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4 Comments on “Nokia Nuron 5230 Phone, Frost White”

1. Stanley Fu
   April 14th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

   A lot of reviews on the web have rated this phone pretty low (like Engadget) which I reckon is extremely unfair because they’re comparing the capabilities of this phone to other high end Smart Phones like the iPhone, Droid or Nexus One. If you take the approach that this phone isn’t meant to compete directly with the latest Android, iPhone, or Blackberry phones, you’ll find that the Nokia Nuron fits in nicely and affordably between your basic call and text only phone and the high end phones mentioned above. There’s a lot to like –

   First, the price. The main appeal of the Nuron is that it’s far cheaper on or off contract then other smart phones. From T-Mobile it’s $69.99 or $179.99, and even better if you’re buying from Amazon where the phone is only 1 penny. In addition, unlike your Blackberry, Android, or Windows Mobile data plans that run you $30, the Nuron is able to take advantage of the $10 web2go plot. Not only does this mean a lower cost of entry, but also a lower cost of total ownership. Over a 2 year contract, that’s a savings of $240 which is pretty significant, for a phone that gives you much of the same capabilities as those other options.

   All of the major capabilities of a smart phone are here, including internet access and real web browsing (including the ability to run Flash), receive email, a 3G connection, built in free GPS, and a number of applications available for free or buy from Nokia and other sites online. Having used the phone for a few days, for a casual user that doesn’t need continuous email and web access or a gigantic touch screen show, the Nokia fits splendid and all of these features have worked as well as I expected.

   There are some minor cons with the phone though. For one, the low price comes at a cost of a better camera and the lack of WiFi. The camera is disappointing, because Nokia has the model 5800 series that has a 3.2 MP camera with flash, while the 5230/Nuron only has a 2 MP camera and no flash. For those who are hoping for something better to take pictures with, this certainly won’t replace your top and click digital camera. The lack of WiFi isn’t a huge deal for me, only because I don’t really need regular data access and I live in an area where 3G is available readily. I don’t have any complaints, but for those that want to sit in a coffee shop and connect wirelessly on their as the lounge around, it might be an issue.

   The other minor quirks are doubtless due to the honestly ancient OS that the Nuron runs off. The Symbian S60 V5 is honestly ancient, and has seen numerous revisions as it adapted to touch screen displays, meaning it isn’t quite as responsive as the in commission systems built from the impose a curfew up like the iPhone or Android. Still, I had no issues by the touch screen, and it felt very responsive and dialing or texting was accurate. I have some small quirks with the accelerometer when sloping the phone for landscape view, but the complaints i’ve seen online about having a resistive touch screen versus capacitive place of protection’t really been apparent to me. I’ve been able to navigate the phone with ease, having made calls and sent texts with very few mistakes due to the touch screen.

   All in all, obviously an iPhone or Nexus One user wouldn’t revert back to something like this, but for someone looking for a cheap phone for some basic web access, GPS for maps and directions, and checking email or IM’s, this phone fits the need very well at a low cost. I really can’t complain, especially given the huge savings in data plans alone. Rating: 4 / 5

2. Jade
   April 14th, 2010 at 8:25 pm

   This is my first touch screen nokia phone and i’ve had it for 2 days. The screen is nice and sharp although viewing it outside in sunlight is washed out. The touch screen is responsive and you have to place pressure when pressing for it to accept but you get a feedback buzz of sorts to let you know that you pressed a button. The screen only measures about 3.2 inches so it’s a bit small for the gps function. The main selling top for this phone is the gps function. Unlike the telnav program which costs money, the ovi maps by nokia are free and free for the life of the phone. You can download the map updates and other countries too for free. If you didn’t buy the unlimited web package, then turn the gps-internet connection off. The gps functions work lacking it since it is built to be a standalone gps that also happens to be a phone. At this moment the notebook map transfer to the phone is not supported which is a pain since you need to then use the data connection to download and update maps. I’m sure they are working on it. The nokia ovi app store is small but nice. It’s not as developed as apple or others since its new. There are many free apps as well as paid ones. With the nokia ovi site, you can back up your contacts, calendar and records. The user interface in the main menu might be confusing to someone who may not have used the symbian interface before. You could say it’s not easily intuitive but it makes sense. Some functions require a double tap while other require a single tap to open things. Also some pages you can scroll by touching anywhere on the screen while some have to touch the scroll bar on the side to scroll which is annoying. There is an accelerometer in the phone so you can type qwerty in landscape which makes entering text simple. I have larger woman’s hands and thicker fingers and I can 95% of the time type on the screen correctly. I’ve also by no means used a touch screen device until now too. The only page that won’t go into the landscape mode is the home page. The voice and sound quality is very nice although when at the max volume on speaker it gets cracky and tinny. There is a media button atop the right side of the phone which gives quick access to the radio, music player and image gallery. The 2.0 mp camera is okay. It should be higher but for the price of the phone it’s not terrible. The pictures come out pretty decent and it also shoots video. The regular signal bars are very nearly at full and I live in 3G zones: boston. But having said that, the aquisition of the 3G is not as often as one would expect. In downloading something the other nighttime, it ran with edge as a replacement for of 3G most of the time. That is much slower than 3G. So hopefully there would be some sort of update to the phone or network for this problem. The overall design of the phone is comfortable in the hand. Larger men’s hands may find it too small. The phone angles back towards a v shape building very comfortable to hold. It’s lightweight and honestly well constructed and fits in my jeans pocket. There is a lock screen button on the side to keep from butt-dailing. Overall this is a nice phone for someone looking for a touchscreen, music player, camera, international and gps for cheap. It is worth the few dollars to buy this phone.
   
