Overview
Introduction
The Nokia 6230 is the new age business person’s handset with everything they’d ever need at the moment for connection to the digital world. It doesn’t have a radically designed keypad nor is it an odd shape - it’s a standard phone with a great look and even better feature list. This model brings in all the new features from current mobile phone models from across the board, with a new 65k colour screen.
I’ve been waiting for this handset for a long time now, ever since my future phones article on it - and now I’ve got it to review. Does it live up to its expectations? Read on to find out…
New/outstanding features
The Nokia 6230 is an upgrade of the 6220 to most, but it has come a fair way from it’s brother model. The main upgrade is the support for MMC cards, an upgrade to a VGA camera, and the new display at 65k colours. Several other minor enhancements are also packed into this handset that lives up to its feature list - well, in most aspects it does! You can visit the Problems/Issues section for more information about that - but lets move on to these new and outstanding features!
MMC cards are the thin square cards that look like a big SIM card, they even have the chopped off side. They are the smallest and lightest removable storage available to date. MMC cards have the ability to store up to 1gB of information on a single card thanks to flash storage. The MMC card that is included in the 6230’s sales package is 32mB in size, which can be filled up with messages, images, video, documents, applications, and anything that the handset can support. Unsupported files can be stored on a MMC card in the 6230, but the 6230 will not be able to read that data. This memory boost adds to the 6mB of memory that the phone has internally that is dynamically shared between different applications and features.
The Nokia 6220 had a CIF resolution camera, capable of images at 352 x 288 pixels and video at QCIF resolution. The 6230 has a VGA camera upgrade, and yes, it can still record video. Software upgrades enable the camera function to record up to 4 minutes of video, as well as an option to stop video at 15 seconds.
The new display on the 6230 has been moved to 65,536 colours from the 4k display in the 6220, but disappointingly the size has stayed the same - the ‘normal’ series 40 resolution of 128 x 128 pixels. This is one of the low-end displays on the market, but performs reasonably well.
An MP3 and AAC player also makes its way into the 6230, and it includes an equaliser function too. MP3 and AAC files can be stored on the MMC card or in the shared memory. It has a shuffle function and a repeat one too. A function everyone else likes that the 6230 has is a FM Stereo radio, but it can only be used when an enhancement (ie. HDS-3 headset) is attached as it acts as the aerial. MP3 files can be used as ring tones, as well as 24-chord polyphonic MIDIs.
Data transfers are easy - remote and local ones. For connecting to remote servers and surfing WAP sites, you can use HSCSD, or GPRS, or the super-fast EDGE data transfers. For those local transfers Infrared, Bluetooth, and the Pop-Port™ interface (which supports USB) data-cables. The WAP 2.0 browser supports pages in xHTML for a better browsing experience.
Streaming media with audio is also supported with thanks to these fast wireless speeds, and all the messaging standards - SMS, EMS, MMS, and e-mail sending and receiving with the included Java midlet.
As you can see, the 6230 is much more than just a 6220 with MMC support. Read on for more about this wonderful handset from Nokia.
Physical aspects
The 6230 is sheer delight, as the Finnish manufacturer says. Silver, chrome, light grey, and black are some of the main colours used in this small handset with attitude. It’s only reasonably heavy too, weighing 90 grams with the included battery. It measures 103 x 44 x 20 mm - a practical size.
All corners of the 6230 are rounded off; there is no sharpness in this sense. The front cover is mainly silver; the buttons are chrome-ish and compliment the cover. The outer section of the front cover is an off white, almost light grey colour and it meets up with the darkness in the middle of the handset. On the right side the infrared port and speakerphone are covered in a black plastic which curves around and gives the VGA camera a backdrop on the back cover. The whole back cover except for the small chrome release button is the grey/off-white colour on the front handset - oh, and the black camera panel which reads “Nokia”.
The only external buttons on the 6230 are the volume controls on the left side, they are sunk into the handset so don’t protrude and cause any bother. The ‘on/off’ button is on the top of the handset and will need to be held down for a few seconds and then released for the phone to turn on.
The 6230 has Xpress-on™ back and front covers that change the overall look of the handset in a few seconds. They aren’t perfectly fitted, but you can read about that in the Problems/Issues section of my article. All kinds of colours and designs are available from Nokia, to suit everyone’s taste.
The 6220 had some oddly shaped keys, getting smaller as they went down. The 6230’s buttons are all the same size and are easy to press and nicely labelled. The selection keys and hang-up/pick-up buttons have cornered labels which together make a frame of the directional key. Spaces between each key make then easy to differentiate between when you’re not looking at the keypad and as usual the ‘5’ key has indents.
The overall look of the 6230 is very sophisticated and genuine - I was quite impressed.
