TechCredo’s Phones of the Past

I usually find it quite uninteresting when people list their past phones on forums, but hey – this is my website and I get to be as boring and tedious as I like! If nothing else, this look down memory lane will show how fast the technology has advanced in just a few years.

Video: The Evolution of Cell-Phones

1. Nokia 5110
1998
Weight: 170g
Screen: 47×84 pixels B/W
Memory: –
Camera: –
Comments: I can’t really recall any details about the good old Nokia 5110, but I got it from my mother when she bought a new phone. She had managed to stack up around $780 on her service account, which she was kind enough to transfer to my prepaid SIM-card. Even with the high rates for calling and texting back then, it took me quite some time (years, probably) before I had to refill my card.

This mobile’s life got an abrupt end when I smashed it against a brick wall in a fit of rage on the night of my graduation (no, I don’t have an anger problem). Was I perhaps a bit tipsy (as in courageously overindulged) in the moment of my cell-phone annihilation? Of course I was.

2. Unknown Siemens device
1998-2000
Weight: ?
Screen: ?
Memory: ?
Camera: ?
Comments: I might seem like a spoiled brat now, but I got this phone from my older sister and her boyfriend. Even though I remember exactly how it looked, I can’t recall the name of the model. I’m not even a 100% sure of the manufacturer, but I’m pretty sure it was a Siemens. The device was quite awful to use, unfortunately.

3. Nokia 3310
2000.11 and two years on
Weight: 133g
Screen: 84×48 pixels, monochrome display
Memory: –
Camera: –
New Features:

Comments: This was considered quite high-tech when I bought it. Within a year or so, the Nokia 3310 was one of the most popular models (eventually a whopping total of 126 million copies were sold worldwide). It was the first of my phones that allowed some sort of customization and tweaking, and it had T9 for quick text typing. And I cannot fail to mention the wonderful, classic game Snake! I thorougly enjoyed this overall solid device.

4. Sony Ericsson T300
2002.10 – 2003.09
Weight: 101g
Screen: 101×80 pixels, 256 colors (LCD)
Memory: 600KB
Camera: –
New Features:

Comments: Without a doubt the worst phone I’ve ever had, and hopefully it will hold on to its title. I have nothing good to say about this abomination, except that it was light and I liked the look of it. For starters, typing text messages was extremely laggy (to the point it basically could not be achieved), and the entire phone was uncomparably slow, badly designed and just screamed “epic fail” all over. Rest in pieces, SE T300.

5. Nokia 5100
2003.09 – 2004.09
Weight: 104g
Screen: 128×128 pixels 4096 colors (TFT)
Memory: 725KB
Camera: –
New Features:

Comments: Another capable Nokia phone. It was as an outdoor device, hence the variety of odd features such as a flashlight and thermometer. The display was capable of showing 4096 colors, and some wallpapers were pretty stunning to me back then. Now I’m used to WVGA resolutions and millions of colors, but of course I’m more jaded now. I remember playing a lot of Bounce on this handset. I lended the Nokia 5100 to my girlfriend almost two years ago now (she was still sporting the Nokia 3310!), and it eventually got stolen. Which was surprising, since the only value it had was sentimental.

6. Sony Ericsson k700i
2004.09 – 2005.09
Weight: 93g
Screen: 176×220 pixels, 65 536 colors, TFT LCD
Memory: 41MB (no support for memory cards)
Camera: 1.25 MP (still photographs and videos)
New Features:

Comments: A milestone favorite, alongside the Nokia 3310. The SE k700 was quick and had a very nice menu system, which could be navigated with either the joystick, or even faster – with the numeric keypad. Furthermore, it had a 1.2 megapixel camera, which considering the low resolution actually took rather decent still photographs and videos. It was also my first device with an MP3-player. However, with no support for memory cards and only 41MB of internal storage, it couldn’t hold many songs.

Still, somehow it felt more rewarding carrying Leonard Cohen’s greatest hits with me all the time, than the 2000+ songs I have on my current phone. With the k700i, I started using Java applications and games a great deal (I was also into customizing the appearence of the interface). Another neat and rather unusual feature of this phone was its support for the HID interface, which for example allowed me use the k700i as a remote control via Bluetooh for WinAmp on my computer. A really nice device.

7. Sony Ericsson w800i
2005.09 – 2006.09
Weight: 99g
Screen: 1.8″, 176×220 pixels, 262 144 colors, TFT LCD
Memory: 34MB internal, 528MB memory card (included)
Camera: 2MP
New Features:

Comments: Well, this handset was pretty much like the SE k700i – but with a better display, camera and music player. It also had support for memory cards. I enjoyed the design of the hardware as well.

