Tips for selecting a Mobile-Phone for Students
Mobile phone was introduced to Sri Lanka in early 1990’s and now it has penetrated almost all layers of the society. Mobile-phone manufacturers introduce novel mobile phone models with fantastic features. Before buying a phone please remember that you should not addict to this new found technology, use it wisely, else it may affect your studies.
As a student how can you choose a good model at an affordable price? Here are some tips to consider before you selecting a mobile phone.
What’s the price you are ready to pay?
Mobile phone prices vary from Rs 5000/- to over Rs100,000/-. Some leading brands are Nokia, Sony Ericson, Motorola and LG. The prices of these branded phones are somewhat high compared to phones manufactured in China. You can go for used branded phones at relatively low cost.
Low cost Chinese phones are also becoming popular. These phones cost lower than branded phones and they also offer wide range of features.
A survey conducted by this studentlanka.com web site shows that most students use phones less than Rs 5,000/-. You can also cast your vote on this poll which appear at the end of this post.
Buying a mobile phone would not be a good investment if the value is depreciating regularly. Branded phones have a second hand market. Chinese phones have very low or no second hand market at all. Therefore it’s better to go for a moderate cost phone. But if you can afford a luxury phone, you can experience latest features such as 3G, WiFi, e-mail and data handling. However there’s a risk in going for a luxury phone as there are chances of losing the phone. To overcome this problem smart insurance companies have introduced Mobile insurance Schemes, although not much popular in Sri Lanka.
What features are you looking for?
Although mobile phones are loaded with bundle of features in reality we may use few of them. Basic features for a mobile phone would be colour display, text messaging, a basic camera and polyphonic/MP3 ringing tones other than calling ability. SMS has become so popular among people. They are used in communicating small messages as well as television/radio contests. A basic camera would help you to capture some day-to-day moments. Modern phones are coming with 3G ability which facilitates video calls and fast internet browsing ability.
The latest trend is Smart phones. These are phones with advanced capabilities that can function like a PC. They have features like e-mail, internet, e-book reading ability etc,. Blackberry is a popular Smartphone and Apple i-Phone is also popular. In Sri Lanka these phones are used by high professionals and businessmen.
Durability of the phone
Durability is an important factor in selecting a mobile phone. As a student you may be having a busy and restless lifestyle, where you may have to opt for a hardworking phone. Nokia mobile phones are said to be very durable and they are popular for excellent talking ability (audio quality). They can withstand shocks and adverse conditions. Sony Ericson phones usually consist of good camera known as Cybershot. Their music feature is also good compared to other mobile phones in the market. Motorola is also a durable phone brand. It’s a good idea if you can go for these durable brands even if they are second hand. Although Chinese phones are loaded with fantastic features they are said to be less durable. If by chance you drop the phone there will be serious problems such as losing of display etc,.
What is the suitable Network for you?
Read our post on Best Mobile-phone service in Sri Lanka.
Please share your views and experience on mobile phones here. What type do you use? Which connection? Chinese vs other brands. Any problems with a particular model etc.
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Hi, I found your blog on yahoo and read allot of your other posts. I like what you have towright. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work . Look forward to see more from you in the future.
Thanx hirantha for your comments. Please share your experience on mobile phones as well here.
Wow! Great advice.
Hey an interesting article. Yes students have less understanding about mobile phones! Keep it up!!
Thanx Anuradha for sharing your experience. Yes a smart phone will be very useful for student as you have mentioned provided you use those features appropriately.
You can share the phone models you are using with your experience about them. This information would be useful to others.
Dear Friends
5 years back I been thinking I just need a simple mobile hand set to make calls and to send SMS Messages. But Accidentally I got the chance to use a Nokia E71 Smart phone, I was amazed with the rich features of it. It could send/receive email, connect to a Wi-Fi network and the software like PDF reader and Pocket MS Office.
And I bought my HTC Kaiser for about 16, 000 rupees in Sri Lanka used one, the same price like a Chinese phone. The Good news is I have a laptop computer in my pocket, I have a GPS, Wi-FI, 3G connectivity and a large touch screen and the most important thing is I can write my own software for it by using Visual Studio 2005 (If you guys hates Microsoft you may moved for open source Dev tools like Python)
I recommend a smart phone for a student, because
1. As Kalana mentioned the fully support of PDF reader Word and Excel editing. I used to download some of my lecture notes and assignments, while I traveling in the bus and some times I have completed the entire note.
2. You can experiment with it. you can learn something new from what you already know. for example you can basically write a small application for your mobile phone by using visual basic, say, ummm.., just an index to save the characteristics of the timber species in Sri Lanka
3. You can access the internet. I use Mobitel pre paid connection and I can get 200MB data bundle for only 90 bucks. and that will enough for me to surf for 1 week, while accessing the remote desktop, VoIP telephony, Email checking, chatting and Face book form my mobile phone. May be you can go to the you tube and do a small study of the tape worm.
4. Google Maps. I been using Google maps with my old SE W300i but the location was always miles away from the actual spot. But with my smart phone it will use the True GPS and not using the GSM BSS information. So when I go for an interview or a seminar or wherever I don’t know, i can easily find where I am and can locate the spot where I should be.
5. Remote connectivity. I can connect to my Windows Server 2003 from my mobile phone with the Remote Desktop and look into my web sites and other services when I’m on vacation
If you a Linux fan, dnt worry, you have VNC and also a SSH client.
So guys cheer up. I think its worth buying a used smart phone and chinese phone can gives you only a tv and a radio tuner most of them doesn’t support for even Java.
Happy Surfing
Anuradha Fernando
Yes Mayura, I also agree with you. Smartphones are good if you are really using it’s features such as e-book reading, e-mailing etc,. I think its useful to busy professionals.
I think, the person whoever, should select their Mobile phone according to their requirements/Budget.
But when it`s a Student, He/She has to think about what`s the purposes He/She use…
hi kalana aiya, i have Sony Ericsson k750i with Mobitel.
Its just fit with basic things.
I think that smartphones are useless for students. It only waste money and time.
Nokia is the best model. Its durable and sound quality is very good.