Nokia 5230 - 6 months Internet and 8GB card for £79.99

That's amazingly good. Might buy one as a backup phone. Also have a relatives birthday coming up. Excellent value.

And this, friends, is where we see Nokia absolutely blowing away every iPhone, Android (HTC), RIM and so on out there. Because it is ONLY with Nokia that the vast majority of people in the world that are not blessed with oodles of cash, can have an extremely powerful and capable and robust modern smartphone, and one that exceeds in many ways rivals costing many times more.

Rafe,

Where does it explicitly say that it comes with 6 months free internet, and details of how you can then add this again for another six months for just �20 please sir?

I notice certain other PAYG handsets in today's deal offer this, but can't find anything about this for the 5230.

So despite me flagging this up to you earlier as a great deal, I wasn't actually planning on taking this out myself as a spare handset to browse the web at home on, with it's lack of wi-fi.

But if it does indeed come with six months free internet with a 1GB monthly allowance, this is not a steal, it's a CRIME not to get it.

So can you advise us on where it confirms it comes with the 6 months internet too?

Thanks Rafe...

EDIT:

Rafe, disregard, it DOES INDEED say it comes with 6 months free internet, AND 30 days free texts too.

AMAZING offer this!

Any idea where we can read information on the 6 month Internet Booster though, as T-mobile does indeed then allude to this, but on their Boosters page, doesn't show anything other than a 5 day Internet Booster.

Unregistered wrote:And this, friends, is where we see Nokia absolutely blowing away every iPhone, Android (HTC), RIM and so on out there. Because it is ONLY with Nokia that the vast majority of people in the world that are not blessed with oodles of cash, can have an extremely powerful and capable and robust modern smartphone, and one that exceeds in many ways rivals costing many times more.

The best thing about that post, is that at first, the less wise would read it as sarcasm.

But if you read it properly, and know what the another means (emerging markets, and so on), it's absolutely 101% true...

Like Rafe says, just compare the nett cost of this here in the UK, to the USA where whilst a fair bit more, even before higher running costs, it's still the cheapest Smartphone in the USA pretty much.

Real steal this, especially if the 6 months internet offer is indeed true.

> So can you advise us on where it confirms it comes with the 6 months internet too?

You really didn't click through to the link given in the story you're commenting on, did you? 😊

Click the link given twice to T-Mobile's site, then read - it says, in bold type, "30 days free texts & 6 months free internet"

Off topic but Symbian really do need to shrink that options and exit bar down the right hand side. That's a good 30% of the screen taken up with nothing.

The details on the six month add on are here: http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/payg/boosters/

Pay as you go customer? If you have a compatible phone, you can text 6MONTHWEB to 441 for free from your T-Mobile phone to buy our 6-month Booster giving you 6 months of unlimited internet browsing on your phone.

The six month one cost �20 - 1GB per month fair usage. At �3.33 that's great value in my book.

The six months is mentioned on this page, so I think you're OK

and yes you're right about the �10 top up being required, will do a quick addition to the story.

Oh and I made sure to credit your Tweet as well 😊

I've just signed up for the cheapest handset with 6month free Intenet (Samsung E100 @ �15.99) just for the SIM which will go into my Nokia 5800 😊

Works out at �25.99 with top-up but you can also claim �10 cashback via Quidco(today only), so �15.99 for 6 months net access sounds good to me

Anyone want to buy a new Samsung E100 ? 😊

matchstick wrote:I've just signed up for the cheapest handset with 6month free Intenet (Samsung E100 @ �15.99) just for the SIM which will go into my Nokia 5800 😊

Works out at �25.99 with top-up but you can also claim �10 cashback via Quidco(today only), so �15.99 for 6 months net access sounds good to me

Anyone want to buy a new Samsung E100 ? 😊

MVNO GiffGaff did a free SIM with 6 months free internet and 8p/min 4p/text deal, but that's coming to an end now, the internet is likely to still be competitive with this TMoible �20 for 6 months though.

Prices keep coming down and down.

I bought a 5230 on Three from Carphone Warehouse last week for �78 plus a tenner of airtime to replace a 6220. This is a cracking phone, and certainly in real life feels as fast as my wife's N97. Ok so it does not have wifi, 32GB of mass storage, and the camera's a bit pokey, but it's a fifth of the price. Even compared against a 5800, which is between �170-�200 street for the addition of wifi.

