Nokia 6021

Like many people I'm fortunate in that the company I work for supplies me with a mobile phone. The downside of this is that I have no say in which phone I'm allocated, as I discovered when given my previous phone, a revolting little Motorola.

A few weeks ago I changed my car, and as is customary I was allowed a new phone to go with the car kit I needed fitting. Holding my breath as I went onto the website to find out which phone was to be mine for the next couple of years, I was very pleasantly surprised when I saw it was a new Nokia 6021. A further 10 minutes reading the specifications and I was smiling from ear to ear. Gone was the temperamental piece of junk laughingly called a mobile phone, and in came something modern, stylish and equipped with more than an irritating tone every time you switch it on.

Before I go on, I have to say I'm not someone overly obsessed with mobile phones, as far as I'm concerned they're fine as long as they do the job I need them to do. If they look good or have little extras to make my life a little simpler then that's great, but functionality and performance outweigh everything.

----------------------------------------​---------

~~~What does it look like? ~~~

The first thing you notice about the 6021 is the size, which is comparable to the size of the battery on my first mobile phone. OK, maybe I exaggerate slightly but with dimensions of 106 x 44 x 20 mm, and a weight of only 92g, this is by no means a house brick. Coupled with the size, the absence of an external aerial means this fits very nicely into any pocket.

Apart from the size, the 6021 is also rather stylish. Decked out in black with a silver trim, the overall impression is one of functionality first, but not at the expense of looks. The on/off button is located on the top edge of the phone, and has been deliberately designed to limit the possibility of accidentally switching the phone on or off. The keypad is well set out, and again the buttons have been designed to require sufficient pressure to avoid unwanted activation of keys in pockets or bags.

The centre of the keypad features a square, silver-coloured 'joystick', which is used to navigate around the functions. Covering around a third of the overall area on the front of the phone is the colour screen, which gives a very sharp high-resolution display. According to Nokia, there are up to 65,536 colours available, with a 128 x 128-pixel resolution, and who am I to argue with that. As a user, I found the picture definition very impressive, and the display itself very easy to see, both in normal handheld conditions and also in a cradle in the car.

----------------------------------------​----------------

~~~OK, so it looks nice, but what can it do? ~~~

Upon switching the phone on, then waiting for the usual intro sequence, you finally get the opportunity to click on the joystick and enter the menu section. There you are presented with a 10 different sections to either maximise the phones usability, or tickle your fancy in a number of other ways.

~Messages~

Here, you can access your Text (SMS), multimedia, e-mail, Instant, Voice and info messages together with allowing you to key in and send service commands for network services to your provider. You are able to create, read send and save messages, as well access your message settings, such as your 'Sending profile'. Text templates are also available to speed up your messaging.
So far, I've found the messaging function extremely easy to use for sending and receiving text, multimedia and voice messages. Text writing is available in either traditional or predictive, cunningly disguised as 'dictionary'. I have to say I dislike predictive texting as I find I have to change half the words it gives me anyway. However the dictionary function is easily switched off on this phone.

~Call Register~

As the name suggests, this is the place where you can access details of all missed, received and dialled numbers. You can also access details of call durations, whether it is totals of calls made and received so far, or the duration of the last call you made.
This function also gives you a number of options for GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data service connections, such as a data counter, connection timer and positioning.

~Contacts~

Basically this is your list of contacts, or for want of a better word, your phonebook. Here you can search for existing contacts, add new contacts, delete and edit existing contacts and copy these contacts either from SIM card to phone or from Phone to SIM card. In addition to saving names and numbers, you can add text notes to each contact, as well as images for a limited number.

You are also able to edit a number settings, such as how the contacts are viewed, check the status of the memory on both phone and SIM card, and allocate speed dial numbers as well as voice dialling tags.

There is also a 'My Presence' function, which shows your availability to others who also have access to the service. This function can be turned on or off, and can also be personalised to control who is able to see your status.

~Settings~

Now here's the bit most people will want to play around with. This is the place where you can change the settings of your phone to make yourself look as cool or as irritating as possible.

The first option you will see is 'profiles', which means you can customise the phone tones for different events and environments. The available profiles are General, Silent, Meeting, Outdoor, My Style 1 and My Style 2. Profiles can also be on a timer so that they revert back after a specified time period.

