Nokia 6681

Review of the Nokia 6681
Alexander Villafania INQ7.net
A few months after Nokia introduced the 6680, its first Symbian EDGE phone with dual cameras, the Finnish firm came up with a less ludicrous version, expectedly called the 6681 -- basically the 6680 sans the other camera at the front.
It’s a surprise that this new model happens to be slightly thicker than the 6680 despite the lack of another camera. Still, the unit performs like its 6680 brother in the multi-function market it’s targeted at – yuppies who want a funky fashion phone with some of the functionalities of a personal digital assistant.
Lucky for the 6680/6681, they both come from the success of Nokia’s 6630 smartphone, which has all the basic functions of the new models though slightly larger.
Some happy 6630 users may have difficulty parting with their beloved unit for the 6681 though. At first glance, the 6681 is not as hip as the 7610 nor as elegant as the 8800. In fact, it’s as plain as all Nokia smartphones because it stands between the fashionable and the elegant. Then again, the 6681 is a good mix of form and function.
The first things you’ll notice about the 6681 are the large two programmable function buttons on either side of the four-way round navikey (navigation key) in the middle and under the screen. For some strange reason, Nokia sacrificed the width of the numerical pad to make the two function buttons look symmetrical with the navikey.
It’s quite a challenge to input messages, especially when using the upper three buttons since you’ll constantly press on either the function buttons or the round navikey. Constant users of SMS would find it difficult to do fast text messaging because they might press the wrong buttons or unintentionally hit function buttons and navikey. It’s a bit of a disappointment, especially since the keypad is just soft enough for the newbie phone user and existing phone users, plus the fact that is made of laminated rubber for a see-thru effect.
Another issue is the sliding camera cover at the back of the phone, which keeps sliding off when the unit is placed top first in a pants pocket. The slider automatically switches on the camera and there are no automatic lock mechanisms, either for the cover itself or the camera software. It’s best to keep the phone in its own side-opening belt case.
I’m also wondering why Nokia kept the light sensor (the tiny hole on the upper left side of the phone’s face), which is also present in the 6680, the 6630, and the already obsolete 7650 (technically Nokia’s first Symbian camera phone). The light sensor works by adjusting the strength of the screen’s backlight depending on the ambient light in the surroundings. Although the sensor’s main purpose is to cut down the phone’s power consumption, it’s still irritating to see the 6681’s backlight turning on and off or dimming when in fact you need more backlight.
On the other hand, the 6681 has an impressive list of functions that only the likes of a 9500 Nokia Communicator has, like standard multimedia messaging, email, mobile yahoo chat, and web browsing. Web browsing was particularly trouble-free since the unit could browse through both WAP and xHTML websites.
That means you can enter and access any address. However, the graphics are greatly reduced to fit the screen as well as make the download stream faster. The speed of downloading full websites still depends on the availability of GPRS signals; in my own tests downloads could last between 30 seconds and about a minute. The phone is also ready for EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution), which will allow for video and audio streaming over a cellular network.
The 6681 also has Adobe PDF reader for .pdf files and a read-only version of QuickOffice to enable the user to read Microsoft Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. Another nifty application is the Setup Wizard, which automatically sets up the email and web-browsing function of the phone, without the need to send an activation request to a mobile service provider. Once a SIM card is inserted, the Setup Wizard can activate the rest of the phone’s communications functions.
Another application pre-installed into the 6681 is RealPlayer, which plays not just .RM files but also .WMA, .WMV and of course, MP3 files. The 6681 comes with a 64MB external dual-voltage reduced size multimedia card (DV RS-MMC) and is good for only 5 high-quality encoded MP3s, about 30 high resolution photos.
I tried using a 512MB DV RS-MMC and it works beautifully. The memory card is hot swappable so even if the card slot is opened, the phone automatically stops all applications using the memory card. The only drag is that the MP3 playback skips when a message or call is coming in. There’s also the active desktop feature, which works like the desktop screen of WindowsXP; you can access all your running applications even when you’re at the desktop screen.
The 1.3 megapixel camera is nothing short of amazing and complements the extremely high color resolution of the screen, which also has a very good refresh rate. The resolution can be adjusted depending on the number of photos to be saved in memory. At its highest resolution, the photos are as good as basic color film cameras.
I couldn’t say any better for the video recording but I suppose it’s still better than the 64k resolution cameras in older Nokia models. The unit also has an internal flash, which isn’t really much of use unless you’re taking photos of objects at close range in dim lighting.
The photos can then be printed in different ways; via Bluetooth, using pre-installed printing software in the phone; though the PictBridge printing standard cable; or by saving the photos in the memory card then inserting the card into a PC memory reader slot. The Kodak printing application can also be used to change the print quality and orientation of the photos. You could print thumbnail photos or four R3 size photos in an A4 size photo printer.
The 6681 comes with great new features and inherent problems common to all Nokia Symbian phones. However, it serves its purpose as a mobile yuppie’s alternative to a laptop since it has its own office software functions. The camera function, email, and web-browsing capabilities are more than enough reasons to buy the phone. It may well be useful once local cellular providers start providing bandwidth-intensive cellular services.