As the price of the Nokia 6210 has dropped finally, both new and second hand, I have decided to sell my Ericsson R320 mobile phone and Psion 3mx PDA and to invest into a well featured mobile phone.
I needed something that I can carry on my belt all day long and will hold all my important contact and appointment details. If you want something like this, you can choose business class phones (Nokia 6210, 6310, Siemens SL45), communicators (Ericsson R380, Nokia 9110, 9210, Motorola Accompli), or you can get a phone enabled PDA (either Palm or Windows CE). I have found that communicators and PDAs are rather big and heavy, they need to be carried in a bag, so I went for mobiles.
Summary
The Nokia 6210 is a very good phone altogether, with simple but very usable organizer features. The size is right, keys are good, and the all the software is of very thought design. There are some annoying shortcomings, like the lack of auto-key lock, and customizability in the synchronization software. During fall 2001, the price has dropped to a reasonable level, and all I can do is just recommend this phone to buy. And finally, the firmware of the phone is stable and bug free.
In the box
- Nokia 6210 phone
- BSL-2N Li-ion battery
- ACP-8E travel charger
- Simple user manual
- Club Nokia invitation
- CD with PC connectivity
Hardware
The phone is light and of good quality. I like the whole feeling of the unit, fits well in my hands. You would say that it is rather large nowadays, but size was one of the reasons I decided to purchase this phone. I don't know how people can seriously use units with small keys. I wanted something with a large screen and comfortable keys, and I got it.
The Li-ion batteries are excellent: light and high capacity. Though I am a heavy user of my phone, checking frequently the calendar, and using a lot the IrDA to connect to my PDA, the accus still last 3-4 days. The battery is famous to be loose, a possible solution is to insert a small piece of hard paper between the battery and the phone.
The side buttons to increase/decrease volume level are useless. They are nearly unreachable when holding the phone in your right hand. I rarely use them
The power button on the top is not well positioned either. I always tend to have pressed it with my belt case when inserting the phone in the case. And seems to perform some finger acrobatics to reach and press it with one hand.
The software of the phone has also reached mature state. Finally. They should come out with a stable firmware when the phone was released. This is the first really stable and bugles version (v5.36 16-11-2001). Earlier versions were famous for accidental switch off, reset, and malfunction. You can check the firmware version by pressing *#0000#, and if you have anything earlier I suggest an update at a Nokia service point.
Phone features
First, the phone's operation speed is very fast. This is one of the key features I like on this phone. I dislike phones with a menu lagging seconds behind me. I want instant reply, and the 6210 has it.
Making and rejecting a call is really easy and straightforward with the green and red telephone keys. These two keys are only used for initiating and terminating a call, and not involved in browsing the menu system. Anytime, pressing the green key will dial the number displayed on screen.
Profiles are well shaped, offering customization options for:
* Incoming call alert (Ringing, Ascending, Ring once, Beep once, Off)
* Ringing tone (long list of built in + user tones)
* Ringing volume (Level 1 to 5)
* Vibrating alert (On, Off)
* Message alert tone (Standard, Special, Beep once, Ascending, Off)
* Keypad tones (Level 1 -3, Off)
* Warning tones (On, Off)
* Alert for (All calls alert, Family, VIP, Friends, Colleagues, Other)
By default, you have 5 profiles with General, Silent, Meeting, Outdoor and Pager, but you can rename and change them as you want. Selecting a profile is easy: press the power button + the corresponding number key.
The menu system was very different and hard to learn after 3 month of Ericsson use, but it is well structured and designed in many respects. Accessing often used features is easy, and you can reach nearly all important options with 4-5 key presses. However, some features are hidden in the "deep", like changing T9 dictionary, or the clock (I would never look for the alarm clock in Settings). You can have also direct access to a menu level or function, if you know the menu code of it. Menu + 9 will enable infrared, or Menu+3+2+1 will enable the Silent profile, etc. Unfortunately there is no menu codes to access "View day note" in Calendar, my most frequently used feature on the phone.