Next option is 'themes', which can include wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones. The ones supplied with the phone aren't particularly spectacular though, so you may want to download or create your own.

'Tone settings' lets you choose from a range of ringtones stored on the phone, although again they're not that impressive so you may want to download or create your own.

'Personal shortcuts', as the name suggests allows you to personalise quick access to specific phone functions.

'Display settings' lets you choose wallpaper, screensaver and colour schemes for the display, together with how you view the menu, and whether you want to see the operator logo.

'Time and date settings' is pretty self-explanatory, but also has an auto-update function that will change the time and date according to the current time zone.

'Call settings' includes functions for automatic volume control, call divert, anykey answer, auto-redial, speed-dial and call waiting.

'Phone settings' includes memory status, phone language, automatic keyguard, welcome note, operator selection, and most importantly a function that allows you to turn off that excruciating start-up tone.

'Connectivity' - this phone offers 3 types of connectivity, namely Bluetooth, Infrared and GPRS connections. Currently I'm using IR as it allows easy connection to my current laptop, though I will probably switch to bluetooth when I finally get a new one. The IR connectivity has been excellent, very stable and extremely fast. A colleague has been running bluetooth and finds that just as good. At the moment I don't have a use for GPRS, but I can imagine it would be useful for those wishing to send and receive data over an IP based network.

Other settings functions include 'enhancement settings' for hands-free usage, configuration and security settings.

~Gallery~

This is your repository for recordings, polyphonic ringtones, themes, graphics, and images you want to keep on the phone.

~Media~

Here you can access your Integrated Voice recorder and player.

Come out of the Media menu and you are then taken to:

~Push to talk~

This is essentially a two-way radio service over a GPRS network service. However, this is only available with some providers and certain services, which unfortunately does not currently include mine.

~Organiser~

When I first saw this I had my doubts as I have more than enough organisers anyway. However, with a very nice piece of software supplied by the folks at Nokia, I am now able to download my diary and to-do list from my laptop to my phone, virtually removing the need to carry round a PDA every time I leave the house.
In addition to the calendar and to do list, there is also an alarm clock, a notes section and a wallet for storing personal data, which is then protected by a secure code.
The synchronisation button allows you to synchronise data between PC and phone, and also allows you to change settings

~Applications~

The phone comes with three games, namely Puzzle, Backgammon 2, Bowling and Beach Rally 2, though other games can be easily downloaded and stored in this section. The 'Collection' folder arrives with a converter for metric and Imperial measurements, though other applications can easily be downloaded. In the 'Extras' folder you will find a calculator, countdown timer and stopwatch.

~Web~

This is the place where you can access the internet. Functions include allowing you to set bookmarks, follow download links, change the settings, such as connection and appearance and clear the cache.

~Software disc~

I mentioned the nice piece of software which allowed synchronising between my laptop diary and the phone, but that's only a small part of what the Nokia PC suite software can do. Other functions include an Application Installer for Java applications such as games, a connection manager, a contacts editor, a content copier, multimedia player, a text message editor, and modem drivers which allow you to use the phone as a modem.
I also mentioned the pretty uninspiring ringtones and images you get with the phone, and this is where PC Suite also shines. It contains a sound converter, allowing you to create your own ringtones from midi files, which means my phone now plays Sweet Child o' Mine when I'm called. If that's not enough there is also an Image converter, allowing you to make images to send or use as wallpaper.
All in all a very nice piece of software and one which makes a huge difference to the overall desirability of this phone

----------------------------------------​---------

~~~Do I recommend it? ~~~

At the start I had to admit I'm a user rather than a fan of mobiles, but this phone has really made a big difference already. On sheer performance, it works extremely well; calls are clear both in the hand and in a car cradle, as well as being small, light and very user-friendly.
Add to that the software package, which allows you to get a phone you want to look at and listen to, and it makes a great little package.
Some people may want extra, such as a camera or an MP3 player, but personally I have a digital camera that gives me great pictures, and if I wanted an MP3 I'd buy an Ipod as it was specifically designed just to fulfil that purpose.
As a business user, I rate it very highly, and would also recommend it to anyone wanting first and foremost a good quality phone with a few nice extras.

Average price online is around £110, or free with Vodafone Anytime packages
Nokia website www.nokia.com