User Interface & display
The Nokia 6230 runs on a Series 40 (developer platform version 2.0) interface as you would have seen in many other models, the family is quite large. As most devices in this series the displays are usually 128 x 128 pixels, but 4,096 colours. The 6230 is 128 x 128 pixels, but has made the move from 4k to a blazing 65,536 colours. A welcomed upgrade, but the quality of the display is reasonably poor when compared to some other models. Some people are worried about the response time by phones in the menu and writing messages - you’ll be glad to hear that the response time on the 6230 is very quick, not noticeable to most.
The screen used is visible in sunlight and low light; the backlights are bright enough to light the phone up in any situation. The main menu of the 6230 can be viewed in two formats, a list view, or a grid view. There are 9 default icons; some SIM’s will have 10 if they include a SIM Services menu. The grid view I feel is the best way to easily navigate around the certain functions of the phone, as it’s all displayed in front of you instead of somewhere off screen. Settings, Messages, Media, Gallery, Call Register, Contacts, Organizer, Applications, and Services are the 9 menus.
Messages are the first option displayed and for good reason - it’s the most used menu! From this menu the text messages, multimedia messages, voice messages, info messages, and message-related options are available. The sub-menus are text labels, 5 can be displayed at once in the large font. If you know the number of a menu you can quickly press the menu key and the number, and the menu will open so you don’t have to scroll to it. This is a common feature on Series 40 phones.
The middle of the directional key is also a key, and pushing it down will open the menu from the idle screen. It also acts as the “select” key, but if you need any help text labels reside on the bottom of the screen telling what the left and right soft keys, and the main key do. Sometimes (for example if you are prompted to select between ‘yes,’ and ‘no’) the soft keys can only be used, pressing down the directional key will not perform a function.
The colour scheme of the 6230’s UI can be changed from the settings menu to match your mood, you, or your background image. You can make a selection between 8 colours. Fully customized themes like on Sony Ericsson phones are however not available. The Colour scheme you choose changes the text colour and the battery level/reception colours too.
The right selection key can be defined to the following functions: Calendar, contacts, countdown timer, and wallet - and the Go-To key which has been seen in other models is the left selection key which jumps to other commonly used functions. The phone can be controlled by your own voice too; voice commands are one of the features on the 6230.
Making and receiving calls
Calls on the 6230 can be received through a Bluetooth headset, a wired Pop-Port™ headset like the stereo one in the sales package, through the speakerphone, or the regular way. Either way you use the volume is good, and the placement of the microphone and speaker ensure great quality incoming and outgoing audio. The volume controls are located on the left side of the handset; they only slightly protrude from the side but are tacky enough and respond well.
The phone will ring either a 24-chord polyphonic tone, or a full mp3 tone. Both are supported on the 6230, so your favourite band or own creation can play from your phone every time it rings if you get the file onto the MMC card or internal memory of the phone. Ring tones are also available on many WAP sites too if you know where too look. When a call is coming through, a simple press of the green pick up button will do the trick and answer the call. The speakerphone can be enabled by pressing the left selection key; you don’t have to go via the options menu anymore. Hanging up is easy - the red button will do it.
Various in-call options can be accessed from the menu when you’re in a call, just press the default menu button and select the option you want. Most options here like using the 2nd line,
Contacts can be stored in two places - the SIM card or in the phones memory. Having them in either location has its advantages, for example if you, like me, change your SIM card around a lot having all contacts on the SIM card is the only option. When your contacts are on the phone memory you can attach portrait size images, extra details (like other phone numbers, home/work addresses, e-mail address, and notes). Ring tones can be assigned to particular contacts and groups can also be attached to the names.
The 6230 is great size to hold and the curved top rests on your ear nicely. It’s not too wide or long, so it’s not uncomfortable to hold. Although smooth, the Xpress-on™ covers aren’t slippery at all.
Messaging
When you need to get in contact with someone but can’t necessarily call them or don’t wish too, the most obvious other alternative is to send a text message to that person. MMS, SMS & EMS, and e-mail can all be received and sent on the 6230. Being in contactable is not an option - except if you turn the phone off! :)
SMS and EMS messages can be sent and received on the 6230 - that is a message containing only text characters, or one containing text and a small black/white image and/or a small monophonic sound file. EMS messages cost the same as SMS messages, as they are SMS messages underneath it all - hence the name, Enhanced Messaging Service. Concatenated SMS messages can also be sent/received, up to 6 messages at once. That’s a whole 885 characters.
Up to 150 maximum-sized SMS/EMS messages can be saved on the phones internal memory, plus the varying amount on SIM cards. ‘My Folders’ are folders that are user definable, you are able to make new ones, re-name others and place messages into the folders for easier access. Outgoing SMS/EMS/MMS messages are saved by default into the “Sent Messages” folder - but this can be turned off via the message settings menu.
