I bought this phone a month ago.
Purchase:
Most shops tell you this phone is discontinued, buy 5233 instead. RUBBISH! A quick search on net will tell you that in most countries 5230 is sold, only in developing countries cheaper 5233 is sold. They are trying to sell a phone 5233 instead of 5230 I have no idea why ( higher margins? ).
Contents of box:
NO USB cable (when I bought).
Stylus, Head phones, 3 Pin Charger[With dummy earth pin!] included.
Quality:
Phone build is good and sturdy, but have to be careful about touch screen.
Headphones are mediocre. Buy better ones.
Stylus is hardly required, you can type with finger (provided it is not too fat).
Charger is 3 pin!! When I travel I have trouble finding sockets. Advantage: Charger sits properly.
OS : Latest S60 v5, A firmware update fixes slow software.
Software: Due to ’Symbian Signed’ program it is VERY DIFFICULT to find good free software for the phone. Basically Nokia charges developers a hefty fee, thus nobody writes software for free!!
Most useful software is paid/trial. So no use of buying phone with this OS to install Apps like iPhone.
Also most decent apps are expensive,
Rs.900 for office (Word, etc.)
Rs. 700 for Adobe Reader (am not joking! Rs. 700 for PDF Reader. My head spun when I found this out after buying phone.)
These are rip-offs. There is very little choice in Applications market as free providers are not there.
Have BSNL 3G sim, 3G is good, but drains battery and makes phone hot? Don’t know if this is due to me holding it, but even then a little too warm.
No WiFi.
To access OVI Store and download the few free apps that are there for the phone you NEED GPRS/3G. You cannot download software from Ovi store to computer. [Else you could have transferred it from comp].
Navigation for GPS is free, my phone required a download of new version Maps application for that.
Getting GPS location is slow initially when it searches for satellites, then it holds lock.
GPS reception is poor indoors, inside cars with tinted glass.
Default browser is OK. But you can download LATEST OPERA MINI/FULL BROWSER for FREE! The opera browsers for the phone are amazing [but you need to download and install].
Browsers are free because Opera gives them for free, not because of Nokia!!
Nokia maps are bad for small towns, if you compare to Google Maps.
Update:
If you search on net you will find many software (applications) for the phone. BUT they can only be installed on HACKED phone or by ’Signing’ the application.
Both the above procedures, directly or indirectly require giving your IMEI number to a CHINESE website!!
WHATEVER YOU DO YOU CANNOT HACK THE PHONE WITHOUT GIVING YOUR IMEI NUMBER TO THE CHINESE SITE. WITHOUT HACKING, YOU CANNOT INSTALL MOST SOFTWARE FOR FREE.
DON’T BUY THIS PHONE IF YOU PLAN TO INSTALL APPS/SOFTWARE AND ARE NOT MADE OF MONEY.
This above warning about not able to install software applies to ALL new Symbian Phones, not just this one.
Buy a Windows / Android phone instead. BUT don’t buy a Windows 7 phone (they introduced this signing business now)