VODAFONE 555 BLUE FACEBOOK PHONE REVIEW

Facebook integration seems to be the name of the
game, at least as far as integrating social networks
with smartphones is concerned. We reviewed the HTC
ChaCha sometime back (http://goo.gl/4Cj8r), and that
was the first indication of how deeply Facebook can be
integrated with the smartphone. However, we had
pointed out that the Facebook button on the ChaCha
doesn’t do too much more than quick posting. Note
that at no point of time are we comparing the two
phones, because they fall in very different price
brackets. However, we are just looking at the FB
integration part of it.
Look & Feel
From afar, the Vodafone Blue does have an uncanny
resemblance to the HTC ChaCha. However, that
theory is pretty much dispelled the moment you hold
the phone. The Blue doesn’t have that banana curve
design, and the keypad layout is also a lot different
from the HTC phone. The 2.4-inch display takes up
half of the front panel, with four hardware keys and
the optical track pad below it – call connect, call
disconnect, options and menu/return. The addition of a
track pad is a nice touch. The QWERTY keypad is
distinctly divided into four rows, while all keys in one
row don’t have a lot of spacing between them. The
key size is fine though, and that’s a huge relief.
Interestingly, there is a dedicated camera key as well,
laid out amidst the traditional keys in a QWERTY
keypad.
Click to enlarge
The left side of the phone has the volume rocker,
distinctly identifiable as a thin strip of blue colour. The
right side hosts the micro USB slot, while the 3.5mm
jack is on the top panel. The back of the Vodafone
Blue has the 2MP camera with the LED flash, and
what seems to be a pretty big speaker. Right in the
middle is the Vodafone logo, not in the traditional red,
but silver.
The battery cover is plastic, and we were a bit
disappointed by the quality of materials used and the
mechanism to open the battery cover. Firstly, we do
not like the ‘use nails to prise open’ mechanism.
Secondly, it opens up sideways, rather than near the
bottom. This does two things – makes opening the
cover harder than what it could have been, and runs
the huge risk of the plastic snapping. More so, there is
a danger of the ‘teeth’ on the cover breaking away.
Apart from the battery cover issue, we quite like the
build offered by the Vodafone Blue. It isn't feather
light, but a weight of less than 100 grams isn't
something we can find any fault with.
Features
One word – Facebook! The darned Facebook button
holds more aces up its sleeve! Having given us a trailer
with the HTC ChaCha, and probably heard our
criticism, it is back with a vengeance. This time
offering the functionality and access we had expected
in the first place. And not remain just a quick post
thing.
Interestingly and annoyingly, the moment you
attempt to sign in your user ID to log in to Facebook,
the auto correct feature will instantly change it to
something else. And yes, the first word of the user ID
is also always capital! A bit of chaffing is needed here.
A few apps do come preloaded on the Vodafone Blue -
Facebook Chat, Palringo, File Manager, Weather,
converter and access to Vodafone Live services.
Performance
We really cannot expect much from the 200MHz
processor but then again, it really doesn’t need more
(unnecessary, if you may) power considering what it is
supposed to do and what it is aimed at.
The 2.4-inch QVGA display has a resolution of
320x240 pixels. It is a pretty okay display for reading
text on, and the high-ish brightness levels means that
viewing in sunlight won’t be a real problem. However,
browsing web pages or viewing videos will be an eye
straining experience.
The QWERTY keypad is very comfortable to use. The
keys are essentially divided by the rows, and just
make it a little difficult for the fingers to remember the
key positioning. Typing quickly wasn’t a problem,
provided you were looking at the keypad. Dedicated
camera key is a unique feature, only because it is
within the keypad layout.
Speaking of which, the 2MP camera is one that falls in
the category of being there because it was asked to
be. Not to expect too much from it, except a quick snap
of something interesting to post to Facebook.
Vodafone Blue does cut down on features like Wi-Fi
connectivity and 3G. While it is okay most of the time,
with the slow speeds on EDGE, YouTube is almost
certainly out of the question.
Despite being coupled with a pretty small battery, just
1000 mAh worth of juice, it manages to hold up quit
well - about a day and a half to two days, from full
charge to complete shutdown. This is with a fair
number of voice calls and FB syncing in the
background via EDGE.
Our Take
The Vodafone Blue isn't a device for everyone. It
certainly isn't for someone who wants a smartphone
and/or isn't a big Facebook user. Essentially, this
phone is targeted at the youth, who want instant social
networking connectivity, but wouldn’t want the phone
to be very expensive. It has decent build quality and
sleek looks as well.
Price: Rs. 4,950
Specs:
Platform: Proprietary; Display: 2.4-inch QVGA,
320x240 pixel resolution; Camera: 2MP with LED flash;
Storage: microSD slot up to 16GB; Battery: 1000 mAh
Ratings:
Features: 6.5
Performance: 7.25
Build: 7
Value: 7
Overall: 7