The ultimate mobile configuration: Cheap Nokia + iPad/Nexus One?

Reader Dominic Travers (one of the chaps behind the upcoming Droidcon event) commented on the Nokia transformation post I wrote yesterday.

His opinion is chiming with mine. See what you think:

I have got sick and tired of Android devices and iPhone missing calls and generally sucking at voice in general. So much so, I got the genius £5pcm 1GB 3UK SIM and a copy of the 3 Skype app for Android which actually works. So that’s my Nexus working as a Mifi, email and Skype hub.

But I run an mobile events company and need to make and receive time critical calls every day. So a couple of weeks ago I bought a Nokia candy bar phone for £180 of Amazon. Lo and behold, it rings every time people call me, and I can hear what they’re saying properly too. It’s amazing after 18 months of shouting what, sorry, I didn’t catch that in to a variety of HTC, Motorola and apple smartphones, I can have proper conversations again. On the last charge I got through 5 hours of calls, 25 MB of packet data and finally had to charge it after day 6, yes that’s 6 days.

Obviously the software and UX is rubbish, 10,000 button presses later it nearly does things as I want it too. There is some shit hot IP in Nokia hardware, particularly in antenna performance and efficiency where they are literally a decade ahead of everyone else. If they can get beyond a ridiculous maze of menu cul de sacs, and deliver some logic and consistency on Meego devices they’ll come flying back.

I’m thinking of holding on for a few more weeks for the western media to pan the N8, then buying a load of Nokia stock when it’s at it’s cheapest.

Their only problem is software, and that’s by far the easiest one to solve…

I’ve been thinking about doing the same. Dominic’s a huge Android fan, so obviously the Nexus One makes sense for him. I’d a reasonable Android fan… but I do quite enjoy the mobile experience on the iPhone and the messaging experience on the BlackBerry.

For a long time I’ve been thinking about going and buying a simple Nokia handset to use for decent voice calls.

There’s nothing better than a Nokia when you’re making phone calls, is there?