June 2007 update
still working fine without a hint of trouble or malfunction . loaded with lots of sis softwares available but it is neither hanging nor slowing down (unlike what other ppl are telling abt this piece).I was thinking about upgrading to n series but was not sure about the reliability factor (saw my friends having probs with their n-series mobiles).So I am hooked up on this one.this piece is still an excellent buy(not for multimedia but for Smart phone features)
I bought this one in august 06 and since then it is working fine without any problems whatsoever.
read conclusion if short of time...
Back then i was using 3300(the excellent music phone!!!...i was going to write about it but i wonder who will read it since because it is sadly not available easily).
I was shocked when i heard mp3 playback.(i was used to the excellent playback from my 3300 with ad-49 adapter to which i had attached creative ep630 in ear phone for a heavenly sound)
i tried some softwares initially (with help from my friends) but could not improve its sound quality.i dont not remember that i have heard such pathetic sound from mono fm reception from other phones/radios.
The 1.3 mpix camera takes average to good photos in sufficent light outdoors(daytime).occasionally overexposed images are what you get.
Indoor photos(taken in normal mode) show all kinds of typical imaging defects such as excessive noise, lack of focus, chromatic aberrations or purple fringing when using zoom etc
(forget about reading any text in captured images and above defects apply for all nokias except some high end n-series models).
These can be avoiding to a great extent by use of night mode and steady hands.whie taking photographs you need to hold the phone still after clickng for a good 3 seconds to make sure you have not shot something else.
The above camera short comings will never be a problem if you are taking photos of "posing" people in outdoor conditions and you will be making full use of those pixels(1280x960=1230000=1.23 mega p)
I was gonna sell it till i came to know about "dotsis.com". From then onwards i am still exploring the whole world of possibilities.
Pros:
If I mention all the pros objectivly it will be a long list so i will be comparing it with 6600, 6670 and 6630 which have similar features
*stereo fm radio(not in above models)
*1.23 mpix camera(use night mode . Vga in 6600
*bright & crisp display(beter than 6600&6630)
(enjoy every mm of eyecandy)
*good ergonomics and slim body(unlike 6600&6630).
*edge for speedy browsing ( i use gprs :-))
*very good actual battery life of 2 days even with heavy gaming , messaging, talking, imaging and fm listening(although rated battery capacity is low)
*infra red ( not there in 6630)
*better joystick better than 6600 (makes a lot of difference for gaming)
* pop port(get a dku 2 cable and sync with pc using pc suite)
*last but not the least dotsis(.sis)
Some good softwares are
Repligo( excellent document viewer)
Power mp3(music)
Quickoffice(ms office files editing) & viewing
Alon mp3 (voice recorder)
Active today(organiser)
Alarm manager
Psiloc ir remote, voice reminder, bluetooth mouse
Airpedia(e book reader with auto scroll)
Money manager(.jar)
Not to forget thousands of games, themes and other pim/organising and educational software.
Cons:
Mono mp3
Bad camera (if used normally)
Hanging problem( for older 3230 , not in newer models/firmware. Do not ever buy this 2 nd hand)
Conclusion :total paisa vasool.
if nokia had removed camera (prohibited in some offices and institutions where i go on outdoor duty), increased processor speed, and put in stereo mp3(as in my superb 3300) i would have given this piece a rating of 11/10.
But keep in mind that nokia is a profit seeking organisation and these guys will never ever put everything in a sub 10k phone .how else will anybody buy their n-series(making people pay 200% or twice the amount for 10%-15% improvement
In features/performance)
If your expections from smartphone are similar to mine then 6681 comes very very close but it is more expensive(i have lost my other mobiles twice amounting to rs 12000).