A terminal gadget freak, I find Ciao an excellent resource for checking out a gadget before buying i...
A terminal gadget freak, I find Ciao an excellent resource for checking out a gadget before buying it.
Member since:20.10.2000
Reviews:54
Members who trust:6
The 7650 is a little taller, wider and deeper than many other contemporary mobiles, but when you consider what this phone is packing, it's understandable. Features like Bluetooth, MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service), and, best of all, the built-in camera, mean that this phone is set to be a hit.
The first thing you'll notice, is the apparent lack of a numeric keypad - don't be fooled into thinking that the device is touchscreen-driven - there is a slide-out keypad, that also doubles as a lens protector for the camera (of which, more later…). With the keypad retracted, the height is around 115mm, and when expanded, 160mm.
The phone is a comfy hold, although the
camera lens isn't inset in any way, which tends to result in a little fingerprint smearing when the case is opened. The numeric keypad is quite responsive, but much of the device navigation is not done using the keypad, it's with the small black joystick below the screen. The joystick allows four-way navigation, with a press-in to select. There are two hardware buttons immediately below the screen, and their function changes depending on which application you're using. There's also a dedicated Menu, voice-record and On/off button (which also allows selection of a new profile). On the numeric keypad, there's also an 'ABC' button, that allows selection of T9 text recognition and some other general text options, such as Insert word and Insert symbol.
Software-wise, the device has SMS, Email and Wap built-in (No web browser though), and supports the new Multimedia Messaging format MMS. Standard PIM Contacts, To-do and Calendar are all there, as are a couple of fairly basic games (with a few extra ones on the supplied CD).
The killer app for this phone, is, of course, the camera. With a fairly empty memory, the 7650 can hold around 60 high-resolution 640x480 images. There's the option to switch image quality between High, Normal and Basic, to allow you to sqeeze more photos into memory, and there's a fairly basic 'night mode' that can help with low-light image taking. When in camera mode, the screen becomes your view finder, and pressing the joystick in, takes the picture, and plays a 'click' effect at you, to confirm that the snap has been taken. Oddly, the 'click' happens slightly ahead of the actual photo being taken, which can ruin the snap if the photo subject moves during the half-second delay. Once taken, the snap can be saved to the Images application (for viewing and zooming), or sent on to your mates via Bluetooth, infrared, email or MMS. Photo quality itself isn't actually that great, but it's certainly good enough to be useful when out on the town for the night, or snapping pictures of family and friends to add to your Contacts address bookIn general, the phone is very responsive, feature-packed and surprisingly powerful.
The onboard software, is as follows: Telephone Contacts Call log Messaging Camera Images Calendar WAP (WAP 1.2.1 with WTLS security) . Click here for more on the 7650 Wap browser Profile management To-do Connection manager (Bluetooth, IR, modem) Notes Calculator Currency converter Voice recorder Ringtone composer Clock Games (Snake Ex, Mix Pix)
Looking for negatives is tricky, as this really is a nice piece of kit. Occasionally, the user interface throws up a few surprises - menu options sometimes vanish, depending on what mode you're in, and some of the more obscure settings aren't quite where you'd expect them to be, but in general, navigation is good, and the phone's a pleasure to use.
As of July 2002, the price has been quoted as between £450-550 without SIM. It's supplied with PC connectivity software (infrared / Bluetooth), which is now available for download from Nokia www.nokia.com/phones/7650/
One of the comments from a Ciao member has asked about the screen visibility in bright light conditions: the Phone has a standard front-lit white screen and has a light sensor on the front, and a setting in the Display area of Settings, which I assume makes a difference to visibility in different lighting conditions. It doesn't seem to make a huge amount of difference, but the general visibity in most lighting conditions is pretty good.
Clearly marketed for gadget-fans who like the latest technology, this is likely to be a hit - the first colour cameraphone with the Nokia brandname… how can it go wrong?
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Pete
As always an excellent review containing good clear information about the product. Haing read this I have gone out and bought one on contract with Orange at the gloriously cheap price of 49:99 (purchase done at Carphone warehouse).
Mark
GEEMARC 03.12.2002 12:13
This sounds wicked, but from what i've seen in the shops they are very expensive, maybe i'll be lucky and get one from santa (fingers crossed). Cool opinion. :-)
bronwyn91 23.10.2002 16:35
hi - good op having a tecchy hubby am always interested in things like this although from your op I think this would be ideal from beginner to expert Mx
Jul 5th, 2002
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