Candybar? Flip-Phone? Slider?

Do you know this Feeling? .. You wanna get a new Phone and don't know which Form Factor to get? There are different Phone Styles, each with their own Advantages and Disadvantages .. I tried to have a short Look on everything ..

Candybar: Candybar Phones are probably the most solid of all Style Types .. It's hard to break something on it, except of Joysticks. It's made of one Piece, so no loose Parts. Good Thing is that everything you receive is immediately on the Screen, no Delays with opening the Phone or anything .. But one Thing that has always bothered me: If you don't use Leather Bags, you WILL have Scratches on the entire Phone and mainly on the Screen :( i experienced that a Lot on my old Candybar Phones like N73, 6680 etc ..

Sliderphones: Sliders are mainly like Candybar-Phones, but are able to slide the Keypad behind the Screen Part. Scratches on the Screen can come along here too and Slider's are not the best Choice if you like a solid Feeling. Some of them have a slight Space, some of them are nothing like Crap. Nokia demonstrated that perfectly on the Nokia N95, the Slider Part is completely loose and makes weird Noises, like you can see in my bad Slider Video on Youtube! The upcoming Nokia N95 8GB aka Black Beast seems to have a better Slider, also the 6110 Navigator Slider does a great Job .. Hopefully Nokia won't ever deliver such shitty Sliders like on N95/6280 ..
pic by Rafe Blandford - All About Symbian

Flipphones: Flipphones is something completely different .. The Internal (Main) Screen is isolated from the Outside, so bye bye to Scratches, say hello to Keypad-Prints .. Yes thats right, i've seen that on Motorolas V3 before and unfortunately the N76 has this Problem as well: You see on the Display where the Buttons are :( But overall you have a very good Screen Protection, the Main Screen stays longer in a good Condition. Something more annoying is the Fact, that you have to OPEN the Phone everytime you want to work on it .. Some Devices already have some excellent working external Displays, which enable you to read incoming Text Messages without open the Phone for example... But to use all the Features it's a Must to open the Flip ..

Multi-Form-Factor: Probably the best and most functional Form Factor: Phones like the N93 and N93i, which allows a Gazillion possible Positions .. if it's for Filming, for reading Websites in landscape Mode or use it as a normal Flip-Phone .. The only Downside i really see on this, is the loose Flip Part, it's only one Link, that sticks Keypad and the Screen Part together .. To be honest, i didn't have one Phone like that so far, so i can't tell about the Quality that good, but i've read about a few Complaints already - like the first Button Row is not so easy to type in landscape Mode etc ..

So what do YOU think .. What do you like the Most? Which Form Factor do you prefer!?

Comments

[viperkid]

IMHO, the best and most functional for me is the twist form. i hav 3250 for over 17 months and it works just like new! btw, im w8ng for the next Nseries phone in my favorite form factor.. probably b called N30?! - "The Multimedia Computer with a Twist!" LOL i wish it would hav an AF camera with of course nextGen N-gage platform support, WOW! =) oh yeah i got to say dis, d worst form factor i guess would be d swivel..

[hakeemm]

I prefer flip phones since the main screen is protected.. Now I'm using the multi-form-factor n93.. which also protect the main screen ehhe

[Rita El Khoury]

Viperkid, I totally agree, twist is the best form factor. I have had a 3250 for 15months myself.
The twist adds fonctionnality without adding volume to the phone. And like you, I'm seriously waiting for that swivel to be applied to an N-Series or high-end device, with probably N-Gage buttons on the other side :), andan improved Cam (AF and neon flash?)
Seriously, if you haven't used a side camera (like the one on the 3250), you don't know what it feels like to have a secret camera in your back pocket. Snapping pics and vids of people standing 2 feet away from you has NEVER been any easier, at the restaurant, in clubs, in classrooms, in everyday life... the saide cam is the MAIN reason i'm holding to my 3250 :D

[horia stanescu]

Candybar is the best for me. Very easy to use. Think when you are in a car, driving, and must call someone:-)

[Xgrind]

The feel on the N93 is great (as I own one).

For the single flip link, it is rock solid, at least on my N93. After months of abuse, the flip link did not came loose and still have that stiff feeling, mainly it is made of metal parts, not plastic.

And unlike N76 and N71, you don't get keypad marks on the N93 screen as the screen part is recessed.

This great feeling is the main reason why I'm still reluctant to switch to N95 :)

[Corwin]

Hi everybody,

I personally prefer sliderphones. Since some time the electronics can be made so thin, that there is no need for the additional volume of candybars. I never liked Flipphones, but still, they make more sense than candybars.

Look at todays candybars: big display, way too small keys and flat, does not smooth into your hand.

Regards from bavaria :)
Corwin

[Bulent]

Candybar: as it is very solid, and I use these phone more and more everyday.

[buy cialis]

I think it's a nice contribution, specially if we are a technological blogger, but I'm going to add something else: slate phone is a subset of the bar form that, like a slate computer, has minimal buttons, instead relying upon a touchscreen and virtual QWERTY keyboard and this'll be new technology. 2j3j