[Ben]

Well, my recent handset apathy has come to an abrupt end, as I'm sure you're all sick of hearing (https://talk3g.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4480) by now, which has left me wondering: What would be my perfect phone?

So, here are my thoughts:

A nice big screen
Nice big buttons that have a decent amount of travel and aren't too stiff
A camera with a decent lense, auto-focus and a 3 or more mega-pixel sensor
A calendar that shows upcoming tasks on the home screen
A good alarm clock
Easy switching on/off of Bluetooth
Syncs with iSync
Multi-tasking so I can have browsers, Java apps etc open in the background if I need to
Long, long battery life, good reception and crystal clear call quality


I guess everything else, including HSDPA, is a bonus for me. I don't think I have missed anything. Even a web browser is a bonus - I don't think I'd need a full on web browser to make my 'perfect' phone, and I could always download a Java one anyway. I haven't even put down size or weight, though obviously it's nice when a phone is sleek and sexy provided it's not form over function.

What would your perfect 3G phone be?

[Hands0n]

My perfect phone huh? Thats a tough call really - as I have several different needs that I rather doubt can be met in a single handset.

I have given up my quest to combine PDA and phone functionality. For me, it just does not work well enough. Either the phone has to be ridiculously large, or I have to make compromises with the screen size. And forget loading up Sat Nav on a phone!

So down to business then:-

Large'ish screen - something the size of the N95 is perfect, maybe a bit larger
Fast processor so that apps don't run slowly
Large (1GB) on-board system memory to prevent OS and Apps issues
Additional memory slot (Transflash please)
"Open" OS that independents can write apps to
Integration with Personal Computer Mail, Calendar, Addressbook etc. (Windows, Mac, Linux)
3G HSDPA
Bluetooth, WiFi and USB Connectivity
Touchscreen technology
5MPixel camera with optical focussing and zoom
Built in SIP VoIP client
Built in eMail client (POP3, IMAP, SMTP) capable of handling Push mail also


I guess that I could ask for a lot more. But my needs are modest :D I basically want to talk, text, take the odd picture or two, definitely have access to the Internet via the handset itself as well as use it as a modem for Laptop PC access to the 'Net.

The nearest to that specification that I can see that is even beginning to interest me is ...... wait for it ..... possibly the Prada II from LG that is due out during Q4/2007. But then there are a clutch of new handsets due out any old day now - the waiting game is a painful one to engage in, especially at this time of year. Summer fun is over, the Christmas period is ages away, and here we are in the doldrums with nothing at all happening. We badly need something to cheer us up, entertain us, relieve us of our hard earned :D

[Ben]

I guess that I could ask for a lot more. But my needs are modest :D
Wait there, I'll fetch your cake for you to eat ;)

Put all that in the palm of my hand in such a way that it's usable and doesn't come apart at the seams at the first hurdle and I'll buy you an ice cream. Someone'll figure it out one day, if they haven't already.

[Hands0n]

The really really sad thing is that Nokia nearly had it with their N95 but blew it entirely! Apart from the lack of touchscreen and the memory map (back to that in a moment) the handset has pretty much all of the above!

But the N95 is plagued by that pitiful 147MB memory footprint of which only 111MB is left in standard trim. Shoehorned into such a small space the already somewhat flaky Symbian S60 Operating System performs even worse once a small number of applications are started.

I won't go into battery life - it is a problem with all portable devices - and the N95's problems with battery longevity are legend in its short existence. Used simply as a phone and nothing else you might just get 1-1/2 hours talk time out of a fresh charge. Try and run it for more than 24 hours on a single charge and you'll be walking around with a paperweight in your pocket!

The design team at Nokia are clearly not thinking straight. Rather than do the necessary they are [possibly] taking miniscule evolutionary steps with their N-series. What they need to do is to read the forums, get down and dirty into the Call Centre logs and find out what it is that their customers are complaining most about. Then, when they have that info, fix them all in a single swipe. The resultant handset does not have to be priced extortionately - if they did all or any of that the handset would sweep the market up!

One has to pinch oneself to make sure that this really is 2007.

[Ben]

Nokia have addressed memory and battery in the N95 8GB, and I'm not talking about storage memory I'm talking RAM. I can't remember by how much they increased it, but I know they have, and the battery is notably beefier too.

Could the second-coming of the N95 be much closer to perfection?

[Hands0n]

Could the second-coming of the N95 be much closer to perfection?

Possibly, if the work stabilises S60. As it is the N95 is a bit of a dog. When I get the Prada I'll retire the N95 to its box and use Vodafone in 2G mode until/unless I buy a SIM-free Prada 2 (assuming the 1 impresses me enough).

I really have gone right off the N95 and Nokias in general. Purely thanks to S60, its quirks and its implementation.

[faza20]

For me, I've already got my perfect phone. I've been using the P990i for 16mths now (debranded of course), and cannot find a phone that beats it, or even comes close. I will grant you that it has the occasional tamtrum and crashes, but with the amount I use it for I can live with that :D

The only thing I would change would be a HSDPA update for it (will never happen but can keep dreaming :p)

[Ben]

And here was me thinking the P990i was SE's P-Series from hell!

Well, it's glad to hear you're getting on ok with it. The P1i is supposed to be nicer. Not quite my cup of tea, but if you're a P990i fan it could well be the perfect phone.

[faza20]

Lol. Just to be awkward I hate the P1, it's basically just an upgraded M600. Just find the keyboard really awkward to use.

The P990i did get a bad rep from unstable firmware in it's early stages (and also all the UK operators crippling it with their branding). But the last couple of generic firmware releases have fixed the majority of bugs (the branded ones are still having problems though:p)

[gorilla]

I have to say that I'm not as fussy as some!

I'd love a phone with a gig of ram and room for expandable memory too.
A big screen, but not at the expense of overall size. I want my phone to be getting smaller, not bigger!
I like S60, but it needs a big improvement, which probably means I want something else. Basically, I like installing my own apps and games etc.
I really want a decent inbuilt email and calendar app. I want to be able to sync with my google calendar by opening the calendar app and then pointing it google. None of this 3rd party nonsense. And what the hell is with the current inbuilt email app in S60? I keep losing my email account. It's a poor show. The E65 would be a killer business phone if it did email and calendar better.
Of course a battery that lasts a long time.
A decent camera would be nice, but not essential for me. I would like to do video webcalling at some point.
SIP / Voip


I think Nokia and Apple have made the right decisions by aiming for a multimedia enabled, Internet communications device. Their task now is to make it work.