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Saturday, May 6

GGG...GET GEEKY WITH YOUR NOKIA 6600

6600 is China Clay. You can make what you like out of it.!! You choose to use it as a Basic Phone or the Best Smart Phone partner!!

N6600 is a pretty old model; it’s been in the market for a couple of years. But it keeps itself a steady competitor in features VS price.

Alrite, I will first write about the usual Tech Specifications!!

The Basic Phone kit comes with:
* Handset
* Charger
* Manual
* CD software
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Talking about any phone we have to first look for a few things in an order.

1. Screen [resolution, colors, clarity, glare]
2. Battery [power, charging speed, longevity]
3. Navigation Equipment / keyboard
4. Communications [IrDa, Bluetooth, Data Cable]
5. Camera [resolution, speed, night mode]
6. Memory [Capacity, Built-in, Placement]

I would review each of these with the expertise that I have gained through
experience by the years.

1. Screen [resolution, colors, clarity, glare]

The screen has grown from good to better by this model. The previous models used to have a bad glare while you see it in sunshine. But this screen does not overcome the issue, but it is better than the previous models. When we speak about the colors, Nokia has now brought better colors with the introduction of TFT with 65,000 colors. This I guess is very important for a smart phone. Nokia has settled with the 4095 colors in its previous models, which was worthless when you took pictures and had wallpapers. The Screen resolution is [176 x 269] with a 9
line display, of which 1 is used by the service.

2. Battery [power, charging speed, longevity]

The battery compartment is messy. But that’s what most of us think first case. It is handy at times. The battery compartment accommodates the SIM and the Memory Card. Keeping the memory card in here is safe. I would say that most of your friends and kids that snatch your phone would try to dislodge the memory card if it is placed outside on the sides of the phone (like the way its placed in the newer models). I would suggest Nokia goes back to this logic of
keeping the Card inside the battery compartment.

A Li-Ion 850 mAh is employed. It is not a very powerful battery. If a more powerful battery was provided, a %ge of it could have been effortlessly used for a higher range of Bluetooth activity. Otherwise the battery is sufficient. The charging time is painful. A full charge takes 1.5 hours. I see that the battery lives for 3.5 days in moderate climatic conditions. The talk time is good. If you turn the Bluetooth off, the battery performance increases.

3. Navigation Equipment / Keypad

I have been a fan of the "Navi Roller" from Nokia, found in the 7110 Models. I guess one of Nokia's best models would be the 7110, with a navi roller. The Joystick is close to the naviroller idea. It is reacting to pressure, apart form navigating in all directions. The Joystick is not protruding, it is neatly placed in a cavity, it is smooth. I would have appreciated much if the joystick had a soft head like the Notebooks have.

I’m not voting for the 6600 keypads. It is a bit sick. It has a Keypad that shrinks to the bottom, making one-hand activity worse. The wrist gains pain and fatigue while the Keypad is used for more than a few minutes, The Keypad has layers, (i.e.) the first layer is high, the next layer is lower and it goes on. This makes the Keypad less ergo.


The keypad’s backlight is warm, and not too bright, but I would say it does what it is pertained for best. The “function buttons” are placed on the edge of the phone body, though you would find it very difficult first, you will get used to it. I guess you would drop off the phone because of the oddly placed function buttons.


4. Communications [IrDa, Bluetooth, Data Cable]

I thought the phone did not have a volume function earlier. But the Joystick allows you to change the volume during conversation. A bit icky, but ok.

IrDa is placed on the left side of the phone; the IrDa is functional, sometime very useful. I would miss the IrDa and the Remote functionalities if this Phone avoided it.

No data cable - !! surprising.

Bluetooth – could have been more powerful, but with the kind of battery provided the provided range of Bluetooth is good.

5. Camera [resolution, speed, night mode]

Camera review is a whole chapter on its own. I’m not adding much about the camera in this review. The camera is a VGA style camera. It is quite neatly placed; there is no mirror button near it. It has good resolution in bright daylight. You can record a short 9-second Video with your 6600. [Installing a Philips Camcorder will allow you to record more, as much you have space for] Camera speed is bothering, but this is usual for any digital camera.

The night mode is good. It is bit slow, don’t move your hand for a couple of seconds in your night mode[needs a steady posture].


Dimensions (108.6 x 58.2 x 23.7 mm) were quite handy, don’t compare the other phones, I’m talking about smart phones.

MIDP 2.0 – the 6600 has facility to install java programs. So you can install
your favorite games/organizers.

Have a better Smart card installed. A 256MB would do justice to speed and size. [The larger your MMC the slower gets the Phone..]

 

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