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44 posts

Geek


Topic # 95066 26-Dec-2011 11:22 Send private message

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas :)

I'm Looking for a new Phone to replace my aging Nokia 5130 Xpressmusic phone which seems to be inexplicably crashing, even after a reset and firmware update. Preferably under $500 and am not necessarily looking for a "bees knees" smart phone as such.

Requirements (Must have):
- Decent Music Playing phone with good sound quality and doesn't mind being connected to AUX input of stereos. -- The Nokia express I currently have has to be turned up to max volume to get anything decent out of the stereos and it distorts enough to be frustrating at that level.
- Standard 3.5mm RCA jack so I can plug in a standard set of earphones to listen to Music/podcasts. (Definitely do not want anything proprietary)
- Non intrusive periodic Unread SMS reminder (subtle audio beep or vibration), -- I don't receive many texts and the ones I do receive are usually important. The Nokia 5130 lacked such a feature and annoyed the heck out of me as I often would forget to check my phone for long periods.
- Expandable SD memory (at least upto 32GB)]
- Free of hideously annoying usability limitations. (e.g restrictive file name length limit, etc) -- An old Samsung (I forget the model) I used to have had this limitation. Often I would throw on some podcasts I've just download from the net and rush out to catch the bus, only to find that the podcasts have a file name too long and the Samsung would refuse to play them. (Insert Mega rage face from rage comics here)
- Basic, but reliable Organizer / Calendar -- Most phones I've used seem okay in this department
- Reliable Wake up alarm -- Most phones I've used seem okay in this department
- Good battery life. Can be left on standby for a few days. -- Unfortunately, this might exclude many smart phones as they tend to only last a day on a full charge.
- And of course must be able to reliably make and receive phone calls and text messages. -- Old Samsung would inexplicably lose service. Nokia 5130 did not suffer from this problem.

Nice to have (but not mandatory):
- WiFi access.
- Good quality 5MP camera
- Basic Text editor.

Thanks for any suggestions :)

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845 posts

Ultimate Geek


  Reply # 561552 26-Dec-2011 15:43 Send private message

Samsung Galaxy S was recognised as a good music device, covers off most of your requirements i would say

209 posts

Master Geek


  Reply # 561559 26-Dec-2011 16:14 Send private message

Agreed, the Galaxy S is great, especially in terms of music. Good frequency response and native FLAC support are a few features it's music player has over it's competitors.



44 posts

Geek


  Reply # 562302 28-Dec-2011 22:51 Send private message

Thanks Wade and uglybob,
Looks like the Samsung Galaxy S is the one.

851 posts

Ultimate Geek

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  Reply # 563009 30-Dec-2011 20:50 Send private message

You can get the Google Nexus S for $499 brand new and it has Ice Cream Sandwich now with google music, great way to go ;)

Huge battery life, AMOLED display, 4Inch screen...




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Uber Geek

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  Reply # 563013 30-Dec-2011 21:01 Send private message

You've essentially limited yourself to an Andoid or a Symbian phone with that pricepoint - and in reality these days with only a handful of OS options it's not so much a case of whether a particular phone has a feature you like, but what OS suits you best.





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851 posts

Ultimate Geek

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  Reply # 563016 30-Dec-2011 21:04 Send private message

sbiddle: You've essentially limited yourself to an Andoid or a Symbian phone with that pricepoint - and in reality these days with only a handful of OS options it's not so much a case of whether a particular phone has a feature you like, but what OS suits you best.



You can get a 3GS for that but lets be honest their pretty disappointing  




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Ultimate Geek

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  Reply # 563019 30-Dec-2011 21:14 Send private message

Another vote for the Samsung Galaxy S (not the S II) flashed with a kernel and rom that makes full use of the Wolfson DAQ.

647 posts

Ultimate Geek


  Reply # 563031 30-Dec-2011 21:44 Send private message

CdTDroiD: You can get the Google Nexus S for $499 brand new and it has Ice Cream Sandwich now with google music, great way to go ;)

Huge battery life, AMOLED display, 4Inch screen...


I could be wrong but the Nexus S you'll get here is the i9023 which has the SLCD screen not AMOLED, having said that I've got one and they're great and the added bonus is ICS out of the box.

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Ultimate Geek

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  Reply # 563036 30-Dec-2011 21:48 Send private message

Theres a couple in NZ, i think your right about the i9023 but i got one today which is a i9020A (For all NZ networks) and its sick so cheap and with the ROM i just made (ICS) its running almost as fast as my Galaxy Nexus lol, just without the 8mp camera haha




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647 posts

Ultimate Geek


  Reply # 563037 30-Dec-2011 21:50 Send private message

CdTDroiD: Theres a couple in NZ, i think your right about the i9023 but i got one today which is a i9020A (For all NZ networks) and its sick so cheap and with the ROM i just made (ICS) its running almost as fast as my Galaxy Nexus lol, just without the 8mp camera haha


From VF as I thought they only stocked the i9023?

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Ultimate Geek

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  Reply # 563038 30-Dec-2011 21:51 Send private message

No sorry i got mine from Trademe, forgot to mention lol $450 unopened




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Ultimate Geek


  Reply # 563489 1-Jan-2012 14:40 Send private message

langers1972:
CdTDroiD: You can get the Google Nexus S for $499 brand new and it has Ice Cream Sandwich now with google music, great way to go ;)

Huge battery life, AMOLED display, 4Inch screen...


I could be wrong but the Nexus S you'll get here is the i9023 which has the SLCD screen not AMOLED, having said that I've got one and they're great and the added bonus is ICS out of the box.


Interesting, Could explain why I actually liked the screen on the Nexus S (Not a fan of AMOLED screen's personally)

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