THE SHAPE OF PHONES TO COME? (Nokia 7600)

Member Name: stuleg

Product:	Nokia 7600
Date:	04/04/05 (821 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good Looking, Bluetooth Connectivity, MP3 Player

Disadvantages: Small Keys, Buggy Software

There are currently an estimated fifty million mobile phones in use in the UK (source infoworld.com), and with the recent sales of new handsets levelling out the phone manufacturers are looking at multi function mobiles designed to tempt us to trade in our older models and thus give them more money. While ten years ago a mobile phone made phone calls and little else these days the handset has to be all singing, all dancing with hot and cold running gizmos to make us realise that our lives will not be complete until we have one. Unfortunately I am a marketing mans dream when it comes to gadgets and mobile phones, if they tell me I need a certain new function on my phone I make pretty sure I have it quick! I also have a low boredom threshold with mobile phones with the result that the average life span of a mobile phone in my hands is around six months.

So it was that I found myself on ebay a few weekends ago looking for a state of the art mobile phone at a price not likely to panic the bank manager, I had done a little research on the internet and narrowed down my choice to two models – the Samsung D500 and the Nokia 7600. I had a checklist of the features I required; Bluetooth, camera, “real” ringtones and a good sized crisp display essential in making my mobile experience the best possible, so after a lot of comparison work the unique and novel “teardrop” shape of the Nokia 7600 won out. An unlocked model was essential so that I could insert my 0² Sim card and not have to change numbers and I found – and successfully won – a nearly new unlocked model for £56.

• What’s in the box? •

Well of course there is the phone itself, and the battery needed to power it. There is also a network specific Sim card and an adapter to keep the battery charged. There is a headset for hands free phone use and MP3 playback and a USB cable to link the phone with a computer. A CD contains the Nokia SmartSuite software required for the computer and phone to interact successfully and a smattering of manuals (Instructions, Quick start, Club Nokia and Accessories available) are joined by a warranty card explaining the twelve months of cover. Everything you need to get the Nokia 7600 up and running in no time although of course the battery needs to be charged first, thankfully this only takes ninety to one hundred and twenty minutes.

• Key Features •

• Digital Camera and Video Recorder: - The built in camera can be used to take photos to be sent via text (MMS) message or for use as wallpaper on the phone. Up to one minute of video with sound can be taken and again either sent to other people with a compatible phone, viewed on the phone itself or downloaded and saved on a computer for safe keeping.

• Music Player: - The ability to be able to play music files in either MP3 or AAC is a real boon, files can be downloaded using WAP or Bluetooth or if you prefer via the USB cable from a computer. With 29MB of storage available it is fair to say that you are only going to be able to fit eight to ten music files on the phone but the ability to play them out loud or through the headset means you can always have those few favourite tunes to hand.

• Polyphonic and Real Ringtones: - A selection of preinstalled polyphonic ringtones can be added too by downloading new tunes from one of the many ringtone websites available. MP3 and AAC music files can also be set as ringtones so that you can have your favourite band or song pipe up every time somebody rings you. Specific tones or music files can also be assigned to certain contacts so you know who is calling by the tune played before you even take the phone out of your pocket.

• Clear display:- With 65, 356 colours displayed on a 128 x 160 pixel TFT display the screen is sharp and colourful. This comes into its own when taking and viewing pictures or playing games.

• Voice activated features: - No need to use your fingers to dial a number, with voice tags set up simply speaking a contacts name will dial their number automatically. Voice recording is activated by pushing one button on the side of the phone and is handy for storing snippets of information until you have a pen to jot them down.

• Text and Multimedia messaging service: - With the boon in text messages MMS is a vital tool on all mobile phones. With the Nokia 7600 video and pictures can be sent to compatible handsets and text can be entered either predicatively or letter by letter. Templates are provided for the most commonly known phrases with each text message up to 160 characters in length.

• Bluetooth Connectivity: - Very much the thing of the moment Bluetooth allows the phone to wirelessly connect with other Bluetooth compatible devices within ten meters. This means that once configured the phone can be used to activate a printer or computer and even remove the need for wires for a headphone.

