Mobile Phone Reviews
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If you like phones you can personalise, the Nokia N79 will be right up your street. Using an Xpress-on smart covers system, the Nokia N79 adds a little bit of style to an otherwise conventional mobile phone. The colour combinations available using this system are - Canvass white with light Sea blue/ Espresso brown/ Olive green or Seal grey with Espresso brown/Coral red and white. Apart from the casings, the Nokia N79 is very similar to the Nokia N95. Measuring 110mm x 49mm x 15mm and weighing 97g, the N79 standard battery pack can provide up to 350 hours of standby power and around 5 hours of talktime from a single full charge.
The Xpress-on smart covers system is more than just different coloured battery covers, the covers available actually have different metal contacts on them that the phone senses then produces matching colour display themes. A simple but effective feature, however it would be better if you could change the front cover also.
Xpress-on smart covers aside, the Nokia N79 is a fairly conventional looking “candy bar” type phone, but the N79 does have a lot of great features. The front of the phone is dominated by the keypad and the large 2.4 inch QVGA screen (with 320 x 240 pixels resolution) which displays up to 16 million colours. There is a headphone jack on the top of the handset (standard 3.5mm type so you can use virtually any type of aftermarket headphones) and a good lens cover for camera.
The Nokia N79 runs on S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 Operating System so all applications run smoothly with little or no time lag. The navigation keys are large and easy to use, with the display automatically changing between portrait or landscape depending on phone rotation.
The Nokia N79 mobile has a built-in 5 mega-pixel camera (2584 x 1938 pixel resolution) with, CMOS sensor, Carl Zeiss optics, Tessar Lens, 20x digital zoom, autofocus, LED flash and Red-Eye reduction. A dedicated camera key makes it easy to take snaps and access all the features and functions.
The features list on this Nokia N79 mobile phone are endless, including music player, GPS, Quickoffice, FM radio with RDS support, FM transmitter (for playing through car stereo system), N-Gage gaming platform, loudspeaker, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, video recording in VGA up to 640 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second and Quad-band network reception with roaming facility!
Pros
3.5mm headphone jack
Cool colour casing combinations
Good call quality
S60 3rd Edition OS
Wi-Fi
HSDPA
5 megapixel camera and 4GB MicroSD card included
Cons
Keypad not raised or well defined
Plastic covers so can feel flimsy compared to competitors
Front cover not interchangeable with Xpress-on system
LED photo lights no substitute for Xenon flash in poor light conditions
A great all rounder offering features to suit almost everyone. Reasonably priced and shipping as standard with plenty of memory - a winner!
The Nokia 7100 Supernova mobile phone is part of the successful Supernova range from Nokia which consists of handsets like the Nokia 7210 Supernova, Nokia 7510 Supernova, Nokia 7310 Supernova and the Nokia 7610 Supernova.
With a neat slide opening casing, the Nokia 7100 Supernova is a compact and very stylish handset. Measuring just 15mm x 48.4mm x 98mm at a lightweight 103.5 grams, the 7100 is easy to use and fits comfortably in one hand and even small pockets. The Nokia 7100 Supernova mobile phone comes in a choice of funky colour schemes - jelly red, black or fresh blue colour. With a two inch
colour QVGA TFT (Thin Film Transistor technology results in better image stability) screen which displays high screen resolution colours the 7100 is a joy to use. The standard rechargeable battery will provide 8 hours of talk time and 430 hours on standby from a single full charge.
A built-in music player with supported music formats including MP3, AAC format, Midi, WAV format and AMR provide entertainment. MP3, AAC or polyphonic sound ring tones are supported and the Nokia 7100 Supernova ships with an FM radio for tuning into your favourite radio stations.
The Nokia 7100 Supernova comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera with dedicated camera key and supports picture caller identification which allows you to associate pictures to callers. All main messaging services are offered including audio messaging, emailing, text messaging and multimedia picture messaging (MMS).
The Nokia 7100 Supernova ships with 4Mb of internal memory as standard for storage of phone book entries, messages, pictures, Java games and music. With built-in Blue tooth technology wireless connection to other compatible devices at up to ten metres is possible. For connection to non bluetooth devices a USB slot is provided.
Preloaded games available on the Nokia 7100 Supernova include Snake, Backgammon, CityBloxx, and some Sudoku games (games vary depending on the service provider).
