Simple, yet funky and versatile (Nokia 6630)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Nokia 6630
Date:	06/10/05 (3490 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Large screen, good quality camera, interactive on many fronts

Disadvantages: The rubber around the camera wears away

-Introduction-

The time has come for me to get my hands on a new mobile phone and sign up to a new twelve month contract. I have been waiting for the right phone to come along for a while, nothing else that I have seen really appeals. It was a contest between the Nokia 6630 and 6680 for me, but I eventually settled on the 6630 after agreeing a great deal with shop.

The Nokia 6630 is a third generation smart phone. For those of you who are a little less clued up, I will explain those two terms as simply as possible. The third generation handsets (3G) allow users to send and receive videos and images, as well as making video calls. The smart phone, refers to the functions like Microsoft Word and Real Player that are available to use. This phone is quite high-tech and very much top of the range. Other notable features are the 1.3 megapixel camera and the in-depth functions available.

I haven't written a review on a mobile phone for a while now, so I do hope that you will bear with me. I will break the review down into more manageable sections, each with their own self explanatory headings. The technical information will be included where necessary and explained fully. If there are any questions that you have about the phone, I am only too happy to answer them.


-Package Contents-

The Nokia 6630 comes in various different boxes, reflecting the various Nokia factories around the world. The box contains everything you need for your new phone, although some people won't find all of it to be of use. The items are listed below:
• Nokia 6630 Smartphone
• 64MB Reduced Size Multi-Media Card (MMC)
• Adapter for MMC
• Nokia Stereo Headset
• Nokia Battery
• Nokia Travel Charger
• Nokia Connectivity Cable (USB)
• CD-ROM containing software and guides


-Calling-

The calling capability of this phone is pretty much standard in line with any other mobile phone. The telephone number can be punched in the keypad or the name of the contact you wish to call simply highlighted and with the press of the green 'send call' button you are put through. As soon as you have made the connection with the other person, you can switch to loudspeaker, which can be a very handy feature at times. The video calls can be made, simply by selecting the intended contact, selecting 'call' and then choosing 'video call'. This is only possible if the contact you are calling has a 3G compatible handset.

There isn't really too much to criticise or commend as far as making calls are concerned. It is the most basic of all of the phone functions and it can't really be improved or made that much worse. The voice tags are the only way that calls can be made only using one button. This is an effective tool, but in public you may look rather silly saying the name of contact into your handset. The set-up can also be a quite lengthy process if you have a lot of contacts.


-Messaging-

Again, this is a fairly straightforward feature of the Nokia 6630. There are now three different types of message that you can create and send to other. The text and multimedia messages are still present, along with the capacity to send and receive emails. There is the possibility to add images and video to your multimedia and email messages and doing so is very simple. The same rules still apply for writing the messages and sending them. It is very self explanatory and if you are in doubt at any point, then the instruction booklet is the best form of information.

It is possible to view sent items and messages and also to create drafts that you may want to add to and send at a later date. This can be handy if you haven't the time to complete your message and don't wish to completely erase it. There are various templates for text messages, 10 preset onto the phone. There isn't really too much else to add, although I would say that you should experiment with different types of messages and have a bit of fun. I think that sending and attaching any file to a message couldn't be easier. The only issue that arises for me, is my sometimes slow and sloppy writing of messages.


-Camera-

The phone really starts to get good now, the 1.3 megapixel camera is very much the centre piece of the handset. It produces quite superb images that once uploaded to your computer look absolutely fantastic. They are faultless and I didn't expect them to be quite so fantastically clear. The video recorder is also another possibility, but not something that I make much use of.

The camera has various helpful functions that allow you to maximise all possibilities. There is a timer function that allows you to set the camera to take a picture after a certain amount of time. It is very handy for group shots of people. It is possible to adjust the brightness of the image and to choose 'night mode' which enhances the image in low light. There is a 6x digital zoom that allows you to get in close on the target object. The quality does get progressively worse, the closer in you get. You are able to capture six consecutive images in the space of 2 seconds, which can be very funny. The image can also be flipped between portrait and landscape.

I am very impressed with the quality of this camera, Nokia to tend to be a little bit behind other firms as far as their imaging capabilities are concerned, but in this case they have done a great job. I don't think that anybody who buys this phone, or gets it for free, will be disappointed by the quality. The images may not great on the phone, but transfer them to the computer and you will be delighted.

