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-   -   The Mobile Phone Thread - Queries, decisions, discussions all here (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/63048-mobile-phone-thread-queries-decisions-discussions-all-here-602.html)

How is the Xolo X 900? Thinking of taking the plunge. I am reading this thread back and forth now but what is the best Windows based phone at the moment? I need something fully compatible with Blue & Me on my Fiat Punto.

First of all, if you are particular about buying an android OS based phone only, I would suggest you to post in the Android thread. There are some real Android experts in our community who are active on the Android thread. They would be able to guide you better. :thumbs up

I am also not an Android user as of now. But I'm also looking for an Android phone in 15-20k price range.

A person buys a touchscreen smartphone for these main usage types:
- To be able to install apps and use the apps
- To be able to install games and play games
- To be able to play multimedia files (audio and video)
- To be able to view/edit documents
- To browser the internet
- Other miscellaneous uses such as GPS navigation, video chat etc

For performing these tasks, a smartphone mainly needs:
- A powerful processor and sufficient RAM
- Sufficient internal memory
- Provision for expandable memory
- Decent size/resolution display
- Connectivity options (3G, bluetooth, wifi etc)

When one is spending so much on a gadget, I feel that one should ensure that the gadget is future proof to a certain extent and will serve the user for the next few years (both in terms of build quality and technology).

To give an analogy in the automotive domain, lets say you were to buy a petrol car today assuming a low usage. But a few years down the line if your usage increases, you will curse yourself for not buying a diesel car.

Similarly, if you were to buy a phone with 4 GB non-expandable memory today, it may serve you well initially, but you may find yourself spending more time on transferring file to and from your PC to your mobile. On the other hand, if the phone supports a memory card, you may buy a small capacity card today to meet your requirement. If your requirement increases in the future, the phone will have the provision for a bigger capacity memory card.

Similarly for internal memory. You may plan to install 2-3 apps initially, but when you start exploring the Android market, you may find many more useful apps which you would like to install. Your kids or younger cousins may pester you to install some games, which are resource intensive both in terms of memory and processing power.

So it is always better to invest a little more money and buy a phone which doesn't have a bottleneck like lack of expandable memory or less internal memory or outdated processor. Especially considering the fact that better affordable options are available to day as compared to a few years back.

If budget is not a constraint, go for a smartphone with dual core processor, 512 MB or more RAM, 1 GB or more available internal memory, 480x800 resolution display, 5MP autofucus still camera, HD video camera, front VGA camera etc. :)

Rohan

After going thru your posts, I'm inclined to think that 4 GB may be sufficient for you. That said, I'm not at all a fan of things like non-expandable storage, non removable batteries and similar limitations. I'd most likely not buy such products myself. However, if you look at it practically, the Xperia U does offer a lot in other areas which the competition may be lacking.

Also, IIRC the Xperia U has USB on the go. If that is true, its not like you would need to keep shifting data between the phone and the PC only. You could do the swapping between your phone and a large pen drive, directly. Of course thats not as convenient as having a large SD card in the phone itself. So you just have to decide if the U has other redeeming features not available with the competition at that price point, which would justify the extra inconvenience of swapping data with a pen drive, if required.

One point worth noting is that it takes more power to access data off the card than it does from in-built memory. Hence the U is likely to be more power efficient in that respect. However, it does come with a smaller battery, so the net result is that the battery is likely to be about as bad as most other average Android phones. Who knows, perhaps Sony found it cheaper to make a phone with more internal memory and no SD card and lower capacity battery rather than one with larger battery and with removable storage. Its almost a deal breaker for me though. But it may not be so for you.

^ Not to worry too much about the size of the pen drive when we have the Strontium key. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadget...ml#post2589946

Thats cool. But won't make too much difference for people like me at least. I just don't want another thing to carry around and increase complications. The size of the pen drive is not the issue. This one seems so small, its probably just more liable to misplace/drop somewhere, lol.

That said, how good is Strontium at honoring the Warranty? I hear that their drives are not quite as good as the ones from say Sandisk. So its good to hear it has a 5 year warranty (same as Sandisk).

All the above points apply (strictly no games for me)

Excellent point; but I'd like to mention one point here; I'm a very conservative user with anything (except when it comes to riding/driving :D) Cutting long story shorts, I've 0.5TB of HDD, but I always have about 300G free. This is the story for over 2 years. This is primarily because I stay organize & remove files that I don't use & I do this frequently.

Until today (using Samsung Monte for now), I've about 1.3GB free space in the mobile too, keep removing the applications that I don't use. I'm not justifying by saying 4G is sufficient, but yes, let me think about that point. BTW, I DO NOT want to increase my expense on the mobile too. 15K is more than sufficient.

That's not at all a problem for me; I'm very finicky about things & I don't like anyone meddling with my possessions (Wifey included), forget along kids & cousins; hehe

Yes, we did quite an extensive research before narrowing down to these 2 mobile phones.

Fully agreed & this is what I like to do

Thank you; I'll certainly consult with owners on this point before buying it

I am planningbto buy the Galaxy note. Should i buy from timtara? It has a Rs.4500 off offer which makes it 28K. Has anyone here boughtbanything from timtara? Is it reliable?

@ aargee - looks like you have already made up your mind for the Xperia U. :D

If it suits your budget and requirements, go for it. :thumbs up

Rohan

Timtara has earned itself a very bad reputation of late. Buy at your own risk.

That said, I have only one experience with them, and they delivered a brand new product with very recent manuf. date, in reasonable time. Had to pay Octroi for it though. Customer service was almost non-existent. Nobody even bothered to answer phone calls. But that was some 6 - 12 months ago.

How is Nokia 500?

At 9.5K with 5MP camera and expandable storage it looks VFM. Need to buy it for my sister.

This was the ONLY choice of VFM with Nokia when I narrowed it down; I skipped this because...
- Nokia is killing themselves
- Symbian is out of date
- I wanted Android

Otherwise, its a good mobile phone

So have you finally decided for XPERIA U? I am also planning to buy it along with one sub 10K phone for my sister.

Yes

N500 is good VFM phone for that price except for the said drawbacks above, just ensure your sister is not a Android or Nokia hater that's all

BTW, a good deal can be found at...
Nokia-Mobile-Phones-500-Black--11529-:www.yebhi.com
AND
Nokia 500: Price in India, Reviews, Specification: Flipkart.com

Sulekha & ebay sells for even less, but not sure on the reliability of the product or delivery service

I would suggest stay away from timtara. Most of akosha's users complain to them about timtara and it leads the pack of complaints against any ecommerce site. If they don't have the product in stock, which you'll know only after placing the order, you will have a hard time getting the refund, not to mention the mental agony that you'll face. Sulekha is much better. Saw the Note in their special deals for 30k. Anything lower than that if you can find, post about it here if it's a new site you are using.

I would suggest dont even think of considering a Nokia phone, the quality is just not what it used to be, plus attitude of Nokia is disappointing.

My Nokia N8 had a major failure recently where a lot of parts had to be changed. The service center has pathetic response & i was treated like crap.

The helpline is utterly useless and the whole impression is that this company is sinking quickly & cares two hoots about your problems. Dont risk more than a thousand rupees or so on their basic phones.