We're back..... Sort of.

It's been a long while since I had anything to add to this blog. In the time I've 'been away' I have tried many phones. (Such is the life of a mobile geek, just when you think you are happy with a handset, another comes along to entice you away!) Chiefly among the handsets I've used has been the Sony Ericsson C905 and the Samsung Tocco. Nice phone in their own right, but it takes a lot to please me, and they just didn't make the grade. So, I find myself right now at a bit of a loose end. I want a new phone, but what should I get? I've narrowed my choice down to 6.

I could go retro, and pick up a Nokia N80. It's not something I've been hankering for, I was just in a shop the other day that sells second hand phones, and I saw an N80 on display. Amongst the memories of dire battery life, I also recalled the quality of that handset. Seriously. Poor camera apart, the N80 could hold its own against many of the phones on the market today, despite being around two years old.

If I'm going to go retro, why not go back to the phone I had when I started this blog? The Nokia N73 has lawys been a favourite of mine, one of the best handsets for balance of features ever. Quality camera, NSeries functionality, and an excellent battery life. Again for slightly nostalgic reasons, the N73 is a consideration.

Alternatively, I could go for a Nokia N82. There's nothing nostalgic in this option, the N82 simply remains my favourite phone of all time, I'm still not 100% sure why I traded it in. I guess I just wanted to see what else was out there, but there's nothing I've used that comes close to the near perfection, in my opinion, of the N82. At the moment, despite my nostalgic dreaming, the N82 remains favourite.

Unless...

I go to the dark side! Actually, I'm kind of already there, and it isn't that dark, to be honest. I'm referring to the Eseries, so nothing too drastic. But, I'm supposed to be an Nseries fan, I shouldn't be harping on about Eseries phones, surely? Well, it's not really the multimedia things that get me going, it's the functionality of S60. And there are some options on the Eseries, namely homescreen plugins (yup, I'm still banging that drum!) that you just don't get with Nseries phones.

I've looked at the E71. Functionality wise, this phone is top drawer. It has all the connection options covered, isn't as ugly as the E61 was, feels well made, looks good, and apparently has a battery that like, goes forever! This phone is a strong contender for my next purchase, but there is one drawback. That QWERTY keypad, I'm just not sure that is for me.

So, I could consider the E66. Now this is a smart looking phone, and it actually looks like a phone, too! Nice slide design, all the features of the E71, still feels well built, I could see myself using this phone and being happy to do so. I'm unsure about the battery with this one though, some reports have been less than promising. But I'm still tempted.

My last option is just to stay with what I've got. Kinda boring, really, it's so much nicer to be choosing something new, when quite honestly I have a perfectly adequate phone already. Currently I use the E51. Nice slim phone, with HSDPA, WiFi, excellent S60 functionality, good battery life, fits nicely in the pocket and it just works. No claims are made about anything spectacular, but it just gets the job done.

Although Nseries has always been 'my thing' none of the new stuff appeals. I think the fact I'm even reminiscing of the old stuff is indicative of the recent releases. The N78 is not particularly nice, and the N79 seems to be an N78 rehash with a better keypad. As for the N96, it's a right dogs dinner, it just feels nasty in the hand, cheap plastic rubbish. And I don't do touchscreen phones. I always felt I didn't, my experience with the Tocco (nice enough phone for what it is, just not for me) proved as much.

So, decisions, decisions.