8. Nokia N73
2006.09 – 2008.08
Weight: 116g
Screen: 2.4″, 240×320 pixels, 262 144 colors, TFT LCD
Memory: 42MB internal, 2GB memory card
Camera: 3.2MP
Platform: Symbian S60 3rd Edition
New Features:

Comments: One of my favorite cell-phones to date, and my first real acquaintance with Symbian S60. Compared to my previous handsets, the Nokia N73 had a large, vivid screen, an excellent music player and a great camera. The Symbian OS allowed access to tons of third-party software, which could easily double the phone’s functionality. With the N73, I seriosuly started getting into the world of cell-phones. I could basically perform most of the tasks I did on my computer with this device, but on a smaller scale. I gave this phone to my girlfriend late summer last year.

9. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
2008.10.13 – until I recycle the bastard
Weight: 158g
Screen: 3″, 480×800 pixels, 65K colors, TFT resistive touchscreen
Memory: 400MB internal, 4GB microSDHC included
RAM: 256MB
Camera: 3.2MP
Platform: Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro
New Features:

Comments: Pretty impressive, HTC manufactured hardware (er, besides the lousy camera, poor battery life, weak speakers and weedy vibrator). The screen is crisp, due to its WVGA resolution and merely three inches. But the slow, impractical Panel Interface that Sony Ericsson designed is bothersome. SE didn’t put any other goodies on top of Windows Mobile, unlike HTC who include various improvements of the interface on their WinMo phones. All in all, it can actually be a rather good device as long as you put some effort into it, but no thanks to SE or Microsoft.

Without the collective knowledge of the xda-developers and a lot of Google searching, this phone would have been downright awful. I never grew fond of it and I have too many opinions about the Xperia and Windows Mobile to fit into this space. Visit the Windows Mobile page for a guide to the Xperia and WinMo in general, and here are my WinMo objections. I also wrote a list of the top 10 things I hate about the X1.

10. Nokia 5800
2009.03.17 – 2009.10.09
Weight: 109g
Screen: 3.2″, 360×640 pixels, 16M colors, TFT resistive touchscreen
Memory: 81MB internal, 8GB microSDHC included
RAM: 128MB
CPU: ARM11 434 Mhz
Camera: 3.2MP
Platform: Symbian S60 5th Ed. Touch OS
New Features:

Comments: A fairly intuitive and finger-friendly touch interface, great speakers and call quality, a quick, reliable camera: after the Xperia it felt like I had a proper phone again. But when I switched back to the X1 for a while, the Nokia 5800 almost felt like a toy in comparison – the X1 appeared more powerful and grown up. I also really believe Nokia could have developed Symbian further – its 5th Edition hardly added much more than touch support. Nothing can hide the fact that Symbian is an obsolete and dying platform.

Another thing I don’t like about the Tube is the awful screen, it’s barely viewable in my opinion: the most granulous and unsharp I’ve ever seen. I actually thought it was something wrong with it at first, and I’m amazed no one else has commented on this. All in all it’s a fine device given the low price (around $320 unlocked), but I never got that fond of it.

11. HTC Hero
2009.09.23 – 2010.03.27
Weight: 135g
Screen: 3.2″, 320×480 pixels, 128K colors, TFT capacitive touchscreen
Memory: 512MB internal, 2GB microSDHC included
RAM: 288MB
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7200A, 528 MHz
Camera: 5MP, no flash
Platform: Android 1.5 Cupcake
Features:

Comments: Yes, I know. Buying three new cellphones in less than a year, two of them in the high-end, is a bit loco. However, I think (hope) I can justify it with my unusually large interest for mobile technology. I had read about Android for a year and a half before I finally got my first Android powered device: the HTC Hero. With a hardware QWERTY, a bigger screen with a higher resolution and an improved camera – this would have been the ultimate cellphone. The Hero is darn good as it is, though, and my experiences of it can be read in the article Everything I Love About the HTC Hero. I sold it in late March 2010 for 60 % of what I bought it for, in favor of the upcoming HTC Desire.

12. Nokia N97
2009.10.09 – 2010.08.29
Weight: 150g
Screen: 3.5″, 360×640 pixels, 16M colors, TFT resistive touchscreen
Memory: 32GB internal memory (expandable to 64GB)
RAM: 128MB
CPU: Single CPU, 434 MHz ARM11
Camera: 5MP
Platform: Symbian S60 5th Ed. Touch OS
New Features:

Comments: Surprisingly, I actually won the N97 in a video competition arranged by AllAboutSymbian.com and WOMWorld/Nokia in early October 2009.

Despite getting the highly impolite “Not allowed” message every now and then when I tried to answer calls, and the equally rude “Request rejected” message when I tried to hang up a call, the cryptic “System error” notification, the sporadic freezes and reboots, the screen refusing to respond for no apparent reason, the music player not showing all songs until a couple of minutes after I’d launched the app, the LED flash ruining camera shots because of where it’s placed, running out of RAM and internal storage, not being able to connect it to my computer, having to pull out the SD card full force with a pair of tweezers, and the phone occasionally refusing to unlock itself (and all this with the version 2.1 firmware), this was a nice device!