A long key press on the number keys will dial a predefined number from the phone address book. SIM numbers are not available for speed dialing, but if you use the 6250 software on the 6210, you will be able to use SIM numbers, too. However, only numbers can be associated to a long key press. There are only four numbers that I use frequently, and I would like to associate "View day notes", profiles, bookmarks, IrDA, etc. for the other keys. (However, you can program phone functions to the number keys on Siemens phones long ago.) I don't use voice dialing, because background noise always troubles voice recognition. But if the 9 number keys are not enough for you for speed dialing, this is a way to access another set of 10 numbers without direct dialing.
SMS writing is easy even without T9. Sadly, Nokia does not provide T9 predictive text input for smaller languages on the 6210 (though the 6310 is already T9 enabled for Hungarian). Some phones pop up a list of the available characters of a key, but not the 6210. For some reason, SMS reading is slower on the phone, you have to wait about 1 second for a message to be displayed. The possibility to store 150 messages is really a must, as I get an sms notification of e-mails, so I easily collect 20-30 sms messages on busy days. They can also be moved to custom folders.
SMS writing has some more enhanced features, like 4 different messaging profiles (Message centre number, Message sent as type, Message validity time, Default recipient number, Message profile name), split sms messages (over 160 chars), and 10 text templates and 10 picture templates. Any of the 10 pictures can be changed via infrared and a compatible logo editor (see Logomanager, http://www.logomanager.co.uk)
As on most Nokia phones, you can customize the Operator logo (78x21, large), the Group graphics, the Startup Logo and the Pictures for messages. However, the 6210 does not have Screen Saver animations like the 3310 and the 3330. Ring tones are also customizable. They can be downloaded directly via infrared, cable, or sent from a website, or downloaded by wap. I have set up a Startup Logo with my girlfriends photo, and altered the name of my service provider to some funny text in the Operator logo. These these funny features are completely useless by my opinion, but in fact, they make Nokia very popular.
I overlooked wap before, but recently have discovered that pop3 e-mails can be easily checked on-line. And it is not that expensive either for one-two mails. Wap can be accessed at 9600 or 14400 bps, but most networks only offer wap at 9600 bps. The screen is large enough for browsing and reading. Multiple sets of wap settings can be stored, with different numbers, home pages and bookmarks. If you are on a wap screen, you can easily hang up by pressing the red key. Then, when you need to be on-line again, the phone will dial automatically. Very nice!
Call clarity is average due to the built in antenna. I usually try to handle the unit on the side with my fingers during calls, as covering the phone with my hand reduces quality to a very low level.
PIM features
Organizing options on the 6210 are simple but very efficient with the address book and calendar.
The address book can hold up to 500 names, with up to 5 number fields and 2 text fields (you cannot enter all three fields of e-mail, address and note, only two of these):
- Name (text)
- General (number)
- Mobile (number)
- Office (number)
- Home (number)
- Fax (number)
- E-mail (text)
- Address (text)
- Note (text)
The SIM card memory is not merged with the phone memory. Either you use the phone or the sim card memory, you won't see the other set of data. However, you can copy data between the SIM to the phone memory.
Entries can be easily imported to the calendar or into text messages. You can also beam the contact entries in the vCalendar format to a compatible device (Psion, Palm, Windows CE), but only the name and general (or the upmost) number are transferred, and note that the phone cannot receive contact entries via infrared. Contact entries can also be sent to a phone number, where it will be inserted in the address book automatically.
If you choose to only show names (without numbers), you will see 3 names on the screen when browsing, otherwise the name and its default telephone number will be displayed.
Accessing the address book database is really comfortable. From the idle screen, you have direct access to the names with the up/down arrow keys. When the cursor stands on a name, pressing the green telephone key will call the number immediately. What is more, on of the screen keys is dedicates to the Names database by default, so you don't have to enter the menu to make changes in your contacts.
The calendar is very basic, but I got used to and like it now. It only has two simple day views. When entering the calendar, the current day is presented with the small icons corresponding the entry types. Pressing up/down will scroll back/forward the date. Pressing options will bring up a list of features: View day notes / Make a note / View by weeks / Go to date / Settings. In View day notes, a simple list is presented with the day's entries, with up/down scrolling options.