I think this phone, when coupled with a decent internet deal, has to be the best bargain out there at the moment. I love mine, and it is coming close to replacing my N810 for most of the things I use mine for.

This is good if you like very cheap. Not good if you want good 😊
So slow, it takes one second to start mp3 playback after pressing play. Interface and usability is so bad, you need to refresh music library after adding music...
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/03/25/nokia-nuron-5320-fails-in-early-testing/

Unregistered wrote:This is good if you like very cheap. Not good if you want good 😊
So slow, it takes one second to start mp3 playback after pressing play. Interface and usability is so bad, you need to refresh music library after adding music...
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/03/25/nokia-nuron-5320-fails-in-early-testing/

Not quite sure what version they've reviewed, or even how they reviewed it, but thats basically a load of rubbish. The reviewer doesn't quite have what you'd call a grasp on reality, and appears to be a bit of an elitist snob. As one of the commentors on the report says "Sometimes BGR just doesn't get the point".

The 5230 responds just as quick as a 5800, N97 or X6. They're all the same blasted phone underneath with minor spec differences. Music player on my (v11 firmware) plays as soon as you press the play button. Its stops as soon as you press pause or stop. No problems.

UI isn't as elegant as that on the iPhone, but then nothing is.

The nuron is being handicapped by inexplicably expensive pricing, and quite possibly some ridiculous firmware mods by T-Mob USA. Look at the price of the 5230 in the UK. Its what, less than a quarter of the price of the iPhone 3G, but with the same feature set. Its stunningly good value for money.

Incidentally on the camera - sure, its not the most accurate, but as it lacks autofocus, it can grab a moment that an N95 or N97 can't. Also, if you switch it to B&W/high contrast/high ISO, you can get some beautifully atmospheric images very much akin to grainy 35mm shots - they do look absolutely stunning!

Unregistered wrote:This is good if you like very cheap. Not good if you want good 😊
So slow, it takes one second to start mp3 playback after pressing play. Interface and usability is so bad, you need to refresh music library after adding music...
http://www.cooltechzone.com/2010/03/25/nokia-nuron-5320-fails-in-early-testing/

[LIST=1]
[*]Don't have one (til tomorrow), so can't comment. But hey, it is a budget phone with lower end processor and RAM. But 5800 XM is fine in this regard, and is the same OS, and spec, excepting wi-fi and a tiny fraction less RAM, so there shouldn't be an issue.

[*]Usability is identical to 5800, and there aren't many issues there with owners, so this should be a none-issue, and interface is same as N97 and N97 mini but without the widgets, so again, Hmmm....

[*]On all Nokia devices, you have to do this.
[/LIST]

So whilst your point 3 may be a valid one, in terms of being a general Nokia issue, it certainly is not a SPECIFIC issue or down-mark against the 5230 in particular, given this applies to every Nokia.

So all in all, having measured them up, for �79.99 this is a truly PHENOMENAL amount of phone, for a TINY price.

Here, let me make it really simple for all doubters... Forget it's a phone as such... let's pretend it doesn't even have phone features, sms, mms, and basic camera to shoot photos...

As it comes with the newer 3.04 option for Ovi Maps, and as it comes with free internet for six months, then you are getting a truly FULLY FEATURED satellite navigation device, with a decent sized wide screen, with full text to speech navigation commands, safety cameras, traffic reports with it being a CONNECTED device, WORLDWIDE mapping, that can be stored to memory card (and it even comes with an 8GB card for free to do this) and location sharing, Facebook Integration, Weather, Events, and City Guides, and full breadcrumb pedestrian navigation...

All for a ridiculous price of �79.99

Did I forget to mention, you can even ring people up on it, send them clever little textual worded messages up to 160 characters, or multiples thereof, and even take basic photos with it, and even SEND them to people.

Eeh how clever is that.

Add in of course, the good screen size, and free internet, and you have a handy email companion, and Google Maps with live search.

But like I say, pretend all the rest don't even exist, and at �79.99, you get a truly fully featured sat-nav device with all the trimmings...

How can ANYONE complain about the phone (though some are indeed doing just that).

*lol*

What self-respecting gadget carries around a 'smart phone' without wifi? It means no Joikuspot on S60!

In 2010, a device without wifi is basically a feature phone.

Unregistered wrote:What self-respecting gadget carries around a 'smart phone' without wifi?

Oops. Should have 'self-respecting gadget geek....'

Rafe wrote:...

