GOTY 2009: Budget Mobiles

Shayne Rana • December 22, 2009, 16:00:00 IST

Take a look at 2009 Gadget of the year in the budget mobiles division.

It’s that time of the year, namely the end, when we can look back at the last 11 months and change and see what we transpired. In my world, that means it’s time to take a glance in the rearview mirror on the mobile market road and see the handsets that still stand out. So without further ado, for 2009’s Gadget of the Year, in the budget mobiles division, the winners are -

Budget phone of the year - Nokia 2323 Classic Rs. 2,250
The top spot goes to Nokia this year in the budget handset segment for their 2323 Classic. This simple handset has been specifically designed and directed towards agricultural communities like India. While it seems like it would do no more than allow the user to make or take calls and messages and play a few games, the 2323 Classic is capable of loads more.

Good – It offers multimedia functionality with a Music player that has good sound and an FM radio
Plenty of useful features including GPRS/WAP connectivity and Bluetooth 2.0.
Nokia’s preloaded Life Tools are very handy to keep close tabs on the agricultural market
It provides a much better than average battery life.
Bad – The UI fonts even on normal settings can be a bit ‘in your face’.
Rating – 4.5/5

Runner up - Samsung Guru E1410 Rs. 2,700

Written by Shayne Rana

Shayne has an exceptional love for superheroes, action figures, comics, retro music and movies. His love for the 80s is also very evident in his lingo which is populated with words like 'Yes Siree Bob', 'Scooby-doo', Howdy and lots, LOTS more. As the Deputy Editor of tech2, Shayne stays fit by running back and forth between his desk, the tech team or some other department. see more