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Nokia 7280

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By Melvin Teo
Jan 13, 2005

How does one even begin to describe the Nokia 7280? Bearing more resemblance to a lipstick than a mobile, its combination of black, white and red lines and curves are typical of Nokia's bold art deco series which also includes the candy bar 7260 and clamshell 7270. But by far the most outstanding aspect of the Nokia 7280 is its keypad. That is, it doesn't have one.

Design
At 116 x 32 x 19mm and 84g, the handset is lightweight and sized like a portable digital radio. All across the phone, Nokia has cheekily thrown in touches of flashiness and glamor. Instead of the usual LED indicator, the top of the 7280 pulses in red periodically to let users know the phone is on. The display also doubles as a mirror when not in use, while a miniscule Nokia cloth label--like to those on jeans--sticks out conspicuously on the lower left.

Replacing the conventional numerical counterpart is a circular rotating pad called the NaviSpinner surrounding a select key. Together with a 104 x 208-pixel, 65K-color LCD and four soft keys, the layout of the 7280 is minimalistic and almost Zen-like. While images and icons generally look sharp, the display size is tiny and definitely not for the myopic.

The SIM card holder is cleanly hidden as a sliver of a silver panel on the side of the phone. The minus is you have to use the release tool--a supplied metal cylinder with a pointed tip--or a small paper clip to extract the holder, and there's no place to store this tool on the phone. Sliding the top half of the handset reveals the VGA camera at the back and answers incoming calls, which you can end by snapping it back in place. It's missing the convenience of automatically activating the camera function, though, something we appreciated in the Mitsubishi M900. Also, with all the mechanical moving parts, the sliding portion may get a little loose over time.

Nokia bundles a leather case with a velvet interior which is a nice touch. However, the wrap-around design means you need to be extra careful to ensure your expensive phone isn't dropped when opening the case.

Features
As a rule of thumb, a mobile phone needs as much function as it does form, and that's where the Nokia 7280 falls from grace. Though predecessors like the Nokia 3650, Siemens SX1 and Siemens Xelibri 4 have reinvented the keypad layout with varying degrees of success, the decision to totally omit the 0-9 keys here is bold, radical and potentially suicidal. Picture yourself using one of those old-fashioned home phones with a rotating, spring-loaded dial and you'll get an idea of how the 7280 works. To make a call, you have to press the go-to button, choose number entry, use the NaviSpinner to scroll through and select the individual numbers before finally pressing the green call button. While it isn't difficult, the time taken to initiate a single call is easily five times longer than on a normal numerical keypad.

Even that's nothing compared with the tedium of messaging on the 7280. Although predictive text input is available and fairly helpful, scrolling through small letters laid out in a horizontal one-liner at the bottom of the display is tiring and dreary. Composing a simple 10-word sentence may take you at least a couple of minutes, if not more. If there's a mistake, you have to select the cursor menu icon, scroll to the desired location and deselect the cursor option before editing. In a nutshell, the 7280 is not for anyone who uses SMS on a regular basis.

To its credit, the operating interface is speedy and voice features on the 7280 are impressive. The speakerphone function is clear and loud, voice command activation is accurate and the included handsfree kit works well. However, the Nokia earpieces feel a little uncomfortable.

The onboard camera of the 7280 manages decent quality snaps but underperforms under low-light conditions with grainy pictures and poor color reproduction, despite enabling night mode. It also lacks a built-in flash.

The inclusion of 50MB of total internal memory is a pleasant surprise for such a small-sized handset. With support for MP3 ringtones and playback as well as FM radio, the 7280 masquerades capably as a secondary music player for a short commute.

Along with infrared and smooth Bluetooth connectivity, this Nokia phone allows for WAP surfing with GPRS speeds and xHTML browsing. Alas, the small LCD display significantly dampens the whole Web experience, while the lack of a cable connection is a downer.

Reception, Battery Life And SAR
The triband 7280 had no problems with call reception or voice clarity during the testing period. The internal 700mAh Lithium-ion battery managed only to last about two days on normal usage so frequent recharging will be required. Take note that the battery is non-removable, so the short battery life may dissuade frequent travelers.

The highest Specific Absorption rate recorded was 0.83W/kg, which meets international requirements concerning exposure to radio waves.

Conclusion
The ultimate flashpoint of the Nokia 7280 is its price. Retailing at S$828 (US$544.74) with a two-year plan and S$978 (US$643.42) without contract, this quirky mobile is recommended only for those who really love the design concept and don't SMS or call regularly. Otherwise, we advise you to get a good camera-phone with a conventional keypad, even saving yourself some dough in the process.

 
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