Nokia 5230
- M
- MasterLeo
- nbk
- 11 Aug 2010
Okay sorry for double post. The provider has sent me an e-mail just now saying the mobile TV doesn't work because nokia 5230 wasn't in their UMTS database and that it should work in the next few days. So all is well now.
- M
- MasterLeo
- nbk
- 11 Aug 2010
Well I guess I can't do much but wait&hope the new fw is released soon for my country.
Also speaking of software problems, I can't get mobile TV to work on my 5230. When I connect to the provider's web page, it says the phone doesn't support UMTS. Even if I enable UMTS specifically in the phone options, it doesn't work. I called my provider, but they know nothing. They just said wait for a new fw maybe it will fix things. I am really mad now.
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
MasterLeo, 11 Aug 2010What does v21 fix? It's not available here in europe yet, u... moresince you are on data plan, you are at the mercy of your provider. even if the fw v.21 is available, you won't be able to update to it unless your provider has it.
anyway v.21 fixes stability of the overall performance of the phone's software. The most noticeable is the speed of the phone after update. Noki didn't emphasize it so after update we were surprised of the phone's new speed. added the fact that we tweak it a little bit (thru cooking firmware) to further improve it.
anyway, you have to debrand your phone via JAF and then then you can install the latest fw (you can even install fw released for another /regioncountry lol) via Navifirm.
- M
- MasterLeo
- nbk
- 11 Aug 2010
noypi, 11 Aug 2010nice review!
no solution to the hardware.
software s... moreWhat does v21 fix? It's not available here in europe yet, unfortunately. I have checked on nokia.eu and through my phone, and it says 20.0.005 is the latest for me.
Speaking of radio, I mean when you plug in the headphones, you can listen to radio via the loudspeaker normally, but the mp3 player doesn't allow you to switch to the loudspeaker. Or maybe I can't find this option anywhere. So if you want to listen to mp3 on loudspeakr, you have to unplug the headphones, but then radio doesn't work.
Anyway - It's okay if you don't understand, since loudspeaker is bad anyway - no reason to use it if you have headphones, it's mostly just my observation. :)
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
nice review!
no solution to the hardware.
software side, some bugs you mentioned are gone in v.21 plus the speed is amazing. CFW already provided a solution to the landscape orientation problem since v.12 :)
just curious, is there a phone that lets you listen to the radio via headset and still use the loudspeaker?
- M
- MasterLeo
- nbk
- 11 Aug 2010
I've been using this phone for a month now, and here's a detailed recollection of my opinions. I'm using a phone version 20.0.005, at the time of writing (aug 11,2010) the latest available on nokia.eu:
Pros/general:
- large screen for this price range.
- easy to operate touch screen, even with fingers.
- nice qwerty touch keyboard, with large enough buttons.
- camera is only 2mp, but it makes very nice photos in daylight. it's also very fast at taking photos.
- video is great at a max. resolution of 640x480@30fps, this is on par with some more expensive phones. it does take a lot of space though, 1 minute of video is about 15MB of space! you really need a card expansion for video.
- free gps via ovi maps (requires messing with the ovi suite, because local maps aren't preinstalled).
- good sound quality when you are using headphones.
- ovi store - has lots of free stuff.
Cons/software:
- I had some general problems with it, it restarted about 2x in this time, and also sometimes when I unplug the charger, the phone doesn't recognize it's not charging anymore. It would still keep charging, even though it's not.
- sometimes, rotation of interface by accelerometer would crash/confuse the phone into getting a white bsod, esp. if you hold it at a certain 45 degree angle. you can fix this by disabling interface rotation.
- you cannot disable camera sounds.
- there is no keypad on screen during the call, you have to bring it out manually. This is annoying, if you need to dial another number during the call. Speaking of which, tone dialing (dtmf), doesn't really work on a few certain phone numbers that I have, but it doesn't work with my home line philips either.
- no office, pdf editor.
- no divx support.
Cons/hardware:
- screen has horrible sunlight legibility. can hardly see anything at all in a little stronger sun.
- outer plastic ring and battery cover are flimsy, crackling when you hold the phone firmly.
- it's overheating, esp. if you use internet through hsdpa for more than 30 minutes or so.
- the loudspeaker is bad too, even worse than my old nokia 3110 classic. this is partially because it's sunk under the plastic battery cover, but anyway. also if you plug in the headphones (to use radio for example), you can listen to radio, but cannot listen mp3 through the loudspeaker anymore (only headphones work).
