Nokia 6610i

What's the quickest way to get a camera-phone onto the market? To the Finnish giant, it's as straightforward as slapping on a lens to a previous model. We take a look at Nokia's camera-equipped 6610i.

Design
Don't expect any radical changes to the 6610i as this phone inherits most of the characteristics from the earlier 6610. In fact, these two are almost indistinguishable until one spots the camera located on the unit's back. Like the 6610, this Nokia offers the convenience of interchangeable faceplates that we are familiar with. While we like this versatility, the build quality suffers, no thanks to a creaky plastic chassis. The dodgy build is especially apparent when texting.

Sad to say, Nokia offers a meager multimedia feature set. The 4K-color passive screen is primitive by today's standards and colors appear dull on this STN display. To worsen matters, there are the slow refreshes to contend with. In addition, the 4-chord polyphonic ringer, though adequately melodious during the 6610's reign, is rather flat-sounding among current mobiles.

Design
New to this handset is the integrated camera. Although this capability is what separates the 6610i from its predecessor, the implementation is unimpressive. Firstly, this shooter captures 352 x 288-pixel stills. With most camera-phones offering at least VGA resolution and a myriad of tweaks, this comes as a disappointment.

Although this unit doesn't include an MP3 player, the FM radio does a credible job at entertaining. Setting up the different stations is easy and the reception is crystal-clear. The only thing lacking is an onboard equalizer to tweak the audio.

Frequent texters will love the SMS engine. Still one of the fastest in the mobile industry, this Nokia offers predictive text input and the ability to store up to 150 messages. In addition to English and simplified Chinese, the 6610i offers Bahasa Melayu input.

Data connectivity has always been a strong point in Nokia's 6000 series. This phone packs in GPRS, a WAP browser and infrared. Even with Bluetooth omitted, road warriors can choose to connect the phone to a laptop via infrared or an optional USB data cable. Plus, this triband handset automatically switches between the three frequency bands so frequent travelers can still be contacted abroad.

Battery Life, Reception And SAR
The supplied Lithium-ion cell kept the unit running for about three days. During our two-week testing period, we didn't encounter any reception problems or dropped calls. Speech quality was adequately loud and the speakerphone function proved a great help to motorists while driving.

The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) imposes a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit of below 2.0W/kg. This model when tested for compliance had a SAR level of up to 0.73W/kg.

Conclusion
Affordable at S$198 (US$145.78) with a two-year plan, this triband mobile will appeal to commuters who don't require high-end bells and whistles. Before you plunge into this purchase, do be aware of the mediocre STN display and poorly implemented camera.