Introduction

The Nokia 6800 is unique to say the least. From the front it looks like any other phone. However the surprise lurks underneath. Opening up the flip reveals a full QWERTY keypad, perfect for the constant text messaging fiend.

Users will be busy using the keypad with the complete set of applications inside. The 6800 has strong text messaging tools, calendar, and to-do list. It even has a fully functional email client with the ability to configure for POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP accounts.

Design

The Nokia 6800 comes as different as they come. Derived from the old 5510 and 9000, the 6800 is the next generation for text messaging. At first glance this is no everyday phone. Underneath what looks like an ordinary flip phone, lies a full QWERTY keypad. If you're like most people, right away you either think it's cool or think it's ugly.

As expected, the 6800 is packaged with a heavyweight line-up of messaging software. In addition to the normal SMS, MMS, and chat, the 6800 comes with a fully functional email client. It has POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP capabilities, so now you can send and receive emails. The phone also comes with T9 predictive text input to speed up your typing.

With many of the added features, the phone is not by any means small. Compared to other phones, it is large and bulky. However, some people might welcome a phone with a little more weight. It makes typing somewhat easier with more surface area to work with.

Overall the Nokia 6800 is geared towards a specific market. Many people won't use the 6800 to it's full potential. However for the few who will, the 6800 is the phone you were waiting for. Currently the 6800 is available in 900 and 1800 frequency ranges for European and Asian countries. However a North American model is set to be released using 850 and 1900 Hz.

Screen

The Nokia 6800 comes with a 4096 color passive matrix display. It has a resolution of 128 x 128 px and shows 5 lines of text and a service line. When messaging, 8 lines of text and 2 service lines are displayed due to scaling. It's the same one found on the 6100, 6610, 7210, and many others.

Ghosts are also still an issue. With games that have a lot of action, you'll see remnants of the previous screen when it changes to the new screen. It's not that noticeable when you're using slow changing menu functions, but a game like bounce makes it more noticeable.

The screen is bight and clear in dim conditions. However in sunny weather, the screen becomes a bit washed out.

Audio

Another great feature of the 6800 is the speaker phone and dynamic FM radio Nokia kept from older models.

The Nokia 6800 audio is played through internal speakers rather than buzzers. This results in better quality ring tones, alerts, and sounds. This is essential due to the build in FM radio. With the internal speaker, radio stations sound great.

Although FM reception isn't as great as stationary radios, the 6800 radio holds it's own. The 6800 also boasts a loudspeaker too. Sounds are loud and clear from the speaker and voices can be heard at the other end. Nokia has impressed us with previous versions, and the 6800 is no exception.

Next >

This article is Copyright 2002-2009 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact us.