7210 out of 10 (Nokia 7210)

Member Name: steve_o

Product:	Nokia 7210
Date:	13/04/04 (249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stylish, Feature-packed, Light and compact

Disadvantages: Expensive accesories, Looks may not appeal to all

Although the 7210 has been available for some time now, it is still the phone of choice for many and with prices falling on pay as you go it is becoming even more widely available. I?ve had my 7210 now for a year and although I am being sent an upgrade, I am still very pleased with it and would recommend it to anyone.

FEATURES:

The 7210 has all the standard features you would expect from a Nokia handset including text messaging (with t9 predictive text input), phone book, games and a multitude of tedious and annoying ring tones (well I think they?re annoying!). However, there are some additions to the feature list that set this phone apart from previous Nokia handsets and the competition.

The addition of a colour screen allows for a greater variety of games to be downloaded with some stunning graphics (for a phone that is). The colour screen also allows for backgrounds to be applied to the phone, much like the wallpapers that appear on most computers. A set of generic wallpapers come pre-loaded such as a sunset and sunflower, but others can be downloaded via the phone?s wap Internet browser. These will most likely incur a charge depending on where you download them from but if you look around you can always find a few free samples.

The addition of polyphonic ring tones means you can embarrass yourself even further by setting the most ridiculous ring tone (I suggest the a-team) to go off when your on a packed train and everyone can hear you but you cant stop it because you cant find your phone to turn it off.

Like some previous Nokia phone?s, the 7210 comes with an FM radio and a headset for you to listen to it on. You can have up to 20 preset stations and it will auto-scan the frequencies to find stations. However, I have found that the scanner very rarely picks up stations unless you are very near to the broadcast centre. The radio can also be listened to via the phone itself (loudspeaker option). This means that everyon

e else in the room can listen to the radio and not just you (ideal if you?re going on a short break).

Nokia have done themselves proud with the addition of a hands free option for the 7210, instead of having to buy an expensive hands free speaker for your car or office, simply select loudspeaker from the menu when you make or receive a call and you can now talk hands free!

In the connectivity menu you will find infrared connections and GPRS. The infrared connection is particularly useful if you want to backup your data by connecting with am IR enabled laptop or computer port. I?m not sure what the GPRS option allows you to do so please enlighten me.

DESIGN:

The 7210 will not appeal to everyone in this department as it has a very colourful and distinct design to it. However, if you?re bored of the standard black and grey slabs of plastic that are most other handsets then maybe you should consider this handset. The express on covers allow for some customisation but most should be happy with the default green cover that comes in the box. At first glance the keypad appears to be difficult to use due to the orientation of some of the keys. However, after a few minutes you will find that they keys are very easy to use, especially for text. The addition of a four-way scroll button, rather than a standard two-way,
Up and down, make navigation very efficient. There are also shortcuts with this button that allow one touch access to a new text message or your organiser (a feature that a forgot to mention? but its fairly self explanatory). The buttons provide very good feedback so you know if a button has been pressed properly or not. I think this is mainly down to the fact that the buttons themselves are made of hard plastic rather than rubber. The 7210 weighs 86g.

PERFORMANCE:

The phone responds almost instantaneously to button and menu commands making its use very time efficient. It has a stand by time of nearl
y 300
hours and around 300 minutes talk time. I have found that these numbers are slightly exaggerates, but the charge time of just over an hour surely make up for this. As far as reception goes I have had few problems, though this is more due to the network than the handset.

VALUE FOR MONEY:

The 7210 is currently available free on most contracts but its price is coming down on some pay as you go packages. However, if you intend to buy some of the accessories available you may be in for a shock. The camera attachment is currently £50 in most stores and chargers and batteries are also very highly priced.

CONCLUSION:

Firstly I apologise for not commenting on everything this model has to offer but I hope I have covered the important points. If you want a stylish, feature packed and lightweight phone, the 7210 is for you. Its compact design and stylish looks only go to complement its features and performance?. A pat on the back for Nokia.

Summary: