Introduction
Although, I like new techno gizmos, before buying anything I take time to figure out what exact things I look forward in that gadget and try to buy one that fits all those requirements along with suiting my pocket. So when I decided to gift a mobile to my wife, I wanted to push for Nokia 2100, the mobile that I use. But, she would not settle for a non-color mobile and pushed me to go for a color mobile. That’s when I decided to get her a Nokia 1600.
Features I look for in a mobile
1) Size and Weight - The first criteria I look for in any mobile is the size and weight, the mobile should be as light and as sleek as possible. It should not be bulky and I should not get the feeling that I am roaming around with a walkman or a camera in my hand.
2) Keypad - The next criteria is the keypad, which I prefer to be rubber pad with a covering on top. This was one problem that I faced with Nokia 2100 where the writing on top of the keypad got rubbed off with time and then it became difficult to see which key is what.
3) Address Book - The amount of addresses that can be stored in the memory of the mobile.
Of course, these features are over and above the fact that the gadget should be able to function as a mobile phone in the first place :). Any other feature is good to have for me but not necessary.
Features of Nokia 1600
Nokia 1600 addresses all these three points beside being a color phone. Amongst the color mobile phones, this was the lightest available in the market at the time I did my searching. Although still heavier than Nokia 2100, it is still quite light.
The keypad of Nokia 1600 comes with a plastic topping over each key giving it the protection from erasing the markings on top of each key. Nokia 1600 comes with a 200 address storage as well which is good enough for my wife’s purposes, so that also fitted well with my requirements.
Additionally, the phone has the following features:
Talking alarm and clock in your language. Available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali
Color screen with up to 65, 536 colors
Simplified menu and navigation
Icon-based phone book
Sleek, executive design with chrome details
Polyphonic ringing tones with MP3-grade sound
Graphical demo mode for phone features both with and without SIM card
Full-size animated color screensavers
Wallpaper and themes - personalize your phone
Integrated handsfree
Polyphonic ringing tones with MP3-grade sound
Of these features, two of the features that I found most handy which were not there in the Nokia 2100 are:
1) Associating separate ringtones and icons to each address in the address book. These help in identifying whether the call is from the office (one that should be ignored :() or from friends (one that requires immediate response :)).
2) Handsfree mode: This is especially useful if the call is lengthy and the battery starts heating up. Your ear starts paining at that time, so the handsfree mode is quite helpful in this case.
Also, I generally liked the polyphonic tones, though I feel the simple ringtones of my Nokia 2100 were more effective in waking me up :)
On the flip side, this mobile does not come with a built in MP3 support, though it is extendable to a MP3 support whatever that means.
Cost
Nokia 1600 cost around Rs. 3000/- these days. This is less than what I paid for my black and white Nokia 2100, but that’s the deal with mobile phones. Their prices drop exponentially with the passage of time.
Summary
Nokia 1600 is an entry level color mobile from Nokia and given the cost, it comes across as another Value for Money mobile phone from the stable of Nokia on the lines of Nokia 2100.
I would give this product a 4 star rating.