   Overview:
   
   Pros:
   
   1. Free gps maps for the life of the phone
   
   2. touch screen with feedback touch
   
   3. accelerometer for landscape and qwerty typing
   
   4. use of gps self-determining of the carrier data line
   
   5. price

   Cons:
   
   1. User interface learning curve
   
   2. Inconsistent page interactions
   
   3. Low megapixel camera
   
   4. screen on the smaller size.
   
   5. 3G signal is not consistent Rating: 4 / 5

3. W. L. Faust
   April 14th, 2010 at 11:14 pm

   I bought mine or I should say ours, on a buy one get one free at $70 and then received another $70 worth of accessories, so stayed with that original t-mobile in store deal equivalent of Amazon’s 1c that I believe they started March 26.

   We just got these, and I place of protection’t had as much time to play with them as these two previous EXCELLENT reviewers have. What I can add at this time is a small perspective as a long time Motorola to Nokia fan. These phones WILL seem a small quirky if you are not used to Nokia, and they ARE, but they are fantastic feature packed phones that are an incredible deal at this price. So I recommend really READING through the small 20 page booklet first for once, because these will NOT be intuitive in the same way a lot of Motorola and Motorola clones phones run, but you will get it quickly and then you may become somebody like me who knows what they can do.

   If Nokia had a better high end unlocked Nokia that ran on T-mobile I would be going that way, but for a penny, I can still toss this in the drawer as a FANTASTIC smart enough phone that doesn’t require a data plot. Depending on your usage that is going to save you anywhere from $240 to $360 a year. But, I don’t believe that you would be able to completely use the maps or all downloadable features lacking at least a pay as you go data plot, or more likely the still very reasonable $10 a month plot. If you reckon that a wi-fi enabled phone is really critical for you then this is NOT your phone, but watch out for those $30 a month data plans FOREVER. The camera takes very excellent basic pictures, particularly based on its average specs, but if you are looking for a super camera this is NOT your phone.

   I was previously a long time Motorola (brilliant phones) fan, but 7 years ago picked up a Nokia 3650, first World GSM phone, for fun on a try it for 30 days exchange plot, figuring I would despise the gyratory dial and take it back, but play for 30 days with everything else new in 2003 that Motorola was late on, bluetooth, infrared, camera and video. Well I LOVED the phone, kept it, and in fact have three of them that run on this SAME symbian 60 platform. Public can call it ancient, but I would recommend solid and reliable as a better term, and perhaps there are newer and quicker systems but I don’t know that they are better if you aren’t into social networking blur etc etc.

   I am so far impressed with the build quality (China) and although I am not expecting 7 years out of these, if you place a excellent case on them IMMEDIATELY, trust me a excellent Nokia bounces and holds up. My only real dislike so far is how much the screen washes out (noted above) in sharp sunlight. This is easily managed by the way you can cup it in your hand, but here over again WE start adapting to the phone. I find it a small small myself, my partner likes it, but it is really growing on me. I like to be able to run a phone one-handed and shove it in my pocket and so far this phone rocks. One of the brilliant reviewers above notes a “buzz” or something when you make an entry, and I really get that but it is really a small soundless bump or vibrate, and as you can see pretty hard to describe here but I LIKE it.

   I wanted a Nokia X6 but I also wanted to switch from At&T, and T-mobile’s G3 won’t run on the X6. T-mobile had better get their act together FAST on this one or they will lose even me. The n900 will run on t-mobile’s G3 but looks like an early adopter techy trainwreck and I have long ago lost any interest in talking to techs in call centers that know less about a new phone than I do. If you are looking for just a solid phone for a mother for example, the Nokia 3711 just works and has a huge keypad and show numbers on the screen. I got one for my dad free on a $10 extra line, and he LOVES it (and HE is a really hard sell:) I believe they may be at end of life on this overlooked solid flip phone and suddenly hard to find, go figure.

   Try it, I am pretty sure that T-mobile STILL gives you the same simple out at 30 days. I am guessing they would certainly switch the phones out but I imagine you could always get out of the entire 30 day contract. So far T-mobile has been splendid. Rating: 4 / 5

4. Y.S. Jessie
   April 15th, 2010 at 12:30 am

   Bought this phone last week when my Behold fell and broke. Have been with T-Mobile since 1998 and have by no means had problems with upgrades, but this one was not quite ready for the public. I have had it 4 days and am sending it back. First off, all the downloads that I bought, even the recent ones, could not transfer and after 3 hours on the phone with T-Mobile technicians, they were perplexed as to why. After resetting the phone no less than 3 times and reconfiguring it to plain ringtones for my mother and sisters, it still would only ring with the T-mobile default. And as one customer assess said, outside in the light, say excellent-bye to trying to read or see anything on the screen.

   The very first day that I used it outside of the house, the battery (which is slated to last up to 4 hours) died within 1 hour and I had not oral to anyone nor sent any text messages on it. I have yet to have a smartphone in my possession and have only dealt with T-Mobile all these years, but this phone is certainly not worth the .01 if it is not going to perform in the manner that it should. And finally, the screen disappears for no reason and will not stay illuminated for longer than 10 seconds and I have to power it back on each time. And when I do that, it vacillates through so many screens before it finds one it wants to stay on. While the Behold had a 5.0 megapixel camera and this only has 2, the pictures were not terrible, although they were all taken outside and not in. But because you cannot see the screen outside, it is very hard to take a depiction when the sun is out because you cannot see the screen.
   
   Rating: 1 / 5

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