Pros
Bluetooth
Hands free speaker call feature
MMS
Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging
2 Inch 65k Colour QVGA TFT Screen
1.3 Megapixel Camera with Dedicated Camera Key
Music Player
Cons
No Wi-Fi LAN connectivity
Only dual-band so not suitable for world wide use
No video recording facilities
If you are looking for the ultimate top of the range mobile phone stuffed full of all the latest technologies, then the Nokia 7100 Supernova is not the phone for you. However, if you are looking for a cheap and stylish phone with all the main features supported then this handset is definitely worth a look.
The Nokia 7610 Supernova has got to be one of the most stylish phones on the market, it’s gorgeous! Available in a choice of 5 colours (lilac, blue, red, grey and white with themed wallpapers to match) the 7610 Supernova has a large 2 inch QVGA screen ( up to 16 million colours with 320 x 240 pixel resolution) giving a clear, crisp and bright display. The 7610 Supernova weighs in at a slender 99g with compact dimensions of just 98mm x 48mm x 15mm. Battery life is good with up to 5.4 hours of talk time and 300 hours of standby time from a single charge.
The retail bundle for the 7610 Supernova includes phone, compact charger, stereo headset, video out cable, 512MbmicroSd card, two express on covers and user guide.
Browsing the internet is simple using the XHTML WAP 2.0 browser. Fast data speeds are available using OMA DRM 2.0 and EDGE technology with the support of GPRS. The 7610 Supernova is a quad band phone with world roaming capability enabling you to stay in contact with friends and family while on holiday abroad.
The Nokia 7610 Supernova comes with a 3.2 mega-pixel camera featuring an 8x digital zoom and Dual LED flash for low light environments. The video recording facility supports MPEG4, VGA and CIF video formats and video playback is available by streaming on phone or via TV out cable on your TV.
The Nokia 7610 Supernova music player supports MP3, AAC, and eAAC+ music formats and features an integrated FM stereo with RDS. A 2 way dedicated music key makes it easy to listen to your favourite tunes anywhere. All popular ring tone formats are supported including videos, MP3, AAC, eAAC+ and polyphonic ring-tones. The internal 64Mb will be sufficient for most and there is an option to upgrade using microSd card up to 2Gb.
Keeping in touch with contacts is easy if there is no time to make a call - SMS, MMS (multi-media
messaging), Emailing, Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging and Instant messaging are all available
The 7610 Supernova mobile comes with embedded Java games and your can download more games if you wish although not all games are free. Other embedded features and applications are background noise cancellation (Nokia Clarity), voice commands, personal organiser, a “To Do” task list and even an alarm clock and countdown timer.
Pros
Quad band
Personal organiser with Phone book, Calendar, To do list, Notes, Alarm Clock & Countdown timer
Voice Commands and recording
Bluetooth, TV out and USB connectivity
Java games and downloadable games
Background noise cancellation (Voice Clarity)
EDGE and GPRS technologies
Hands free integration
Available Sim-free
Cons
No LAN Wi-Fi
Not 3G enabled
No infra-red port
A stylish and trendy phone, the Nokia 7610 Supernova will sell on the looks alone! In terms of performance, features and capabilities the 7610 Supernova is a good mid-range choice.
The slim and trendy Nokia 6650 silver flip mobile phone is available exclusively through T-Mobile. Not to be confused with the old “candy bar” 6650 mobile from back in 2003! There are two display screens, the external display screen shows up to 262k colours with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels, while the internal display (2.2 inches) has up to 16 million colours a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. Having double screens means you can access lots of features and information without opening the phone. Battery performance on the Nokia 6650 silver is above average with up to 6 hours of talk time and 350 hours standby. The relatively compact dimensions of the Nokia 6650 silver mobile phone (99.7mm x 47mm x 16.2mm) and low weight of 112g, means that the 6650 silver fits in your pocket or hand easily and can be operated with one hand.
The built-in music player on the Nokia 6650 silver features an integral FM Radio and supports AAC, eAAC+ and MP3 music formats. The 6650 silver can be customised using MP3 and Polyphonic ring-tones. There is 30Mb of internal memory plus a memory card slot for microSD card if more storage is required.
