My Favorite Gadget

My favorite gadget.

I have had many gadget in my life. I've owned an ipod and never really saw the appeal. I never really got into video games so I didn't bother with a Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. My favorite gadgets are often overlooked by most people or taken for granted. I have a love of radio sets. I'm really missing my Eton unit that is currently in use by a friend (I'm picking it up tomorrow though, sorry Ezra) and get really excited by little things like the Trevor Baylis wind up MP3 player. Even though a media player doesn't use a great deal of electricity the, idea of owning one that doesn't use any is really appealing.

My best used gadget is without a doubt my little Asus EEE 901. For such a small unit, it delivers the punch of much bigger and expensive notebooks in this sector. It lacks an optical drive and hard drive space is limited but coupled with a USB modem it is a true mobile laptop. This kind of unit is what pushes the one laptop per child initiative forward. The UN sponsored scheme is aimed at giving children on every continent access to computers and the Internet. It is the modern day version of Mr Baylis's wind up radio from the mid 90's and needs the backing of big companies to get work. With small mostly Linux based units selling for under £150 retail, the goal of giving every man woman and child a laptop is within reach. It takes companies like Asus to get behind the idea for it to have any chance of success.

As for my favorite gadget at the moment. I would have to say my mobile phone is getting close. Unlike the vast majority of the market I kept it simple when I brought my last phone and am so pleased I did.

My Nokia 2630 is without a doubt the best phone I have ever owned. Its small, has a good battery life and being a Nokia really easy to operate (far easier than my short lived Samsung period) It has all the features I need. I use the radio everyday and the sound is great. I can take pictures and video the transfer them to my laptop to upload to social networking sites, even if the quality cannot rival more expensive phones for what I need they are fine.

It has a few games that help pass the time, and sending an email is just like sending a text. Internet is limited to GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) but in good signal areas a mobile web page loads with little difficulty.

The design is classic chocolate bar. No slide means fewer moving parts to go wrong and Nokia's 2 button locking system stops you accidentally dialing anybody. The only downside to the layout is the proprietary data cable you need to sync the phone with a computer but these can be picked up for 4 or 5 pounds online. I recently brought a USB charger cable for a couple of quid that saves space when traveling (it takes a bit longer to charge off a USB socket but is fine if left overnight)

As for battery life, as I use the radio a lot I usually need to charge the phone every couple of days but it has yet to die mid call. Batteries for these phones are cheap further adding to life expectancy for the handset. You can also (as with most Nokia's) buy new cases really cheap so if it gets a bit tatty there is no need to buy a new phone.

The phone itself is basically a redesigned 2600 classic. The only real difference is the color and the inclusion of a metal battery cover. This makes it a lot easier to get to the battery and SIM, but you do lose the option to use a click on fascia's. This would make the unit more attractive as these cases are pennies on eBay and afford a bit more personalization. Having said that the black and silver cover supplied is understated and quite attractive. You can get ice white from some networks if black is not your thing.

The operating system is a stripped down version of S60 found on later phones. Benefits include being able to change the order of the menu. I have set mine up so messaging is in the middle of the screen so I am only 4 clicks of the center key from being in a new message. As for the message set up this is like most Nokia's. You 1st input who the message is for either by manually typing the number or using contacts. It also keeps a list of 'recently used' numbers so if you text 1 or 2 people a lot their numbers are easier to find. MMS is dealt with in similar fashion as are emails. As for browsing the Internet, this tends to depend more on your network than the phone. Being a Virgin mobile user my browser is a bit confusing but you can download mini Java versions of Opera and Yahoo. Data charges apply as most networks only let you browse from inside their own applications.

Games are a bit limited (the phone not having the same memory or processing power of the Nokia 6300 for instance, this is to be expected) but there is still enough to keep you busy on the bus or train.

The FM radio is brilliant. Even with Nokia's supplied headset (witch is as good for music as it is calls) the sound is well defined and loud enough to block out even the noisiest commute. A loud speaker lets you share your music. If I have one issue and only one with the radio is the lack of magnetic shielding that means using near a laptop or other pulse emitting device can result in some loss of reception.

Another feature is the alarm that is much louder than an equivalent Samsung or LG, and even gives Sony Erickson a run for its money. Calculator and schedule applications make the phone organizer features well rounded if basic. Again if you need a phone that syncs with outlook this is not it. If your after basic media features then the 2630 is perfect.

The single best feature of the phone? The price. I got mine for £29.99 SIM free. I couldn't buy the component parts for that price (radio, camera, organizer) let alone expect anywhere near the ease of use and reliability that I get from this phone.

I am even tempted to buy a spare so as not to be without one when this one dies. I am waiting for the 2600 to nose dive in price and I will be ordering one from Virgin. As stated earlier they are pretty much the same phone. I would also have a spare charger and headset with no need to buy a new data cable when I do start using it further down the line. You lose a bit of memory (12mb on the vs 2630 7mb on the 2600) but memory is not a massive concern when your talking a VGA camera. You store contacts to SIM by default (and if you don't you should) and with the data cable backing up is easy.

The closets I can get in explaining the phones appeal is the 3300 of yesteryear. Both have great build quality and battery lives. Both have a wealth of easily available spare parts and like the 300 the 2630 is cheap compared to models currently coming out of south east Asia.

One final feature that I love even though I only used it once was the box. It is literally half the size of anything else I have ever seen, and I am told made from fully recyclable material. Buying a phone is not a statement about your Eco credential's but when you consider the amount of landfill caused by old mobiles it is nice to know this models start as it means to go on. I am confident mine will not end up in a landfill and even the box is being used somewhere in an environmentally aware fashion.

The 2630 is for myself and I'm sure many others the perfect phone. You get all you will ever need for the less than £30. What more can you ask for?

Jim Smith
lavidaloca2009@rocketmail.com