Technology
Nokia 5310 XpressMusic Review
Being the cheapskate that I am, I use my cell phones until they become unusable, i.e. display is dead, keys non-responsive, no signal detected, etc. Or I lost my phone. And so when my trusty old Nokia 6610 started exhibiting signs that it was on its last legs, I started to look for a replacement.
First, the criteria. I have always been a fan of small phones. The 6610 wasn't that small. But I had a smaller one before that - a 3100, and an even smaller one before. So my next one had to be small. None of those Blackberry types, and an iPhone was out of the question. All I really need is a phone to make calls and send text, so any other extra feature is a bonus. A decent camera is useful for those spur of the moment "I gotta take this picture" events. For me they were few and far between. The only time I wished I had a camera on me was when I was in a car accident. In hindsight, even the music player was a useless extra for me. I wasn't really into the iPod craze, and portable music wasn't a big deal for me. I'd have preferred a synch to my Outlook calendar, and even Internet access, but I didn't want to pay extra for those services anyway. And if it meant I needed a bigger phone, I wouldn't bother. I want a phone that slips into my pocket easily with little bulge.
Another big criteria was price. I don't like spending too much on mobile phones. They get lost. They get outdated easily. They get dropped. I know I could get something for free - if I signed up for another two years of service. But I didn't really like the choices, so I'm back to buying.
And in California, since they passed laws requiring hands-free phone conversations while driving, Bluetooth was a must.
I've had Nokias for quite a while, over thirteen years in fact. So I guess I was in love with the brand. So Nokia was my first preference.
After some research in the Nokia USA website, And so I went online to my favorite online store to buy a US market Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. It came with the phone, wired earphones, and a charger. Now, for some feature highlights that I like.
The 5310 is small and thin. It's also very light. As far as calling and texting, the 5310 does the job. So I won't dwell much on that. It does have a relatively high megapixel camera. It doesn't have a flash so low light shots are not its forte. But it isn't a serious camera so I can't deduct points for that. It also has ample memory for my needs. I do not plan to store tons of images or music, so 2GB is fine for me. It has Bluetooth, which allowed me to download the pictures that I did take using the 5310.
Now for some cool features that I really like. It's been around for a while, but an MP3 ringtone is a novelty to me. I loaded some of my songs into it and set them as ringtones. Having a camera allows me to change the screensaver and wallpaper very quickly. I like this type of personalization.
The new menus take some getting used to. But there's nothing wrong with them.
On to some little issues. The keypad does take some getting used to, especially the navigation button. I sometimes hit it when I really intended to press the Call button. There is also some delay after pressing the End Call button before the phone actually hangs up. And finally, I have to plug the charger into the phone twice for it to start charging. I don't know if it's just my particular phone or all phones because the size of the charger plug. It's really small. The Calculator application takes long to load, as does other apps, but the calendar is pretty fast.
Bottom line: the 5310 XpressMusic is a great mid-priced mobile phone. The portable music player is a plus. And for someone with really simple phone needs, it is more than enough.