Plz Suggest A Basic Gsm Phone

[anuragz 4]

Hello,

I want to buy a very basic & cheap GSM handset.

My only requirement is good voice quality.

(& if it allows Phonebook transfer then it will b really great).

Also suggest me any cheap GSM+CDMA phone.

Thanks

[::Hitesh:: 1,763]

^^^

in what price ?

[raccoon 53]

Hey has mentioned "very basic", so obviously around 1k.

Anyway, beware of Nokia 1203 and similar handsets from Nokia. They have a single speaker and duct/outlet on the back side, so all your private conversations will always become public! Battery life is also very poor.

[faizone 15]

yes.. besides when we increase the earpiece volume, the phone vibrates with the speaker and it feels sick to continue the conversation..

[anuragz 4]

Hey has mentioned "very basic", so obviously around 1k.

Anyway, beware of Nokia 1203 and similar handsets from Nokia. They have a single speaker and duct/outlet on the back side, so all your private conversations will always become public! Battery life is also very poor.

Ya I saw this Nokia phone for Rs 1100 but I find Nokia very sub standard now. I also saw Intex & Micromax Dual Sim (GSM+GSM) basic phones in the price range of 1500-1600 rs but i am really not sure about their speaker quality. I once had a Spice d88 but it was really troublesome to talk on it as its mic could not pick audio properly & its speaker did not had a clear sound.

I am very particular about sound.

[faizone 15]

@Anurag..

Samsung is really making itself strong in the entry level segment. I use a samsung phone (Guru B100) besides my javelin.

The phone is pretty decent

- it has a 1000mAh battery

- lasts me 3-4 days easily with moderate use

- signal pickup and audio quality is good

Drawbacks are.. there is no fm, cam etc etc.

Besides it does take some time to get used to samsung's interface especially their t9 implementation

I think the b100 guru is no longer available in the market but there are many alternative guru's from samsung in 1k-2k segment for sure..

and one more + is that the guru phones are made in india and i feel like am using a Nok1100 at times...

Edited May 15, 2010 by faizone

[raccoon 53]

Hey has mentioned "very basic", so obviously around 1k.

Anyway, beware of Nokia 1203 and similar handsets from Nokia. They have a single speaker and duct/outlet on the back side, so all your private conversations will always become public! Battery life is also very poor.

Ya I saw this Nokia phone for Rs 1100 but I find Nokia very sub standard now. I also saw Intex & Micromax Dual Sim (GSM+GSM) basic phones in the price range of 1500-1600 rs but i am really not sure about their speaker quality. I once had a Spice d88 but it was really troublesome to talk on it as its mic could not pick audio properly & its speaker did not had a clear sound.

I am very particular about sound.

Even I'm apprehensive of buying from the likes of Intex, Spice, etc., but considering the quality (and design)of Nokia these days, I'd prefer to put my money the other brands.

Sound/voice clarity is the most imp. aspect of a phone. And in a basic phone, its obviously almost the only thing that matters (besides battery life, software/interface, of course).

@Anurag..

Samsung is really making itself strong in the entry level segment. I use a samsung phone (Guru B100) besides my javelin.

The phone is pretty decent

- it has a 1000mAh battery

- lasts me 3-4 days easily with moderate use

- signal pickup and audio quality is good

Drawbacks are.. there is no fm, cam etc etc.

Besides it does take some time to get used to samsung's interface especially their t9 implementation

I think the b100 guru is no longer available in the market but there are many alternative guru's from samsung in 1k-2k segment for sure..

and one more + is that the guru phones are made in india and i feel like am using a Nok1100 at times...

Could you please tell me if these Samsung Guru series phones have the "Send Later" function for text messages? Nokia phones like 1112, 1203, etc., have this function. Also are the Guru phones efficient for texting like the Nokias mentioned above (wrt. keypad, software, etc)? And whats the issue with the t9 implementation, that you have mentioned?

Edited May 15, 2010 by raccoon

[faizone 15]

No.. it doesnt have the send later function..

They keypad of the b100 and all other guru models i have seen have dustproof keypads.. messaging is pretty fast once u get used to it.

The keys also give a good tactile finish and the phone has a sturdy finish.. Nokia 1203's rubber keypad kind of swells with use.. so its up to u.. i am not anti-Nokia but we should give a fair chance for other companies too and that too when they are making really commendable products..

T9 - switchin to T9 needs a different key combination compared to nokia's interface and rotating word options needs u to press 0.. this can be better understood when u try it out for urself..

Cheers!!

Edited May 15, 2010 by faizone

[raccoon 53]

Thanks for the clarification.

I am no Nokia fan, but I have to say that the software in their basic phones like 1112, 1110, 1203 is quite efficient for texting. Even the way they implement the delivery reports which auto delete, icons which indicate if messages have been delivered successfully, etc., are well thought out. Added to this is functionality like scheduled SMSes, big list of special characters including newline character, distribution lists, etc. Perhaps the most glaring omission is the exclusion of outgoing call duration in the logs. Else the software rocks.

Too bad that Nokia has got other things all wrong. The speaker outlet on the wrong side of the phone perhaps the best example of Nokia's incredibly lame design. Their quality is also in decline, as rightly mentioned.

Too bad... else even the 1203 (and others) would have made for a fairly good basic phone.

[faizone 15]

very true.. cellphones being an integral part of our life and business have to seamlessly blend with us. Nokia had it going well till they had their manufacturing abroad.. once they started making phones in India they seem to have entered a never ending cycle of cost-cutting, even in the essentials. Samsung seems to be doing a good balancing act.. So its ur personal choice my friend.. if u feel nokia can do the job for u go for it without any second thought..

Cheers!!!

[raccoon 53]

Are you sure the 1203 and similar handsets are Made in India now?? I have a 1112 which is Chinese made.

[faizone 15]

yes sir.. the 111x series were the last low end ones to be made abroad..

Cheers!!

[Himanshu Singh 19]

I would suggest Samsung Guru series for low end phones.. I bought 2 Samsung E 1160@Rs.1800 each in January.. The red and black colour combination is eye catching.. The battery lasts 5 days in my dad's hands.. The earpiece/speaker phone volume is loud.. The ringtones are really loud.. The fm is wirefree and thats also a good thing.. The keypad is of rubber which I find easy to use.. I think I have not been able to add to the ringtones that come with the phone.. I would love to do that if possible.. But overall a great phone for its price..

[faizone 15]

Samsung certainly seems to be gathering momentum in the entry-level segment.

@himanshu - please download samsung pc studio from the samsung india site and get hold of a compatible datacable.. the guru series supports both midi / mp3 tones.. the internal memory may be a cache if ur particular model doesnt have expandable memory...

Edited May 15, 2010 by faizone