[A-Traveller]

Hi All.

I haven't even begun to delve into what features I am looking for in my next phone, however, from the top of my head, there are four features which I definitely want the phone to have.

1) Qwerty keyboard (or individual letters even if they're not in the 'Qwerty' layout).

2) A free method of transferring files to my pc. Not sure if it's Bluetooth or USB that I need.

3) At least 1 megapixel camera.

4) Good battery life.

I am not really interested in all the other fancy features which people pay hundreds for but never use, except maybe TomTom!

How many phones are there that meet that criteria? My initial search has thrown up Blackberry, XDA, Vario, SPV, Imate Kjam, but these are all too expensive. Aren't there any old phones, which are much cheaper?

I've also come across a few Nokia's, which I don't like and a few Sony Ericsson's, whose flip cover I don't like. I also don't like visible antennas (like in the Treo). So, does that leave me with anything or have I ruled everything out already???? There can't be many phones with a qwerty keyboard.

I've seen a picture of an NEC which has three of my features, but I don't know which model it is so I can't say what the battery life is like. Anyone know which model this is?

Thanks.

Ps Please also feel free to recommend any of the expensive ones mentioned above, as it is possible that they may crop up somehwhere in a cashback deal. Thanks.

2,3 and 4 should be easy enough to attain... Any bluetooth equipped handset with a camera that isn't directly a smartphone should do... Your QWERTY keyboard is where you start delving into the arena of business devices... and thus cost becomes involved. Samsung E770/E780/D600, Nokia 6230i/6233/6234, Moto L7/V3i and SonyEricsson K750i (despite my extreme dislike of the device) are now considered mid-low range handsets and mostly fit into the last three requirements, none have QWERTY, but in terms of a fairly low-cost QWERTY device you would probably be looking at an XDA mini-S (or it's other network branded counterparts) but as this is a smartphone its battery life is going to be affected.

[A-Traveller]

Thanks davethetekkie!

It definitely needs to have QWERTY.

I've managed to find a picture of an NEC (e808y), but the battery life doesn't look too great!

http://www.3gnewsroom.com/3g_mobile_...hp?model=e808Y

The XDA mini-S is still way over my budget. Is there anything similar to the NEC but with good (or even decent) battery life?

Thanks.

[ian_c_uk]

Please please avoid the NEC e808, we had two (free) on three and apart from unreliability, are generally slow and very clunky UI.

As for others, depends what it's focus is I guess.

If you want the qwerty keyb for occasional text messages, I'd go for something like the xda mini-s. If you plan to write emails \ word documents etc then there is no beating the xda exec for comfort.

(plug, I have an exec for sale in the non-av sales forum :D)

Originally Posted by reliablesoft

You may consider i-mate SmartFlip.

Check sample review at mypocketpcmobile.com

i believe it meets your requirements.

You can also find other devices there to help you make up your mind.

Sample features of i-mate SmartFlip below.

hope this helps!

-Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone Edition with Push Mail
-64 MB Flash ROM
-64 MB RAM
-EDGE
-Quad-Band GSM/GPRS(850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
-SMS / MMS
-Bluetooth 1.2
-Micro-SD card slot
-USB 1.1 with USB plug and receptacle
Audio
-Hands-free supported
-Supports AMR/AAC/WAV/WMA/MP3
Camera
-1.3 mega-pixel camera
Battery Performance
-Talk time: 2.5† 5 hours
-Standby time: 100 - 150 hours
-Price 250 GBP

I had this phone a 2 months ago as the Dopod S300. It is great phone- good build quaility but if you need battery power- this one needs charging daily ! A 700 mah battery - something like that ?
Also with all the applications loaded on the phone- I was not left with much memory .The memory specs are abit deceiving. However, this is a great messaging device.I also dropped the phone once from 1 metre high onto concrete floor - not a scratch and no problems after. The 1.3 MP camera quality is not the best compared to other 1.3 MP cameras in phones too.
Great for Hotmail ,Gmail and all other POP ,IMAP accounts. Looks cool too .

[A-Traveller]

Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry for the late response; my PC has done down. Will try to post back soon.