Suggest a good QWERTY handset

BIKeINSTEIN

BIKeINSTEIN

Skilled
I need a phone to replace my cousin's Nokia E63 i am presently using- preferably an actual QWERTY.

I had almost bought the E71 or a BB 8520 but my stubby thumbs preferred the E63.

Unfortunately, i didn't find the call clarity or network reception of the E63 to be upto the mark- just about acceptable imho.

Being used to the E63 now, there is a slight inclination to pick up a Nokia E5- no clue how good or bad it is.

There is also this huge urge to get the Moto Defy but a QWERTY phone has been greatly helpful while sending long messages urgently.

So kindly help decide, based on the following-
(1) Great build quality.

No squeaky panels, eventual fading/peeling of colour/paint from the keypad, body, cover, etc etc
(2) Fast UI.

(Things should happen as instantly as possible with every click)
(3) Great battery life.

(The longer the talktime on a single charge, the better.)
(4) Great network reception.
(5) Great voice clarity.
I guess i have listed the things that make a phone a phone, for what it has to do primarily. Anything else is a bonus.

P.S. Backup phone is a 7210 Supernova- well-built, good clarity, good network, good battery and slim+light to be carried as a second phone. Will look for a replacement once the primary phone is taken care of.
 
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^undecided. :ashamed:

Anything like the X2-01, C3, E5, ... or some HTC, BB, ... does ok for me as long as it is reliable and lasts at least for a year flawlessly. :p

I liked the E6 on paper but am not very fond of the touch option, especially if some inputs are purely touch as in the C3-01 iirc.

Also spending 20k for Symbian is something that will need a lot of convincing.

I might not be smart enough to use a smartphone but spending more than 10K and not going for Android doesn't feel so smart IMHO. :p

Also, considering i can be ok with a cheapo X2-01 too if it has very good call clarity and network reception, the E6 seems too much to spend on for what i need from a phone. :) (But the seemingly lower battery life compared to the phones already owned or being considered is why i don't have a X2-01 yet and am here troubling you'll instead)

P.S. how are the keys on the E6? same size as E63 or smaller? Given an E63 and E71 at the same price point, i will still take the former just coz of my stubby thumbs. Had a very tough time with the E71, BB 8520 for the short while i had those. :lol:
 
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Since you are going to use the phone mainly as a phone, i would recommend bb bold either 9700 or 9780. Both have perhaps the best qwerty keyboards on the market with good build quality and decent messenger support. But the multimedia /web experience will be much weaker then an e6. Also the bold series has better keypads then bb 8520. The phones themselves are small in size, but the keyboard is quite spacious. Also you might take note of the fact that nokia qwerty phones have domed keys which are bigger but continous sheet, while bb gives you distinct keys which are consequently smaller in size. And yes in e6 softkey commands have to be confirmed via the screen touch but I guess most users get used to it. So better decide based on your personal preferences.
Regards.
 
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Thank you all- still not sure though. :ashamed:

aka911 said:
Also you might take note of the fact that nokia qwerty phones have domed keys which are bigger but continous sheet, while bb gives you distinct keys which are consequently smaller in size.
Click to expand...

Actually the larger and domed keys and the softer press endeared the E63 to me- easier to type and no thumb sore like the small, flattish, hard to press 8520 keys.

aka911 said:
And yes in e6 softkey commands have to be confirmed via the screen touch but I guess most users get used to it. So better decide based on your personal preferences.
Click to expand...

And a cause for concern maybe as i have seen the C3-01 screen/onscreen button taking quite some time to respond at times, despite several inputs.
 
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If you dont mind buying a touch screen phone then i would advice you to buy Defy... I know that you are looking to buy a phone with a physical qwerty keypad but if you would use a touch screen phone for sometime then you would be able to type messages as fast as you would be on any qwerty keypad phone... Plus android OS is "The Thing" now... Surfing websites on Defy is really great thing to do as it has 3.7 inch screen... Plus it would be good for your multimedia needs... Battery life would be a concern for you as defy battery would get drained pretty fast if you would keep surfing the net and stuff... but under normal usage condition it would last a day... Plus you would be able to install a lot of apps on Defy... And as Defy is an android phone you would get the Gmail application too... So you would be able to reply to your important mails on the go... :)
 
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BIKeINSTEIN said:
And a cause for concern maybe as i have seen the C3-01 screen/onscreen button taking quite some time to respond at times, despite several inputs.
Click to expand...

