[dgsmax]

Hey all,
I want to buy a new Nokia phone for my dad, he's been using his 6600 for the past 2 years and very satisfied with it.

The main feature that I'm looking for is to be able to search through the phone book using the first and last name.

Eg. If the name is TOM HARRIS, I can search using Tom or Harris, as need be.

Is the feature available in S60? If so, what is the cheapest S60 phone I can buy? I'm thinking of 6303 as of now.

If not, what phone would I find this feature in?

Cheers,

Thanks in advance,

dgsmax

[grschinon]

If you mean the "6303 classic", it's not a Symbian S60 phone, it's a java-based S40 phone.

The search application on S60 phones allows you to search through the phone's contents. You can enter a first name or last name (or part thereof) and it will display relevant contacts as well as calendar events and notes, music files which contain the search string in the title, and messages containing the search string. They're all organised so you don't have everything all jumbled together in a mish-mash.

I think the cheapest S60 phone available now is the 6210. However, it's not necessarily the best value for money. For that I'd go for the 5800 Xpress Music.

[loveuhateu]

If grschinon thinks 5800 is good then you may go with it. But its not the cheapest of the lot. Instead go with 5530 XM.
This too isn't a cheapest option but cheaper than 5800. Also 5630 is a good option available.

[psychomania]

I too agree with grschinon that the 5800xm is a good choice.  My dad has one of these and took to it like a duck to water.

If you shop around in some countries the 5800xm can be found much cheaper than the 5530xm due to the 5800xm being available for longer.  If you need a 3G connection do not even consider the 5530xm as it does not have that feature.

All of nokia's touch phones will let you search for a contacts first or last name by simply typing the letters whilst in the contacts.

[loveuhateu]

Sorry to go off topic but how is your N96 going on psychomania?

[psychomania]

I installed a dodgy application called "stoptxt" onto it and it was never the same. 

I've moved on since then to S60v5 phones.

[grschinon]

I never said that it was the cheapest. What I said was that it was the best value for money. That's not the same thing.

The 5630 XpressMusic is probably quite cheap, but it does have a much smaller screen.

The forthcoming 5530 XpressMusic is another good choice as long as 3G isn't important to you (it's only a 2.5G phone).

The camera on the 5530 and 5800 is better in that it has an auto-focus system while the 5630's camera is a fixed focus job.

The 5800 also has a GPS, which is handy for geotagging photos.

[dgsmax]

Thanks alot for the suggestions.

Although, the phones mentioned here fall heavily out of my budget. I can still consider 5320, which also has the S60 OS.

My dad def wouldn't like a touch phone, since he's more of a rugged-handling-user.

I'm kind of in a tussle now, since the phones are falling out of my budget. Are there no other cheaper phones from Nokia that have this feature? Doesn't have to be S60, just needs to have the feature to power search through the phonebook.

I'm looking for the most basic features, just the option to search through the phonebook. My dad barely SMSs anyone, just uses his cellphone for making calls and at times snapping a pic or two.

Regards,

DgsMax

Message Edited by dgsmax on 13-Aug-2009 10:58 AM

[loveuhateu]

Yes you can indeed go with 5320. I thought it has gone from market in many countries so i didn't recommended for you.

[psychomania]

The newer 5630 is fairly cheap smartphone too that will do the job, it's starting to become available in a few countries.  6220 classics can be picked up fairly cheaply now too.