Everybody is different, and everyone's needs from a mobile phone differ markedly. Check out our Australian reviews of 10 distinctly different phones.
It's been an interesting year in mobile phones. The Australian mobile market itself only really started to explode when service vendors started subsidising the cost of handsets against short term contracts, but those days are very much behind us. The market has enough critical mass, and enough users that see mobiles as an essential part of their very lives, that it's no longer necessary for vendors and networks to suck up that additional cost. Finding a zero dollar phone these days usually means either signing up for a high-use, long-term contract, or accepting older and inferior technology that's simply on the remaindered technology stockpile.
All of these phones have outstanding capabilities, and more than a few of them have their pitfalls as well. If you're now talking about shelling out money simply for the handset, it's even more important to pick a phone that doesn't just suit your sense of style, but also your expectations. Of course, the opposite is also true; there's no point carrying around an ugly brick that scratches the eyeballs of everyone who comes within five metres of it.
The removal of most formal subsidies doesn't mean that the RRP of these phones is set in stone, however. It's still quite possible to knock hundreds of dollars off the prices we list simply by shopping around and, depending on your usage model, signing up for a long term contract. It's a fine balancing act, though, especially if you demand cutting edge features; in two years those cutting edge features may seem somewhat dull.
One thing we did notice across all of these phones was a lack of originality in naming conventions. We're still not sure why just numbers -- in the case of market sales leader Nokia, four digit numbers -- rule the roost, but they certainly do. Wouldn't it make for better sales pitches, and more natural conversations, to have phones called "Fred" rather than "9210i"?
Benefon Track Pro
An enterprise-level phone with a plethora of GPS functionality centered around keeping the phone user safe and secure.
Ericsson T60C
Is it time to invest in a CDMA phone? We assess Ericsson's entry into the CDMA world.
Ericsson T68i
The T68i is part of the new wave of colour screen phones. Is Sony Ericsson making waves or drowning with unusable features?
Motorola V.70
Enter the world of designer phones with Motorola's switchblade phone.
Nokia 3510
Nokia's replacement for the well loved 3310 boasts only the simplest features, but with an appealing low price tag.
Nokia 5210
Is it a phone, or is it an excuse for our reviewer to test his body temperature in an unconventional manner? Read on to find out
Nokia 5510
The concept of mobile phone with keyboard never looked quite so odd as it does on the Nokia 5510. Does it offer more just a cool form factor?
Nokia 9210i
Nokia's high-end communicator brand has to go head to head with the Treos and Sony Ericsson P800s of this world. Does it still stack up?
Philips Fisio 820
The Fisio 820 is a large screen, no messing about mobile phone with a surprising lack of inbuilt games, which makes it perfect for the more serious phone user.
Samsung SGH-T100
The SGH-T100 is a very sexy phone, with a very sexy screen. We can't take our eyes off it.
5%
8%
I have read mainly positive reviews and comments about the V70. I decided to buy one. What was I thinking?
The phone is a disaster, if it were not for its looks, I would never have bought it.
For an expensive phone, the features are shocking!The phone book is hard to use, the key's on the keypad have become almost unuseable (from only 6 months of use), the screen is hard to see and the 2 or three lines of text is just not enough.
The games, well, can you actually call those applications games? And I have found that no ringtone download sites will download to a V70. There are no web pages which show you the notes to put in your phone, for a V70. 30 spaces for your own ringtones wasted!
The V70 is no where near loud enough as it should be. Even on the maximum ring volume setting, I and everyone around me cannot hear it ringing if we are in a medium density area, such as a mall. And the vibrating alert just makes a sound, you can barely feel it vibrating when it is in your pocket.
The last awful feature I have found since I started using the phone 6 months ago, is that that stylish rotator, blocks the antenna. My phone is constantly dropping calls, people I am calling sound robotic, as do I they tell me. All because the rotator sits in front of the antenna!
Better luck with the new V70i Motorola!