John Whelan is Off Portal and Off Net!

1 in 3 mobiles faulty for some networks in UK

A survey by the consumer magazine Which? in the UK found that quality is proving a big issue for mobile handset users. On average one in seven mobiles develop a fault within the first year but for 3G operator Three the figure is 33%. This is probably due to relatively immature UMTS technology.
The which site also includes sample letters to complain to the shop where the consumer purchased the phone if (or more likely when) it develops a fault. I urge everyone to use these if they develop a problem with their handset.

On a personal level I finally got fed up with my Nokia 7610 last week when it wiped all my data (hundreds of personal photos and videos) from the SD card. Nice one Nokia! Have tried several recovery software systems and it just appears there is no data in any sector. I saw some postings on newsgroups that is a known fault. Now if only I could get the time to send those letters as provided so kindly by Which?

On a brighter note I replaced the 7610 (no more Nokia for me thanks) with a Sharp 902.
Now this is a cool phone which hopefully has Japanese quality and reliability. Includes a 2 Megapixel camera with 2X optical zoom. You can hear the motor running to move the lens. Also in funky iPod type styling and the "piece of resistance" - flip the screen and it morphs into a real digital camera. i.e. buttons on the top and screen facing you.

Nokia is to Fiat as Sharp is to Lexus!

posted by alatto @ 12:12 PM