Nokia 6800: Innovative Design, with a Few Flaws
Written: Jul 24 '03
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Pros: Innovative flip-out thumb-board, color screen, integrated FM radio, email client, high gadget factor
Cons: No integrated word processor, no Bluetooth, buggy Nokia O/S
The Bottom Line: Road warriors, executives, & power users will find the phone useful; a PDA replacement it is not. High gadget factor, good form-factor, and good usability are plusses.
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| markehr's Full Review: Nokia 6800 |
Nokia released the 6800 GSM phone in the U.S. market in June 2003. Key features include:
- An innovative "clam-shell" style keyboard that expands from a traditional cell-phone style keyboard to a full "thumb board," suitable for limited text entry including SMS and email;
- Built-in email client software that allows POP and IMAP email to be viewed, and SMTP replies to be sent from the device;
- An integrated Web browser, which also supports WAP browsing;
- Tri-band GSM support, enabling the phone to be used in over 80 countries (including the U.S.);
- GPRS data connectivity, providing modem-speed (~40 Kbps) data communications;
- Infrared connectivity, enabling wireless synchronization. The infrared port may also be used as a data conduit, enabling the phone to act as a GPRS modem for laptops and PDAs;
- An integrated FM stereo radio;
- A color LCD screen, which automatically re-orients itself when the keyboard is opened;
- Polyphonic (4 voice) MIDI ring tones.
I was excited to get my demo unit, as the 6800's design has been promoted by Nokia for some time. A fully functional keyboard in a cell phone footprint, enabling email and even limited word processing, is a compelling combination. I have been using an early production version of the 6800 for a couple of weeks now, and for the most part, I am pleased with it. The keyboard functions as advertised, and the email client is functional, albeit basic.
The biggest value that I obtained from the phone was the ability to log in to Office Online, a Web-based email service offered by AT&T Wireless for USD $2.99 per month ($5.99 per month if you want to access it from a non-wireless device). Office Online allows access to Exchange-based corporate email servers via a small piece of software, known as an agent, that is installed on a user's desktop PC in the office. The 6800 is able to log in to the Office Online service through AT&T's mobile Web page, which then establishes a secure connection to the agent on the desktop PC. Users are then able to view email, calendar, and contact information, as well as compose and respond to email messages on the Exchange server.
The keyboard on the 6800 proved invaluable for Office Online, and text entry when responding to email is easily ten times faster than the traditional "predictive text" methods traditionally employed by cell phones. I was able to view all of the messages in my inbox, as well as respond, forward, and delete messages, all from my cell phone. I was also able to view, accept, or decline meeting invitations--a key feature.
On the negative side, the 6800 does not have an intuitive way to create regular text documents (there is no in-built word processor). It does have a 'notes' capability, but notes may only be retrieved from the phone via Nokia’s somewhat buggy (but free) synchronization software
(Nokia PC Suite), which requires a PC or laptop. In addition, memory limitations on the device prevent large documents from being loaded and/or created on the device.
I was able to find a Java (J2ME) word processor on the Web, and was successful in installing it on the phone. Unfortunately, the program was not able to understand data coming in from the keyboard, possibly because the software was designed for a cell phone user to input text using only the number keys. Nokia has published a keyboard API for the phone, incidentally, so I anticipate that a 6800-aware word processor may be in the works.
Another key technology that is missing from the phone is Bluetooth. Bluetooth allows short-range (under 10 meter) wireless connectivity (using radio waves) between cell phones and other devices, such as wireless headsets, PDAs, and laptops. I have a Nokia 6310i phone (which has Bluetooth), and have become spoiled by my Jabra FreeSpeak wireless headset, which is useless with the 6800 unless I purchase a "dongle" to connect on the phone side.
Another serious drawback of the 6800 is the fact that is does not have a "real" operating system, such as Symbian. If the phone had an operating system, an entirely new world of
software would be available to the user, including word processors and email programs.
Nokia's 9210, 7650, and 3650 phones have Symbian, and I have been favorably impressed with the capabilities of the O/S, which is jointly owned by Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson, and a
number of other cell phone manufacturers.
On the usability side, the phone is plagued by a number of bugs, possibly because the unit I received was literally one of the first to reach U.S. shores. There were a number of
instances when the phone would spontaneously "reboot", once right in the middle of a conversation, and I also experienced several instances where the phone would not allow me to back out of menus, necessitating a power-off to correct the problem. I imagine that these problems will be corrected in subsequent releases of the phone.
In summary, the 6800 holds promise for road warriors and executives that seek basic email and communications capabilities in a small form-factor, but it will fall short for power users that are seeking to replace a laptop or PDA. If Nokia can leverage the 6800 keyboard technology in a Symbian-based phone, they will have a clear winner with cell phone power users.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): est $400
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Epinions.com ID:
markehr
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Reviews written: 13
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