Overview
Introduction
Finally, a Nokia phone with an integrated digital camera! All the Nokia fans out there have been waiting for it ever since other companies started releasing
integrated camera, and now they have it.
The Nokia 7250i is an enhanced version of the Nokia 7250, with only a few new software features.
New/outstanding features
The Nokia 7250i is part of Nokia’s series 40 set of phones. New features that are not available in the 7250 is the ability to zoom in on taken photos (digital, not optical zoom), to send enhanced MMS messages and an xHTML browser for a better mobile browsing experience.
The best feature is the integrated CIF camera. It has the ability to take two types of photos, portrait and normal, along with a ‘night’ mode. The camera has a maximum resolution of 352 x 288, which is the resolution that the camera takes pictures at the normal setting.. Higher quality images in up to the size of a VGA camera image (640 x 480 pixels) can be scaled down and shown on the Nokia 7250i. These photos can them be instantly sent to friends and family via MMS or e-mail.
Along with these new features, the 7250i has the ability to send email and MMS, listen to the radio, put important appointments into the calendar, and always be on time! You can also set the alarm to tune into the radio, and with the predictive text input included, typing and sending MMS/SMS’s is extremely easy. The long list of features for the handset include a HSCSD, a wallet over xHTML, hands-free speaker, downloadable applications and Java™ games, colour schemes, a calculator with currency converter, a stopwatch and countdown timer, and a new, visually provocative design.
4mB is the total memory pool that s provided on the 7250i, with a shared memory of 3.5mB for MMS messages, ringing tones, Java™ games and applications, and images. The rest of the memory is used for phone-book entries, SMS messages (which can also be stored on the SIM card), and Calender notes/To-Do list notes.
Physical aspects
The Nokia 7250i is boasted by Nokia as having a “new, provocative design” with smooth curves and easy lines. The key mat is also very easy to use, as the buttons are set out neatly, and spaced apart, so even those with larger thumbs can use the phone with ease. =)
Only a small amount longer than the Nokia 6610, the Nokia 7250i has the dimensions 105 x 44 x 99mm, and weighs a cool 92grams, including the battery. It is small enough to fit in your shirt or pants pocket, and in a small bag. The phone has a very new-age feel about it, and is available in several metallic colours. The sales package should contain the handset in metallic Plum, Green, Grey, or Blue. This of course can then be changed with the use of an Xpress-on™ back and front cover. Alike all Nokia’s now-a-days, the antenna is internal.
On the left side of the phone there is a volume control, alike the 6610. Opposite side is the microphone, which also acts as a speaker when previewing Midi’s via the gallery. On the 7250i, the volume cannot be changed by pressing the up/down buttons during a call, as these are now shortcuts for starting the camera and going to your contacts respectively.
The standard keypad for Nokia is used, with numbers 0 to 9, * and #, directional keys (left, up, right, down), pick-up/hang-up buttons, and two selection keys. This set out is becoming quite common among all different brands and models throughout the mobile phone range.
The most noticeable change in the keypad design is not the numbers; it’s the hang-up/pick-up section of the buttons. This section has the directional keys, and the selection keys. They are now on a slant compared to the 6610, and the left and right keys are now closer to the up directional key. The keys are however much easier to use.
Although metallic, the colour (not black) of the Xpress-on™ covers are slightly rougher than the black part of it, so it’s much easier to hold when talking, and won’t slip in your hands.
User Interface & display
Because the Nokia 7250i is a series 40 phone, it the user-interface is much the same as the Nokia 6610 and 5100, etc.
A simple press of the left selection button opens up the menu, where everything is easily displayed by scrolling through. The messages menu is firstly displayed, because it is most used. You can then access multi-media messages (MMS) or Text messages (SMS). Like other Nokia phones, if you know what number the menu is you want to go to, you can press the menu button and then the number. For example, pressing menu then 1-0-1 will quickly get you into the list of Java games available on your phone. There is also a new menu called “Connectivity” where you can enable Infra-red or check your GPRS settings. In the “Extras” option you can access your calculator and stopwatch.
The 7250i has the ability to set out all the menus in a icon form, and when you hover over an icon you will see at the top what it represents - that’s if you can’t gather it from the picture! This way of setting everything out neatly and easily is perfect for any user, intermediate to the advanced user. It’s simple, and clean, and did I mention easy to use? =)
A new feature which is only available in the 7250i is the easy-access key, which doubles as the ‘0’ key. If you hold this down you will jump straight to your WAP homepage if your settings are set properly. This is very convenient because you don’t have to go into the menu and scroll around to find ‘Services’ and then access your homepage.
A new feature in the 7250i is the right selection key, which is now customizable. It is pre-set to go straight to your ‘Contacts’ menu, but can be changed to several different things such as the ‘Radio,’ ‘Multimedia Inbox,’ ‘Inbox,’ ‘Create MMS,’ and many more. It can also be changed to activate your General profile, or you’re Silent profile. This can be very useful if you are at school or work and need to quickly change your profile at the press of a button.
When the phone is not in a menu and the ‘desktop’ is visible, you can use the directional keys to jump to different options. The left key starts a new SMS message and the right key goes to today in the calendar where you can write in an appointment or reminder. The up key starts the camera in normal mode, and the down key goes to your first contact. These cannot be changed, but why would you want to, they’re a great help!
