Nokia Nuron 5230

“Nokia’s presence in the US market has dwindled tremendously since the explosion of the modern cell phone era came about during the early portion of this decade. Since then, the only segment where we continue to see Nokia’s focus in the US is profoundly noticed in the entry level area where it’s littered with flip and candybar phones – generally doubled for prepaid and postpaid offerings. Every now and then, we truly are greeted to some devices that are a bit outside of the box from Nokia’s known offerings in the US, say like the Nokia Twist and Mural. That’s where the Nokia Nuron 5230 strategically comes into play for T-Mobile as it finally brings forth a carrier branded Nokia touchscreen device. Despite its arrival, the Nokia Nuron has the monumental task of bringing the limelight back to them in the US as it finds itself in the thick of competition.”

“In 1965, a man by the name of Ralph Nader published a book entitled Unsafe at Any Speed, an exposé of the American auto industry that detailed extreme safety shortcomings of cars manufactured at the time. What the heck does that have to do with the Nuron? Well, bear with us for a moment. The 5230 is a phone that sells internationally for €149 unsubsidized, unlocked, and unbranded. That's just $200! The Nuron, by contrast, is locked and branded, which immediately devalues the phone by a somewhat unquantifiable amount -- but regardless of the dollar figure you want to put on that, it's worth something less than $200. T-Mobile meanwhile charges you $70 to own this phone on top of a two-year contract with a $200 early-termination fee. Translated, that means that if you buy this phone, break your contract, and keep the phone, you're out $270.”

“The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a budget cell phone that gives users an enjoyable phone at a low price. This budget cell phone doesn’t offer a large selection of features and advanced technology, but the included features and applications provide outstanding quality with few problems for users.”

“The Nuron's 2 megapixel shooter performs admirably, though it lacks autofocus and flash. The music application is robust, but hasn't been changed in ages. The display looks good, but is narrow and the body of the Nuron is a bit thick for my tastes. S60 still offers plenty of oomph, but it is aging rapidly. Nokia has said that the first Symbian^3 devices will hit the market at the end of 2010. Handsets running Symbian^3 will offer major changes to the underlying architecture and user interface. I'd seriously consider Nokia fanatics to bide their time and wait for Symbian^3's arrival. However, if you want a touch phone on the T-Mobile network and aren't interested in Android, WinMo or Samsung's TouchWiz, the Nuron is going to be your best choice. It offers many of the features of a smartphone for a nice low price point.”