Oh and I made sure to credit your Tweet as well 😊

Not needed at all mate - just pleased you announced this deal for the benefit of all the Symbian Community who have purchased one. You even got ME to, when I wasn't minded to do so just now at first, once I heard about the 6 months internet you pointed out Rafe *lol*

So thanks again for sharing it with us. I only mentioned me pointing the deal out to you, in another thread, by way of light-heartedly indicating to one postee, how I hadn't even 'digested my OWN report' *lol*

I'm sure that you heard this from many other places as today went on too Rafe with it being so good an offer, but as you said on Twitter, how sad that the real media outlets didn't pick up on what is when you think on it, a massive news item in terms of where smartphones have got to, and such a price point now...

Unregistered wrote:What self-respecting gadget carries around a 'smart phone' without wifi? It means no Joikuspot on S60!

In 2010, a device without wifi is basically a feature phone.

I'm about as geek as they come...

I currently have an E72 as main phone, plus an N86, two E71's, two N82's, an E90 backup phone, two 6120c's, an E51 backup phone, and who knows what else I am forgetting.

My home internet is 50MB Broadband with Virgin Media...

My Router is true 802.11n

And you know what... I have GENUINELY changed all my 'Destinations' settings on my devices, to UMTS only, instead of wi-fi while in the home, because with me getting true 3.5G/HSDPA with T-Mobile and decent coverage most of the time, where I live, I find it FASTER than using wi-fi... No seriously, I am not stupid... but because of the processor overheads, or settings issues with my security levels etc, the phones all seem to take so long to do page process requests, and even then don't seem to load that much faster once they finally start etc, that it really has proven faster to use standard carrier 3.5G for me.

Added to the fact, that for reasons still not fathomed by me after LOADS of trying and researching, I find that SyncML requests will not work over wi-fi, so my GooSync Calendar Sync, MobiSync Contacts Sync, Ovi Contacts Syncs, and Ovi Maps Landmarks Syncs, will not work over wi-fi for reasons possibly fixable, but I cannot fathom. So they are set to carrier only. Additionally my Mobile Banking app resolutely needs a CARRIER connection, not a wi-fi one, or it won't work, possibly with it using old WAP based protocols at the back-end.

So I have wi-fi for my three laptops, my two x-box 360's, my Wii etc. But for mobile data, I use CARRIER, not wi-fi, as it just works that much better.

Maybe I'm not geek or tech enough *lol*

BUT, to be fair, you do have a point of sorts... as I first thought of getting this phone to just keep in the house, so our lass could use a better form of Facebook Mobile on a phone, which she stupidly thinks is better or faster than using one of the laptops. Then I remembered it doesn't have wi-fi, and as it wouldn't have one of our proper SIM's in with inclusive internet, that ruled it out for me as a "leave lying around the house" phone. Until I was told by Rafe it comes with 6 months free internet, at which point it got ordered by me...

So wi-fi is useful... But how many REALLY use it, and I mean really use it, on a mobile device, that is not a business device such as my E71, E72, Blackberry etc.

For general phone consumers, yoofs, or normal content consumers, how many actually really USE wi-fi, know they can brose for free in a McDonalds, and moreover, how to set up the connection if in range of free wi-fi...?

Interesting fact.... not a single one of my friends, with a wi-fi equipped phone, actually have cause to use it, or bother to, nor know how to set a new connection up. Fact.

As the screen is formatted better for mobile content, then wi-fi offers little benefit (other than avoiding eating into data usage FUP's), for such data display.

Only when you get to Nokia Booklets, Netbooks, and Laptops, does wi-fi come into it's own, for the larger data usage of properly rendered web-pages, videos, etc?

shadamehr wrote:
you are getting a truly FULLY FEATURED satellite navigation device, with a decent sized wide screen, with full text to speech navigation commands, safety cameras, traffic reports with it being a CONNECTED device, WORLDWIDE mapping, that can be stored to memory card (and it even comes with an 8GB card for free to do this) and location sharing, Facebook Integration, Weather, Events, and City Guides, and full breadcrumb pedestrian navigation...

I am an XM5800 user. Ovi maps navigation on this device is really terrible experience. No smart route calculation algorithms (like TomTom IQ Routes for example), very weak GPS positioning lagging behind the action (often tells you to do something AFTER the turn), slow animation, small screen. Interface difficult to use in the car (small keyboard, menus etc.), small fonts difficult to read. If you just navigate to a place without planning the route, you cannot review and modify the route.
So this is a nice freebie, personally I have uninstalled it to save space (it takes 9MB of C: drive).

