Please give me some advice on which one to buy.

[Pob255]

I'm after a new pay as you go mobile phone
While I'd love to get an android or such no way I can afford it, I was just going to pick up a new cheap Alcatel to replace the one I lost, when I spotted the Alcatel OT-708 in tesco
After doing a bit of digging there seems to be quite a few cheap touch screen phones about which got me thinking and reading up . . .

And now I'm lost

£40 is near enough the top of my budget and from Tesco these are my options.

£30
- Tesco Mobile Alcatel OT-708 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.206-7888.aspx
- Orange Vegas Black http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.206-0199.aspx

£40
- Tesco Mobile LG Cookie http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-2303.aspx
- Vodafone LG Cookie Fresh GS290 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-3970.aspx
- T-Mobile Vairy Touch 2 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-5827.aspx
- Three Mobile Huawei U7510 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-4602.aspx
- Vodafone Cute 547 Black http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-4418.aspx


So any opinions on these phones? has anyone owned/owns one of them?
Some place other than Tesco?

Any general advice you can give.

Yes I am also open to not bothering with touch screen at all and going basicish, if I do skip the touch screen then I would want a qwerty as I just cannot get on with a normal mobile keypad for texting.
To this I have been looking at the Vodafone LG KS360 Etna £40 http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.208-3310.aspx

What I would like is the following
- pay as you go (I only ever spent £10 every 3 months)
- Camera
- Bluetooth
- qwerty keyboard
- basic calender function
Extra which would be good
- internet
- email client
- wifi (so I can hook it up to the network aat work )
- ability to use it as a modem for my netbook on the couple of weekends a year I go a way. (via bluetooth or usb cable)

[Virtual Monkey]

Honestly, I would avoid any cheap touch screen handsets, since the screens will almost certainly be resistive (much less responsive than capacitive), which will make texting and emailing and generally using the phone torture. I think you'd be happier with a decent keyboard, since you'll get better quality for the same price.

I doubt you'll find wifi in a <£40 phone, but for most of your other needs, the LG KS360 looks pretty decent (http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mob.../LG-KS360/PPAY ).

[chinaewindow]

poor quality fo the phone must cheap,but cheap phone not necessarily poor quality.

[Pob255]

Well I was very tempted by the Samsung S5560 as it does have wifi, interstingly I pop'd into one of the carphonewherehouse stores and they had it for £60+£10 top up which is cheaper than the website.
However I really just cannot afford that and thinking about it I really don't need the wifi, only thing I'd really use it for is internet access at work and I have my netbook for that.

In the end I've gone with the Tesco Mobile LG Cookie (KP500) because it's got a fairly decent touch screen, one of the best resistive screens and very good handwriteing recognition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UpE4VqMH8 (2:17)

[directhex]

In the end I've gone with the Tesco Mobile LG Cookie (KP500) because it's got a fairly decent touch screen, one of the best resistive screens and very good handwriteing recognition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7UpE4VqMH8 (2:17)

Not so sure about "touch" screen - that video involves using a stylus, which is almost required for Resistive screens.

[Pob255]

I don't mind having to use a stylus

[Pob255]

Guess what I'm typeing this on and with my finger on the qwerty.
Some people must have really chunky hands if they cannot manage with this.
Going to take me a bit of time to really explore and learn to use this phone but so far I'm really likeing it.

[Funkstar]

Not so sure about "touch" screen - that video involves using a stylus, which is almost required for Resistive screens.

The HTC TyTn II didn't and neither did the Touch Diamond 2. It's all down to the software if you ask me.

Granted not all touch screens are the same, and the HTC ones are probably good, resistive touch screens on cheap phones probably aren't.

Oh and the Nokia 5800 MusicPhone also has a resistive touch screen and it pretty finger friendly.... just a really bad phone.

[directhex]

The HTC TyTn II didn't and neither did the Touch Diamond 2. It's all down to the software if you ask me.

Granted not all touch screens are the same, and the HTC ones are probably good, resistive touch screens on cheap phones probably aren't.

Oh and the Nokia 5800 MusicPhone also has a resistive touch screen and it pretty finger friendly.... just a really bad phone.

Nah, it's really a question of hardware. Resistive touchscreens work on a simple enough concept - two sheets with air in between, and it detects (in theory very accurately) where the sheets are touching each other, i.e. where you're pressing one into the other. In theory they're very high DPI (depending on cheapness). And styluses are recommended since that's the only way to ensure you bridge the two sheets exactly where you want to (otherwise the bridging area from a finger may be a bit big & blobby & inaccurate)