Buying mobile phone/subscribing a mobile phone plan

[freeier]

the last time i used ericsson phone i had hard time smsing because the processor just slowed and crawl after like 50alphabets typed.

for japan i have a pre-paid phone actually. i bought it at 5000yen so its around 300HKD. the problem is every 2 months i have to charge up the phone for 3000yen (200hkd) and the value only last for 2 months. but upon expiry of value i can continue to receive phone free for another 6 months.

having a 3G phone is more like using it to call those short little calls for contacting people.

[connecta]

while the other ones continue to give useful recommendations on phones, i'll make a short trip to get back to the other part of the original question: if you can obtain the invoices from your accounting, then you could calculate an average monthly consumption on voice minutes and sms messages. this would give you the best data to shop for good rates.

i have no idea on the rate differences and your monthly usage, but probably it wouldn't be so good to get a certain discount on a mobile phone which is maybe even not the very best model you can get, but your usage profile would give you a better annual voice & sms discount package with another provider.

therefore i would not only focus on which provider has got the best phone offers, but compare the voice and sms rates in combination with the offered savings on the phone purchase to get the complete picture. if you are not out for a brand-new phone, then you might be able as well to strike a good deal in mong kok with some relatively new 2nd hand phones with much better specifications, but which would be out of your 2K budget otherwise.

[coolgirl]

Hmmm, the only reason why I am considering Sony Ericsson now is I observed their screen quality is better... But then again Nokia might have upgraded. I looked into the 6280 - the plan with 3 is:

$1,380# + prepayment $300 (with 15-mth contract)
$2,980

262,000 colours QVGA display

2 megapixel outward and 300k pixel inward cameras for video and image capture

Bluetooth connectivity
Supports up to 1GB mini SD card

# needs to subscribe to HKD 30 / month of multimedia service

this is a cool deal, I think. Is it really HKD 3K now? Or it's an inflated version?

Forget it - it's on a 188/month deal. Im only planning to get the 100 HKD one...

[Crocodile]

I have a Nokia 6280 (the one that slides) and it hasn't caused me any problems (and don't expect any). But it is not a small phone and doesn't sit in the pocket as good as smalled Nokias (although women who have large handbags may not care).

A friend is on her 3rd V3x in two weeks - she is not happy.

The company I work for purchased a few dozen of Sony mobiles (610i's or similar) and no one really likes them. The company will go back to Nokia phones.

Just my two cents worth.

[coolgirl]

I had a gut feel I'll be back to Nokia... How much does 6280 sell in Mongkok?

[Max]

I haven't heard too many good things about the Nokia 6280. Infact, if I remember correctly, there was one member who was complaining about the phone he purchased recently and faced continual software glitches....eventually had it replaced, I think....

[Max]

I just saw the Nokia 6131 - quite spartan, you're right. And it's already around HKD 2400.

I'm actually using the 6131 now. Agreed it's pretty basic (with some subtle stying cues), but that's essentially what I was looking for. Especially after using the buggy Motorola Smartphone with the Windows Mobile SE OS.

I've been using it for nearly 4 months without a problem, great battery life, gorgeous screen graphics, simple, not too many bells and whistles....what more could you ask for?

I got a great deal by trading in my old handset and after some serious (and rather embarrassing) haggling with some stores for freebies and/or price reductions.

[freeier]

Nokia 6131 = 3G ?

[jaykay]

6131 is not 3G. But in not being 3G it's one of the better phones from Nokia at the moment. Nokia have rushed out too many models this year and it's clear they are far from being complete.

The 6280 is their entry 3G mobile but getting a good one is luck of the draw. Far too many reliability problems. Get a good one and you'll love them, get a bad one (and we went through 4 earlier this year) and you'll hate them.

Lowest price I've seen for one in Mongkok is around the $2200 mark. But cheaper if you buy a contract - currently $1380 with $900 prepayment from Voda and $1380 with $300 prepayment on 3.

[freeier]

ic. just realised i bought a 6131 for my wife. in singapore its around 1000hkd or 1400hkd i think. but with a 2 year contract that cost 80hkd per month.

i don't really want a 3G plan, just a 3G phone that can be used in Japan