Cheap - But Not Cheerful (Nokia 2610)

Member Name: DocDan3

Product:	Nokia 2610
Date:	28/06/09 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cheap, Practical, Simple, Good Buttons

Disadvantages: Terrible Screen, Lacks Features, Bad Quality

I bought the Nokia 2610 when I simply needed a mobile for simple purposes to call and text others. As I already owned an iPod Touch that was capable for my music and other needs, I wasn't looking for any special features in the mobile. This phone only costs around £25.00 on pay as you go. This means you can put credit on your phone, which can be bought from a variety of places including newsagents, mobile stores and supermarkets. The mobile does its job but has a few flaws too.

The mobile is black with a good size 128x128 pixel screen. It's not the smallest mobile but isn't too chunky either. The buttons are all painted silver besides the two select buttons either side of the directional buttons, which are black. The letters and numbers on the buttons appear to be blue and light up when you are using the phone. The buttons are thankfully large enough to see and use with ease. Above the numeric keypad are the standard green and red buttons for answering a call and hanging up. There is a chrome directional pad used to scroll the menus. This pad is slightly tight to use with larger fingers. In the middle of this pad is a large black select button, which is a lot easier to use.

The screen itself is of very poor quality. It seems to have some sort of plastic covering where all scratches show up on. The cover isn't right on the actual screen, making it harder to view the screen - especially outside in bright light. The screen is almost impossible to see in bright light as it's not got good brightness and seems tucked away in the middle of the phone rather than on view. On top of the screen is the Nokia logo with a rectangular audio output. I think the audio input is on the bottom of the phone along with the input for the charger, which comes with the phone. The phone takes a good few hours to fully charge but then seems to last a long time with casual use. On the back of the phone is the Nokia logo on a metal-looking plate. The back cover slides off to reveal the battery and sim card underneath.

The phone itself has a small variety of features. On the menu is firstly 'Messaging' where you can compose texts as well as multimedia, flash and audio messages. You can view your inbox, drafts, sent items and saved items along with access email and other kinds of messages received. You can also view your contacts, which are added with their names and surnames along with their number. There is a log section, which enables you to view a call log, missed calls, received calls and that sort of thing. Under the settings, you can adjust everything from your wallpaper to your ring tone, tone volume and theme. You can also set the time and date, which can be displayed on your home screen. There is also a Gallery where you can view themes, graphics, tones, music files, recordings and received files. A slightly useful feature is the Recorder under 'Media', which can record audio clips of a short length. Under your organiser, you can make use of the calendar and features to help you get about daily tasks. There is an Applications section where you can play the games. The mobile comes with a few demo games, which are all pretty awful so not worth getting excited about. You can also access the web and navigate to your phone operator. There is also an instant messaging feature on the phone to sum up all its features. I barely make use of any of these, but there is a fair amount of features considering the price of the phone.

Overall, I would not even consider buying a phone like this due to the terrible screen quality. The phone lacks a camera of any sort too, which can be useful. The call quality is ok and of a good volume, but it's hard to even answer your calls and see who's calling when in bright light for a start. Unless you aren't too bothered and want a cheap mobile for simple uses, I would definitely spend a little bit more or look for an alternative mobile phone.

Thanks for reading,

Dan ©

Summary: A simple mobile phone, which is practical for the very basic use of calls and messages

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