Review by Candy G. Villanueva
I loved my old phone to bits. While the rest of the mobile phone community enjoyed the wonders of color screens
and polyphonic ring tones, I stubbornly held on to my Nokia 6510 simply because it was tiny. Until fate in the form of
spilt salsa seeping into my phone interfered and introduced me to the Nokia 6220.
Nokia calls the 6220 their business phone. I call it my no-nonsense phone. No frills, no over-the-top design, no
super special features you don't really need. It's just good old-fashioned mobile communication. It seems more like
its 6610 predecessor but with hard-to-resist features. The 6220 has an integrated digicam, hi-res color display
(4,096 colors), WAP 2.0 over GPRS/EDGE, XHTML browser, email, stereo FM radio, world phone, polyphonic tones
and preinstalled Java applications.
Why be obsessed with having a superbly integrated digicam? I mean let's face it, you can never have the best of both
worlds. If you really want good pictures, buy a good camera. But don't get miffed; my point is, as long as you can send
decent MMS and take recognizable pictures for your phone book, a 352 x 288 pixel shot is not so bad.
The phone also records up to 15 seconds of video and has a voice recorder. With the phone's IR port, you can receive
videos and voice recordings. It also comes with a PC Suite software that allows you to download MP3s. But with the
phone's stereo FM radio, it's not really necessary. You can't go overboard with your downloads though. With no memory
card, you're limited to the phone's 3MB of memory.
For your listening pleasure, the phone comes with a stereo headset with remote control, microphone and answer/end
button. During calls, you can choose to use the headset or the integrated loudspeaker.
And since it's supposed to be a business phone, let's spend a few minutes on its other features. The phone has WAP 2.0
connectivity that's twice as fast as current GPRS networks. Its preinstalled applications are quite useful for jetsetting
businessmen. The world clock tells the time in any major city around the world plus dialling code and time difference.
It also includes a portfolio to note investments and a converter for temperature, currency and weight, among others.
Other applications are also downloadable. The only downside? No Bluetooth.
And then let's head to the serious stuff: texting. Much like your old Nokia phones, SMS is fuss-free and easy. The almost
unnoticeable ridge around the keys, however, gets in the way. And for heavy texters, this could get quite annoying. The
added features make the phone a tad thicker than its predecessors, but still has an overall sleek design. It could use a
joystick, though.
Battery life? I never trust the Low Battery warning. After the warning, I usually give it another day before the battery dies
on me. Games? Backgammon and the Water Rapids yawner. Have no fear, more exciting games are downloadable.
I'm sure there's more to this phone than I have yet to explore. But since dear editor is expecting this review in his inbox
on time, let me wrap up. All in all, it's a great entry-level business phone. And if you're looking for a camera phone,
P13,500 is not bad at all.
GRINS
? integrated video and still camera
? voice recorder
? loudspeaker
? stereo FM radio
? faster WAP 2.0 connectivity
? reasonable price
?no fuss
GRIMACES
? no Bluetooth
? no joystick
? 4k-color display
? no memory card
? bigger and heavier than predecessors
THE LOWDOWN
A no-nonsense, affordable, entry-level business phone encased in a sleek two-tone design