Blame the resistive screen for that. Although you should have no such problems with the E6. You can check it out in person to see how it feels. The UI is indeed snappy and the display itself is fantastic.
 
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BIKeINSTEIN said:
I am allergic to Samsung phones. :p

Does it make sense t buy an E72 now? :)
Click to expand...

Not really E72 retails for around 14k, and is a decent phone if you want to avoid touch screen of Nokia E6. Nokia E5 I guess is a better option then Nokia E72.

Nokia E72:

+better screen (transreflective) :better performance in sun

+better design : subjective

+better camera

Nokia E5

+better processor and more RAM

+better keypad?

+price/quality ratio is good
 
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(3) Great battery life.

(The longer the talktime on a single charge, the better.)
Click to expand...

Android and battery life are not good bedfellows, and HTC is one of the more notorious offenders ;)

so HTc Cha Cha might not be a cool for your use.BTW If you are ready to compromise on battery life it will be a option to be considered...
 
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^ That's what i meant too when i said earlier-

i think i found one- may not be all i need but
Click to expand...

Really wonder why some of the best built phones offer such less battery life compared to the seemingly cheaper built competition. :S

So if i carry a charger/USB cable everywhere i go; i.e. I compromise quite a bit on the battery life part, the rest of the specs are pretty OKish i feel.

Most HTC phones i have tried haven' exactly had any issues with voice clarity, network reception, build quality , etc.

So i am hoping the HTC ChaCha shouldn't disappoint (also considering my very good friend XT Chacha doesn't most of the times). :p

So should i lock my sight on the ChaCha and how much does this weirdo cost? :ashamed:
 
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The E5 should get the job done for you. But the only point I am doubtful of is the panel fading esp around that call, reject button.
Else the phone is a solid piece of device with a comfortable keypad, decent ARM11 600MHz proccy and 256MB of RAM. Connectivity is also well covered.
You can also get it for Rs.8140 from letsbuy after applying the RCOMLB1 coupon.

The Nokia E5 is a neat and tidy QWERTY messenger bar. It’s not in the same league as the E72, not even the ageing E71, but has enough personality and skill. The build quality is excellent and the keyboard is top notch. Ergonomics and pocketability earn good marks too. What more can you want from a business messenger? Good software, which we’ll look at in the next section.
Click to expand...

Nokia E5 review: Textbook texter - GSMArena.com

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Buy Nokia E5 (Carbon Black) at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews

Buy Nokia E5 (Chalk White) at Best Price in India - Also find Specifications, Photos, Features & Reviews
 
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The Chacha costs quite a bit. It costs Rs.14,499 after discount and has a free BT.

http://www.letsbuy.com/htc-chacha--silver-black-p-20201

The Samsung Galaxy Pro has the same SOC -> MSM7227T 800MHz and Adreno 200 GPU and slightly bigger screen. (lesser user available RAM) But it costs just 8k!

Flipkart.com: Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510: Mobile

The four-row QWERTY keyboard is the key feature of the Galaxy Pro. And it’s not a Nokia or BlackBerry rip-off. Samsung has been building on its own messenger designs and the actual handset is wide enough to allow big and well-spaced keys. Overall, the prominent, nicely sculpted and firmly fitting buttons on the Galaxy Pro make up a silky and responsive keyboard, which is a pure joy to use.
Click to expand...

Samsung Galaxy Pro B7510 review: Utility droid - GSMArena.com

The Chacha has a better build and a better quality screen. It has a HVGA resolution whereas the Pro has a paltry QVGA resolution
 
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If you are ready to compromise on battery life then why not buy Motorola Defy... Its better than ChaCha specs and build quality wise and it costs slightly lesser than chacha... You would also get a free jabra bluetooth with defy if you would buy it from letsbuy...
 
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