The N97 certainly had its flaws, but it’s probably the device I enjoyed most since the Nokia N73 (until I got the HTC Desire), not least because of its versatility and its excellent retro gaming capabilities.

13. HTC Desire
2010.04.26 – late October, 2011
Weight: 135g
Screen: 3.7″, 480×800 pixels, AMOLED capacitive multi-touch touchscreen
Memory: 512MB ROM, 4GB SD card included
RAM: 576MB
CPU: 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
Camera: 5MP with autofocus, flash, geotagging and face detection
Platform: Android 2.1 Eclair, was officially upgraded to Android 2.2
New Features:

Comments: Back in early 2008, I firmly believed that Android was going to be the best mobile OS on the planet. I wasn’t wrong. The Achilles’ heel of the superb HTC Desire is its ridiculously low amount of internal storage. I ran out of space for apps the day after I got it. The problem could be partially solved by rooting the device, creating an EXT3 partition on the SD card and flashing a custom ROM. I always had to fight for a few more MB of storage, though.

14. HTC Sensation
2011.05.31 – 2012.09.26
Weight: 148g
Screen: 4,3″ qHD (540×960) SLCD capacitive touchscreen with 256.15 PPI
Memory: 4GB ROM, 8GB SD card included
RAM: 1GB
CPU: 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor
Camera: 8MP rear camera that can capture 1080p video, VGA front camera
Platform: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, will be upgraded to Android 4.0
Comments: I was reviewing the HTC Sensation for work and received the device at the end of May 2011. The editorial office also sent me the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the LG Optimus 2X for comparison. After I had finished my comprehensive review, I mailed the Sensation back to HTC.
However, for some reason they didn’t collect the device and it was returned to me. We emailed them about it and when we didn’t receive a reply for months, I eventually got to keep the device.

Before then, I had already bought a Samsung Galaxy S2. As of February 2012, I currently switch between the Galaxy S2 and the HTC Sensation for variety. I’ve naturally rooted both devices and right now I run an Ice Cream Sandwich ROM with Sense 3.5 on the Sensation. It’s an excellent phone, but the Samsung Galaxy S2 is even better.

15. Samsung Galaxy S2
2011.06.12 – 2012.07.04
Weight: 116g
Screen: 4,3″ WVGA Super AMOLED Plus capacitive touchscreen
Memory: 16GB internal storage
RAM: 1GB
CPU: 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos Cortex-A9 chip
Camera: 8MP rear camera that can capture 1080p video, 2MP front camera
Platform: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, will be upgraded to Android 4.0
Comments: When the Samsung Galaxy S2 was released, many reviewers called it the best and fastest smartphone in the world. I agree with them. Eight months after I bought it, I still don’t feel like upgrading. The only features that would’ve made the Galaxy S2 even more future proof are NFC support and a HD resolution display.

I used the stock firmware for a couple of months, and then I rooted the phone. I ran an alpha build of the Android 4.0 based ROM CyanogenMod 9 around Christmas 2011. I tried going back to more stable Gingerbread ROMs, but after Ice Cream Sandwich – everything else felt dull and boring. Google took a great leap forward with the latest version of Android.

I eventually sold the device to one of my cousins for a symbolic price. I hadn’t used the Galaxy S2 for six months then, and I mainly sold it because I thought it was a shame that such a great phone wasn’t being used.

16. Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
2011.08.30 – 2012.07.09
Weight: 175g
Screen: 4″ FWVGA LED backlit capacitive LCD touchscreen
Memory: 400MB internal storage, 8GB SD card included
RAM: 512MB
CPU: 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255
Camera: 5MP rear camera, VGA front camera
Platform: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, will be upgraded to Android 4.0
Comments: BOOM. In August 2011, my girlfriend for more than four years broke up with me. How can a sensitive nerd mend a broken heart, besides writing and recording emotional songs, listening to singer songwriters and watching indie flicks? Well, I got myself the gaming phone Sony Ericsson Xperia Play to keep myself busy.

At that time, I had written news articles about the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play every now and then for nearly a year. I kept reading about games that were exclusive to the Xperia Play and I thought, why not? I had grown very curious of the device.

I’m also a fan of emulation and since nearly every single retro gaming console and home computer can be flawlessly emulated on Android, the Xperia Play with its slide-out game controller felt like the ultimate retro gaming device. I wasn’t wrong – the Xperia Play is a mobile gamer’s wet dream.

However, the only thing this niche device excels at is gaming. With its 175g, the Xperia Play is a thick and heavy son of a bitch, too. The device is actually underpowered in terms of hardware, with a single-core CPU and just 512MB of RAM. Still, I haven’t come across a game that doesn’t run like a charm. Optimizing games for a specific processor platform makes a huge difference in performance. Just look at the games for the Xbox 360 – a console that has ludicrous hardware by today’s standards.

In hindsight, I actually regret purchasing the Xperia Play and I haven’t used it for more than 10 – 15 hours. I will give the gaming handset another try when it’s upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich this spring.