Entry types can be the following:
- Meeting (name + time + alarm)
- Call (phone number + time + alarm)
- Birthday (name + date + alarm)
- Memo (text)
Names and phone numbers can be imported directly from the phone book. Possible alarms for meetings and calls are the following: On time / 5 min before / 10 min before / 15 min before / 30 min before / Other / No alarm. For birthdays: On the day / 1 days before / 2 days before / 3 days before / Week before / Other.
You can also send the entries via infrared to a compatible PDA the calendar entries. What is more, you can send it to a phone number where it will be inserted in the phones calendar, or you can simply send it as text via sms.
PC synchronization
The 6210 was advertised a business class phone, so PC synchronization should be at the very heart of the model. Though PC synchronization is possible and works well once set up, Nokia does not have any customization options, and you have to do organize everything backwards in Outlook.
(The provided version of Nokia PC Suite is 4.06, but you can also download PC Suite 4.5a from the Nokia 6310 web site. I will cover this later version in my review.)
The connection type can be cable (DLR-3P cable only), IrDA compatible infrared, or Bluetooth.
I use IrDA for myself, a noname infrared module on my Com2 serial port. The connection speed is OK, but reliability could be better. Sometimes the connection just don't want to be built up, in this case I switch off/on the phone, and then it comes back, sometimes I have to reboot the machine. However, if my PC comes back from suspend-to-ram type standby state, the infrared connection won't establish. I have to reboot the PC to get it work. Truly, there's nothing better than the plain old cable connection: fast and reliable.
Unfortunately, there are no available sync stations. A sync station is usually a simple plastic desk stand, with dedicated plugs for the power cord and sync cable. So, it charges and connects the phone to the PC with cable in one. This is usually the best option for PC connectivity: fast and reliable cable connection, the phone is charged during the connection, and you can easily follow on the phone screen what is happening. There is an optional (very expensive) desk charger, but it just charges the phone (and an extra battery), nothing more.
The following PC PIM packages can be synced in PC Suite 4.5a:
Lotus Organizer 97, 97 GS/4.1, 5.0, 6.0
Lotus Notes 4.5, 4.6, 5.0
MS Schedule+ 7.x
MS Outlook (any version)
MS Windows Addressbook
(Symantec Act! is not supported.)
Synchronizing with Outlook is easy. After installation, you have to specify your calendar and addressbook folders, and all information is exchanged between the phone and Outlook. However, you won't find a single word on how the synchronization works, and how you can control it, not even a simple help file. I had spent two complete days to figure it out with trial and error testing. Here are the rules:
Outlook XP Fields - Nokia 6210 Fields
Names:
(FirstName and/or) LastName - Name = "FirstName LastName"
Telephone Numbers:
BusinessPhone - Work
HomePhone - Home
MobilePhone - Mobile
BusinessFax - Fax
CustomPhone - General
Text fields:
Email1 - E-mail
BusinessAddress (and/or BusinessZip and/or BusinessCity) - Address = "BusinessAddress, BusinessZip, BusinessCity"
Notes - Notes
The Name field is built up of two fields for the 6210, and the Address field is built up from three fields if the information is copied towards the phone. When data is copied from the phone back to the PC, Outlook will try to figure out the how to do it. If it cannot decide, it will copy just into the fields not in the parentheses.
For some reason the Nokia Phone always copies names in the First Name - Last Name order, and it cannot be changed. As I wanted my name listing to be in Last Name order, I had to swap names, and copy last names in the first name field and vice versa.
If telephone number fields contain spaces, parentheses, or text, they are ignored, except the "+" sign.
Because the phone can store only two text fields, it will copy the first two, starting with the E-mail, than the Address, and finally with Notes.
Other address data than Business is skipped, so Home Address won't be copied to the phone. Unfortunately I had all my addresses entered in as home addresses, so I had to manually change all data fields coping home addresses to the business address fields.
If you want to avoid coping a field on the phone, you have to leave it blank. Ex. I have very large Note fields, but I don't need them on the phone, so I rather added a custom "Memo" field, and copied data from the Notes field into this Memo field.
