Overview of the Huawei U8230 Communicator from life;) Belarus. Part one

Good day, dear habourizer!
Surely, you have already seen a post about subsidized Huawei U8230 phones based on Android, which is provided by the mobile operator life;) Belarus.

So I, quite recently, became the owner of this device and decided to share with you my impressions. So, let's go (“multi- warning ”) ...

I will make a reservation in advance that I use the “device” for about a week, and it went through a small “customization” of the software part, and the device is “locked up” to the operator ( firmware changes and getting “root-rights” were not made , so questions about unlock and so on. n. ask Google .
')

Exterior Hardware

Here you can read the terms of purchase of the device. In short, when connecting, I paid about $ 47, and during the year I have to replenish the balance by $ 24 each month (which the operator writes off to repay the cost of the phone + services). In return, I received this:



Inside there were booklets, a cord-block (a separate plug and a separate wire that connects to both the plug and the PC), headphones (a budget option), and, of course, the device itself:



Included is no memory card - which can not but grieve.

I will give his technical description (taken from here ):

Major:	Date of market entry: 2009 Standard: GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, UMTS (WCDMA) SAR: 0.717 W / kg Platform: Android Operating system: Android 2.1 Processor Type: Qualcomm MSM7200A Clock frequency: 528 MHz
Dimensions and weight:	Length: 116 mm Width: 62 mm Thickness: 12mm Weight: 135 g Design: Case design: tube Built-in antenna Body Material: Plastic, Metal Accelerometer Touch keyboard QWERTY keyboard: virtual
Phonebook and organizer:	Phone numbers Extended Phonebook Support groups of subscribers The calendar Reminders Short messages Mms
Screen:	Screen technology: TFT Screen Type: 262 thousand colors Screen resolution: 320 x 480 Screen Size: 3.5 " Touch Screen: Capacitive
Work with the image:	Built-in camera Additional camera The number of active pixels: 3.2 MP Maximum image resolution: 2048 x 1536 Video recording Auto focus
Work with sound:	Speakerphone Voice Recorder / Sound Recording Audio player
Memory:	The amount of RAM: 192 MB The amount of non-volatile memory: 256 MB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), microSDHC
Navigation:	GPS
The Internet:	GPRS Edge HSDPA HSUPA HTML browser E-mail client
Interfaces:	Bluetooth: 2.1 (EDR) Stereo Bluetooth: (A2DP) AVRCP Audio output: 2.5mm Wi-Fi: 802.11b, 802.11g USB Connector type for PC: microUSB
Battery:	Battery Type: Li-pol Battery capacity: 1500 mAh Talk time: 3 hours, 30 minutes Standby time: 300 hours

Let's look at the "device" closer:



Build quality is pretty good. There are no creaks. The device is executed in gloss and at once its markiness is evident. The spots in the upper part of the screen on the “screen” are the result of my not careful gluing of the film (I purchased the film separately).



In the upper part is the speaker and the front camera, below we have 4 mechanical buttons and the so-called "trackball", in the middle of 3.5mm "touchscreen" (after using which, it was found that it is only suitable for pressing with your fingers, and to touch the "stylus" and similar items such as: pen, pencil, etc., the device refused to respond). The screen is bright, good color reproduction. The non-standard behavior of the “touchscreen” when touching in rainy weather was noticed (moisture got on the screen - it almost did not obey).
On the left side we have a power button and a memory card slot:



In on mode, the power button controls the display backlight, and with a long press, the options menu appears. A slightly slow response (about 1.5s) was observed at the press of a button (first, the backlight of the lower buttons turns on, and then only the display). The button is pressed too gently and almost without any effort - which has repeatedly led to the accidental activation of the display. The memory card dummy seemed not practical, there is a slight backlash (this can affect with frequent replacement of memory cards):



Another picture:



On the right side are the volume up / down buttons and the camera button. The volume keys are pressed too softly (like the power / display on / off button). And to turn on the camera, it is necessary to apply an effort to the button and press it into the body, which seemed to me not very convenient.



Headphone and charging jacks are also not very convenient. For example, I often listen to music, and I have to constantly pull the plug back and forth, the connectors could be separated and positioned on the opposite side of the device (but I did not take part in the design of this device, so it turned out, as it is). I did not like the fact that the headphone jack is 2.5mm.



Behind the device looks like this:




"Marco-scratch" glossy cover, cutout on it under the camera and speaker. Under the lid there is a battery, the charge of which I still only had enough for a day:



I would rate the camera at 3+ on a 5-point scale. The loudness of the speaker is high, I would even say excessive (at the maximum at some frequencies it even “croaks”, and when the holes are closed, it almost completely stops with a finger). The battery is very hot and practically does not charge when connected to a laptop (which in turn is powered from the network) (the impression is that the “laptop” eats up the charge of the tube).

And in conclusion, the first part of a couple of angles:





It’s already four o'clock on the clock, I want to sleep. Therefore, the next “delicious” (the remaining internal stuffing and the program part) will be discussed next time. In the meantime, summarize:

"+"

- as always, the price falls here (which includes operator services — 750MB of Internet traffic; free calls, SMS, MMS, within the network, etc.);
- good quality materials and assembly;
- ease of use of the trackball when operating the menu;
- easy to use "touchscreen";
- sufficient speaker volume;
- You can also include the presence of a sufficiently powerful “stone”, GPS, Bluetooth, an accelerometer, and much more in the “pluses” (but more on that next time).

"-"

- the device is “locked” to the operator ;
- Mark, easily scratched case;
- lack of management of improvised items;
- there is no balance in the "softness" of pressing buttons;
- not (convenient) practical arrangement of connectors;
- not easy to use trackball when entering text;
- no memory card included;
- fast discharge of the battery;
- 2.5 mm jack for headphones;
- almost no charging from the laptop.

To be continued ...