Nokia Nuron 5230 Phone, Frost White (T-Mobile)

by Nokia

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2 x 0.6 inches ; 4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B003BNZD5K
• Item model number: 5230
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,143 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A stylish and affordable 3G-enabled touchscreen phone, the Nokia Nuron 5230 for T-Mobile is packed with applications, maps with turn-by-turn directions, access to downloadable music and games, and more. Enabled for T-Mobile's expanding high-speed 3G network, the Nuron offers a fast Web-browsing experience that lets you connect quickly to social networking sites.

Enjoy full HTML Web access via the 3.2-inch touchscreen display, app and game downloads through the Ovi Store, and turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation through Ovi Maps.

The Nuron features a 3.2-inch touchscreen display that offers a tactile feedback and an accelerometer that auto-rotates so you can quickly view videos and Web pages in widescreen mode. It offers integrated GPS with free Ovi Maps Navigation and the pre-loaded Ovi Store by Nokia for discovering and downloading more apps and games.

Other features include an included 4 GB microSD memory card, 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, multi-format digital audio player, FM radio, support for both personal and corporate e-mail, and up to 4.5 hours of 3G talk time (7 hours on non-3G networks).

Free Ovi Maps Navigation
With its integrated GPS sensor and the newest edition of Ovi Maps (full version pre-loaded on this phone or available as a free download from nokia.com/maps), you'll enjoy all essential car and pedestrian navigation features as well as the ability to use navigation features even when not connected to a cellular network--great for extending battery life and saving on international roaming charges. Features include turn-by-turn voice guidance, over 6,000 3D landmarks in over 200 cities for quick recognition of the landscape around you, access to Lonely Planet travel guides, and detailed maps for over 180 countries (see more details below). You'll also be able to keep moving in the right direction with the integrated electronic compass.

Key Features

• Fast 3G connectivity via T-Mobile's HSDPA/UMTS network. (1700/2100 MHz bands, UMTS/HSDPA; see more about T-Mobile's 3G service below)
• Quad-band GSM phone for good global voice connectivity. (850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands)
• 3.2-inch touchscreen with responsive, tactile feedback (640 x 360 pixels, 16.7 million colors).
• 2-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom, center-weighted auto exposure, white balance settings, and on-phone photo editor.
• Video capture capabilities with recording up to 640 x 480 pixels and up to 30 fps.
• Digital audio/video player with compatibility for MP3, WMA, and AAC/eAAC+ formats
• Bluetooth connectivity (version 2.0) includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and the A2DP Bluetooth profile--enabling you to wirelessly stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones or speaker dock.
• Memory expansion via microSD card slot with support for optional cards up to 16 GB (4 GB card included).
• SMS and MMS messaging
• Instant messaging via AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Live, and Google Talk
• Supports e-mail accounts from more than a thousand ISPs (SMTP, IMAP4, POP3), as well as Gmail, Yahoo! mail and Hotmail. People who use Microsoft Exchange at work can access their e-mail using the Mail for Exchange mobile e-mail client, which comes pre-loaded (an Exchange e-mail account is required and your Exchange Administrator must have enabled your account for synchronization).
• Full HTML Web browsing
• Organizer tools including calendar, alarm clock, notes, world clock, converter, and calculator.
• Airplane mode allows you to listen to music while the cellular connectivity is turned off
• USB connectivity
• Ovi Store by Nokia with access to thousands of applications and other exciting content.
• Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 5.0

Vital Statistics
The Nokia Nuron weighs 3.98 ounces and measures 4.37 x 2.03 x 0.61 inches. Its 1320 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of 3G talk time (7 hours on non-3G networks), and up to 438 hours (18.25 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as T-Mobile's 3G network (1700/2100 MHz).

What's in the Box
Nokia Nuron handset, rechargeable battery, charger, 4 GB microSD card, quick start guide, user manual

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T-Mobile Services

• High-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile's 3G network: In addition to its quad-band GSM connectivity, this phone is also compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web.

  In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and e-mail on the go.

  While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.

