GOTY 2009: Budget Mobiles

It’s that time of the year, namely the end, when we can look back at the last 11 months and change and see what we transpired. In my world, that means it’s time to take a glance in the rearview mirror on the mobile market road and see the handsets that still stand out. So without further ado, for 2009’s Gadget of the Year, in the budget mobiles division, the winners are -

Budget phone of the year - Nokia 2323 Classic Rs. 2,250
The top spot goes to Nokia this year in the budget handset segment for their 2323 Classic. This simple handset has been specifically designed and directed towards agricultural communities like India. While it seems like it would do no more than allow the user to make or take calls and messages and play a few games, the 2323 Classic is capable of loads more.

Good – It offers multimedia functionality with a Music player that has good sound and an FM radio
Plenty of useful features including GPRS/WAP connectivity and Bluetooth 2.0.
Nokia’s preloaded Life Tools are very handy to keep close tabs on the agricultural market
It provides a much better than average battery life.
Bad – The UI fonts even on normal settings can be a bit 'in your face'.
Rating – 4.5/5

Runner up - Samsung Guru E1410 Rs. 2,700   
The runner up in this category is one from Samsung’s popular Guru Series, the E1410. It’s well laid out with large keys which makes for quick and easy typing. It may not be one of the slimmest handsets around but it definitely has a certain feel good factor about it with a good grip. It also comes with a comfortable handsfree kit that accentuates the handsets media functions quite well.

Good – The Guru offers a simple yet great sounding audio player.
The FM radios reception is quite good in most places.
The E1410 also offers it’s users a pretty decent battery life.
Bad – It may be one of the very few if not the only handset that came without any preloaded games.
Rating – 4/5

Best value – Intex 4455 Rs. 3,750
The best value handset is Intex’s Dual SIM IN4455. It’s an affordable yet very versatile handset. It’s not one that offers any sort of fancy design form but sticks to the very basic candy bar design with separated keys that enables you to type quickly. It supports GSM + GSM and the system is properly laid out to make it convenient for users to access and control both SIMs separately. It’s also quite well equipped with connectivity options that include GPRS/EDGE for internet access from either SIM as well as Bluetooth with an A2DP profile as well.  

Good – The 4455 handles its Dual SIM functionality very well.
Its audio player is capable of loud and clear tone quality.
Battery life is Good.
The handset’s built-in FM radio provides pretty good reception.
Bad – The UI although fluid enough is a bit quirky.
The on-board 1.3MP camera isn’t great but quite average.
Rating – 4/5

All prices listed are MOP. Stay tuned for more of Tech2's 2009 Gadget and Games of the year.