Samsung C-230 was the only phone model which packs certain powerful features around the budget of Rs.5000/-.
Few ’’PROS’’ are mentioned as follows:-
High color resolution of 65k.
1000 number phonebook memory.
Triband.
GPRS Class 10.
Infrared connectivity. (IrDA works nicely with PC. Pls read on.)
FM Radio.
40-chord polyphonic ring tone. (Can also play voice & song based ringtones.)
Voice memo recorder.
Handsfree kit.
Decent battery life, reception and voice clarity.
I personally purchased this set just considering four main features IrDA, GPRS, Triband and FM Radio.
But after possessing it, I found that this phone lacks certain basic features which can make it irritating for people used to Nokia or Sony Ericsson.
And the ’’CONS’’ are :-
Although display size is 128x128, it can transfer pictures of size 128x97 only.
Phonebook is accessible after three clicks at least.
FM Radio is pathetic and works only with very strong signal.
When loudspeaker works for FM radio, what problem Samsung developers had in giving loudspeaker for voice calls also ? This is an advantage in Nokia phones.
One cannot silent the ringtone for incoming calls. You have to either accept it or reject it to stop the phone from ringing. This is an advantage in Nokia phones.
The Ring type ’’Vibra+Melody’’ is useless as both don’t go together. Only after three vibrations the melody will start. In such case some callers may drop the call after three rings, thinking that I am busy.
Handsfree earphone does not give ring indication. So if your phone was in silent mode you will miss all calls with the earphone on.
This phone seems to pick up lot of background noise making it irritating for the caller on other side when I use the phone in a noisy area.
Voice-memo provides recording for only 30 seconds which makes it practically useless as compared to voice-recording facility as featured in Nokia/Sony phones.
And Guys, the worst thing for me is that the Alarm does not have ’’snooze’’ facility. I will hold Samsung responsible for my ’’late-coming’’ to office.
Tech tips:-
As reported by some users about the Infra port not functioning, let me clarify that SGH C-230 infrared is fully functional with PC and I had used it to transfer images, ringtones, phonebook, SMS etc.
What has been reported is true to some extent because the file manager PIMS II version 2.0 has some bugs which makes it non-functional. One should download the PIMS II version 1.0 file which can be taken from Samsung SGH X-430 software library instead of SGH C-230 library. This version 1.0 makes file transfer fully functional when connected to PC through Infrared port.
Even GPRS can be connected through Infrared port by dialing 99# from PC.
So finally, I would say that, if one can put up with the discomforts listed above, this handset is a good purchase considering the slim looks and light weight and advanced features.