The Nokia 6650 silver uses the latest XHTML and WAP 2.0 technologies to provide internet browsing capabilities to the user. Connecting to other devices is straightforward using the Bluetooth and USB features. Connectivity to services and networks is well catered for with 3G HSDPA, EDGE and GPRS technologies. The Nokia 6650 silver is a quad-band network mobile which covers GSM-850/900/1800/1900 and HSDPA, so keeping in touch with family, friends or the office while outside the UK is easy.
The Nokia 6650 silver mobile features a built-in 2 mega-pixel camera with flash, zoom and a dedicated camera key. The camera can also record moving video footage which can be played back on the internal display screen. Quality of both still photographs and video is pretty basic, but if you rarely use these functions then there is plenty of other features on the 6650 silver to keep you interested.
Messenger services such as SMS, MMS (multi-media messaging), Instant messaging and Emailing are included and a wide range of Java games are also available.
The Nokia 6650 silver is also packed with tools and applications such as an Organiser, Calendar, Alarm, Calculator, GPS Navigation and A GPS Function.
Pros
Full range of features
Low price
GPS navigation
Built-in FM Radio
Hands free speaker phone
Decent web browsing
Cons
Pretty basic camera and video recorder
No real “wow” factor
Keypad is flat so easy to select wrong key when texting
The Nokia 6650 silver mobile phone is a stylish and useful phone, it has most of the features demanded by modern consumers and is easy to use. However, it’s a good phone, not a great phone.
The 5800 XpressMusic (also known as the Tube smartphone) is the latest entry from Nokia into the expanding touch screen mobile phone market. This is obviously an attempt by Nokia to compete against the mighty iPhone, so how does it stack up? Well, although a latecomer in this field, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is packed with some pretty impressive features.
Screen -The touch screen supports stylus, plectrum and finger inputs for text along with a QWERTY keyboard and handwriting recognition software.
Music - One touch can get you into 35 hours of music, browsable by artist, album, play lists and genre. With innovative surround sound speakers with built in graphic equaliser. The standard 8Gb microSD card can be upgraded to 16Gb for extended music libraries (up to 6000 songs). An FM radio is also included.
Camera and Video - A standard 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, LED flash and 3x digital zoom. The 3.2″ widescreen featuring nHD resolution of 640×360 pixels and 16 million colours makes the watching and recording of video a fabulous experience. 30 frames-per-second playback and recording should mean smooth, almost DVD quality video. Using the image editing suite you can crop, rotate and touch up images and even add your favourite soundtrack in seconds. A host of video formats are supported including WMV.
Internet - high speed browsing and downloading are possible using an advanced browser with Flash support using 3.5G HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) and Wireless LAN connections.
One of the best features of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is the Nokia “Media bar”. Unlike other feature packed mobiles, the 5800 XpressMusic functions are easy to access from this innovative drop down menu. On the downside the screen is smaller than the iPhone and not quite as sexy. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic does have an ace up it’s sleeve however, with Flash 9 support you can access much more web multimedia content than the Flashless iPhone.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic bundle comes complete with: Stereo Headset with Remote Control, 8GB microSD Card, Stylus, Stand, USB Cable, TV Cable, Charger, Manual and CD.
Pros
Huge feature set
Comprehensive retail bundle
Affordable retail price
Ergonomic handset - easy to use one handed
Long battery life - 406 hours of standby and 8 hours 45 minutes of talk time
Cons
Limited availability of third party software at present
Sensitivity of touch screen can take some getting used to
No smart dialling
Image quality not up to class leaders
Unable to charge from microUSB
To sum it up, the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a worthy contender to the iPhone, it certainly incorporates more features. However the screen can still be a little jittery when navigating web pages, this latest 5th generation of the Nokia S60 software is certainly an improvement, but hasn’t quite got that iPhone smoothness.
The Nokia 6600 Slide Black is a compact phone just 14mm thick and weighing in at 110grams. The slider has a smooth action and can be operated with one hand. The steel and aluminium construction give the 6600 Slide Black a high quality feel, unlike many competitors which can sometimes feel cheap and “plasticky”. Despite the small size, the 6600 Slide Black features a 2.2 inch QVGA screen with over 16 million colours ensuring clear and bright graphics. Battery life is about average for the class with 3-4 hours of talk time and up to 240 hours on standby.
