A week back i was on the Net as well as the Streets on the lookout for a basic phone with a FM to gift my sister. This part of the mobile market has lots of options with the likes on Nokia 2310, 2610, 2626, 6030 , Motorola C168, W209, Samsung C160 etc…. Partial as I am to Sony Ericsson Phones I zeroed in on J230i even though its a comparatively older model with the likes ok 2610, 2626. But for around a budget of 65 US$ (2,600 INR)….i was making up my mind between 2310 and J230i. J230 won because of its bigger screen with better resolution and good phonebook.

Now for its Pros :

• Cute & handy weighing just 84 grams
• Call quality is good with a nice speakerphone
• Handy shortcuts with Grid / List based menus
• SMS typing is easy with nice keys and a excellent T9 dictionary
• Polyphonic ringtones / wallpapers can be downloaded through GPRS
• Personalized pictures and ringtones for callers
• Ringer volume is loud and melodious (For a person like my sis, who keeps it in her handbag this is a MUST)
• 300 contacts in phone memory as well as extra contacts can be stored in SIM
• Nice PIM features like To-Do list, Alarm, Stopwatch
• FM Radio is good with excellent sound

And for its Cons

• The 128 x 128 CSTN screen even though 65K colors is almost completely dark in sunlight
• Only 3 themes are present and no option to download more
• There is no USB connectivity ( As far as i Know ???)
• Orange color keypad lights ( I am a sucker for white or blue keypad lights)
• Costly style-up covers ( Style-up covers can be used to change the look of your phone but for a price of 20$ its way out of my league)

Originally Syndicated via RSS from VC’s Gadgets,Gizmos & Fun