  Activities that work well on EDGE or 3G networks:

  • E-mail, instant messaging, and texting
  • Downloading ringtones, CallerTunes, wallpaper, light data files
  • Sending photographs via e-mail or picture messaging

  Activities that work best on a 3G network:

  • Viewing content-heavy websites (lots of images or videos playing)
  • Viewing YouTube and other video files (they will play on EDGE, but require loading time)
  • Uploading large files (photos, videos, presentations) to sharing websites
  • Downloading large files from an e-mail or a website

  T-Mobile's 3G network is currently available in more than 220 cities nationwide and covers more than 160 million people.

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Learn More

Free Worldwide Walk and Drive Navigation

Nokia now offers its Ovi Maps walk and drive navigation application free across the globe. Drivers receive turn-by-turn voice guidance including lane assistance, traffic information (in 10 countries including the U.S.), and safety camera and speed warnings, while pedestrians will be guided on shortcuts through parks and pedestrian-only zones in over 100 cities across the globe. And unlike other mobile navigation mapping solutions, Ovi Maps works offline--no cellular service is required.

Driving directions.

3D landmarks.

Lonely Planet guide.

Real-time weather.

With the new Ovi Maps for mobile you get for free:

• Maps for over 180 countries and free map updates
• Drive and Walk navigation available in over 70 countries with real-time voice guidance
• My Position enables you to find your current location easier and faster than ever.
• New one box search for quicker access to finding places and addresses.
• Save your favorite places and routes, then synchronize them with your Ovi account over the air.
• Car navigation with voice and visual instructions, lane assistance and speed limit information. Now also with text-to-speech voice guidance.
• Pedestrian navigation with routing through pedestrian zones and shortcuts, pathways through parks and buildings, stairways and plazas. Now with text-to-speech voice guidance.
• Get real-time weather information including a 5-day forecast, for your current or any location found via search.
• Lonely Planet and Michelin offer you dynamic access to the best and most relevant editorial travel content for over 1000 destinations. Find thousands of listings for sights, restaurants, hotels, shops, nightlife, and more. Look these places up on the map and get to them with Walk and Drive navigation.
• Discover the events happening nearby your location on the map or any place found via search.
• Share your location on Facebook--where you are, what you are up to and finish with a photo.

No Hidden Costs
The new version of Ovi Maps comes with all the maps and high-end, car grade navigation features you need for free and is yours to keep for the life of the smartphone. No additional licenses needed for extra countries, regions or services like traffic information or city guides. Data charges from network operators may apply.

Voice Guidance and Traffic Information
Turn-by-turn, voice guided navigation comes free for both drivers and pedestrians. For drivers this includes lane assistance, traffic information, safety camera, and speed warnings. For pedestrians, this includes shortcuts through parks and pedestrian-only zones for over 100 cities around the world as well as 6,000 3D landmarks in over 200 cities to help you find exactly where you are.

Unique Hybrid Technology
Ovi Maps is built on an advanced technology called hybrid vector maps. Vector maps are high quality but less data intensive and allow you to continue to navigate even if you lose your network connection. This means that maps downloaded or updated across a network connection are about half the size of bulky bitmaps used by other mobile map providers. The hybrid technology ensures that, unlike other providers, any downloaded map data is stored on the device for future use.

No Network Connection Required When Navigating
Avoid expensive, battery-draining network connections with Nokia's unique hybrid technology. Maps can be pre-loaded on to your Nokia smartphone so you can set Ovi Maps to offline mode, saving battery power, and the navigation system will still work. This is particularly useful for those worried about data connection costs when travelling abroad or when you are travelling through areas with little or no network coverage.

Best Global Coverage
You take your mobile with you wherever you go in the world so, as standard, voice guided navigation for both pedestrians and drivers is available for 74 countries in 46 different languages and there are maps for over 180 countries. This gives you the best maps with the largest global coverage for free.

Product Description

Send e-mails, text messages and photos from the palm of your hand with this mobile phone that features a 2.0MP camera with video capture so you won't miss special moments while you're on the go and an FM radio that lets you listen to your favorite songs.Available with 2-year contract pricing at select Best Buy stores.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Affordable Smartphone for Casual Users, March 28, 2010

By 

Stanley Fu (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Nuron 5230 Phone, Frost White (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

A lot of reviews on the web have rated this phone pretty low (like Engadget) which I think is extremely unfair because they're comparing the capabilities of this phone to other high end Smart Phones like the iPhone, Droid or Nexus One. If you take the approach that this phone isn't meant to compete directly with the latest Android, iPhone, or Blackberry phones, you'll find that the Nokia Nuron fits in nicely and affordably between your basic call and text only phone and the high end phones mentioned above. There's a lot to like -

