Helpful software that I use…

The Nokia 3120c been a Symbian S40 phone, it is not handicapped. There are many useful programs that you can use in your phone to make your life easy.

In the case of games, games larger than 1MB would not be accommodated by the pone. Yet some games cause the phone to run out of memory. In other words there are limitations for games.

Some interesting Software that I have used

1. Accounting
   
   1. Light wallet
      
2. Chatting
   
   1. Nimbus
      
   2. E-buddy
      
   3. Mig33
      
3. Information
   
   1. Snaptu
      
   2. WidSet (Embedded)
      
4. Utility
   
   1. BT File Manager
      
   2. Car Manager
      
5. Web Browsing
   
   1. Opera-Mini
      

OperaMini is the most fascinating of all programs I see. It enables us to browse the web like in a computer. It has basic features of an ordinary web browser.

Light wallet is very useful OpenSource free software. It is capable of exporting your ledgers in CSV format and you can directly open it with MS Excel or any such program.

Snaptu is a group of applications that has iPhone like interface. It is similar to WidSet that comes with the phone. Snaptu, which is new, has a long way to go and is getting popular by the day.

Nimbus, eBuddy and Mig33 are chat software that can be used to chat online. Nimbus seems to be convenient than the other 2 for me. You can use it to log on to multiple accounts such as Yahoo, GoogleTalk, MSN, ICQ, AIM, FaceBook and many more.

I use the BT File Manager to copy files from a friend's phone without bothering him/her. It makes life much simpler.

 

Problems with the phone

There are some points that I find as problems with the Nokia 3120. I have now been using this phone for more than 2 months. Here are some problems about the phone. But I don't think they are fatal.

Phone Heating:

The phone heats up soon when used causing discomfort. This is very notable when it is used to make calls, browse the net, play games and somewhat when recording. There is nothing you can do to avoid this according to my knowledge.

I don't think this phone is made for our country (tropical countries such as Sri Lanka, India etc). Because of this the cooling of the pone may go slow. But this may not interfere your day to day activity. I use the headset when making calls so it's my pocket that gets heated and not my ear. But if you are in to mobile gaming, this may be a case. I have no suggestions for you in this matter.

Low Battery Life

I really hate charging phones. I would be delighted if I didn't have to charge the phone for at least one week if it is not used. But the 3120c goes down in a matter of couple days. That's not all; it takes about 2.5 hours to charge the phone from scrap. It's really disgusting.

I inquired from many stores around Kandy-Sri Lanka, but came up with no solution for this matter. Well I guess the saying 'cheep stuff are no good' is somewhat applicable to this phone.

Front Camera

It is not possible for a 3120c user to use the front camera except for Video Calls. I don't know why, but would it have been that difficult to enable us to use if for general purposes other than Video Calls? Well if you don't know any other use of the front camera, here is one, you can use it to check up your make-up when there is no mirror around.

These are the biggest problems that I find in the phone. In case you find anything other than these, drop me a comment or an e-mail.

Internet Experience

Internet is a requirement to the society today. But when it is in you palm when you are on the go, it means a lot more than ordinary internet you would see in a bulky computer.

The 3120 classic is a great phone for browsing the net, but it isn’t the best. It is a 3G phone and will do up to 384kbps in its connections. Its more than enough for ordinary phone use. You can use J2ME (JAVA) applications such as Nimbus, MIG33 and ebuddy for chatting and OperaMini for web browsing.

I find it more convenient to chat using Nimbus with my FaceBook friends and friends of all messenger networks. Its really convenient and easy as I don’t have to spend time in front of a computer.

Its screen is not bad for web browsing but a bigger screen would give a better thrill in mobile browsing.

But if you are looking for a phone to go online using your Laptop, this isn’t what you are looking at. In this case you can go for a phone of 3.5G.

Overall, the 3120 Classic is fine for ordinary phone use.  But the small screen and 3G internet speeds may not fulfill all your total requirements.

Battery Life

Battery life is something you should not read from me. It is because; it varies depending on usage and signal strength where the phone is kept.

In my environment, signal strength is 2 out of 4 most of the time and sometimes no 3G coverage. This is not a good environment to stay and talk about battery life because the phone is always searching for its network burning extra battery.

But under my conditions and a lot of gaming, the phone can easily last 2 days . Its not much but if you go in to intensive gaming and GPRS it may go down well before 24 hours.

It is said that the phone can easy stand about 10 days 3G standby if signal strength is high. Also should give arround 2:30 hours talktime under 3G and 3:30 hours talktime under 2G. Thats plenty.

I advise you to take your charger with you or charge an extra battery and keep it in your pocket.

3120c First Internet Experience

I am currently using a Mobitel Smart Prepaid plan on my phone, which is entitled to 3.5G HSDPA network that can do up to 7.2mbbs downlink. So the 3120c been 3G can’t handle more than about 350kbps. So it is a drastic difference.

Mobitel says, “Makes broadband feel slow”, in their Internet advertisements. I really felt what they meant by it when I used it for browsing the very first time.

So pal, if you are getting this babe for some high speed internet browsing experience… do not proceed. There are better options such as a Nokia 6120c for your need for high speed internet (the prices are alike).

It supports Opera Mini 3.1 and gives a sufficiently good internet experience on the go. I found it hard to give network access to certain applications. That isn’t a big deal relatively to what it gives out.  

Where to buy your 3120c : Sri Lanka

If you are thinking of buying a Nokia 3120c from its agent, that is Softalogic Lanka Pvt Ltd, you would be disappointed.

Softalogic has been saying people that they don’t have the phone in stock since a long time. The typical answer you might get is “we are getting a shipment in 3 weeks time; we might get some phones with it”. Don’t bother going back to them; it is because that shipment of phones never comes. At least it didn’t for a long time when I was trying to buy it.

So your options lie with the ordinary cell phone shops. I normally don’t recommend a purchase outside the dealer (For Nokia that is Softalogic). But I can’t help because they don’t seem to be interested in this interesting piece of gadget. The reasons are not known though.

I got mine out of the dealer for SL Rs. 13,800/= (Early April). The prices are dropping. There might be a lot of other options for you. But if you are looking for a good Video recording quality, this would be the best option.

Key Pad : Nokia 3120c

The shape of the key board is fantastic. The shape of the keypad enables one to message very effectively and with high speed. The buttons are great and can be pressed with slight force.

When a silicone cover was used as protection of the phone, the performance of the key pad didn’t deteriorate much. But when a plastic housing was used, some minor difficulties were experienced. Here buttons were not easy to press and at times 2 buttons were pressed at the same time. Pressing number 3 sometimes caused exit messages as the both ‘3’ and the ‘Cancel’ was pressed at the same time. But if no protective layer is used, everything should be just as fine

Besides, since when did wearing a condom guarantee 100% satisfaction.