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Nokia 6260

As demand for clamshell style handsets increase, Nokia have seen their market share eroded by other companies selling stylish clamshells. In response to all this, Nokia announced five new handsets at the Nokia Connection Conference last week; and the new 6260 clamshell smart phone is one of them.

However, this is no average clamshell! It incorporates a swivel design similar to recent Samsung and LG handsets, which makes this phone very versatile. You can open it for normal use, swivel and close it for using the web browser or other applications (the soft keys are located on the flip, not on the bottom), or open and swivel it sideways for self-portraits with the integrated camera, as the camera is mounted on the side of the flip. The screen consists of a 176 x 208 pixels TFT 65k colour screen, and the camera takes pictures at VGA resolution and has 4x digital zoom. It’s also capable of video recording at a low resolution. This is the standard camera offering these days, and is very similar to Motorola’s new V series phones (V300, V500 and V600), although those phones can’t record video. Photos or videos taken with the 6260 can be stored in the phone’s internal 3.5MB internal memory, or on the included 32MB MMC card. According to Nokia, the MMC card can now be changed while the phone is still on, which is excellent news.

GPRS is supported on the 6260, although at the slower Class 6 specifications, meaning average transfer speeds of between 24 to 36kbps. Despite this, the 6260 sports a full HTML browser, meaning websites designed for PCs can be viewed, in addition to xHTML and WAP 2.0 sites. In addition, SMS, EMS and MMS are all supported, as well as the POP3 and IMAP4 email standards for mobile communication. Many sound formats are also supported, including 48-tone polyphonic ringtones, as well as true tones; WAV and MP3 files. Java MIDP 2.0 is supported, meaning more advanced applications and games, and an FM radio is also included.

Incidentally, the 6260 is the first Nokia clamshell to incorporate the Series 60 Second Edition OS, which is sure to please avid phone users. This means that the vast range of Series 60 software can be used on this phone. To take advantage of this, there will be nine applications loaded on the included MMC card in demo form, meaning you can try them and if you like them, purchase and download full versions later. This is very similar to the shareware concept for PCs. In addition, there are the applications Quickword and Quickpoint, which allow you to view Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations on your phone. Nokia’s proprietary Push-To-Talk (PTT) system is also supported, which allows instant communication - walkie-talkie style!

Connectivity consists of USB, infra-red and Bluetooth, and Bluetooth can also be used for handsfree and headset operations. The 6260 is also a tri-band device, meaning connectivity in five continents around the world.

Talk time is 2 to 4 hours and standby time is 4 to 6 days on the standard 760mAh battery. The 6260 measures 102mm x 49mm x 23mm and weighs 125g, which is a trifle on the heavy side. It will be released in Europe and the Asia-Pacific in the third quarter of this year, with Australia to follow shortly after.

Accompanying features
Connectivity options	Bluetooth, Data-cable, Infrared
Camera support	VGA camera with still and video support (640 x 480 pixels)
Data support	GPRS Class 6
Exchangeable covers	No
Internet applications	HTML, xHTML, WAP 2.0 browser
Memory   Internal -   External -	Yes, 6MB (3.5MB can be used for storage) Yes, MMC (32MB card included)
Messaging capabilities	SMS, EMS, MMS, and e-mail (POP3 and IMAP)
Ringing tones	Polyphonic (48-chords), and MP3/AAC ringtones
Synchronisation with PC	Yes, PC Suite and SyncML
System for...   Add-on applications -   Gaming -   Phone -	Java, MIDP 2.0 Java, MIDP 2.0 Symbian 7.0s UI (Series 60 Second Edition)
Extras supported (not listed above)	Handsfree speakerphone e-Wallet Quickword and Quickpoint file viewers Nokia Push-To-Talk Stereo FM Radio & MP3 Player