First, the price. The main appeal of the Nuron is that it's far cheaper on or off contract then other smart phones. From T-Mobile it's $69.99 or $179.99, and even better if you're buying from Amazon where the phone is only 1 penny. In addition, unlike your Blackberry, Android, or Windows Mobile data plans that run you $30, the Nuron is able to take advantage of the $10 web2go plan. Not only does this mean a lower cost of entry, but also a lower cost of total ownership. Over a 2 year contract, that's a savings of $240 which is pretty significant, for a phone that gives you much of the same capabilities as those other options.

All of the major capabilities of a smart phone are here, including internet access and real web browsing (including the ability to run Flash), receive email, a 3G connection, built in free GPS, and a number of applications available for free or purchase from Nokia and other sites online. Having used the phone for a few days, for a casual user that doesn't need constant email and web access or a gigantic touch screen display, the Nokia fits great and all of these features have worked as well as I expected.

There are some minor cons with the phone though. For one, the low price comes at a cost of a better camera and the lack of WiFi. The camera is disappointing, because Nokia has the model 5800 series that has a 3.2 MP camera with flash, while the 5230/Nuron only has a 2 MP camera and no flash. For those who are hoping for something better to take pictures with, this certainly won't replace your point and click digital camera. The lack of WiFi isn't a big deal for me, only because I don't really need regular data access and I live in an area where 3G is available readily. I don't have any complaints, but for those that want to sit in a coffee shop and connect wirelessly on their as the lounge around, it might be an issue.

The other minor quirks are probably due to the fairly old OS that the Nuron runs off. The Symbian S60 V5 is fairly old, and has seen numerous revisions as it adapted to touch screen displays, meaning it isn't quite as responsive as the operating systems built from the ground up like the iPhone or Android. Still, I had no issues using the touch screen, and it felt very responsive and dialing or texting was accurate. I have some small quirks with the accelerometer when tilting the phone for landscape view, but the complaints i've seen online about having a resistive touch screen versus capacitive haven't really been apparent to me. I've been able to navigate the phone with ease, having made calls and sent texts with very few mistakes due to the touch screen.

All in all, obviously an iPhone or Nexus One user wouldn't revert back to something like this, but for someone looking for a cheap phone for some basic web access, GPS for maps and directions, and checking email or IM's, this phone fits the need very well at a low cost. I really can't complain, especially given the big savings in data plans alone.

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars decent cheap smart-feature phone, March 28, 2010

By 

Jade "just-jade" (boston ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Nuron 5230 Phone, Frost White (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

This is my first touch screen nokia phone and i've had it for 2 days. The screen is nice and bright although viewing it outside in sunlight is washed out. The touch screen is responsive and you have to put pressure when pressing for it to accept but you get a feedback buzz of sorts to let you know that you pressed a button. The screen only measures about 3.2 inches so it's a bit small for the gps function. The main selling point for this phone is the gps function. Unlike the telnav program which costs money, the ovi maps by nokia are free and free for the life of the phone. You can download the map updates and other countries too for free. If you didn't buy the unlimited web package, then turn the gps-internet connection off. The gps functions work without it since it is built to be a standalone gps that also happens to be a phone. At this moment the computer map transfer to the phone is not supported which is a pain since you need to then use the data connection to download and update maps. I'm sure they are working on it. The nokia ovi app store is small but nice. It's not as developed as apple or others since its new. There are many free apps as well as paid ones. With the nokia ovi site, you can back up your contacts, calendar and files. The user interface in the main menu might be confusing to someone who may not have used the symbian interface before. You could say it's not easily intuitive but it makes sense. Some functions require a double tap while other require a single tap to open things. Also some pages you can scroll by touching anywhere on the screen while some have to touch the scroll bar on the side to scroll which is annoying. There is an accelerometer in the phone so you can type qwerty in landscape which makes entering text easy. I have larger woman's hands and thicker fingers and I can 95% of the time type on the screen correctly. I've also never used a touch screen device until now too. The only page that won't go into the landscape mode is the home page. The voice and sound quality is very nice although when at the max volume on speaker it gets cracky and tinny. There is a media button atop the right side of the phone which gives quick access to the radio, music player and image gallery. The 2.0 mp camera is okay. It should be higher but for the price of the phone it's not bad. The pictures come out pretty decent and it also shoots video. The regular signal bars are almost at full and I live in 3G zones: boston. However having said that, the aquisition of the 3G is not as often as one would expect. In downloading something the other night, it ran with edge instead of 3G most of the time. That is much slower than 3G. So hopefully there would be some sort of update to the phone or network for this problem. The overall design of the phone is comfortable in the hand. Larger men's hands may find it too small. The phone angles back towards a v shape making very comfortable to hold. It's lightweight and fairly well constructed and fits in my jeans pocket. There is a lock screen button on the side to keep from butt-dailing. Overall this is a nice phone for someone looking for a touchscreen, music player, camera, international and gps for cheap. It is worth the few dollars to buy this phone.
Overview:
Pros:
1. Free gps maps for the life of the phone
2. touch screen with feedback touch
3. accelerometer for landscape and qwerty typing
4. use of gps independent of the carrier data line
5. price

