Test report and technical data Nokia 6650
Nokia 6650 - Nokia, you've done better!
Pros of Nokia 6650: memory capacity (up to 120 KB), mic, camera, multi-call capable, Tri band device (runs on UMTS as well as on GSM/GPRS)
Cons of Nokia 6650: sound quality, no e-mail client
I have recently met a Nokia-mobile seller in a bar, and my first question was: 'Which is the best Nokia on the market?'. He answered by giving me a test mobile, Nokia 6650. After three weeks of carrying Nokia 6650 with me, I came to think what an awful lot of work is still to be done here. So I returned Nokia 6650, very dissapointed, to be honest.
At first, I loved the full color-screen of Nokia 6650, but honestly, 4,096 colors aren't that special nowadays anymore. The screen features 640 x 480 pixels and 24 bit color-depth. At least one could take pictures in VAG quality.
Another nice feature was the microphone integrated into the camera, so one could add sound to video clips of 20 seconds length max.
Bluetooth (including a headset profile) and infra red can be found on Nokia 6650.
The menu of Nokia 6650 was, due to an eight-ways-navigational system, somewhat complicated. Nokia 6650 looks very similar to the 7210i flap phone, without the flap front. Since the shape of Nokia 6650 is not fully balanced (the top of Nokia 6650 is much broader than the bottom) Nokia 6650 doesn't lie properly in the palm of your hand. One could think Nokia 6650 suffers from overweight and maybe it does: Nokia 6650 weighs greasy 141 gramm!
You have to fall in love with the shape of Nokia 6650, otherwise you'll just hate it: its dimensions (132 x 52 x 25 mm) took some time to get used to.
Nokia 6650 might lose its image due to such flaws: Most people DO care about looks as well! Its external antenna gives Nokia 6650 kind of a retro look - which you don't want from a mobile in the 21st century.
I have to admit there are some positive facts about Nokia 6650, too. The ringing tones of Nokia 6650 I liked a lot and downloading new tones was quick and easy. They were stored in a directory by Nokia 6650 called gallery.
Also, Nokia 6650 featured a Multi-call function that allows sending MMS while you're making a call and downloading an e-mail.
The disadvantages of Nokia 6650 were so numerous that they will outbalance the advantages in fact:
The first thing I didn't like about Nokia 6650 was the sound quality. When talking to someone, Nokia 6650 made them sound like they had a cold. This integrated fuzz tone was incredibly annoying, making even the sweetest voice sound evil.. Adding to this, everybody's voice would make Nokia 6650 vibrate so much that I was seriously worried about my ear drums! After a while, I would only use the external speaker the cell comes with when I made calls. Hope this is just a software flaw that can be corrected.
If you like to answer your phone calls, you must always set the volume to the top level, otherwise you won't hear them. When I left the 3g range I had to switch manually to 2g - something that Nokia 6650 should do automatically. It could at least give a warning signal once you leave one range!
I also found it very difficult to compose a text message with Nokia 6650, as the keypad's lights made the keys very difficult to read.
Nokia 6650 is a Tri Band phone but this doesn't mean it can be used in America. It purely means it's 3g (UMTS). This could confuse people as Nokia 6650 will not work in America or anywhere else where GSM 1900 is used. Great!
Another question to the Nokia creatives: Where is the option 'read my own number' on the Nokia 6650? I mean, one's own cell number is the one number one never dials and thus takes forever to memorize!
There is a record button on the side of the Nokia 6650 but I couldn't find any reference on how to start recording something with Nokia 6650. Mysterious...I also don't get why Nokia 6650's browser only runs on W@P 1.2.1 and not on XHMTL or at least W@P 2.0.
Okay, if someone really wanted to connect Nokia 6650 to one's PC, they could purchase an USB cable. But without the indirection over the PC, one can only send pictures and videos via MMS, which sucks! There is no e-mail client provided by Nokia 6650.
Overall, I think a lot more work needs to be done before Nokia 6650 is really ready to hit the market!
Test-review:
Technical features: +++
Reception quality: +++
Ease of use: ++
Battery stand-by time: +++
Design: ++
Instruction manual: +++
Value for money: ++
Overall rating: ++/+++
++++/excellent, +++/good, ++/satisfactory, +/poor
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