Since I’m regarded a nerd by my friends now, and have the award to prove it, I think it is time I write some nerdy tech articles. Don’t worry though, I’m not going to get all technical with you and throw in some scary tech jargon, I’m keeping it simple and friendly enough for the average reader.
My dilemma this past month has been what phone to upgrade to on my MTN MyCall 100. The best two options: The Sony Ericsson W800i and the Nokia N70. After much consideration, including numerous trips to MTN shacks, and countless web reviews, I made my decision.
The Nokia N70, probably the most sort after phone in South Africa at the moment, is packed full of gizmos and applications. It has a 2MB VGA camera (can take both video and photos) with flash, Radio + MP3 Player, and a 64MB Memory Card. Its big pro is that it supports 3G, which means that when MTN eventually finalise this facility, you will be able to watch certain TV channels on your phone, plus make video calls to other 3G users.
Its cons are that its body is soft and easily scratches, its buttons are too close together, and according to numerous sources its software is slow and sometimes even crashes. It’s big con is that it has a huge waiting period, as stock is very low and comes in drips and drabs from Nokia distributors. I’ve already been waiting 6 weeks, and today I was told its another 8 weeks until I will get my hands on one.
The Sony Ericsson W800i is also very popular here in South Africa. It comes with pretty much all the features of the Nokia N70, except 3G, which is quite a big drawback. It comes with a 512MB memory card though, has a better camera (according to numerous reliable sources), and better sound quality. After all its parts come from Sony.
So which did I go for, *drumroll*, are you kidding, I’m not waiting 14 weeks for a phone that enables me to use 3G in 6 months time at a crazy price. The Sony Ericcson W800i won this battle.
Now send me your comments and make me feel really good, or really bad about the decision I made.
Sources:
The camera test: Sony Ericsson D750 (Same camera as in W800i) vs. Nokia N70
Specifications of phones taken from gsmarena.com
A brief review and a load of comments on the W800i at Engadget
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