The Nokia 6600 Slide Black model features a music player with FM radio which supports MP3, MP4, AAC & eAAC+ and MicroSoft-Windows Media Audio (WMA) and has a graphic equaliser with 5 pre-sets. There is 20Mb of on board memory and the 6600 Slide Black bundle includes a useful 512Mb microSD card for extra storage (can be expanded to 4Gb), along with data cable, and a set of stereo headphones with detachable remote. Email is fully supported using Nokia email client which can creating, send, edit and and receive Multimedia messages, both images and video. A 3.2 megapixel camera with 8x zoom and a double LED flash is included along with VGA/QVGA video recording (15 fps - 30 fps) which gives good quality recording.
Featuring an Opera Mini 4 XHTML browser, which supports Java and Flash, browsing the world wide web is a joy. Using font size customization up to 11 lines of text can be read on screen. Connectivity is good with Bluetooth® and MicroUSB options for connections to PC, laptop or printer. However lack of Wi-Fi is a pain.
Sound quality on calls is loud and clear on both ends due to the Nokia background noise cancellation feature known as “Voice Clarity”.
Pros
Instant messaging support for AOL, Yahoo and MSN
New tap technology from Nokia which allows the user to mute/reject calls or silence the alarm simply by tapping the outer case of the phone
Flash support
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Nokia Maps
Screen viewable from wide angles and very clear
Video calling
voice recorder with a 60-minute limit
Cons
No Wi-Fi LAN connectivity
Camera not great
Memory card located under battery
Screen easily scratched if phone placed face down
Glossy finish shows up fingerprints smudges
The Nokia 6600 Slide Black has some fantastic features, however even this 5th edition of the S40 operating system lacks multi-tasking support. For instance you cannot minimise an application and launch another, only one application can be run at a time. Add in the lack of Wi-Fi and this stops the 6600 Slide Black taking class honours, still a cracking mobile phone however!
The Nokia 6220 purple is an Symbian smartphone featuring a 5 megapixel camera with Xenon flash and Carl Zeiss lens, GPS satellite navigation, FM radio, HSDPA/HSUPA and quad band reception. Despite all these features, in classic Nokia fashion, it’s also simple to use. The colour might not be to all tastes, but according to Nokia, purple is the new pink!
With the A-GPS function geo-tagging your photographs, not only do they show date and time, they also show exact geographical location. The new Nokia Maps 2.0 application, helps you to find the best routes to your destination or can list local points of interest such as hotels, petrol stations etc.
The camera features on the 6220 purple are good, but perhaps not as good as you may expect bearing in mind this is a 5 Mega-pixel device. Picture quality is good and video can be recorded at 30 frames per second. The Nokia 6220 purple is packed with all the features required by today’s consumers, such as a decent web browser, email, Built-in GPS, FM radio with RDS, 3G with HSDPA support and a good media player with Polyphonic, MP3 and AAC formats supported. With a generous 120Mb of internal memory the 6220 purple is expandable up to 8GB using microSD card.
The retail bundle for the 6220 Purple includes TV-out cable, USB cable, DC charger, hands free set and a 1Gb memory card. Compact dimensions of 108 x 47 x 15 mm with a weight of only 90g make the 6220 Purple very compact for a smart phone.
Pros
5 mega pixel camera with active lens cover and xenon flash
3G with HSDPA support
Built-in GPS
FM radio with RDS
TV-out
USB and Bluetooth v2.0
VGA video @ 30 fps
“My own key” - fully customisable shortcut key on side of case to any application of your choice
Comes loaded with GPS and the new Nokia Maps 2.0 application
One click photo upload to blogs
Cons
No Wi-Fi
Xenon flash placed under the lens
Awkward shutter key
Front plastic casing looks cheap
A fully featured and easy to use smart phone with everything you need - except Wi-Fi! This is a huge omission by Nokia on the 6220 Purple and really the only serious flaw in the whole package. Many consumers list Wi-Fi connectivity as one of the main factors when it comes to deciding on a new phone. So, for a percentage of consumers, the 6220 Purple will not even be considered. However, apart from Wi-Fi, the 6220 Purple has it all, so if Wi-Fi is not important to you, the 6220 Purple should definitely be on your short list.