Is there finally an iPhone alternative for Brokesters? Wall Street Journal tech columnist Walter Mossberg spent a week with Nokia’s new 710, a $50 smartphone, and gives it two thumbs and two index fingers up — for the money, at least. Unfortunately, the WSJ is behind a paywall so you have to subscribe to read Mossberg’s review, but here are the important bits. Even though Mossberg says the phone “doesn’t compare” with the fancy iPhone 4S or Samsung Galaxy S II,” he says the 710 is “a good value for the money, and a good choice for people moving up to their first smartphone, or those looking for an alternative to Android and Apple.”
HIS PROS: Bigger screen than the iPhone, feels substantial, replaceable battery (whoa!) and reasonably quick performance. Easy synching with Windows PC and a Mac.
HIS CONS: No front camera and the rear camera is only “adequate,” you can’t use the 710 as a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect other devices. It has only 8 gigs of internal storage, half that of other smartphones. Mossberg’s other quibbles: the buttons required more pressure and the screen was hard to read at an angle. He also found T-Mobile slow.
Of course, we don’t want to be accused of the wholesale pillaging of a Walter Mossberg post, so here’s Brokelyn’s added-value expert opinion: the white case is cute, too.