Joining the Craze: Mobile Phones with Touch Interfaces

In August, my Budget QWERTY mobile phone from Nokia will hold its first year anniversary. No wonder I’m already aching to replace it with a newer model. This time, I’m trying a touchscreen phone.

The geek and “fashionista” in me have always wanted an iPhone but this overrated and overprice mobile phone from Apple is just way above my affordability. Just when I’m willing to give up a lot of luxuries in life for the outdated iPhone 3G (overthrown immediately by the popularity of iPhone 4G), the salesperson from MAC told me they’re not selling those “phased-out” models anymore. Ouch!

Not wanting to surrender, I opted for other touchscreen phones within my budget-range. Initially, I wanted a Nokia C7, the budget-mobile version of Nokia C8. I fell in love with its frosty metal white color and its classy and elegant. Among my stupid weaknesses is always falling for an electronic gadget’s aesthetics more than its features and specifications. The C7 is feminine looking, slim, and features an 8 megapixel camera, wifi capability and more. It’s already a good deal especially when I thought its price range is between P14K to P15K only. I was surprised when I learned it’s still being sold in the malls at P20K when using a  credit card and more than P18K when paid in cash.

I decided the Symbian OS of the C7 and its inferior camera (which is normal with Nokia phones) is not worth the price. I looked around some more and found two (2) SmartPhone candidates within the price range — the Samsung Galaxy S and the Sony Ericcson X10. I also liked to consider the HTC Desire but it’s far expensive than the two.

The Galaxy and Xperia touchscreen phones both run on Android OS (operating system) version 2.1 and with SnapDragon 1GHz processor. The Xperia was formerly priced at P26 to P28K before its predecessor model came out. It is now 30 to 40 percent cheaper and comes with a free leather pouch and an 8gb memory card, two of the best deals not available with the Galaxy. In the end, I was awed by the handsomeness of the white Xperia X10 which design I can’t seem to put down. In short, it was what I purchased.

Although it was clear according to tech reviews that Samsung Galaxy S is the runaway winner when compared to the specs of the Xperia, I am so far happy with the phone. I love the camera with the cam light you can turn on when taking pictures in dark areas. Sony has always been a camera and music phone of choice. Games and some applications are downloadable at the “market” website. What I did was go to Robinsons Metro East which offers free WiFi to mall goers and download all the games and applications I wanted from the site. Although I had an initial difficulty typing messages using the touch interface, it was easier for me to get used to it thanks to the big letters and numbers on the keyboard screen. I like the fact that many of its features can be customized.

Some of the hitches: bluetooth not connecting with computers or PCs although the USB cable is easy to use for file transferring using the PC companion program; battery is easy to drain when you watch videos or play games (which is expected); and low call volume (which is a serious issue!), good thing I’m always bringing the headset for making calls which is great.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with my Xperia X10 and still in love with it, and so is my little boy who uses it more than I do because of the installed games.

Any reactions about this review? Share your thoughts using the comment button.

(photo from sonyericssonxperiax10.org)

…

Want Marikenya.com Articles in Your Email Inbox? Subscribe Now!

Enter your email address:

Read More Interesting Articles.

--> If you liked Marikenya.com, the author or her works, you may want to help grow Marikenya's Education Fund for her Son by donating any amount through PayPal or Credit Card by clicking the DONATE button. Thanks!