Nokia 6230

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Click for images of the Nokia 6230.

One look at the Nokia 6230 and you may conclude that it's simply another typical Series 40 handset from the Finnish giant. Don't be fooled by its appearance just yet as this Nokia packs in so much gadgetry goodness, it's bound to keep most techies happy for quite a while.

Design
This 90g triband handset from Nokia has an industrial-metal look and measures 103 x 44 x 20mm. If you favor another appearance, you can take advantage of the interchangeable faceplates available separately. This convenience brought about another issue as we noted that the front and back covers tend to get loose over time.

The 128 x 128-pixel TFT screen matched with this mobile is rather mediocre by today's standards. Though it gets the job done, the 65,536-color display disappoints when compared to candy bars such as the Sony Ericsson T630. The lack of contrast and brightness adjustments can be annoying, too.

The buttons on the keypad feel a little unsteady even though we experienced no issues when using them. A five-way navigation pad located below the screen lets you activate the phone's functions with a single press, including composing a message or taking a quick snapshot.

At the top of the unit sits a large power button, so switching on or off your mobile is easy. The camera located at the back of the phone protrudes about 1mm from the back cover causing it to be prone to scratches when placed on rough surfaces.

Features
The handset internal memory is good for storing images but if you intend to utilize the phone's music playback function, you'll find the 8.8MB space lacking. Fortunately, there's an MMC slot located under the battery for expansion. Nokia has thoughtfully included a 32MB MMC media in the package, enough for about eight MP3 songs.

Connectivity, in the form of Bluetooth and infrared, are well-implemented. Pairing the phone with a Motorola Wireless Headset HS810 is a non-issue and works well. We succeeded in connecting the 6230 to an HP iPaq h4310 Pocket PC for Web browsing. Do note, however, that there are connection problems with certain models of iPaq such as the h19xx and h22xx series. HP is aware of this issue and will be releasing a patch to resolve this quirk. Overall, we're impressed with the phone's ability to send and receive media files. During testing, this Nokia even accepted a 3.4MB MP3 file sent across Bluetooth without difficulty. This handset also accepts unsupported formats such as DOC, so you can actually use the handset as a mini storage device.

In addition to text messaging, the 6230 sends MMS messages of up to 100KB in size. Both predictive T9 or multi-tap text input methods are supported. You have a choice of texting in English or Melayu. Though the phone receives and forwards Chinese SMS, to create them, you'll need to set the phone's language to Chinese.

Nokia doesn't disappoint when it comes to its friendly user interface. You can choose between the traditional list menu view and the newer grid menu for navigation. Operation of the phone is snappy and the increasing number of messages stored doesn't slow down the handset one bit.

Web surfing is courtesy of a WAP browser through GPRS. Like most data-enabled mobiles, you can use it as a modem for other devices to access the Internet. The less useful high-speed EDGE data transfer capability and its enhanced Contacts and Chat functions are also included.

Similar to most Series 40 mobiles, this handset comes with standard PIM functions such as an alarm clock, calendar, to-do list, and notes. Java is supported and Nokia has four useful applets including a metric conversion tool, a world clock, an English-to-Chinese translator, and Mobile Karaoke. For gamers, the racing game, Beach Rally II and Golf will keep you entertained. We're pleasantly surprised by the Java application launch speed and smooth frame rate experienced during gameplay. If you prefer, additional Java games can be installed. However, it needs to be loaded via the desktop connectivity software.

Multimedia
The multimedia capabilities of the 6230 are without doubt the phone's main selling points. The onboard camera captures images of 640 x 480-pixel resolution and videos up to 4 minutes in length. A night mode allows you to snap images under low-light conditions. Sadly, camera controls are pretty limited. It lacks digital zoom, image adjustment options and a mirror for self-portraits.

The mobile's 24-chord polyphonic ringer is an improvement compared with earlier Nokia models. Still, it's no match for the current Samsungs sporting 40-chord polyphony. Fortunately, the ability to use MP3s as ringtones will grant you lots of fun customizing the phone to your heart's content. With the loud audio output and lively vibration mode, you'll have no problems noticing incoming alerts. We noted some bugs including the handset switching from the selected MP3 ringtone to another when it's powered off and on.

The integrated music player supporting MP3 and AAC formats sounds excellent thanks to the versatile five-band equalizer. The equalizer also comes with additional presets such as Normal, Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Classical to cater for different genres of music. This phone allows limited multitasking such as messaging while the radio or music playback is active.

Another great feature is the 6230's ability to pipe music through the built-in speaker. It amazes me as it's louder than even my HP iPaq's audio output. Do note that this will not work when using the FM radio as you need to connect the headset which functions as the antenna. The included voice recorder is good for taking down 3 minute-long audio notes.

Battery Life And Reception
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 0.59W/kg.

There were no issues with signal strength or reception when testing the 6230. However, we encountered voice echoes occasionally during calls. Nokia claims a standby time of about 12 days and talktime of 5 hours with the supplied battery. In reality, we got about two to three days of average use. If you intend the phone as a music player, expect more frequent recharging.

Conclusion
The Nokia 6230 is available now at a price of S$678 (US$483.28) for a two-year plan and S$878 (US$625.85) without contract. It's clear Nokia intends this mobile for those who wanted entertainment on-the-go. While the multimedia specifications are superior, the aging 128 x 128-pixel display and dodgy software require improvements.