The first time my wife, informed me that her brother had purchased a Fly Mobile, version B430, I was slightly apprehensive. This was a "Made in China" product, and somehow that tag just makes me nervous. God forbid if your "Made in China" product conks off, you have no other option but to dump it.
Anyway considering this was the kind of handset I had been looking at, decided to go along with it. Also at Rs 3000, the price was rather reasonable, so even if something goes drastically wrong, I still would not feel so cheated. It has been 5 months since I have been using this model of Fly, so how does it go.
Dual Sim Feature: An attractive feature, of the handset, where you can use 2 Sim’s in the same handset. This might help if your job involves frequent travel, or you would want to use 2 separate numbers say one for personal and another for official purposes. Having 2 SIM’s in the same handset, eliminates the problem of having to keep changing the SIM repeatedly. This could also be advantageous while traveling, where you could keep an additional number of the other state.
Net Access: One really good reason to use this phone, is the mobile net access. You could be accessing the Net, at any place or time, at your own convenience. The download rates however would vary as per the mobile operator. This model of Fly comes with a built in Opera Browser, which enables you to access the sites, pretty much like any other regular web site. Also the presence of applications like Nimbuzz a one stop chatting app, that enables you to communicate with your friends over any chat network and Snaptu which enables you to get a quick update of the latest news or cricket scores. The net access is fast enough and not too erratic. In fact I would say that it’s faster than if you are accessing the Web from outside. Also the resolution and clarity is good enough, and you do not have to strain eyes to read the text.
Applications: Bluetooth can be enabled here, if you do wish. It has a converter built in, which enables you to convert from one unit to another. While the handset does not come in with much inbuilt games, you can download the games on to your phone. However this is an issue, the downloading of applications, games, music, can be quite a pain here, very confusing, and random. The manuals also do not give much information on this aspect.
Music: It has an inbuilt music and video player, though again not sure how to download the songs or even videos into the phone. This does not have a memory card throough which you can copy the songs on to your mobile. While it has the facility for FM radio, the reception is rather poor.
Camera: It has an inbuilt camera up to 1.3 mega pixels, which also comes with a video recorder, does help in taking those home videos or photos. I would however recommend a standard digital camera than the mobile here, the pictures more often than not end up cropped.
Sound Reception: One of the worst parts, the volume control is pathetic. Even at the lowest, you still get an annoyingly loud sound, whenever your mobile rings. I had a hard time, in the initial stages, when the volume of the ring was so jarring, and quite often irritating. Even the SMS alerts would come with a huge whoosh sound kind. Now after tinkering with the settings, it is some what better. But still the sound and volume control on this mobile is below par.
Battery: Quite sturdy, just need to charge it continously for around 8 hrs. I would reccomend doing this during the night time, when you go to sleep. Once charged the battery operates for a lengthy period without getting discharged too soon. The charging cord is however too ridiculously small, you have to keep some book or table, for your handset to rest on while it is being charged.
While it is easy for the end user, thanks to a rather user friendly UI, and a more flat keyboard, the system is again quite delicate. A fall to the ground, or hitting it against a hard surface could damage it. I would recommend a good cover, that acts as a protective casing for your phone. Carrying it however can be a bit of a hassle, as it is somewhat large, taking up your pocket space.
So would I recommend this?
Well if you are seeking a phone that offers Net Access and Dual Sim facilities, at slightly lower rates, this would be a good enough option. I am however not sure, whether this could be a permanent option. As of now, my handset has been doing well enough, not giving any issue to date. And at 3000 I would say worth the price. Go for it.