar entry
editing). It's also been hacked, and I'd rather take a chance with an
MP3 player than with a primary means of communication.
The way I see it, the best of both worlds would be a small-sized
phone as well as an iPod touch, if you must buy now. If you can wait -
hold off for the revamped iPhone.
