Nec e606 - Never Even Consider It (NEC E606)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	NEC E606
Date:	25/11/04 (543 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Video calls, Voice calls

Disadvantages: Difficult to use, Very Bulky, Looks silly

~Introduction~

I have had the Nec e606 for about three months now. I previously had the Motorola a835, which decided to break so I needed to replace it. The problem is that I have a contract with 3 Mobile; I think you will all sigh at that, and that means that I can only put my sim card in a 3 Mobile telephone. As if that’s not bad enough, it has to be a contract and not a pre pay phone. This is probably about the most bearable phone available on the 3 network, so I decided to purchase one on the cheap from eBay.


The phone itself was released when 3 mobile first came into being. It was, I suppose their flagship phone and also the phone by which all of its predecessors have been judged and marked against. It is still very up-to-date and technologically capable of remaining on an even footing with the new phones that companies are continuing to be produced and released to the open market.


~Nec: Facts~

The company was founded by Kunihiko Iwadareas Nippon Electricity Company in 1899, in Japan. They changed their name to NEC in 1983. They started off in sales and maintenance of telephones and switching systems. Today, they are on of the leading providers of computer networks, mobile phones and business solutions in the world. The company employs over 140,000 people and has net annual sales upward of $40 billion.


~The Phone~

That’s enough about Nec and also of me waffling. I will now get into the actual phone itself and talk about the different aspects and parts of it. I will give my opinion on each area and then come to a conclusion at the end. I hope to give a balanced account of the phone, as it’s only fair to look at the good and bad points.


~Camera~

The Nec e606 has both still and video camera facilities available on it. There are also two cameras, on the front and one on the back. The one of the back is for when you are filming or taking a picture of somebody or something else. The front one is for pictures of you and for use when you are video calling somebody. The picture quality is pretty good, but this was one of the first phones to have a camera and the technology has moved on a bit since then. The video shots do tend to be a bit patchy, especially when you move to the phone during filming. The still shots are a lot better and were probably by far and a way the best quality when the phone was in its heyday. If you want a phone for a camera and to make video calls, then this isn’t a bad choice, especially as it is pretty cheap now. The other parts of the phone however, may prove to be a bit of a let down.


~Calls~

It is very easy to make and receive voice and video calls on this phone. You can search through you contact list or simply key in the telephone number and then hit the green call button. The clarity of the speech on voice calls is very good at your end but I have been talking to people and they have said that my voice was echoing. This is apparently very annoying and may put people off from talking to you. Overall, I’m pretty happy with the voice calling and I never have any problems. Making a video call is as simple and also as good. The picture of the person at the other end is very clear and you can easily hear what they are saying to you. As far as making a call goes, this phone is more than adequate although some people may laugh at the brick that you are holding up to your ear.


~Messaging~

This is a really awkward phone for typing text messages on. The buttons and what they do are really confusing and it soon becomes very frustrating and arduous to write even the shortest of messages. I did a test on this phone and my Nokia 7250i to see which phone I could type: ‘Hi, I will b there in 15 mins, c u soon’. It took me about 10-15 seconds on the Nokia and about 90 seconds on the Nec phone. Just from that, you can see how frustrating it is and why I get really annoyed with it. This isn’t the sort of thing that I can see improving over time and with practice. I think this is true with most Nec mobile phones, the text messaging part of their phone software is just not up to scratch.


~Battery Lifetime~

The battery on this phone, is absolutely horrendous. The battery has about a 24 standby time, that means you keep the phone closed and not doing anything with it. It will last for about a 45 minute call if the battery is fully charged. The company also recommend that you buy a new back-up battery when you purchase the phone, because it is so poor. The battery is about the same size as Nokia battery, but about five times less efficient. This really bugs me and if I have a long day ahead of me, I tend to turn my phone off or not use it for fear of running out of power.


~Styling~

The phone doesn’t actually look too bad. It is by no means the nicest looking mobile that you are likely to see, but far from being the worst. It is definitely much nicer than any other model that is available on the 3 network, with the possible exception of the new LG phone that has just come out. It is a flip phone, which means the top and the bottom section fold inwards, or outwards when it is closed. The bottom and lower section, is a matt black and the top section is a shiny silver colour. The camera and a shiny ‘3’ logo are on the top section of the phone. When the phone is opened out, it reveals a large colour screen, with the Nec logo underneath it. There a total of 29 buttons, of which 12 are the numbers and hash and star keys. There are call and end call buttons, signified by green and red telephone symbols respectively. There is a menu and internet button along with another two buttons for selecting the word or function that appears above them on the screen. There is also a four way directional button that surrounds another select button. As I have said, this isn’t a bad looking phone, but we now move onto a downside of the phone which is its size.


~Size~

This phone is something of a brick, not dissimilar to other 3 mobile phones. It is 10 centimetres in length and 5cm across. The phone is around an inch thick which makes it rather sizeable. I often put my phone in a bag, if I am carrying one or ask somebody who I am with, because it is really uncomfortable to put it in a pocket. This is one of the major flaws with this phone and a reason why so many people are put off it. It is a real nuisance for me and I have now resorted to using my Nokia 7250i when I go out and using this phone to make calls when I am at home.


~Ease of Use~

This mobile phone isn’t really that easy to use when you first get it. The Nec mobile software lacks the simplicity and clarity of a Nokia phone. The menus are poorly arranged and there are too many buttons that do too many things. I am quite good with mobile phones, so I was soon able to pick it up but it really took me a while to be completely comfortable with it. I dread to think what would happen if any of my older relatives were to be faced with this. It would drive them crazy and they would probably give up after about five minutes. My mum can just about use a Nokia, so with this she would be absolutely overwhelmed and as for my dad, well don’t even go there. The software on the phone is also quite slow and takes a while to respond to what you ask it to do. I often end up pressing a button twice in my frustration of how slow the phone is and then up in a random menu that I didn’t know existed. This is something that really bugs me and proves to be another serious let down to this mobile phone.


~Durability~

I must admit, that this phone does look incredibly durable and hard wearing. It looks incredibly well made and seems as though it could stand up against pretty much anything you throw at it. It doesn’t feel quite so good in your hand though, the plastic casing does feel a little bit flimsy. This will protect the phone if you were to drop it, because there is a bit of give when it hits the surface. In terms of the software and the general working of the phone, I haven’t experienced any problems in the time that I have had it. It has responded to all that I have requested of it in the correct manor, albeit very slowly. This phone could last me for another few years should I choose to keep it, but in March I will be launching this phone into the sea somewhere off the coast of Dorset.


~Instruction Book~

To call it an instruction book is quite a fair reflection of the manual that you get with this phone. It is very thick and it has an awful lot of content. It is incredibly well laid out and therefore extremely easy to use and navigate. It is a shame that the phone itself isn’t as well planned. The contents page shows in good detail everything that is contained within the book and that helps speed up finding a solution to any problem that you may be having. The actual text, language used and lay out of the information is very clear, making it easy to read and understand. This is one of the good points of the phone package and something that makes such a confusing phone, that much easier to use.


~Conclusion~

I would urge any of you that are considering this mobile phone, or anything similar, to look elsewhere. There are far better phones available, in terms of their styling size and some of the capabilities they have. I managed to buy this phone for £40 which is pretty good and I only need for a short time until my contract expires in February next year. The video and still camera capability and also the 3G services that the phone provides are certainly very good and worth taking note of. The let downs do far outweigh the plus points so I would steer clear of this one.

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