Kromze Tech

Review of Nokia 6101
Jul 3, 2006

Nokia is one of the first companies that started the trend of flooding the markets with so many models that, 8 times out of 10, a probable buyer will pick up a Nokia; no matter what budget, size or style he/she is looking for. We all know that the midrange segment of Mobile Phone users is most dynamic with the highest turnaround ratio. Hence, most of the models are developed and launched for this segment. The Nokia 6101 is one of the entrants to the midrange segment. Lets see if it can make the waves.

First Impressions
From a distance the 6101 looks a little heavy and stylish in a macho way but a closer look startled me. The first thing that catches your eye is that the phone has an antenna. Now, we all know that antennae are passe but, what the heck! Since everything is making a comeback why not antennae??? The absence of sharp edges is comforting after the disappointing antenna. The clamshell design seems to be a clever idea and makes the phone look chic and uber smart.

Features
The Nokia 6101 weighs 97 gm and measures 85 x 45 x 24 mm. It supports tri-band GSM networks (GSM 850/1800/1900 and 900/1800/1900 frequencies) with automatic switching between the bands. This series 40 phone has two color viewing screens. The main display is an active TFT display and supports up to 65,536 colors (128 x 160 pixels) while the smaller outer display supports up to 4,096 colors (96 x 65 pixels). The keypad has a five-way navigation key including select key with configurable right and left soft keys. The integrated VGA gives a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. As with most dual screen camera phones; the large internal display can be used to take normal pictures and the small external display for self-portraits.
The camera features Standard, Portrait, and Night mode with three image-quality options namely, high, normal, and basic. The phone also features an FM stereo radio for those lonely train journeys across the city just so that you can be up-to-date with the latest traffic and flooding conditions in the city and listen to some music in the process. The picture phonebook can store upto 500 contacts (with 10 fields each) and allows the standard voice dialing and voice command features. One can use MP3 tracks for ringing/alert tones, as well as MIDI/polyphonic tones or record your own voice message and send to compatible devices. The color displays allow a good number of graphics, icons, animations, logos, and the option to download new themes as well. Java games already available are golf and card game to name a couple of them. Advanced features include PTT (Push to Talk) capability, browsing using the integrated xHTML browser over TCP/IP, and full OMA Digital Rights Management for content protection. Incorporated connectivity and data transfer capabilities include:
Connectivity: + Infrared. + USB with Pop-Port. + Local synchronization of picture gallery, contacts and calendar to PC using PC Suite.
+ Remote over-the-air synchronization with SyncML. Data transfer:
+ EDGE, class 6: download speed up to 177.6 kbps, uplink speed up to 118.4 kbps.
+ GPRS class 10: download speed up to 85.6 kbps, uplink speed up to 42.8 kbps.
+ HSCSD class 6: downlink speed up to 43.2 kbps, uplink speed up to 28.8 kbps.
+ TCP/IP.

The Bundle

Nokia 6101 Phone.

Nokia battery BL-4C.
Nokia Conpact Charger AC-3.
User Guide.
Nokia classic Stereo Headset HS-23 (Handsfree unit).

Usage
After going through those exhausting list of features I'm sure everyone wants to know whether the 6101 is actually worth that trouble. The moment the clamshell is opened you are greeted by an inviting keypad with soft touch keys that are well placed and really easy to handle. The five-way navigation takes a little time getting used to but once you've done that, it's all smooth sailing. Menus are typical Nokia which means even your grandma can pretty much do everything you can.

The camera gives decent sized images but quality-wise we were left asking for more. Image quality is average but Video quality is quite poor. There's only one small thing here, the camera placement is quite ridiculous. Most of the times you just end up clicking pics of your fingertips and nothing more. A rotating camera would have been a better solution. As far as the radio goes it sounds pretty good too. The handsfree unit is a standard and thankfully doesn't hurt your ears too much. The 760 mAh Li-Ion battery allows you to talk non-stop for around 3 and a half hours and a standby time of around 3 days. Now that we have discussed the good part lets see how ugly things can get. For starters, the phone DOES NOT have Bluetooth. Instead what we have is a lousy IrDA port. But not to worry, you won't have to wait for eternity to transfer your files coz there's only 3.5 MB of internal memory and no room for an expansion slot which sure sucks a lot.

Conclusion
There is no dearth to the number of new Mobile Phone models lobbed at us by every manufacturer in the world and considering the turnaround ratio of users, it's justified. Everybody wants something different and exclusive. The Nokia 6101 is available for Rs. 7900 with a one year warranty. Although it sounds a little overpriced, it still holds its own among the competition. If only it had Bluetooth, this would have been a great buy.