Three cell phones to broaden your choices

Three cell phones to broaden your choices

Zatni Arbi, Contributor, zatni@cbn.net.id

Imagine having to review three cellular phone devices in a single week, and that was just what I had to do over the last seven days. Fortunately, these phones had some interesting features that I would like to share with you.

After test driving so many, I have come to the conclusion that it is getting more and more difficult to say which one is the best. There are so many new cellular phones at any given time that we choose which one to buy based more on our personal taste rather than sturdiness.

This time, I will just go through the interesting features of the phones quickly and highlight what makes them special rather than trying to decide upon a winner.

The devices here were the One Touch 756 from Alcatel, V3 Razor from Motorola and N6260 from Nokia. They were all very kind to let me play around with these gadgets and do some exploring. Of course, I wish I had more time to go deeper into each of them.

Remember the last Alcatel cellular phone that I reviewed? The OT 835 was the first flip model from the company, and I did not find it very impressive. On the other hand, I like the OT 756 very much. It has a larger, 128 x 160 screen, enabling it to display ten lines of text at once. The keypad is also noteworthy; although it is firm, it is easy to press the right key.

OT 756 is still equipped with an IrDA port, which is now located on top of the handset. It has a VGA camera, which is a bit behind the times as other cell phone makers are already boasting a 1.3 megapixel camera. However, the images I shot with the camera looked clearer than most of the other cameras. I did not have the chance to print any of them, though, but on the screen they really looked great. The 262,000 color TFT screen certainly helps. This model also has the capability to capture and play back video clips.

My wish list for this cell phone includes a larger memory, EDGE and Bluetooth. It has 4 MB of internal memory to hold a variety of data -- including directories and pictures -- but there is no way one can expand the memory capacity.

The first thing that captures the interest when we first look at Motorola V3 Razor is its casing. It is made of metal alloy, and therefore this clamshell model looks very thin. The name Razor befits the image. And, like all Motorola models that I played around with in the past, the V3 feels very sturdy, too.

Opening the back cover took some doing, though, especially as I had to do it without the manual. The design could be improved to make this simpler. Also, taking out your SIM card from its slot must be done with great care.

The keypad is also made of metal alloy, and therefore all the buttons have a flat surface. I would prefer a little curvature so that we can press the button that we need with more confidence. The four-direction button and its center "Enter" button will also require some getting used to. However, the keys give good tactile response and I believe long-time users will eventually have no problem composing SMSes.

Like the OT 756, the V3 also has a 262,000 color screen. It does not produce the same quality of image as the OT 756, though.

Nokia's N6260 is a flip model, too. My demo unit was made in China, and it was still an engineering sample. The keypad feels a bit flimsy, and the LCD screen is not properly placed inside the housing.

Otherwise, it has a lot of new features, including My Presence and Push-to-Talk (PTT). I am not sure whether these two services are already available, but the cell phone already supports them.

My Presence will tell people who want to contact you whether you are busy in a meeting or whether you are free and can be disturbed. This will require the cell phone to connect to a server.

Push to Talk is a service that allows you to set up a group and connect to all the members -- who are not busy -- by just pressing a single button. It is like talking on a CB radio.

Clearly, the three cell phones have their own strengths and weaknesses. If you want a well-built cell phone that is simple to use and has a great keypad, Alcatel's OT 756 is my recommendation. If you need a fashion cell phone, take a look at Motorola's V3 Razor. If you want to get ready for advanced features and services such as My Presence and PTT, N6260 is what you have to check out.

And, hopefully, next I will be able to share with you my experience in test driving the long-awaited Communicator 9500 from Nokia.