The Passing of an Era



I find myself in a familiar situation. Once again my phone approaches venerability. That would be fine in itself given my strong biases towards non-conformity, fiscal discipline (now a buzzword), and resource maximization.

However, since surveys show that 7/10 of my most recent calls have been cut due to battery failure, my phone sadly but bravely suggested that he be replaced. But such is life. Hard decisions have to be made every day. In this instance, my phone chose lonely retirement over mobile impotence. Either way, I salute you buddy.

The Choices

So here I am now left with a big decision: which model will replace my dear 3210. I chose the 3210 then because of its boxy look and of course the Composer feature. The next one, I would presume would be in the same mold.

I narrowed the selection into two models based on aesthetics: the Nokia 6230 and the Nokia 6610.



As you can see, both of them have that clean, squarish appeal.

The Nokia 6230 model features: Video recorder and player, Digital VGA camera, Active TFT color display, Bluetooth wireless technology, Streaming video and audio, Music player for MP3 and AAC files.

The Nokia 6610 model feautres : Tri-band world phone - works in three networks on five continents, Downloadable personal applications via Java™ technology, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), HSCSD (High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data), WAP 1.2.1 Browser (via GRPS or CSD), Integrated FM radio, Handsfree speaker, Customizable and timed profiles, Polyphonic ringing tones, Wallpaper: Full-screen color image Screen saver: Digital clock, Clock, alarm clock, Calculator, currency converter, Stopwatch, countdown timer, Connectivity options: IR and cable.

Selection Criteria

I can appreciate a good-looking phone. In this regard, I find that the 6610 tops this category. All other phones seem to be too design-heavy. Call me old fashioned, but I want it to look like a phone and neither like a stun gun nor a rubix cube.

I don't really care for the whole smorgasbord of features like MMS, GPRS, Bluetooth or even WAP. Anything with good sound management features like a recorder or an mp3 player will do. The camera and video functions are welcome, but I suspect these will fuel my already strong voyeuristic tendencies. Hello womens' locker room! ;-)

From what I gather, however, neither phone has a storage device functionality. Too bad, I've been meaning to get one of those external drives.

Hold on, I'm gonna find out how much these models retail here in Manila...abangan