Mobile Phone thread - please include links to good deals

[QualityChimp]

Sooooo...

I need to upgrade my phone as I've got a Nokia 6100. The most advanced feature is that it has a colour screen.

I really like the menu set-up on Nokias, so I'll probably stick with them.

I've got my choices down to the Nokia N95 8Gb and the Nokia N82.

The N95 has a big old screen, loads of features and multimedia buttons but seems a bit flimsy, rubbish camera flash and a bit huuuge to fit in my pocket. People will think I'm pleased to see them all the time!

The N82 has the same features as the N95, has a better camera and flash but does the smaller screen make a difference and are the buttons a bit tricksy to use? Oh and it's also bigger than I thought it would be.

Any feedback on either of these phones?

What would you choose?!

Cheers for any help, team!

[Extra Terrestrial]

Any feedback on either of these phones?

What would you choose?!

Cheers for any help, team!

I have seen and used both phones but I managed to find a website that reviews mobile phones and I can't fault either of the two below:

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/nokia-n82.htm

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/nokia-n95.htm

If you want the 'whole package', the N95 would be better and does have a far easier and comfortable buttons to boot too if that is one of your main concerns.

I preferred the N82 simply because it is a small, compact version of the N95 and is easier to carry around - it looks better in my opinion too - but it is your choice mate.

Read the reviews then make up your mind.

[Friction]

Any feedback on either of these phones?

What would you choose?!

Cheers for any help, team!

I looked at these two myself when choosing my latest phone. My brother has an N95 and it's nice, but I think it's a bit on the larger side for my liking. The N82 looked like a great alternative but I couldn't get past the buttons. They are too small, fingernail buttons and not much else! In the end I opted for the E51 (due with me sometime today!) which has loads of the N95 features (WLan etc) but is smaller. Lacks the decent camera mind, only a 2mp instead of a 5 but not so fussed about that!

[gizmo1990]

So any E51 news/views?

[oblivion_6]

Im also interested in the E51, looks pretty smart and seems a decent replacement for my brick (SPV m3100)

[PeteJ]

E51 - had it a week now and it has served me well so far. Got VoIP running using the preinstalled software (Gizmo) which connected to my MSN account no probs, though I've yet to try making calls. Haven't setup email yet but might give it a go this weekend.

It seems very responsive, apart from bootup time which is about 30 seconds, but I tend to leave it on all the time anyway.

All of the buttons on the front are well sized and easy to use, central controls is very intuative. On\off switch is horrible as is the volume controls on the size, feel very cheap and are difficult to press. Never use them though, so no biggy.

Has Flash and Realplayer installed, can play AVIs, though so far I've yet to find a flash file it likes (always get an error saying "file too big for memory").

Wireless is disappointing when it comes to hidden networks, despite discovering a network and entering all the keys, the next time you come in range it tends to lose it all again. Might be something I'm doing wrong, haven't looked into it too much.

Size wise it is very neat, extremely thin and a confortable hight and width. It's light too, you'll forget you're carrying it sometimes. I feel like I'm about to drop it all the time though, though I've yet to do so!

The E51 isn't a phone to show off like the N95 or IPhone, but the functionality up there. A lot of people I've shown it seem surprised that I went for this over the 95, but this little device is quietly very capable.

[Friction]

Had my E51 since Wednesday and loving it so far. Upgraded from a Nokia 6233 so like to think I know my way around Nokia's (had only Nokia phones for about 5 years now). Took a little getting used being my first S60 phone. But once I'd sussed it out it was plain sailing.

As Pete said it's a very responsive phone, does what you want it too with minimal delay. Again agree with pete on the side buttons. Personally I don't find the volume ones a problem, but the on/off button is really hard to press - but then I leave my phone on all the time so not an issue. And I guess it's better it's too hard to accidently press, than too easy to press

I've not had a huge play with all the features as yet, but I have tried out WLAN. I've had a couple of issues with it, I can get on internet with WIFI in free hotspots, but I haven't yet been able to connect it to our home WIFI Network. Not sure what I am doing wrong. That said I went round to my brothers, and we connected it to his first time trying so it's obviously a fault of me and not the phone itself!

I have read online that a few people are having mainly WLAN issues and whatnot, but I think it's important to remember that this is a new phone, and so is on the first version of it's firmware, so I suspect it will get better in time - lots of people were saying on the Nokia forums the N95 had it's flaws, but gets better and better with each new firmware for example

Overally I'm really pleased with it, slim, light, packed full of features and a great little phone to have AND some of the pre installed ringtones are actually quite decent for a change

[gizmo1990]

Thanks for the comments guys.

Friction, how would you describe the speed of the e51's ui compared to your old 6233? Opening up the calendar, opening up a sms etc?

[Friction]

It's really not that much different to be honest Gizmo. Messages and what not seem the same. I've really not noticed any real issues at all. Very much you press a button, you get what you want. There might be a slight delay compared to the instantness of the older UI, but really it's hardly even noticeable.

Certainly not like the older S60 phones I've seen that were rather slow indeed!

[Rossco]

My K850i just broke AGAIN!!

Last night I realised that all my applications like Opera, Google Mail etc had just vanished, I couldn't understand why, everything else was working fine though, and I can send receive texts and calls, then this evening, I realised no-one had text me all day which was strange so I went to check my Inbox just for the sake of it and it said "Operation Unsuccessful" of something like that!! Went to my sent messages and the same! Tried to send one and it immediately failed! Put the SIM in my old K800i and it's working fine, tried resetting the phone and all that jazz and nothing! Pure raging, hate losing all those texts too, like to keep some personal ones and ones with pictures etc.

So this will be my third month owning a K850i and I will need to phone Orange tomorrow and arrange for them to send me my third replacement!

[JP]

One of the problems that I've repeatedly had with phones in the past has been down to the fact that each mobile company tends to install some pretty terrible branded software.

One of the things that I do now when getting a new phone is to unlock it, de-brand it and install the manufacturers own firmware.

You'd be amazed at how you can improve the speed of a phone and it's stability by just doing that.

If you want to do that it may be worth asking Orange for the NUC for that phone as they are legally obliged to supply it to you.

If it's within the first 12 months of you having the phone from them they'll charge you what is the standard fee for the code (£19:95 I think?). If you have had the phone for 12 months (Which you obviously haven't) then they would have to supply it free of charge.

It's worth having a look around sites to see just how much better phones can be with out all the proprietary software messing them up.

[Ajay1986]

Your not wrong there John, Vodaphone and Orange have particularly bad records for installing there own branded firmwares which actually remove software features.

[JP]

I was amazed seeing the difference after having the proper software running on them. As you say you often get far more features and I've had phones which have run at almost twice the speed after doing that!

[Rossco]

I'll give it a try when I get this fixed then. I eventually got through to them today and the guy said its a known problem thats happened before and to use the update service to update the phone and it will fix it.

Cant even get the update service working though! I install it and run it and on startup says it cant load the correct language pack or something and then closes!

Can anyone else try to download and run the program so I know whether its me or the file is broke?

It's here:

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/support/updateservice/updateservicesoftware/key.DownloadGeneral.SonyEricssonUpdateService_21839?cc=gb&lc=en

Thanks, if anyone helps me!

[EvilBoris]

If you are having problems Rossco, debrand it to a official firmware with a 3rd party app.
Debranding FTW!
Sony Ericsson phones tend to be butchered with "Customised" firmwares.

I reccomended http://www.wotanserver.com

if you fancy debranding it yourself costs less than a fiver via paypal and will take less than Half and hour to do.
The flash themes that SE phones have are well cool, but they end up being disabled.