Dummies questions re the M3100 variant

[Guest tawse57]

Hi,

First of all I will state that I have never owned a smartphone before - in fact my Motorola timeport is a good 6 - 7 years old :-) - but I have read the reviews of the M3100 that raved about it and was thinking of buying it but...

...then I read about all the screen alignment problems on this forum and how people are having to send their new phones back to be repaired and getting 'refurbished' phones as replacements, etc. So I went into my local Orange shop this week and took a good look at it. A few things I did personally not like about the M3100 and wonder whether I am just not used to smartphones or not but...

1. It seems very plastic and seems easy to break compared to many non smartphones.

2. The keypad was so loose on the shop model that it slid in and out to the point that I felt it would be a nuisance. (This was also the case of the M3100 variant on sale in the T-Mobile shop that I visited.). It certainly was a nusiance on the shop model one.

3. The letters/numbers on the keypad are printed on it and most had actually rubbed off. I also found little travel in the keys of the phone - do they travel better when it is powered up?

4. I felt that it was too bulky for a phone - yes, it is a smartphone but it just seems too bulky and I wonder how practical/good you guys are finding it as a phone?

5. I held it in my hand and did not feel that it would make a good phone. It felt too plastic, too lightweight and flimsy. It felt as if the keypad would be sliding in and out all the time to the point of being a nuisance very early on.

6. I am not sure how practical the keypad is compared to a single handed device like the Treo or Blackberry.

I went into my local T-Mobile shop and tried their M3100 model - forget what it is called (Is it the Vario II) - and it had pretty much the same issues as above except that the keypad numbers had not yet rubbed off that particular shop model.

I was very disappointed with the M3100 personally. I was seriously thinking of going with one now in the New Year but probably not now. I want a smartphone - a Windows Mobile one - and the M3100 is supposed to be the best of the bunch but I was just not impressed.

I am now thinking of just going with an 'old fashioned' phone for another year or so until the smartphones look more robust and are both more reliable and more practical as a... phone. So, I know you are all smartphone diehards here but I would welcome some objective views on my above comments? Did any of you have the same fears/doubts when you purchased your first smartphone and/or the M3100? Do any of you regret buying it now? I welcome all thoughts as buying one of these devices seems a bit of a minefield for Joe Public.

Thanks,

T.

[Guest Seraphic]

OK, i'm going to comment on some of your points.

1. Yes its plastic, and I've knocked mine about a bit and theres barely a scratch on it.

2. Shop models are likely to have been mistreated - mine isn't what you'd call loose. Certainly not a nuisance.

3. No problems with my keyboard thus far. Infact, very happy with it.

4. As you say, its a smartphone - well, it's a Pocket PC smartphone so you can't expect it to be much smaller seeing as you've got so much crammed in, including a hardware qwerty keyboard. I have no problems with practicality.

5. As I've already said, the keypad doesn't slide by itself.

6. its a full qwerty keyboard, so yes, if you want to use that you'll need to use two hands. You need to think about what you want the device for.

It sounds like you've made your mind up on the M3100 based on your conclusions of playing with it once or twice at a shop. Pointless. You'd be better off looking up some reviews of the phone, including the superb review on Modaco.

Indeed its a bit of a minefield for Joe Public - and that'd be why Joe Public don't usually buy smartphones. You buy a smartphone because you'll use its features. There are always going to be tradeoffs - size is one but I've moved to the M3100 coming from the Nokia N80 (one of the best symbian smartphones available in a 'regular-phone' style).

Instead of looking for pocket pc style smartphones, why not look at the phone-type smartphones instead, such as the SPV C600 for example? Judging from what you're saying here, you'd be best off with one of those.

I don't regret buying the phone because it does everything I want it to do, and it does it well. Its not big by any stretch of the imagination, it doesnt look or feel stupid when used as a phone and its a powerful little device.

BTW - try not to post the same thing 5 times!! :)

[Guest argh]

Hi,

The M3100 is my first PocketPC phone (while it is a smartphone, in the Windows Mobile world, a Smartphone is differentiated from a PocketPC phone mainly by the PocketPC phone having a touchscreen). My previous phone was a Smartphone.

I haven't had any screen alignment issues - I think that this was just the first batches of the phone.

In answer to your questions:

1) I've dropped mine a couple of times on the hard slate floor in the gym changing room with no ill effects (although I wouldn't recommend regularly testing this :) ).

2) After a couple of months of use, mine isn't loose enough to be a nuisance (I'm not sure if it's getting any looser - not noticeably). It is occasionally open 5mm or so when I pull it out of my pocket, but it's no bother.

3) No problem with the keypad so far (again, it's only been 2 months). No difference in travel when powered up - but was it a real phone, not just an empty shell? The keys don't move much, but they do have a positive click when you press them, so there's no problem wondering if you did press it or not.

4) PocketPC phones are generally bigger than Smartphones. This one is certainly larger than the average phone, but I haven't got any pockets where I would put a phone in that it doesn't fit comfortably.

5) See 1 & 2 :D

6) It depends what you want to do. There are various different soft input panels available (T9 style, TenGo, etc.) that let you touch the screen one handed to type, but I find the lack of feedback a bit odd compared to a real keyboard. Certainly the keyboard on the M3100 isn't practical for one handed use.

In general, I've found that the phone features of a PocketPC phone are a bit trickier to handle than a Smartphone. Perhaps that would be more what you're looking for? It's certainly better than an old-style phone and the phone functions are more accessible than a PocketPC phone (in my opinion, at least).

Edit: hmph, if I hadn't been interrupted mid-writing, it wouldn't look like I was copying everything that Seraphic said :D

Edited January 2, 2007 by argh

[Guest tawse57]

Thanks both for taking the time to post your detailed and thoughtful replies. They have given me some food for thought and I will take another look at the M3100.

I read the review on here a few month's and thought the phone sounded ideal for my needs but, as I have stated, the ones I have seen in the shop were pretty dismal looking.

Thanks again.

p.s.

Not sure what happened with the multiple posts - :)

[Guest Confucious]

The m3100/Vario II is a great device but is best used with data - hence I would recomend the T-Mob version as they do fixed rate data plans which also do HSDPA - ideal for this phone. The shop ones are usually dummy phones which are a lot more plasticy than the real things - and usually well abused, the real thing s/be a lot better than them.

Just my 2d's worth.

Good luck.

Edited January 3, 2007 by Confucious

[Guest stevem999]

The m3100/Vario II is a great device but is best used with data - hence I would recomend the T-Mob version as they do fixed rate data plans which also do HSDPA - ideal for this phone.

There has been a lot of talk about HSDPA not being available on the lower data plans i.e. standard Web'n'Walk and is only available on the Pro and Max variants. Is this true?

I've seen some posts that people on the HSDPA with basic web'n'walk were put on by mistake and this is no longer available?