Generation UMTS

21st January , 2004

Nokia 7600 Mini Review

Launch Date : February 2004

Network : 3 UK's 3G Network

SOLE Supplier : Carphonewarephone UK

Customer Support : Carphonewarehouse

Price and Tariffs : Not yet released

1) Introduction : This is the second Nokia 3G phone to be released in Europe. Of course, the first Nokia 3G phone produced by Nokia was the 6650 - which is currently being used by Vodafone UK and O2 UK as the main phones in their 3G Network trials being undertaken in Ireland.

First looks ! I have not handled a phone like this phone before. It's a Nokia which I warm too. But at this early stage I am unsure about its looks. I can neither decide I like it or that I dislike it.

2 ) Mini Review Conclusion ( see foot of article )

3) Specification and comments

Dual Mode Operation
WCDMA and GSM 900/1800 networks
Automatic switching between bands and modes

Will work on 3's 3G network and also on o2's GPRS network.

Size
Weight: 123 g (with Lithium Battery)
Dimensions: 87 mm x 78 mm x 18.6 mm, 103 cc

The phone is a peculiar shape. Trendsetter or unsettler. Branded as a phone for fashion conscious people. I am not sure.

Nokia claim the 7600 is a fashion phone and yes it certainly causes a stir. The handset itself is not small and its shape causes some knock-on problems : it is not the ideally shaped phone to handle and you feel awkward making voice calls.

Display and User Interface
Bright active matrix TFT color display
65,536 colors
128x160 pixels
Graphical user interface
Built-in HF for speech, music, and polyphonic ringing tones
Three soft keys plus scroll key

The screen size is quite good and has an enhanced TFT screen with 65,000 colours. The screen appears adequate although on the dull side compared to some other Nokias.

Integrated Digital VGA Camera
Image/video resolution: 640x480/128x96
Self-time function (10 sec)
Video capture up to 15 frames per second
Phone display used as a viewfinder

The Nokia 7600 seems to be ideal as an imaging phone. It has a camera with video clip capture and play, fast WCDMA data download.

Digital Music Player
Digital Music Player for MP3 and AAC files
Music file download over-the-air or from a compatible PC via Nokia Audio Manager which is included in Nokia PC Suite
Listen with stereo headset or through internal loudspeaker
MP3 and AAC files as ringing tones

The Nokia 7600 doubles as an entertainer by means of MP3 player and AAC capability.

High-Speed Data
Up to 57.6 kilobits per second in circuit-switched data networks
Up to 384 kilobits per second (downlink) and 64 kilobits per second (uplink) in WCDMA packet transmission networks
Multitasking: Take and send pictures while you talk

Connectivity
Infrared
Bluetooth wireless technology
USB with Pop-Port™
Wireless phone connection to a compatible PC
Send/receive pictures, video clips, graphics

Bluetooth is enabled.

Content

The good news is that users will have access to the 3 network and to most of the 3 services. These include things like news, weather and comedy but won't be able to use the premium content like Barclaycard Premiership Football, Top Shelf and MTV streaming videos.

Messaging
Combine video/picture, text, and voice into multimedia messages
Embedded e-mail client
Concatenated text messages, picture messaging

Voice Features
Voice dialing
Voice recorder
Integrated handsfree speaker

Browsing
Advanced XHTML browser
WAP 2.0 over GPRS data in both GSM and WCDMA modes

Video Services
Video clip download up to 1.4MB
3GPP Streaming ( Please note that the streaming functionality in the Nokia 7600 is an operator dependent feature and requires network support ).

The issue with this handset is that it cannot carry out 3G Video Conferencing as this has been omitted by Nokia.

Applications
Pre-installed Java™ based games and applications
Downloadable Java™ applications, maximum download size 348kB per application

The Nokia 7600 supports downloadable JAVA games. The keypad suits games playing.

Software
PC Suite for Nokia 7600 phone in sales package
Nokia Audio Manager for music file transfer from a compatible PC is included in PC suite for Nokia 7600 phone

Box Contents
Nokia 7600 imaging phone (NMM-3)
Li-ion Battery Cell (BL-5C)
Travel Charger (ACP-12)
Fashion headset (HS-3)
Connectivity cable (DKU-2)
Wrist strap (CP-10)
Pouch (CP-15)
CD-ROM
User's Guide

4) Mini Review Conclusion

Personally, I don't really have a problem with the phones's shape or looks but my problem is that I require a phone used on a trail-blazing 3G network to do what it was designed to do - and that is video conferencing.

This phone does not and as such I don't see the point in personally buying this phone unless you are looking to make a fashion statement or you are a Nokia fan. Of course, the other reason is that it is a fully functional phone in all other respects.

You are advised that this material is the copyright of Kevin Thomas 2004. on behalf of www.3G.co.uk/ and is my own personal view only. (C) All rights reserved 2004.

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