The limited memory on the phone was another problem. I have about 800 contact details in Outlook, all of them with multiple phone numbers, addresses, e-mails, etc. It was no question that the 6210 would not hold all my contact details, only the specified fields, and I had known about the 500 limitation, too. The question was how to tell the sync software which names to copy and hold. Well, there is no way to tell. Nokia PC sync just starts coping the data on the phone, and when it is full, it stops with an error message. Simple, isn't it? Luckily, the sync application allows changing the folder to be synchronized. So I have split my database in two, and copied the contacts into the address folder 6210_addr, and set the system up to sync with this folder. If I want an other contact to appear on the phone, I just drag that detail into this 6210_addr folder in Outlook and sync.
I have also tested the memory with model contact entries to know what is the full capacity. It is not that big at all. The 6210 could hold only 156 contact entries (names) if all 8 fields were filled completely. So you can enter about 1250 fields in all, and a "heavy" contact entry takes up about 0,5-0,7 % of the full memory (100%).
Well, I had spent a full weekend from morning to late night both days to reorganize my contacts database in this backwards order, but finally it works, and works well.
Calendar items also have many limitations, or I should say they only have a few features. The Nokia 6210 can hold only 4 type of calendar items (Meeting, Call, Birthday and Memo), with a simple text, start time, alarm, and endless every day / every week / every 2 weeks / every year repeat. This is all, and all other details is truncated when coping from Outlook to the 6210. It is really a shame, that there are no To-Dos, so all information entered in Outlook in To-Do will never go on the phone (even my 5 year old Timex Datalink watch can handle to-dos), and using a daily repeating Memo field for this reason is really constrained as solution. They should have also included a duration option for meetings, and a monthly repeat, with customizable repeat numbers.
What I miss
- auto keypad lock !!!
- alarm clock !!!
- customizable PC synchronization !!!
- bigger memory (500 name limit now) !!!
- duration for meeting entries
- weekly or daily busy view
- monthly planner
- dictaphone
- voice commands
- to-do lists
- T9 predictive text input for calendar and WAP entries
- T9 for smaller languages like Hungarian (English, German, Polish, etc. are covered only)
- pop-up character list when typing sms
- timed profiles
- countdown timer/stopwatch
- more powerful vibration alert
- user functions for long number key presses (only speed dialing is provided)
- docking station (PC connectivity and charging at the same time)
- phone backup via IrDA
- comprehensive manual
Possible upgrades
6210 phone with 6250 menu.
This is a known but not official upgrade: the menu system of the 6250 can be flashed into the 6250, and virtually you will have a phone with the functionality of the 6250. Official Nokia service point will refuse to repair the phone if something goes wrong, so you will need other service points.
The result will be:
+ auto key lock (with customizable delay time)
+ timed profiles (profile can be set to end at a specific time
+ 7 element signal and power bars
+ adjustable contrast
+ task journal (you can chronographs your work hours)
+ stopwatch with lap times
+ sound meter (shows background noise above from 50 dB)
+ auto sound level (adjusted to the background noise)
+ speed dialing for SIM card numbers
- warranty void
- less name memory: 255 names instead of 500 (the ramaining part is reserved for the task journal)
- less sms memory: only 66 messages instead of 150
Nokia 6310 Phone
The 6310 can be considered as the successor of the 6210. It has hardware for additional connectivity options, and the software has been enhanced a little bit. Well, there are many improvements over the Nokia 6210:
+ GPRS
+ Bluetooth
+ Li-polymer accus of 1100 mAh (432 hours standby)
+ A bit larger screen
+ 5 voice commands
+ 3 minute dictaphone
+ Wallet (password protected, can be used for on-line shopping)
+ Some more calendar entries (up to 250 instead of 220 only)
+ Monthly view in calendar (days with entries appear in bold)
+ 4 text fields for names (instead of 2)
+ To-do entries (up to 30)
+ T9 predictive text input for smaller languages (like Hungarian, Czech, Slovakian)
+ Wap 1.2.1
- Keys are a bit worse than those of the 6210.
- Very expensive yet.
I think to upgrade to 6310 in due time, when its price will significantly drop, because it has a slightly better calendar.
Nokia 6310i
Same as Nokia 6310, plus
+ blue backlight
+ 1900 MHz (triband phone)
+ Java Micro Edition engine (can download 3 custom applications to the phone)
- 128 kbyte memory for Java is enough for games, small applications, but very limited for databases (like a dictironary)
Nokia 6510 Phone
It offers mostly the same features like the 6310, but is lacks Bluetooth and is considerably smaller, with tiny keys (that I don't like).
