Nokia 2730 Classic vs LG enV3 + techno-gibberish

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Well, it's been some time since my thoughts on the 2730, so I thought I'd update...

CDMA sucks. The enV3 sucks. It's not a bad phone in itself, but like I said, reception-wise, might as well consider this one a 1xRTT phone because my flat KILLS the EVDO signal. I even benched 1XRTT signal against other such phones in my collection, and they ALL outdo the enV3.

Back to the 2730, as I said, reception is SUPERB. I hate using bars because they aren't a reliable way to gauge signal strength, but for what it's worth, the 2730 wavered between 2 and 4, half-signal and maximum signal respectively.

Call quality-wise, THANKFULLY, HSPA's blood ties to CDMA means the ANNOYING INTERFERENCE BUZZ IS NO MORE! TDMA, GSM and iDEN are all guilty of that, but the noise that results of the interference is different on the standard.
-> TDMA made the EAR-SHREDDING NOISE OF DEATH. I was in a party and the host had a pretty big and power sound system, and when I got a phone call during the evening... hoo-boy, lots of people didn't like the Audible Apocalypse the interference spewed out.
-> GSM makes some higher pitched buzzes repeatedly (being a Time Division Multiple Access standard), annoying, but so much more less than TDMA.
-> iDEN makes lower-pitched buzzes repeatedly, akin to a CD skip. The speed of those buzzes will be machine-gun like if you're in a call, and prior to receiving a call and upon disconnecting the call it will slow down. The interference is absent in the CDMA standard. TDMA/iDEN/GSM are all time-division based standards (multiple users using the same channel transmit on a turn-by-turn basis, the delay being in milliseconds, it's not noticeable. CDMA is a spread spectrum standard, and this is where it different from the time division counterparts. Transmitting on a CDMA network spreads the encrypted data/voice on multiple channels. Bottom line, the result is the same -- phone calls, SMS, data, blah -- but the difference is HOW transmission is done in both standards. HSPA, being Wideband CDMA, shares the air interface so interference is absent.

...but I digress. Back to phone calls on thw 2730, they sound TERRIFIC. As I said, HSPA has CDMA ancestry, and it CLEALY shows when in-call. Calls sounded great on both ends, the speakerphone is awesome (it plays music DAMNED WELL), and calls didn't stutter, chopped or anything of the sort. There was one instance of a call dropping, but I'm not sure if it's on my side or not. The phone gets great signal, even in call, so I doubt it's on my end.

As for battery life, I swapped the BL-5C for a BL-6C, which is thicker, and gave me a hell of a hard time sliding the back faceplate in place. The BL-6C battery is bundled with CDMA phones, like my old 2125i, 6275i, 6010, etc. It's not fair to bench a new BL-5C against a BL-6C which has seen a fair amount of use... but I consistently get about a day-ish more out of the battery. Officially, the BL-5C battery is rated for 5 days standby. I get 6ish with a BL-6C.

Oh yeah, of course, the phone has quadband GSM, too. Once unlocked, this phone will be UNIVERSAL IN NORTH AMERICA.

Memory card slot accepts microSD up to 2GB. Encoding music in WMA is a great way to save space and cramp up more tracks.

Cam is 2.0MP. It lacks a flash, which is no big deal, but would have been nice. Pics are not the best I've seen, but as far as I'm concerned, they're fine.

In short, the 2730 Classic caught my eye on first sight, vintage Nokia design I loved... I am glad I picked this one up, as not only does it LOOKS good, it also WORKS great. I also have to admit that HSPA has exceeded my meager expectations. The convenience of a SIM card, CDMA's sound quality wrapped in one package.

I am absolutely going to get this one unlocked -- add the unlocking fee to the cost of the phone, $150 for a NORTH AMERICA UNIVERSAL PHONE is just TOO SWEET! And when it's unlocked, GOOD RIDDANCE, iDEN... and GOOD RIDDANCE TO ALL THE N+1 iDEN CLAMSHELL PHONES, I'M SICK TO DEATH OF CLAMSHELLS!

 

The box said that the phone supports microSD cards up to 2GB capacity. THE BOX LIES. I popped a 8GB microSDHC in the 2730 Classic and it worked flawlessly. I'll try with a 32GB microSDHC destined for my iDENBerry, though I STRONGLY doubt the 2730 will support it.