Despite my previous bad experiences with eBay, I finally bid, won and got the Nokia 6650, all in 4 days flat. This is a ’’first-impressions’’ review.
Some background
The 6650 is a 3G or at least a 2.5G phone, was launched in mid 2003 and currently available in Europe and Japan, but not distributed in India. The closest phones in India are the very popular 6600 and the radical 7600: both of them - to me - are distastefully ugly and neither can hold a candle to the 6650 when it comes to cool, understated elegance! The 3G part is completely useless in India of-course, and if you travel to the USA, the phone is useless there as well.
Looks
People may not take to the old-fashioned looks of the 6650, but I can tell you that it has rich looks and I really like the stubby antenna. At the same time, it is discrete too, as it does not scream out ’’steal-me’’ the way some of the other jazzed-up phones do. Looks-wise, it bucks the trend.
Functionality
Right off the block, everything was as expected. The menu items are where you expect them to be (it is a Nokia!.). There is a video/still camera at the back under a sliding cover. Everything worked without too much fuss and fiddling.
The Bluetooth and and IR connectivity worked well too. But the Nokia PC Suite can best be described as somewhere between useless to pathetic. My guess is, some Indians were involved... (Now, don’t start a flame on that one... ;-) Nokia!, your software HAS to improve.
Performance
The speakerphone is a dream and worth the phone’s price. This is the definition of ’’crystal clear.’’ Then, there is the HUGE screen, you don’t have to squint to read the text, and the best part; it is not cluttered with crap (icons).
The number keys, though they look uncomfortable, are easy on the fingers and surprisingly tactile. The same cannot be said about the 4-way navigation button which must be the worst implementation of the idea both functionally and operationally.
There is also the claimed 15 day standby and ~3 hour talk time.
It has all the required functionality (and then some) without any fancy gimmicks!
The bad bits
The phone is a grey-market item in India with no warranty or support.
The user manual is in maybe Spanish or Portugese (but the latest software and manuals can be downloaded for free from the Nokia website).
The 4-way navigation key is a pain to use and its full potential is not realized on this phone.
The voice and volume keys on the side require too much fiddling to operate.
It’s all slightly old-fashioned and may have buggy firmware (it is the first 3G phone from Nokia.)
The OS itself is showing its age.
The screen resolution could have been higher.
Summary
I don’t know what it says about me, but I bought this phone for the exclusivity, functionality, performance and certainly, looks.