A few words on GPRS and Bluetooth
I wish Nokia had released a new phone with the software enhancements only. I don't think to use GPRS, HSCSD or Bluetooth in the near future. The 6210 is HSCSD enabled, but it is so unpopular, that all three network providers stopped HSCSD service in Hungary. GPRS is still very expensive for my wallet, with the monthly subscription and per kbyte charge. In fact, using the plain dial-in internet connection comes out for less. Bluetooth is not really a need. It has two main advantages over infrared: speed and blind connection. Note, that the 115 kbs offered by the IrDA connection is still enough for PC synchronization or internet connections. Then in my opinion, the Bluetooth option is still not much less trouble than infrared. You have to take your phone out of your pocket and switch on the Bluetooth option like with IrDA. You will only economize the gesture of pointing the phone towards the IrDA port. If Bluetooth PCI card prices will drop, it will be fun to connect my phone via Bluetooth, but I still don't see the advantage. The only possible usage I can imagine for myself is the Bluetooth headset, because I always had trouble with the headset wire to plug-in, etc. But does it worth an extra 120 USD? IrDA works still well for me (but I wish I had gone for the less expensive cable connection).
Nokia PC Suite 4.5a
You can download a newer PC connectivity kit from Nokia. Just browse to the 6310/techical support/download. It will also work with the 6210, and it contains some minor feature improvements. (The download options of the Nokia 6210 will offer only Pc Suite 4.06 for some reason.) It is a 23 MB of download, but it is free, so go for it. It contains:
* Nokia Content Copier 1.1 (backup and copy data to phone)
* Nokia PC Composer 4.0 (edit ring tones)
* Nokia PC Graphics 3.0 (edit logo pictures)
* Nokia PC Sync 1.2 (sync with PIM on PC)
* Nokia Wap Manager 1.0 (edit settings and bookmarks)
* Nokia Phone Editor 4.4 (edit settings, phonebook)
Accessories
* Bluetooth battery pack.
* Hands free (3rd party hands frees are really cheap).
* Bluetooth handsfree for the bluetooth battery pack.
* Belt case.
* DLR-3P connectivity cable to PC synchronization.
* 2 SIM card enabled batteries and backs (consider the price of unlocking, the 2 SIM card back, and of the new sim card).
Should you buy it or not
If you need a good phone with organizer features, with a good software and hardware design, this is really for you. Probably you will have to spend some time to set up the synchronization software, but it worth the time. Though contacts and sms memory will be reduced, you may still want to upgrade the phone with the 6250's menu system, as it will add some missing basic features.
If you want more advanced PIM features or more memory, you should have a look on the communicators (Ericsson R380, Nokia 9110, 9210), but they are much bulkier. The Siemens SL45 is also an option, but it more expensive, and has many shortcomings that makes it worse to use. You can also have a look on the Nokia 7650, what is a real PIM enabled phone, based on the Symbian Pearl platform.
The 6310 has some software enhancements over the 6210, but the price was rather increased because of the included GPRS and Bluetooth module.
I really recommend this phone to buy, as this is the first phone I am really happy with.
****
Update (24/04/2002):
I have been using the 6210 with the 6250 menu for 3 month. Once dropped the phone down, the software became very unstable. I had the phone checked in a local Nokia repair service, and the phone is OK again.
The Task Journal of the 6250 menu is hard to understand, gave up. I wish the memory reserved for the Task Journal would be available for the Phone book.
The vibra is not enough strong for me. There are vibra enabled accus, but some not recommend using it: the vibra is very strong and localised on a different place compared to the initial design. So I continue to use it with the limited vibra. :(
All accessories are on sale for the 6210 now, headsets, belt cases, new batteries, desk stands can be found for very small amounts.
The Nokia PC Suite 4.51a is available from here: http://nds1.nokia.com/phones/productsupport/6510/Nokia_PC_Suite_4.51a.exe , or just browse to the 6510 on the Nokia web site. The 5.0 version is promised to come with the 7210 during summer 2002.
This unlocked cell phone is compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile. Not all carrier features may be supported. It will not work with CDMA...More at Amazon Marketplace
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