Most of you guys know that I was about to buy a new phone.But the
process got postponed due to my mediocre performance in Exams. Therefore when I got time I rushed to the shop last sunday and bought
a SE K700i.No this not a review 4 that phone.For some reasons I
returned the phone after 2 days of usage and got myself a Nokia
6230.The reasons why I returned the sony I will tell in the end.For now
let us have a look at Nokia 6230.
Design
Nothing outstanding here. What I mean is That it is a clean
classy and simple design.Although It is missing the originality that
nokia is known for,It is a very good design.it suits your business
suits better than your sports jacket.Sizing of the phone is just
perfect with 103mm length and 97 gm weight.And Wait.Do not raise your
eyebrows on hearing the wieght because the functionality that this
phone offers forbids you to do so…I got the silver colour with main
body black.Presently only this colour is avilable(tin grey) atleast in
bangalore.But "graphite" colour will also be avilable soon…
Display and keypad
Yes I know. The display is small.But do not dare to
call it bad.The display is MORE colourful then a 6600.Yes,you would not
believe me.. but just wait till I post the pics…You will be
amazed…The display performs very well as a viewfinder specially in
the nightmode…also refresh rate is very fast.The only gripe I have
with the display is that you cannot control the brightness.Nokia has
kindly made screensaver function avilable in this model and there are
some very good ones pre-installed…The only problem you arelikely to
face is when you use a dark wallpaper.In this nokia like others,The
screen wqill jot go White when a call comes in.Instead the caller ID
will be displayed on the wallpaper that also in black.therefore be
prepared only to use light patterns.
Keypad is a joy to use except the d-pad which is a bit small for my
liking…also during the night the keypad is lighted ina very soothing
blue…Another improvement is the side volume key which is now much
easier to press then other series 40 models….
Camera and multimedia
Multimedia Powerhouse.Name it and you have got
it.Vga camera with 4 mins video,FM radio,STEREO mp3 player,24 tone
polyphony and the loudest speakerphone that I ever heard to support all
this.you really could not have asked for more..Presently I am in
bangalore…As soon I get back home I will post the pics taken by the
camera…also the videos..BVut they do look rather good on the
display(still not as good as SE)..But I am very satisfied with the
screen…IT has 8.8mb+32 mb MMC card. total abt 41 mb memory….same as
SE but expandable..OH..and before I forget you also have a voice
recorder that can also record active calls upto 3 minutes..some
otherthings that I noted were….
- Audio recorded along with the video was just too good!
- call register system has been improved..
- sadly there are no controls avilable to tweak the camera like Zoom or exposure
- The UI is damn fast..Reminds me of MS-DOS!!!!
- No theme support yet.. another thing that makes me think of MS dos.
- Restrictions on ir were removed.This means that you can send or recieve any item from or to any phone…(on earlier 40 series phones irda was a joke)
- java games and apps are loaded in ajiffy and the frame rates in games are excellent:Also you can play beach rally with another person over bluetooth….
Reception,battery life and basics
Reception was Damn good.Still the
standard on which others are measured.Batt life is amazing(850 mah)
that too with a tft screen.Yesterday I got the phone in my hands and
charged it 4 6 hours.It is 7 in the evening now and I have 4 bars
left.Remeber that batt life increases after 4 or 5 charging cycles.With
all those functions aboard If the poor batt lasts 3 days,It will
deserve a "Bharat ratna"… .. radio reception was also very clear…i
have not tried MP3 player yet….Voice quality was ok…
Connectivity
You have bluetooth,Infrared,GPRS+EDge,MMS(with sequential
slides option).All this is good but what is better is how basic SMS was
near perfect.A very fasT T9 machine made writing sms’s a
pleasure…Then you have distribution lists and multiple recipient
capabality…
Cons
- small screen
- mediocre videos
- no theme support
- very small Caller id picture
Conclusion
This is the best non-symbian phone out there in the
market.Yes many of yu wont agree but it is the practicality of this
little nokia that amazes you.Although It is virtually full of
functions,You would never feel the same thanks to the fast and so
simple UI.When buying a phone remember that batt life,reception and
basics are more important then a bigger screen or a better camera.
At a street price of 16.3k with 2 yrs warranty and 1 yr insurance you
would not get a better deal..I prefer this phone over 7610 which I
could have also bought but alas it does not playback mp3’s.Is this the
best NOKIA ever made?? Ummmm I would place it just behind 3310 and 8910.
