Screen

The Nokia 7610 features a bright 65K TFT screen with a large resolution of 176 x 208 px. Resulting in images that are bright and clear, even in direct sunlight.

TFT (Thin Film Transistor), as opposed to STN (Super Twisted Nematic), has the circuit transistors placed on the glass at the pixel location instead of the need to scan the pixel location. This results in greatly increasing the response time and allows for very fast refresh rates, which is needed for using the 7610 as a viewfinder.

Audio

The number of simultaneous chords playable in polyphonic ringtones has been steadily increasing within the industry. With more chords, more realistic sounds are capable by overlaying several instruments. And the Nokia 7610 follows suit with an impressive 48 chords.

However, unlike MIDI files which recreates sounds by essentially playing "musical notes," MP3s are straight recordings. Nowadays, for the most realistic ringtones with both music and vocals, MP3s are a must. The benefits of MP3 ringtones as opposed to MIDI files are tremendous. Aside from the obvious quality difference, MP3 ringtones do not have to be music. Creative users can set their ringtone to anything they record. Whether it is voice, sounds, or music, the possibilities are endless.

The 7610 supposedly features a MP3 player; however it is played through the RealOne multimedia player. We say "supposedly" because headphones are mono, and the quality is too poor to enjoy.

Unfortunately, the 7610 doesn't come with an FM radio, common on previous models. It was a favorite among the mobile community. However, with the lack of stereo audio, FM does seem pointless.

The Nokia 7610 does come with speakerphone functions though. Calls have excellent clarity and range, with incoming voices amplified sufficiently, and outgoing voices picked up cleanly. However, as with all loudspeakers, background noise can pose a problem. Regardless, the Nokia 7610 provides a simple way for users to access handsfree features.

Messaging

At first glance, the Nokia 7610 does not appear to concentrate on messaging functionality. But as we mentioned earlier, the unorthodox keypad is actually quite intuitive and easy to use. And Nokia has incorporated a robust set of text messaging features in the 7610.

The basic SMS text messaging functions allows users to communicate with their fingers. While MMS lets consumers connect by words, pictures, video, and sound allowing for great multimedia birthday or holiday greetings, or vacation postcard messages. Images captured with the built-in camera can be combined with versatile messaging features, making for interesting mixtures of photography and creative messaging.

The Nokia 7610 also supports email accounts and protocols for POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP. It stores emails and messages dynamically, depending on memory available, and updates the inbox automatically. Users can check email anywhere and reply on the move so they will always be in contact with friends and family.

For chatting, the 7610 contains Wireless Village instant messaging (My Friends) software. Wireless Village goes beyond previous mobile chat features by defining how the instant messaging provides an open connection with existing IM providers, such as AOL, ICQ, Yahoo and MSN.

The result is a system for sharing personal information about the user's status (on-line, off-line, busy), location (home, work), and the moods of their friends and colleagues (happy, angry). In addition, services will allow users to participate in private or public chat rooms with search capabilities. Ultimately network operators will be able to provide meeting and conferencing type of services with shared content.

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