-Nokia PC Suite-

The Nokia 6630 comes with compatible software, that allows you to get so much more out of your phone. It makes it so much easier to make changes and add things to the phone. The software first needs to be installed, which is very easy indeed. Simply pop the CD-Rom in the computer and let it take you through the wizard. The phone then needs to be connected to the USB port of the computer and you can begin having fun and changing your phone.

I have uploaded a number of music tracks and pictures direct from my computer onto the handset. It did take me a while to get the hang of it, partly because the software is a little misleading. The best way to add music and pictures, is to copy the file and paste it into the relevant folder on your phone. It can be great fun adding music and pictures to your phone, allowing you to effectively turn your phone into and iPod and also to personalise your desktop with pictures. You can even use an mp3 as your ringtone!

The software effectively allows you to manage your phone via the computer. It is much easier to view the inner working of your phone and make changes to them on the bigger screen and in a Windows format. You can also have more menus open at once, which means you can move things around with greater ease. There is one problem that many people tend to have when they get a new phone. It is the transferring of their contacts, or adding lots of new ones. With the software, you can type your contacts details into the computer and then simply update the contacts on the phone. It saves such a lot of time and effort this way.


-Other Features-

This phone really has far too many features, to go through each one and give them an explanation. There are a few key things that should be listed, that are relatively key aspects of the phone:

- Bluetooth enabled
- JAVA Games
- Symbian Technology
- RealPlayer Supported Formats: 3gp and .mp4 file formats, MPEG-4 video, H.263 video and AMR audio, RealMedia (Real Video and Real Audio), MP3 and AAC
- Video Recorder: Resolution = 174 x 144 pixels or 128 x 96 pixels


-Memory-

There is going to be an issue with memory on the phone, it only has 10mb of internal memory. This will be used for your contacts, ringtones, messages etc. It will get full relatively quickly and if you have one song on it, it will be pretty much full. The phone has a 64mb hotswap MMC, that does give you a lot more capacity. I have uploaded 10 songs and that leaves me with a little bit of spare capacity. I am going to invest in a 512mb MMC, that will mean that I can get over 100 songs onto it.


-Shape and Styling-

There does seem to be a move towards rather oddly shaped mobile phones within the last year or so. Nokia are the main culprits, with various different designs shaking up the way that handsets now look. I think it is a positive move, giving people a much wider choice in that sense. I would say however, that Nokia should perhaps level with its current designs and refrain from launching any very strange look phones, for the time being at least.

The Nokia 6630, looks very stylish and smart in my view. I'm not sure that too many people would disagree, many of my friends have said that the thing that comes across most is how practical the handset actually looks. It is predominantly rectangular, with slightly round top corners. The phone gets a little wider towards the bottom and takes on a semi-circular form. It doesn't widen too much, which means that it still looks like a pretty 'normal' shape. I am would say that it is the best shaped handset in the current Nokia range and the best non-flip phone on the market.

There are two main colours that dominate the phone. The front a back express-on covers are in metallic silver, the standard colour. These can be changed if you are willing to fork out for expensive replacements. They can be purchased from all good mobile phone accessory stores, online and off. A matt black band of plastic runs right around the sides of the phone and along the bottom. This is the permanent part of the phone, that can't be adjusted or the colour changed.


-Size and Weight-

This isn't one of the smaller or lighter mobile phones available today, but by no stretch of the imagination is it big and bulky. The handset is 11cm from top to bottom and 6cm from side to side. The maximum thickness is allegedly just over 2cm, but I would disagree and say that it is more like 1.5.cm. It is not too dissimilar to an iPod in its shape. The phone will easily fit into you pocket with out any trouble at all. I have found it to be very comfortable whilst walking along and it is easy to get hold of should you need to take a call.

The phone weighs in at just 127g, incredibly light for a phone of such magnitude and overall size. I think that it is relatively light and it won't make your pocket sag when you have a loose pair of shorts or trousers on. When you are holding the phone in the palm of your hand, or up against your ear, it doesn't hurt your wrist at all. You may have to change hands every so often, but only because the blood supply to the arm may become limited after a while. The last phone that I had was just as heavy and didn't have even half of the features of the 6630. The weight of the phone is certainly not an issue.


-Durability-

The phone seems to be pretty well made and put together, something that I come to expect from Nokia. They have such high standards in every area of their products and the toughness and manufacture of this phone proves to be no different. The phone does look and feel like it could withstand every day use and also the odd bang and collision every now and again. The exterior covers give the phone added protection and the fact that these can be replaced, should they get damaged it a great plus point. The camera lens is very well protected from damage, with a rubber ring lignin the circumference. If the phone should impact a surface on its back, then the camera should survive the impact.