Cons:
1. User interface learning curve
2. Inconsistent page interactions
3. Low megapixel camera
4. screen on the smaller size.
5. 3G signal is not consistent

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great phone for prepaid users especially, September 17, 2010

By 

Marc Sabatella "Marc" (Denver, Colorado (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nokia Nuron 5230 Phone, Frost White (T-Mobile) (Wireless Phone Accessory)

Seems the opinions regarding this phone vary considerably, and I think I can see why. The Nokia Nuron sits in a very unique position, and depending on your needs and expectations, it either fits very well or very poorly. As a phone, it's basically fine - but then, aren't they all? As a semi-smartphone, it can runs various apps, download new ones, and do all sorts of things a "regular" phone can't. Maybe not as much as some smartphones, but not a huge difference - until one considers data access. That's where users will see a real difference - for better or for worse - between this and whatever other phone they might currently be using or considering.

If you're on a regular monthly fee plan and are already accustomed to paying for full time data access on a smartphone, the Nuron will probably be cheaper month to month - only $10 instead of $20-$30 for data (because it's not officially considered a smartphone). But you'll probably be aware of how much you're giving up compared to a more sophisticated phone, which other reviews have pointed out. No WiFi, Symbian is less familiar to most people in the US, some apps you might expect to be available aren't, etc. And if you're already paying for data access anyhow, the free Ovi Maps that doesn't require a data connection is not going to be a huge selling point, since Google Maps will work just as well for you. So it will be a tough call for most on a monthly fee plan as to whether this phone makes sense - pay a bit less, get a bit less.

However, it's a *very* different story on prepaid. Most prepaid customers are not accustomed to smartphone features in the first place, since no smartphones are normally offered on prepaid. And they are also not accustomed to having data access at all beyond the very limited "T-Zones" service (access to a small handful of pre-determined web sites). The "hourpass" that T-Mobile recently started offering for full Internet access ($0.99 for a continuous hour of service) does not work with most smartphones, so you are normally limited to the basic $40-$60 flip or slider phones sold for prepaid if you want Internet access. And those basic phones typically have very rudimentary web browsers with awkward user interfaces and small, low resolution screens. Paying a buck an hour for that level of pain hardly seems worth it. Overall, the Internet experience normally seems so limited, clumsy, and/or expensive with prepaid that most people probably seldom bother.

The Nokia Nuron is arguably the only affordable device that improves on this situation to the point of offering prepaid customers anything even remotely like the full smartphone experience. Not even considering the data situation, it's a touchscreen phone with plenty of bells and whistles that runs a large variety of apps. This automatically makes it a step up from virtually everything else offered on prepaid. There are quite a few useful apps preloaded - featuring, of course, Ovi Maps, which absolutely *does* work on prepaid. Completely free maps, verbal turn-by-turn driving directions, restaurant listings, and so forth - no access fee of any kind, and it doesn't even require a data connection. Plus of course there are many more apps available for download, greatly expanding on the capabilities of the Nuron over the typical prepaid phone. But just as importantly, the Web browser on the phone is perfectly usable (with Opera Mobile and others freely available as well), making it more worth one's while to explore the data options available than it might seem with most prepaid phones. And it turns out these data options aren't necessarily all that limiting, clumsy, or expensive after all.

First, the free T-Zones service that you can access on prepaid currently offers full time and completely free access to Yahoo. You have to enter the address (m.yahoo.com) manually, but then you can save it as a bookmark, or else install the Yahoo "app" (really just a glorified bookmark). And Yahoo access means email, weather, news, sports, movie listings, and so forth - all completely free. Painful to access on more basic phones, but perfectly usable on the Nuron. Between that and Ovi Maps, that's full time access to a heck of a lot of information - probably most of what most prepaid customers would want most of the time - for free.

Second, the hourpass *does* work with the Nuron to provide full Internet access when desired. That's access to the entire Web for an hour at a time, and it seems to work from the web browser as well as other apps. No, it's not full time data access, so it's expensive for extended use, and sure, WiFi would be nice to get free access in coffeeshops, hotels and so forth. Still, when home or at work, I've got my laptop. And when casually going about town, I've got Yahoo and Ovi Maps for free on my Nuron. I see the hourpass option mostly being useful when traveling, where I might go online only once a day even with my laptop. If my job required constant communication and heavy data use, this might not cut it, but that's not my world. So instead of thinking of the data option as $1/hour that would add up quickly, I really think of this as $1/day and only on the days when I'm traveling sans laptop or are going to be away from my laptop long enough to "need" data access beyond Yahoo and Ovi Maps. People comfortable with paying $60/month or more in order to be constantly plugged in might find that unacceptable, but that's not the typical prepaid customer.

Bottom line numbers here: getting a "smarter" phone and the associated $60/month plan will cost over $700 per year. You'll get full time Internet access and a somewhat nicer phone in other respects, and if that works for you, great. But most prepaid customers are not heavy users at all and are completely unwilling to pay those kind of prices for unlimited access. With the Nuron on prepaid, I estimate I will spend *under $100 per year* operating this phone. Pay as much or as little at a time as you like, but once you've paid $100 into the system, your minutes are good for an entire year, and paying at least $50 at a time gets you rates approaching $0.10/minute. I don't normally spend more than $75 or so per year on minutes, and if I use the hourpass twice a month, that's still under $100 for the year.

If I become someone who uses my mobile phone more, then sure, I expect to pay more, but still, even three times more usage comes out to less than half of what another smartphone on a monthly plan would cost. Worst case scenario is I eventually begin to use the phone as much as others do and switch to a regular monthly fee plan - but even this would cost less with the Nuron than with a "real" (according to T-Mobile) smartphone. And I'd have saved enough along the way to upgrade if I really felt like it.

Note this particular Amazon listing presumably is not valid for prepaid. But the phone is available for $99.99 at Costco, and it can usually be purchased online even if you are not a member, from what I hear. The listing has apparently been appearing and disappearing all year long, so if you look one day and don't see it, try again the next.

Anyhow, if you're a prepaid customer, the Nokia Nuron ends up being an absolutely amazing deal. It's just mind-boggling how much more this phone can do than the basic $40-$60 flip or slider phones, all without costing a cent more month to month, and just $50 more or so up front for the phone itself. And yet, stepping up to another smartphone, and paying the associated monthly fee to use it, means spending many hundreds of dollars more each year. It's up to you of course to decide if full time Internet, a somewhat nicer interface, and with a few more more apps are worth that much to you. But if you're the type of person to whom prepaid appeals in the first place, chances are pretty good you'll answer "no" to that. Free Ovi Maps, Yahoo, and the hourpass option should be enough for an awful lot of people.

A couple of disclaimers. While hourpass definitely does work on the Costco T-Mobile-branded Nuron on prepaid, T-Mobile has been reluctant to say that it is officially supported, and it is known have issues (eg, probably not work) with unlocked versions of the phone. Also, T-Mobile makes no promises regarding which sites are included with the free T-Zones on prepaid. So one cannot be absolutely certain that the hourpass and free Yahoo will continue to be available forever. If those should both be shut down, and no viable alternative appear in their place, that might also prompt one to eventually consider signing up for a regular monthly fee plan - which, again, would be cheaper than with other smartphones. But on the other hand, even sticking with prepaid, I'd still have an extremely nice phone with free Ovi Maps for barely more than the $40-$60 models.