• Email: - Emails can be sent and received (providing there are no attachments). An Email account is needed and configuration is required but once set up writing and sending an Email is nearly the same as sending and receiving text messages.

• WAP access:- Although not web browsing in the traditional way you can still visit WAP websites thanks to the WAP 2.0 and GPRS connectivity, favourite WAP sites can be saved in a bookmarks folder.

• Dual Band:- Utilising a roaming function the Nokia 7600 can change Network bands automatically from the GSM900 and GSM1800 frequency, this means that the phone can be used in over 130 countries worldwide.

• Games: - Of course no mobile phone would be complete with out a game or two to play, and things have moved on a pace since the times of snake. Two full Java games are preinstalled – the intriguingly titled Triple Pop and Bounce are sure to provide minutes of enjoyment. Other Java games can also be downloaded if required.

• Portrait Image Caller Identification :- Using the Nokia PC Suite software a picture of anyone in your contacts can be uploaded so that when they ring you the picture pops up for viewing.

• Storage: - With the ability to store 500 contact numbers in the phone book and 150 received text messages the Nokia 7600 is a big hitter in the storage stakes. 250 calendar notes and 30 entries in the “to do” list mean the phone is a one stop shop for all of your important information.

• Nokia PC Suite: - This is the program that enables the Nokia 7600 and the PC to interact. Once connected with the USB cable or the Bluetooth wizard important data like phone numbers, text messages and to do notes can be backed up on the computer for added safety. Sounds and pictures can be up/downloaded and edited in a basic way and text messages can be composed before being uploaded and then sent by the phone.

• The best of the rest:- And there are umpteen more features on the phone; an alarm clock can wake you up to your favourite MP3 song, a calculator and currency converter are joined by stopwatch while the preinstalled screensaver is a digital clock. One touch answering makes accepting a call easier while speed dialling and automatic redialling take the effort out of making a call. Call waiting, call hold, call divert and call timer make the management of the calls easy as well.

• My Opinion •

Well, with all of the things the Nokia 7600 can do (pretty much everything) and the few things it cannot (make the tea and use the vacuum cleaner) it is sometimes easy to forget that it is actually a phone! The ringtone is clear but could probably do with being a little louder and the line is clear and static free during a call with no interference of note. Despite its contemporary shape it fits nicely to the cheek during a call with the earpiece and mouthpiece well capable of purveying sound well. Battery life is average with my medium use needing a recharge every two days. Composing and sending a text is easy with predictive text taking the hassle out of needing to spell complicated words. One downside is that the keys are a little on the small size, in particular the 6 and * keys are very hard to hit with my man sized fingers. Music files are good quality and the headphones cope admirably with the sound. The voice and video recorder are a good idea, and although they only save up to a minute worth of date it is handy to have should you need to capture something in an emergency. The 21 preinstalled polyphonic ringtones are a little on the boring side but more can be downloaded or added using the PC Suite software. Talking of the bundled software I found it a little buggy and had to visit the Nokia website to download the drivers necessary to make the cable function correctly, once that was sorted out thought I found the software east to use with wizards for those who feel out of their depth.

Another small problem is the fact that when a text message is received the text tone only sounds once, on previous phones I have used the tone would repeat every two to three minutes so that you knew you had a new message – with the Nokia 7600 you have to check it if you leave it somewhere just to make sure you have not received a text in your absence. The express on covers are ok although it is only the outer cuffs that are changeable. The screen also has the tendency to appear a little dark with the illumination of the screen and buttons only lasting 10 seconds. The preinstalled wallpapers are a little boring as is the digital screensaver clock, but I guess if they made them too good they couldn’t try and sell you further items via the club Nokia website. The quick start and Instruction manuals are easy to follow and cover all aspects of the phones functions and the 12 month warranty ensures you are safe in the knowledge that the phone is safe for worry free use for at least a year.

So a great, function rich mobile phone let down by two of the keys being too small and buggy software that needed updating on the Nokia website. I still love the look and feel of the Nokia 7600 though and give it four stars out of five.

www.nokia.co.uk

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