This Bird Can Fly


Okay, our office right now is awash in Birds. No, it’s not a scene from a Hitchcock movie, but we’ve been testing Bird phones for an upcoming m|ph article.

You’ve probably been seeing Bird-branded phones in stores. And you probably have been wondering if they’re worthy of your attention.

Well, I’ve been using the Bird A130 for some time now, and I have to admit that it’s pretty impressive for a brand that is only now beginning to hit our consciousness.

At the very least, I have to say that, despite its simple build, it has turned out to be quite an attention getter. This clamshell has been mistaken for a Nokia 6170 (although I fail to see that much of a resemblance) and even for a Nokia 7270(!). I’d say that much of these perceptions come from its silver and black color scheme, as well as its current anonymity in the Philippine market.

One of the biggest concerns of consumers, upon finding out that Bird is a brand from mainland China, is that it might be difficult to use. However, the interface turns out to be surprisingly friendly. In fact, I felt more comfortable with its interface than I did with that of some popular European models (er, model phones, not females!). The menu was pretty straightforward and there was a logical progression that was fairly manageable to grasp.

The color screen was bright, the keys comfortable, and even the form factor was surprisingly pleasing. The unit was very palm-friendly, and it fit really snugly in my hand. Heck, I actually enjoyed using this phone! Particularly as the clamshell opened and shut with a crowd-pleasing snappiness.

It’s not a perfect unit, mind you. And I do have a number of qualms about it, some of which are major points. But I’ll reserve that for the magazine review. For now, what I can say is that, based on my experience, these erstwhile little-known Bird phones can indeed become worthy contenders in our mobile market.

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February 8th, 2005
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Comment Number:
1
Written by:
iBernie
Posted on:
2/9/2005 at 10:26 am

I can see it now… Mr. Art Ilano humming PnE’s (Parokya ni Edgar) “Don’t Touch my Birdie” while walking on the corridors to the m|ph office.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
Art Ilano
Posted on:
2/9/2005 at 11:31 am

iBernie: I can see it now… Mr. Art Ilano humming “Dont Touch my Birdie”…

Sigh, you don’t know the half of it. Bird-brained comments? I’ve heard them all, from “Patingin ng Bird mo” to “I like your Bird” to the downright unnerving “That’s a small Bird you’ve got…”

Argh!!!

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Clair
Posted on:
2/9/2005 at 2:13 pm

So how much are these phones? :)
They look interesting.

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Head Geekette
Posted on:
2/9/2005 at 7:23 pm

Actually…

“Skyline Pigeon” comes to mind. Thought you’re right. PnE’s song is soooo much Mr. Ilano! :D

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Head Geekette
Posted on:
2/9/2005 at 7:27 pm

On a more serious note, Art’s bird was actually nice to handle when he showed it to me. I couldn’t stop playing with it and it felt so good in my hands! SO CUTE!

(Yes… I’m still talking about the phone.)

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Art Ilano
Posted on:
2/21/2005 at 10:48 am

Clair: So how much are these phones? They look interesting

The A130 that is shown here has an SRP of PhP 9,990.00. Perhaps not exactly cheap, but it is after all a clamshell with a video cam. It has a 65,536-color screen, a talk time of 2 to 5 hours (standby of up to 100 hours), 500 phonebook memory, WAP, GPRS and is Dualband. It weighs just 82 grams. :)

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
jeff
Posted on:
6/19/2005 at 2:03 am

I just bought the A130 a few days ago…if you like a simple phone, nice little camera feature (quality nothing to write home about), this is awesome…bought it in singapore for $250 sing dollars.. the size of it is awesome, cant feel it in my pocket…remember though, this has no connectivity options e.g. USB Cable, Infrared, Bluetooth etc, can only connect via GPRS…

2 problems im having…

1) if you miss a call, it doesn’t say it on the external screen so you have to flip it open, like wise if you want to see if there is a message at night (unlike some motorola models, where there is a button on the side of the screen)..

2) the battery life seems to diminishing verrry quickly..made 1-2 brief calls, sent a few sms, and the battery was dead by the end of the day…possibly because i havent charged it for 12 hours, like most phones recommend you do when buying a new phone…

Overall im happy with the phone, i do enjoy, im just hoping i can get this battery problem worked out…

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
Jeff
Posted on:
6/25/2005 at 1:29 pm

I went back to place i bought it in singapore, and the guy swapped the phone for another one, and it works perfect, all glitches are taken care of, the external display shows missed calls, and the battery now last 3-4 days…must of been just unlucky…