So I agree - good, if you like cheap, not good if you need good 😊

shadamehr wrote:But how many REALLY use it, and I mean really use it, on a mobile device, that is not a business device such as my E71, E72, Blackberry etc.

I do use WiFi on XM5800 all the time at home - for Skype (too much lag on 3G), for podcasts downloading (3G too slow and has transfer limits, podcasts are 30-50MB, video podcast often 100MB or more) and for internet radio.

Unregistered wrote:I am an XM5800 user. Ovi maps navigation on this device is really terrible experience. No smart route calculation algorithms (like TomTom IQ Routes for example), very weak GPS positioning lagging behind the action (often tells you to do something AFTER the turn), slow animation, small screen. Interface difficult to use in the car (small keyboard, menus etc.), small fonts difficult to read. If you just navigate to a place without planning the route, you cannot review and modify the route.
So this is a nice freebie, personally I have uninstalled it to save space (it takes 9MB of C: drive).

So I agree - good, if you like cheap, not good if you need good 😊

I have a 5800xm, it has a strong GPS, and there is no lag. It will show the car passing under a bridge at precisely the moment it happens. All turn directions are announced in advance of turns. The only time it delays is if it gets shielded from the GPS signal, but this will be due to positioning.

I find the screen perfectly readable, nothing wrong with my eyes. The route can modify itself by recalculating, and if you need to modify then you just replan.

Name a phone that does have free IQ routes?

Absolutely and totally disagree with your experience. It's true it's not as good as a dedicated SatNav, but it's more convenient and much cheaper.

The "review" of the Nuron is utter rubbish and incorrect. The comment about having to refresh the library after copying music implies that all the reviewer uses is the ipod/phone, which does need to as it needs it's own dedicated app on the PC to mess with your music files. I personally think the ability to copy files to the phone as mass storage and then update on the phone is a better and more flexible system, as I do not need any bloated app on the PC to do it for me unlike Apple devices.

I have been using the GPS and maps for the last week, and they are again great for the price - i.e. free. They are as quick and as accurate as a Garmin Nuvi which cost close to �150 at christmas!

As for not having Wifi - I spend 2 hours a day in a car, and 8+ at work, as well as exercising the dog, and in those locations I do not have wifi, so it is no loss to me, 3.5G is plenty fast enough most of the time anyway, and is with me all the time.

Google search via voice recognition, and phone control via Vlingo are simply science-fiction come reality, and work just as well on the 5230 as they do on the N97.

Unregistered wrote:I have a 5800xm, it has a strong GPS, and there is no lag. It will show the car passing under a bridge at precisely the moment it happens. All turn directions are announced in advance of turns. The only time it delays is if it gets shielded from the GPS signal, but this will be due to positioning.

I find the screen perfectly readable, nothing wrong with my eyes. The route can modify itself by recalculating, and if you need to modify then you just replan.

Name a phone that does have free IQ routes?

Absolutely and totally disagree with your experience. It's true it's not as good as a dedicated SatNav, but it's more convenient and much cheaper.

How very well said, as per my post below...

Unregistered wrote:I am an XM5800 user. Ovi maps navigation on this device is really terrible experience. No smart route calculation algorithms (like TomTom IQ Routes for example), very weak GPS positioning lagging behind the action (often tells you to do something AFTER the turn), slow animation, small screen. Interface difficult to use in the car (small keyboard, menus etc.), small fonts difficult to read. If you just navigate to a place without planning the route, you cannot review and modify the route.
So this is a nice freebie, personally I have uninstalled it to save space (it takes 9MB of C: drive).

So I agree - good, if you like cheap, not good if you need good 😊

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I see that as utter Drivel alas...

My brother owns a Nokia 5800 on O2, which he has loaned me on occasions before...

Tell me ANY Sat-nav device that has features such as IQ Routes (oh and for the record, I own a TomTom Go 920, a Go 740 Live that was sent free as a beta trial, and a Go 940 Live which is the best device TomTom make, even better than the new Go 950 Live as that does not have MP3 player etc, so I know ALL about TomTom, as a regular Beta Tester for them).

No other device has anything like IQ Routes yet, that uses actual historic data, to accurately estimate journey times. Not even top of the range, �300+ Garmins, NavMans as they were, etc, even have this just yet to the same level.

