SANDY TECHFANATIC

All of us would like to get more phone per phone (to borrow from a certain car advert), and much to our delight, prices of mobile handsets across the board seem to be dropping all the time. Handsets with entry-level color displays are much in demand these days, and for as little as Rs 5000 you can choose from quite a wide range. Here are some of my recommendations.

Intex IN3333 – Rs 5000

The design of the IN3333 may seem a bit familiar but it’s a neat-looking job. It's clearly an entry-level multimedia mobile, as its features would indicate. The handset is equipped with a 2-inch TFT display with a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels and 256K colors. There's a media player and FM radio, and the 1.3MP camera can also be used as a USB PC webcam. MicroSD card support provides external memory, and you get three preloaded games. Internet connectivity is at your disposal too, as the phone supports GPRS and WAP.

Nokia 3110 Classic – Rs 4650

The 3110 Classic is a simple-looking candy bar handset. It's not a looker, but then it wasn’t designed with style in mind. The screen is a 1.7-inch TFT that can display up to 256K colors at a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels. The keypad is designed for comfort and is quite responsive, as is the S40 interface it runs on. The handset supports MicroSD cards for external memory, which is useful since it's equipped with plenty of media-oriented features: a 1.3MP camera, media player for video and music, and an integrated stereo FM radio. The 3110 is also well-equipped for connectivity – it supports EDGE, GPRS and WAP for net connectivity, as well as USB v2.0 and Stereo Bluetooth.

Sony Ericsson W200i – Rs 4300

The SE W200i is a Walkman series handset. Again, the form factor is not altogether a stunner, but the simple and ergonomic design isn’t bad at all. The 1.8 inch TFT display has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and 65K colors. It supports GPRS and WAP for the Net, and USB for PC data transfer. While the handset doesn’t offer Bluetooth, it does support external memory via M2 cards. Other features include a VGA camera, Sony’s Walkman player, and an integrated FM radio. The W200i is available in a range of funky colors