Friday, July 07, 2006

Motorola GSM Sound Quality & Boost Mobile Phone Prices

Someone commented about the fact that the Tracfone GSM Motorolas in general don't have great sound quality, wondering whether the Nokias are any better. I have to say yes.

I own the Motorola c139 (as I said in my review of it several posts ago). And I have to say that, in part thanks to Cingular's junky network, call quality is only halfway decent. But I also own a Nokia 1100 and the few calls I've made with it seem a little better as far as call quality goes. Go Nokia! This is probably because Nokia's entry-level phones are built to last just as long as their higher-end models. I don't think Moto's models are...or if they are I don't like the higher-end models' lifespans.

OK. End of that semi-rant...

I just found out that you can now get the Boost Motorola i875 for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate. Considering the fact that this is a MP3 camera flip phone with Bluetooth and video capabilty, on Nextel no less, this is at least a fair deal...especially since it's less after rebate than what Nextel sells its version, the i870, for on its own website.

On the lighter side (feature-wise, not size-wise; the i855 is actually a little bigger than the i875), the Motorola i855, a much more basic camera phone, is now njust $150, in line with what people paid for camera phones on prepaid a few months ago. Yes, the i855 is still a little on the expensive side but it's not too bad now, especially when you compare $150 with $225!

On the thinner and lighter side the i835 is now a palatable $130, or at least more palatable than $150. Hey, if you want thin and you want iDEN, they'll want money...

The Motorola i450, the main Boost phone I have (currently in my right pocket; my LG 225 on STi is in my left), is still $80, holding its own price pretty darn well (it's been the same price for I think 9 months now). The i415 on the other hand has dropped to $50.

If you have a Nextel pr Boost phone already, or can buy one for cheap off of eBay (the i560 and the i670 look like pretty good candidates) a $10 Boost starter kit is just $20, though you'll have to search to find it. I think it's in i855 accessories...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your information on the Tracfone Nokia vs. Motorola sound quality. Since the 2600 is now $50 on Net10's website, I may have to get one!