So that was just utterly DENSE, trying to throw that in as a negative... But on that very point anyway, the "Maps Improvement" option in Ovi Maps options - have a guess one of the things THAT includes/means - yes, Nokia, who own Navteq, amongst other things, being able to start recording this route timing data, in the very way TT started a few year back to get ahead of the game, so that in future even Ovi Maps CAN have this kind of routing!

Very weak GPS...? Hmm, the N97 is well known for this... but the 5800 has no issue, and with it's PHONE ability, allows for network based positioning too, to improve quick fix times, compared to none-connected proper PND sat-navs. So don't know where you get that from.

Lag - nope, if I drive under a bridge, it shows me right there on the map, at that time.

Interface difficult to use...? Hmmm, your not even strictly speaking, MEANT to, but setting this aside, as we all do, how can ANYONE tell me the touch screen features of the 5230/5800 are not a vast improvement on my none-touch E72 or N86, which nevertheless are intuitive enough, and work well enough for me to do this little naughty as I drive. But the amount of times I have tried changing a route etc on my TT as time is running out for me, approaching a junction etc, and the menu pages lag just at the wrong time, I can readily recount!

Like I said though, if I find it a gem on my TINY screen E72 (which due to the landscape layout is even smaller in real terms than my portrait based N86), then the wider screen of the touch devices makes it a dream.

So nah, I'm not buying that for one second.

Oh, and the 9MB space, yup, a genuine complaint of ALL Nokia Mpas users on any device, but as I say, as this phone is so cheap, and gonna get used for little else, 9MB is no real issue, if not much else needs go on it...

'My brother owns a Nokia 5800 on O2, which he has loaned me on occasions before...'

Laugh out loud mate, how did that conversation go. "Could I just borrow your 5800 bruv because I'm a bit short at the moment with only ten phones on the go."

Williamoni wrote:'My brother owns a Nokia 5800 on O2, which he has loaned me on occasions before...'

Laugh out loud mate, how did that conversation go. "Could I just borrow your 5800 bruv because I'm a bit short at the moment with only ten phones on the go."

Tell me about it. I just had to go and buy yhis phone because of the price. It has gone in the drawer with the N95, 5530, 5800, N97 mini, N70, 6230i, 6100, and various other phones from Samsung etc.

Williamoni wrote:'My brother owns a Nokia 5800 on O2, which he has loaned me on occasions before...'

Laugh out loud mate, how did that conversation go. "Could I just borrow your 5800 bruv because I'm a bit short at the moment with only ten phones on the go."

It's probably actually closer to TWELVE right now (just yell if u want a pic of them all together) but as you MIGHT have spotted from the phonography, and indeed, the seventy or so I've owned over the years, not a single one of them has been a Touchscreen Nokia.

So when he got his, I asked to play with it so I could see what Maps looked like on one of these large screen Nokias.

On the other two occasions, he asked ME to take away his phone, in order to install software on it. As it happens, for one of these times, it was the new version of Ovi Maps with free lifetime navigation. But I found I couldn't do that for him, as new Ovi Maps needs newest phone firmware. And at that time, O2 didn't have it for the 5800. Ring any bells?

So your post could very well have been humour, pointing out the funny side of me borrowing another phone, when already owning so many of my own.

But if not, and it questioned my statement of having borrowed his, I trust my response highlighted the very short-sightedness of your post. *lol*.

I rather suspect however, you were merley pointing out the irony, and thus humour, of my statement.

😊

Unregistered wrote:Tell me about it. I just had to go and buy yhis phone because of the price. It has gone in the drawer with the N95, 5530, 5800, N97 mini, N70, 6230i, 6100, and various other phones from Samsung etc.

Why?

(to all individual aspects of your post)

"I rather suspect however, you were merely pointing out the irony, and thus humour, of my statement."

Correct, sir, but thanks for the reassuring explanation. As ever, and I mean it in a good way, you go the extra mile to ensure one hundred per cent clarity. 😊

(And the number of mobile phones I own shall remain a secret!)

Williamoni wrote:"I rather suspect however, you were merely pointing out the irony, and thus humour, of my statement."

Correct, sir, but thanks for the reassuring explanation. As ever, and I mean it in a good way, you go the extra mile to ensure one hundred per cent clarity. 😊

(And the number of mobile phones I own shall remain a secret!)

Thanks for responding good sir, 'tis appreciated - as some might indeed have thought, "ah but wait, why BORROW a 5800 if you own around 12 other phones" *lol*

I however, saw how funny my post sounded, in hindsight *lol*