The calendar included on the 7250i is a really great idea. You can enter birthdays, reminders, meetings, and memos. These can all be attached to alarms, so you’ll never be late or have to send a belated birthday card again!
The backlight on the 7250i is quite strong, so using it in low-light is not a problem. Capable to show up to 8 lines, reading an SMS in a dark place is no problem whatsoever. When it is brighter, you can’t notice the back-light and can simply read straight off the screen without a hassle. The backlight does not turn on until the keypad is unlocked, and has a cool fade-out effect when the light turns off.
Making and receiving calls
What can you expect from a Nokia phone than perfect audio quality? You do get what you expect, with clear, crisp audio. The microphone is also very good, with not one complaint about not being able to hear me or muffled voices/background noise.
The phone is not small enough to slip out of your hand while holding it to your ear, but also isn’t bulky so you’ll look like you’re speaking into a brick. You can also use your shoulder to hold up the phone when two hands are needed elsewhere.
To make calls you simply press the number in the phone book and press the green dial button, or go to a person in your phone book and press the green button once again. When you open your contacts list you can start typing in a person’s name, and all the names in your phone book with that letter combination will then show up so you can easily select them. For example if you have “Darren” and “David” in your phone book, typing in “Da” will show up “David” and “Darren” in alphabetical order. Predictive text is not supported in the phone book.
To pick up a caller, simply press the green button again! If you have set a picture for a caller in your phone book, which the Nokia 7250i supports 100 of; the photo of the caller will display so you can quickly and easily identify your caller. You can only add a picture to a contact if it is on the phone memory and you have taken the photo in portrait form.
There are two ways to communicate to your caller. You can use the normal hold-up-to-ear method, or a new feature is using the Nokia 7250i’s internal speakerphone. When in a call, press the right selection button “Loudspeaker” and the audio will now be routed via the speakerphone instead of the earphone. The audio will also be louder so you can hear better without holding the handset up to your ear.
The 4-chord MIDI polyphonic ring-tones are played through the speaker phone, and are very loud and clear. You can easily transfer tones from your PC or laptop via an infra-red port, or Nokia’s DKU-5 data-cable. Only MIDI form is supported on the mobile phone, but let me assure you, your phone will be personalised to the max with a cool ring-tone - you’ll be the envy of all your mates!
Messaging
The 7250i allows you to send normal SMS messages with concatenation support, MMS messages, and EMS - the ability to add sound clips to your MMS messages.
Also supported is e-mail, which is very handy. You can type your emails while you’re out and about, and your mobile phone will send the message and it will be from @yourserviceprovider.com.au. This is quite good considering not everyone has a MMS/e-mail supported phone yet, so you can instead send them an email in an instant. Photos and sounds can also be attached to the email. Up to 1000 characters are supported for both MMS and e-mail.
The T9 predictive text input is supported for SMS and MMS writing. You can easily and quickly type your messages on the go and send them in a flash. For those who don’t know predictive text input is just like the name says. Instead of pressing a key x number of times to get a letter you want, you can simply press the number that represents that letter and the phone will make a word out of the possible letters. Writing messages has never been so easy =)
Alike with all other Nokia phones, words that aren’t recognised can be manually inputted into the custom dictionary and then when typed later they will show up.
A limited amount of SMS/EMS/MMS is supported on the phone, anywhere up to the 3.5mB shared memory. This is quite a bit, so you won’t be running out of memory for important SMS’s and MMS’s any time soon.
Connectivity
Alike most Nokia mobile phones on the market today, infra-red and data-cable connectivity is supported. The 7250i follows suit, with an infra-red port on the left side of the on/off button, and an optional Pop-Port data-cable available separately.
The Nokia Data Suit is not supplied in the 7250i’s sales package, but you can download the newest version from the Nokia official website (http://www.nokia.com). This will always make sure you have the most updated version of the software. When you have installed the Data Suit, you can use the modem in the phone to access the internet on the go, put Java games/applications on your phone, along with images and polyphonic ring-tones.
Infra-red is the cheapest and easiest way to connect your phone to your PC. You may experience drop outs though, so the original Nokia DKU-5 data-cable is probably the most effective way to connect and personalize your phone.
Build quality
I found absolutely no major build problems in the Nokia 7250i.
The battery sits smoothly and effectively in its shaft, and the sim-card is easily put in and sits in its spot without moving about. When the battery is on top of it you will have no problems with “Insert Sim Card” messages.
The Xpress-On™ covers fit on nicely and without excessive force, the only problem I had was removing the back cover. It’s a bit tricky to push down the tab, and then push off the bottom of it. After that everything else clicks off, and then clicks back on again. I had no problems with the keypad except for the buttons. They are quite hard, and excessive typing may leave fingers sore - but it’s not common =) The buttons are reactive and I never had any problems with buttons not responding when pressed.
Battery life
Battery life on the 7250i was everything I expected. I managed to get a little bit more than the estimated 5 hours talk time, and more than 10 days standby time. This was on the Standard 780 mAh Li-ion battery in the sales package.
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Overview (Page 1)
