Communications conundrum? (Nokia 6230i)

Member Name: The Duke

Product:	Nokia 6230i
Date:	03/03/06 (1436 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Monoblock (not a flip phone), easy to use, compact

Disadvantages: Echo-y sound, disappointing battery life

I've only ever owned Nokia mobile phones, three different models – 3210i, 8210i and the 6610i. I've found them to be robust, easy to use and typically, just the right size to be able to carry about. I've only ever had one problem with one of the phones, too. Just before Christmas 2005, my Nokia 6610i died. I had a major disagreement with my network operator, Orange because the phone was only four days over the usual 12-month guarantee period and I thought they showed an amazing lack of flexibility in offering a repair or direct replacement. As a result, I cancelled my account with Orange and got a new one with O2. I chose the Nokia 6230i as the free phone with the contract, although there were others available (Sony 750i, Motorola RAZR etc.)

The 6230i is a similar size and shape to the other Nokia 6000 series of phones. I like these as I think they strike the balance between being small enough to be easily portable (dropped into a jeans pocket) and large enough that usability isn't compromised. The phone comes with a hefty manual, a CD of software (although this ended up being some sort of fancy multimedia presentation and a version of Nokia's PC Suite), the phone, the SIM card, the hands-free/headphones set and a memory card.

The screen is bright, colourful and clear. It's also at a higher resolution (208 x 208 pixels) than my old 6610i, which does make a lot of difference to the readability of the names and numbers. Similarly to the 6610i, when the backlight isn't in operation, the screen can be hard to read.

Making and receiving calls is easy; the keyboard is comfortable to use, with a nice 'click' to let you know the key has been pressed. Dialling numbers or creating text messages is extremely easy but I do have an issue with the navigation key – it's positioned around a central 'select' key, which can make typing text messages (or anything else that requires you to navigate) a bit tricky to get used to. More than once, I've accidentally sent a text or selected an option I didn't want to because I'd accidentally hit the 'select' key. It took me a while to get used to this and errors are now virtually eliminated, although some care is still required. I don't like this and in my mind, this is the 6230i's worst feature. The keypad layout of the 6610i was much better.

You can choose to store your contact details on the phone memory (approx. 30MB), rather than the SIM card. If you do, then further options open up to you. It's possible, for example, to store multiple numbers and other contact details (postal addresses, email addresses etc.) under one name. I liked this method, and found it to be a very useful way of staying organised. The downside of that is if your phone breaks and is irreparable, you will lose your contacts unless you have them backed up. The phone also comes with a 32MB memory card that can be used to store things like mp3s, photos etc. If you so wish, this can be changed to something with a larger capacity (up to 512MB).

The sound quality of the phone is OK. The radio and mp3s are both clear, although I regularly experience some kind of echo with incoming calls. I don't know why this is and, while it's not something that makes the phone unusable, it can be annoying at times. The handset is capable of outputting the sound through a loudspeaker, and this is also clear. The microphone and loudspeaker means that you can put the phone down (if you need to take notes, for example) and still have a good conversation. This can be quite handy if you're calling a 'freephone' number and are in a queue – just turn on the loudspeaker and go about your business.

The battery life is acceptable, but not outstanding (and is worse than my 6610i's). A recent trip abroad saw me without a charger, but the phone held enough charge to be usable from Friday morning to Monday night, making the odd short phone call or sending a small number of text messages. Nokia claims that you can get about 150 – 300 hours stand-by, but I'd say it was much smaller than this (90 – 100 hours).

One feature of the Nokia that I have found incredibly helpful is that of the call register. Unlike previous phones, the 6230i has counters for all aspects of your phone use. I've found this to be invaluable when keeping track of my free minutes etc. I can now make fairly good estimates of my remaining contract minutes, phone calls and WAP use and simply reset these at the turn of each month. The Nokia also comes with a few games. Golf and racing games are included (think Leaderboard from the old Commodore 64 and the original Outrun and you'll be close enough) and Backgammon. They can be quite fun and a handy way to kill 5 minutes waiting for a bus. The applications are the standard Nokia ones – World Clock and Convertor, which I've found handy on occasion.

The internal camera is a 1.3 mega pixel camera, but it's only ever used to entertain my young nephew. For that purpose, it produces average quality pictures in good light conditions, but low/bad light pictures have been very poor. This also applies to the video option.

The phone has an element of customisation, which is a godsend. When I first got my phone, the right hand selection key was set to O2's WAP service and I was continually finding myself connected to the WAP service which was using up my limited WAP allowance. However, changing these shortcut keys (mine's now set to go to my Bluetooth menu) is extremely easy, and my phone is now easier to use.

I bought a Bluetooth dongle from eBay for less than a tenner (including postage etc.) and have loved the way it has made the phone easier to use in the house. Setting up Bluetooth initially was a complete pain in the posterior, but now that it's working, connection isn't an issue at all. Using the Bluetooth connection with Nokia's PC Suite, I can backup my phone, add, delete and edit contacts easily (plus synchronise the phone with Outlook 2003) and send SMS messages via my PC, as long as my phone's within 10 metres of the PC. As with the DKU-5 cable with my old 6610i, this enables me to do a lot more with my phone with a lot less hassle than using the phone's own keypad, although Bluetooth seems a lot easier (once the initial wrinkles have been ironed out). I'd thoroughly recommend this if you have a PC. It can make life so much easier.

I've found the 6230i to be a decent phone, although I'd not really class it as a step forward from my old 6610i. The awkward placement of the 'select' key and the slightly echo-y sound stops it from being significantly better. However, it's built better; it feels more solid and the case doesn't have any give (my old 6610i's case didn't fit properly and 'squeaked' when moved about or had pressure applied). The Bluetooth connection is a lot better and stable than my old DKU-5 cable connection. The battery life is adequate and the sound quality of the radio and mp3s is excellent. The Nokia menu system is in operation here, although slightly different to other phones. Everything's logically placed though, meaning that finding phone features is easy and phone operation is straightforward ('select' key, aside).

I'm not sure that I'd recommend the phone to others, despite the fact that it's probably ideal for me. The sound issue, disappointing battery life and the silly 'select' button are enough of an annoyance to stop me from really raving about the phone, but on the other hand it does have the core features I was looking for in a phone – it's robust, tri-band, Bluetooth enabled, easy to use and small enough to slip into a pocket.

Summary: Nokia monoblock phone with phone, camera, radio and mp3 player.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Sound quality:
Variety of features: