The Phones that rocked the previous year

[Bond007]

"Best" is a tag that everyone seems for a film star, a cricketer or even a mobile phone. While evaluation of mobile phones can be a dicey task. there are so many different features and aspect that you need to evaluate. But in the end, we did manage to pickup a few devices that really stand apart in the madding crowd of handsets. These are devices that have carved a deep niche for themselves; by their versatility and appeal, they have managed to set new standards for the handset industry.

They are real trailblazers, and quite often they have managed to cast a new glow on the reputation of their parent company.

In this thread, I will bring you the best among the rest from 2010 in various categories from the industry, based on a magazine review.

These are the stars that made the year that was.

[Bond007]

AFFORDABLE COMMUNICATION

In the entire mobile market, the segment that saw the highest growth was the one that catered to the low end users. we are talking about handsets that are typically cost less than Rs 5,000. This was also the segment where we saw majority of new handset brands emerging and vying to grab the biggest piece of the pie. The crucial USP of this segment was affordability and the brands fought to bring more and more features into cheaper and cheaper phones. Such stiff was the competition that even 3G phones priced under Rs 5,000 were launched in 2010.

However, when it came to the right quality, features and style, only one of the upcoming brands was able to make it to the nominees list and that was the Zen Z22.

Global brands Samsung, LG and Nokia still score high, when it comes to getting quality and features combined with affordablility.

In this category nominees were:

1. Nokia 2690
2. Zen Z22
3. LG GU220
4. Nokia 2730 Classic
5. Samsung C3200 Monte Bar

[Bond007]

And the winner in the affordable phone category is the Nokia 2690. the phone was an instant hit when launched and was touted as Nokia's answer to the growing crop indigenous brands. An Edge phone that combines Bluetooth connectivity with VGA camera, stereo FM radio, GPRS and Email.

It is also customer killer due to it's great style.

[Bond007]

The important specifications of the phone are :

-VGA Camera (No Flash or Zoom)
-Bluetooth Connectivity
-GPRS, EDGE
-Internet Browsing with Opera Mini
-Audio Playback with 3.5 mm Head phone jack
-FM Radio
-15 MB Inbuilt Memory. Expandable Using microSD/Transflash up to 2 GB
-SMS/MMS/Email.
-Nokia LifeTools, Themes.
-Li-Ion Battery with Capacity 860 mAh.
-Talktime: 5 hours.
-Standby Time: 335 hours.
-Nokia OS Platform
-3G Support : No

The phone is available is various colors like Graphite, White Silver, Hot Pink, Blue.

Latest Price: Around 2,700 INR (3 Feb ’11)

[Bond007]

The next category is MUSIC MASALA

You know what, it's difficult to imagine our culture without a hefty dose of music in it. Be it a college student plugged into his phone's music player or a village farmer blaring Vividh Bharti on his phone's loudespeaker while working in his farm, it won't be wrong to say that our music make us tick. Handset makers have to fokus actuely on musical qualities of their phones in order to sell in our markets.

And here are the few different price categorised phones that swayed the hearts of the million and energed as best phones in the music category.

[Bond007]

Price Category: Up to 6,000

While there were many in this price segment that rocked the mobile world with their music capabilities, there were only a few that made it to the top list. In the price range less than 6,000 there were many strong contenders and some new name made an strong impact. Among these was the Videocon with its V1425.

The nominees for this price category in music segment were:

1. Nokia X2
2. Samsung Monte Bar C3200
3. Videocon V1425
4. Zen M20
5. LG GB230

[Bond007]

However it is Nokia with its X2 that made an impression on maximum number of music aficionados. Great sound quality, combined with good looks and easy access to a music features, makes this device a desirable choice, when it come to a music phone.

[Bond007]

The important specifications of the phone are :
- 3.5 mm AV connector
- BL-4C 860 mAh Li-Ion battery
- Camera:5 Megapixel, LED flash
- Comes with Music*
- Dedicated music keys
- Dimensions:111 x 47 x 13.3 mm, 61 cc
- Display:2.2 inch TFT,256K colors,
- Dual stereo speakers
- GPRS/EDGE
- Memory Internal 48 MB/MicroSD memory card slot, up to 16 GB
- Talk time: up to 13 hours/Standby time: up to 540 hours
- Colors: Red on Black, Blue on Silver
- Stereo FM radio with RDS; built-in antenna

[Bond007]

Price Category: Rs 6,001 to Rs 12,000

As far as the music phones go, features such as graphic equalisers, sound enhancement, etc become important in saperating men from boyes. In this price category, competition is really tough and very few phones are able to make an impression.

The nominees for this price category in music segment were:

1. Nokia 5530 XpressMusic
2. LG BL20
3. Sony Ericsson Xylo
4. Nokia X5-01
5. Samsung Monte S5620

[Bond007]

The title for the best phone in this category goes to Nokia 5530. A part of the XpressMusic series, the phone offers great musical experience with a music player that supports a wide range of formats, FM radio with RDS and a long lasting battery for the continuous entertainment. A close second to the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic, is another Nokia device called the Nokia X5-01, which too comes with impressive music features and sound quality.