Storage is handled by 64MB ROM and 64MB of internal (usable) memory, which is fair. Expansion is also available in a microSD/TransFlash card slot. A lot of manufacturers have begun opting for the mSD/TF format for their phones, which is a good thing because all existing users of those cards can upgrade to new phones without having to buy new cards. Unless you go for Sony Ericsson phones, that is.
Connections to the phone are handled by Bluetooth, though there is no stereo headset support. Also there's no WiFi/WLAN, which would have made a nice addition in this business class phone. You can't stick in a WiFi SDIO card either. USB is also available, but at a slow v1.1. The socket on the phone is a proprietory connector, so you can't just stick in any random USB cable lying around.The phone runs Windows Mobile 5.0 and comes with the standard set of applications such as Internet Explorer Mobile, Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, Pocket MSN, Pocket Outlook, ActiveSync etc. As I mentioned before, the Texas Instruments OMAP850 CPU at 195MHz makes the phone really, really fast and it's a pleasure to work with it. I love the typical Windows Mobile features for enhanced contact search and messaging, however some quirks exist in adding new contacts. A typed number goes into the clipboard and can only be pasted once in the number field, so if you put it in the wrong place and delete it, you can't get it back. The WM concept of all applications staying open even after the Back key is pressed, after which it cycles through all of them, is sort of unintuitive. The final word here is that Windows makes the phone really fast and some tasks are made super easy, but for a new user, Series 60 proves to be a better UI to start a Smartphone with.
The standard 750mAh battery in the Smartflip lasts good upto three and half a day with moderate usage, which is good for a Smartphone and particularly good for a phone this fast. A standard mini-USB socket on the phone would have been a good thing, because then you could just recharge it wherever you go with a standard USB cable. But alas!
The Smartflip costs around Rs. 23,000 which is a considerable premium when kept next to the Nokia N71 clamshell Smartphone. The N71 costs around Rs. 19,000 and offers you dual cameras (2-megapixel and VGA) for 3G/WCDMA video conferencing, a better 256k color display (same resolution, FM radio as well and of course, Nokia's Series 60 UI. Sure, the N71 isn't as thin (2.58cm vs. 1.58cm), is heavier (139gm vs. 99gm) and has only around 10mb internal memory, but if you're getting a 3G phone for Rs. 4,000 less, I would just pick the N71. |
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_011517074205_160x90.jpg "Epson Stylus Photo R3000")