As far as the software and actual electronic part of the phone is concerned, I expect it to be fully operational for the lifetime of the phone. I only expect to have the phone for 12 months and in that time there shouldn't really be any problems with the interface. I still think that it will be fully usable for about three to five years without and trouble. However, the new software is that much more complicated, that the likelihood of problems occurring may just be that bit higher.

*After having this phone for a while, the protective rubber sealant around the camera starts to peel and wear away. This isn't much of a problem, let it occur naturally is the best advice I can give. Don't try to neaten it up by peeling it away yourself*

-Buttons/Functions-

There do seem to be an every increasing number of buttons appearing on the newer and up-to-date mobile phones. I can count a total of 20 buttons on the keypad, of which one has five different functions, as well as one button on either side of the phone. They do all have their relevant uses, although there are some that you will use a lot more than others.

The numbers and the hash and star keys are self explanatory, as well as the green and red call buttons and the 'clear' button. The directional buttons are each used for two different things. Pressing 'up' takes you directly to the camera, 'down' to your list of contacts, the 'right' button will open the calendar and by pressing 'left' you are take to the text message function. They are also used to navigate within the various menus on the phone. The buttons either side of the centre, will perform the very command that is written in the text above them. This will change, depending on which part of the phone you are navigating. The main menu button, is located below the green 'send call' button and has a strange blue symbol on it.

The phone can be turned and the current profile changed, by clicking the button that is located on the side of the phone. This will bring up a menu, with option to turn the phone off, switch to any of the optional profiles and lock the keypad. The keypad can also be locked and unlocked by pressing the button to the left of the central directional button and then the 'star' button. There is the opportunity for you to set up various voice tags for your phone. These can be set by simply configuring your voice tags.


-Navigation-

I have always said that Nokia phone software is by far the easiest to use and operate. Many people do agree with that, sighting it as one of the main reasons for purchasing a Nokia in the first place. The phones really are designed so that anybody can get to grips with at least the very basic calling and texting functions available. It is designed logically, the Scandinavians are well known for their simple approach to things. I have had a couple of problems with working out what certain new things do, but after a day or two I know pretty much all of the ins and outs of the phone.


-Instructions and Multimedia-

If you really do struggle with some parts of the handsets functions, then the instruction manual and interactive guides are of great help. Again, they are set out in a logical format that means you can find what you are looking for with relative ease. The step-by-step guides are easy to follow and they often include pictures showing what button to press and what should be appearing on your screen. The interactive guide that comes on the enclosed CD-Rom, is probably the best way to tackle things. There are various demonstrations and guides that help you to maximise the possibilities of your Nokia 6630. I haven't had to use the instructions, but I do feel that should I need to do so I will have little problems in solving problems.


-Availability-

As far as I am aware, the Nokia 6630 is available on 3 and Vodafone. I'm not sure when it will be available on Orange, 02 or T-Mobile. I do know that the official UK launch of the 6630 isn't until next month. It is available for free on most tariffs and in pretty much any mobile phone store, on the high street and on the internet. There are various deals doing the rounds at the moment, so be sure to shop around and get yourself a good bargain.

I got my handset from the Link on a 3 contract. The tariff that I chose, is VideoTalk 500 and it is £25 per month. I have managed to get half price line rental for the first three months, credited by the network to the account, as well as the phone for free. They wanted to charge me £29.99, but I said that I wanted the phone for free and they obliged. The tariff entitles me to 500 inclusive minutes to any number, on any network, at any time. It also includes all video calls.


-Conclusion-

I can certainly recommend this phone to anybody who is looking to acquire a new mobile. It is packed full of useful features, that allow you to get so much more from your mobile phone. It is very up to date and incorporates the latest mobile phone technology. The phone is also a Nokia and for me that on its own is enough for me to be drawn to the handset in the first place. They make top quality, easy to use handsets.

The Nokia 6680, has just been released and it is a step up from the 6630. It has two cameras and an integrated flash, that allows you to make video calls and capture even clearer images. The phone shops are only offering this phone for free, on the higher end contracts but it is worth waiting for a few months for the price to come down. However, if you aren't interested in video calls, then this phone is more than suitable. I absolutely love it and I think I shall enjoy using it for the next twelve months.

Summary: A lovely phone from Nokia, arguably the best producer of mobile phones

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