MMS messages are the real hit nowadays. They can contain a video file, image file, polyphonic ring tone or other sound file (like your voice for instance), as well as the normal text which has been increased to up to 1000 characters from the normal 160 on a single SMS message. The maximum size for a MMS message on the 6230 is 100kB per message. From the MMS editor you add all the different objects, including templates, smileys, calendar notes, business cards, or a new slide. MMS Slides contain the different aspects of a message - and can have times attached to themselves like Power Point presentations. The whole message can also be previewed and viewed like it would look on a compatible phone.
MMS messages can be sent to an e-mail address, single compatible mobile number or many mobile numbers. Drafted messages can be saved and edited later before they are sent.
An e-mail Java midlet is compiled in the Messages menu of this handset, so you can set up the account(s) and send/receive e-mails like you would on a home/office PC. Some description of wireless data account will need to be used, like GPRS/EDGE or HSCSD. E-mail messages up to 30kB can be received on the Nokia 6230 - and to save on download/upload costs you can place all the messages into a folder and they can all be sent at the same time instead of each one separately.
Connectivity
With a Nokia 6230 you can connect to other devices in close range or remote servers at high speeds using a range of different methods. For the short-range connections, Bluetooth, Infrared, and Pop-Port™ data-cables can be used - and for the other connections you can use HSCSD, GPRS, or EDGE. Downlinks close to that of broadband internet connections on a PC are within reach of the high-speed protocols on the 6230.
Once again, Bluetooth tops the list for connections to other devices like a PC or other mobile phone. The short-range radio frequency enables the user to transmit data without any need for wires. This doesn’t restrict movement or any other activities; you can keep a stable connection between two devices up to 10 metres away. Devices like audio headsets, keyboards, and more are being manufactured all the time, and compatibility is only getting broader.
Infrared can also be used to connect two devices together, like a PC and the 6230, or the 6230 and another infrared enabled phone. Once the two ports are aligned and the receiving device has infrared turned on, the other can start transmitting images, business cards, anything the 6230 has to offer! Right from an objects menu you can select send via infrared; this function wasn’t available in other handsets. USB data-cables plug into the Pop-Port™ on the bottom of the 6230 and into a spare port, and enable data transfers, synchronizations, and more with a PC. The PC Suite is downloadable from the Nokia webpage.
GPRS, HSCSD, and EDGE are all wireless protocols that enable the 6230 to connect to remote servers and download information - like the internet on a computer. An endless array or information is available on WAP sites, and depending what your network supports and what area you are in, you can connect at super fast speeds. The GPRS protocol is mainly used, and it will enable a downlink connection (that’s downloading data) on the 6230 at around 36kbp/s, and an uplink at about 18kbp/s. The HSCSD protocol will be able to reach speeds at 43.2kbp/s and EDGE which is by far the fastest enables speeds of up to 236.8kbp/s. These are estimates and depend on network coverage in your particular area - some networks don’t support these protocols just yet either.
The Nokia 6230 has TCP/IP support, which are the protocols that a device uses to connect to remote hosts on the internet. It also supports Multitasking, which like the name suggests is the ability to perform more than one function at a time. All these features, including HSCSD, GPRS, and EGDE require network compatibility.
Whichever method of connection you choose, the 6230 has you covered. The WAP 2.0 browser on the 6230 can display xHTML pages as well, bringing richer pages to your handset. All short-range connection options are controllable from a “connectivity” menu in the main settings menu, and the others can be set up from the “Services” settings’ menu.
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Build quality
Average. My obvious main disappointment as seen in the Problems/Issues section of this article was the looseness of the front and back covers, particularly at the top. They moved around from left to right quite freely and didn’t appear to be securely attached. Other than this, the only other problem related to the build of the phone would be the MMC card location - but for more about those two aspects move to the Problems/Issues page.
The back & front cover of the 6230 come off rather easily, the back cover just needs a push in on the chrome button and push upwards will remove it. The battery removes easily - fingers from large to small will actually be able to remove this battery. The SIM and MMC cards fit into the appropriate positions without any irritation on your part.
Battery life
All was well in this department of the Nokia 6230. Like most Nokia phones with the standard BL-5C battery, life of the phone wasn’t greatly decreased by the more complicated functions like the camera and Java games. Battery management on the 6230 was great, a recharge every third day should keep your battery running if you do quite a bit of talking.
Talk time on the 6230 (from Nokia.com) is said to be up to 5 hours, and talk time of up to 300 hours - all on the standard battery included in the sales package. These times will vary depending on the network strength, the SIM card and usage of the phone.
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Take a closer look!
Overview (Page 1)
