Hi everyone,
This is my third review on mouthshut.com after my reviews on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Hero Honda Ambition. I would like to thank one and all for taking time out to read my earlier reviews and also for the excellent rating and encouraging comments given which have prompted me to write this one.
When I say ’typical Nokia’ I mean that this phone has all the hallmarks that have come to be associated with the Nokia brand over the years.
Let us look at the characteristics of a cell phone that a prospective buyer would look at.
Ease of use
There is no one to beat Nokia here. Almost all of Nokia’s brands launched have been known for their simple, intuitive menus which make them easy to use and this one is no different.
Weight and Size
Anyone who has ever used a mobile phone will know that these two are extremely important factors for a user and once again the 1100 scores very high points on both these counts, this phone is both lighter and slimmer (tad longer though) than the already highly popular 2100 model.
Flashiness
I don’t know what word to use here. Mobile phone users , especially the young crowd, also look for a degree of ’’hey, look what a cool thing I got’’ factor which is a very important factor in spite of the fact that it hardly matters in terms of practicality. On this count though, the 1100 lags well behind given the fact that the market is flooded with phones with colour display, camera (with zoom!), polyphonic ringtones, recorders ... the list goes on.
Value for money
I bought the phone for Rs. 5000 in February 2004, I believe the price is closer to Rs. 4300 as on this date. Given the fact that the range for this segment (no color display, no polyphonic ringtones, no frills) starts somewhere at Rs. 3000 (Nokia 3315 and Motorola C200) one might feel that it is tad expensive but given its advantages mentioned above (It is definitely more flashier than 3315! or even the C200!) I believe it is very good value for money.
Clarity
No explanation required here! One need not elaborate upon how no other phone comes close to Nokia in terms of clarity. But this is a factor rarely looked into by a prospective buyer.
Battery charging
This again is a very important factor and Nokia performs well. Even with heavy usage it needs charging only once in two days ( with medium or low usage I charge it twice a week!) and that , in my opinion, is class leading performance. This , again, is a factor rarely considered while buying.
I guess that sums it up. What we have is a compact, lightweight, easy-to-use mobile phone which comes from a company which has a proven reputation for reliability and quality. Features like dust-proof design and flash light further strengthen the case for this excellent product.