- the phone has it's main antenna on the bottom, so if you hold it like people usually hold their phones, you will lose a bar or more of connectivity (similar to the iphone 4 "antennagate" problem, just not that obvious, but when you grip the phone firmly, you will notice it's losing some signal).
- no USB cable (this is a big con, considering you need one for transferring ovi maps data).
- no stylus.
In the end I have mixed feelings about this. I got this phone for free with a data plan, but I think I'm kinda regretting it. It feels fragile when you hold it, and the software package is nothing to write home about either. In fact it can hardly do more than my old nokia 3110c with S40 software. I know it's symbian and you can add more software, but for most good things like quickoffice you have to pay extra, so yeah. So anyway, I give this phone a 6/10 for software, and 8/10 for hardware (mostly thanks to the screen though).
Okay that's about it, I hope this helps anyone with the decision.
- l
- lenny
- FX6
- 11 Aug 2010
neha, 10 Aug 2010Which is better c5 or 5230? pls help.5230
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
and E63 has wifi. :)
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
Anonymous, 11 Aug 2010keeping touchscreen aside e63 is better I have to agree. E63 is symbian 60 also and many apps are available.
but the 5230 evens it out with larger screen and being a touchscreen.
- ?
- Anonymous
- s8b
- 11 Aug 2010
khehla, 11 Aug 2010which is better between 5230 and e63except that 5230 is a t... morekeeping touchscreen aside e63 is better
- k
- khehla
- IaH
- 11 Aug 2010
which is better between 5230 and e63except that 5230 is a touchscreen
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
Haliparot, 11 Aug 2010How can i do that? Pls. Help me!you won't learn it even if I post the steps here as you need the mods and files to integrate with your cfw. visit dailymobile.se and you will learn how to do it there. (Better yet, install somebody else's cfw. less work, equal satisfaction [though it will not be as customized as you may want as it depends on the cfw maker what mods he integrated])
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
Anonymous, 11 Aug 2010hey guys... is the philippines 3g capable?also is nokia 523... moreYEs, I use Globe 3G via OM5 and it's quite fast and you can download files over the air.
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
neha, 11 Aug 2010Do u think i can get going with the 5230 for 3 to 4 yrs, un... moreonly time will tell but the 5230 uses the same screen/lcd as the 5800 which has been around for a long time already and pioneer owners still have the ir units. just take care of it as much as you can and the phone will not let you down, I guess. :)
- W
- Willem
- FX6
- 11 Aug 2010
Hi, I got my new Nokia, 5230 and it’s a grate cell phone for the prise. But need slight help, can you change the phone book to show the name and number of your contacts?
Thanks and regards
- ?
- Anonymous
- Kg$
- 11 Aug 2010
hey guys... is the philippines 3g capable?also is nokia 5230 GPS working here? thank you..
- n
- neha
- KFQ
- 11 Aug 2010
noypi, 10 Aug 2010both C5 and 5230 are Symbian S60 so no argument there. But ... moreDo u think i can get going with the 5230 for 3 to 4 yrs, until i complete my college. i am afraid its touch screen will get damaged so i think for c5. but still confused.
- n
- neha
- KFQ
- 11 Aug 2010
noypi, 10 Aug 2010both C5 and 5230 are Symbian S60 so no argument there. But ... moreDo u think i can get going with the 5230 for 3 to 4 yrs, until i complete my college. i am afraid its touch screen will get damaged so i think for c5. but still confused.
- H
- Haliparot
- t7X
- 11 Aug 2010
noypi, 11 Aug 2010a cooked firmware follows the fw version. usually whenev... moreHow can i do that? Pls. Help me!
- n
- noypi
- uT$
- 11 Aug 2010
Haliparot, 11 Aug 2010Boss an0 pgkakaiba ng cooked firmware s v21a cooked firmware follows the fw version.
usually whenever there's a new fw update, the fw files will be modded to suit the user's needs. like in my case, the theme effects are different, the scrolling is faster, the 5MB reserved space for FOTA is removed to add more space to C, Inbox is edited as "Noypi's Inbox", 999 messages storage by default instead of 20, plus the Nokia file manager/explorer is integrated which ahs access to C, D, E, Z drives, etc.,
all of these alterations/changes are done to the original v.21 fw, so you still have a v.21 fw but with tweaks.
you'd be surprised to know that some of Nokia's implemented changes in the v.21 were already part of v. 12 cooked firmwares, thanks to modders.