The Mobile Phone Saving Network

Nokia 6102

Wireless/Mobile Phone/Cell Phone

Rated 4.0 out of 5

Nokia joins the clamshell fray with a powerful contender that features a VGA camera, a stereo FM radio, a speakerphone, EDGE high-speed data, and a whole lot more. On top of all that, you get dual color displays and support for mobile e-mail, making the 6102 a great companion for Cingular subscribers.

Take a closer look at the 6102's functions.

Design
The 6102's inner LCD display sports 128 x 160 resolution and support for 65,000 colors. Meanwhile, the outside cover of the handset features a supplementary, 96 x 65, 4,000-color display that can display picture IDs, time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The phone's VGA (640 x 480) camera unit is placed just above this display. Up and down buttons for volume control are placed on the left side. Most of the phone's features and onscreen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. There's also a standard jack to accept universal hands-free headsets, as well as USB and infrared ports for transferring data to and from the handset.

Calling Features
The 6102 supports polyphonic ringtones, as well as MP3-, MIDI-, AMR-, and True Tones-based music ringers so you can program your favorite songs to alert you of incoming calls. A number of ringtones come preloaded on the phone, and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. Plus, with the phone's picture ID function, you can assign pictures to your most common callers. If you want to be discreet, there's also a vibrate ringer mode. Voice-activated dialing makes calling your friends, family, and associates as easy as saying their names. The 6102's phone book will keep track of all your contacts, and address book capacity is only limited by the phone's 3.5 MB of built-in memory. There's an integrated speakerphone for talking hands-free, and the 6102 also ships with push-to-talk capabilities, meaning you can have walkie-talkie communications with other push-to-talk subscribers in your contacts list.

Messaging, Internet, and Tools
The 6102 is built for powerful mobile messaging and Internet capabilities. With support for the MMS (multimedia messaging service), the phone can send picture, video, and text messages (Cingular messaging charges apply). When coupled with the 6102's camera, MMS opens up great opportunities for robust messaging. Instant messaging is also supported, and the phone ships with a built-in e-mail client that supports POP3 and IMAP protocols.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the 6102, as well. It supports the GPRS data protocol, as well as the new, high-speed EDGE wireless data service. A built-in Web browser makes it easy to purchase MEdia downloads and surf the wireless Web. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send e-mails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile e-mail and text messaging users.

The 6102 also supports PC synchronization standards via USB, which means you can manage and synchronize contacts, calendars, and other data with your PC. Nokia's PC Suite application makes this process a breeze.

Imaging and Entertainment
The 6102 is designed for flexible mobile fun. The built-in VGA camera, which features a night mode for better low-light shots, captures stills and video clips (video clips are captured at 128 x 96 resolution). Meanwhile, an integrated FM radio makes it easy to tune in your favorite stations. Picture effects and custom screen savers, as well as backgrounds and themes, can be set up to fit your personality. And don't forget that the 6620 is a powerful gaming companion with support for Java-based games. Many games are downloadable via the Cingular MEdia service.

Vital Statistics
The Nokia 6102 weighs 3.42 ounces and measures 3.35 by 1.77 by 0.94 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time and up to 350 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Nokia 6102 handset, lithium-ion battery, travel charger, application software, and user's manual.

Features of Nokia 6102:

downloadable themes
easy use, comfortable form factor
fm radio (requires headset, sold separately)
picture and video messaging plus express audio messaging
two full-color displays

Reviews:

Great phone, but greater if you have a case for it...

Rating: 4

I've had the 6102 since December, and I've had absolutely no problems with it at all. There are some who complain about the speaker quality, but mine was pretty decent and I didn't have many problems with it at all. I should disclaim I use the headset most of the time though so this review may not be a good barometer when it comes to the speaker issue. I have no problems with the navigation with this phone, adding tones and pics with a data cable worked perfectly with it, and text messaging is intuitive and speedy with the 6102, the T9 system on it is one of the best I've used. I also enjoy the FM radio, which has a good range and does get distant stations well. The headset is the antenna, and that makes sense since it's how most regular Walkmans and equivalents have worked since the creation of the portable stereo.

However, the downside of the phone is because of the large color front mini-screen, you definitely want a soft case for it. I learned that the hard way after a nasty meeting of the screen with a seatbelt buckle that left the inside plastic cracked and a nice big purple battery-sucking bruise on the LCD. Unfortunately I went with a $2 plastic holster that left no protection for the phone, and that turned into a $115 error as I had to pay full price for a new phone to replace the cracked screen as Cingular considered it cosmetic non-warranty damage. I stomached the loss of the money and got a new 6102, and shortly thereafter got a case that offered plenty of protection (and I intent to pick up their extended coverage). It's a cool looking phone and does everything well, but with all that comes extra complicated electronics, so before you buy this, make your second purchase a good-quality soft case so you don't end up six months later with a cracked phone because you went with the cheapest method of carrying you could get.

Get a free unlocked Motorola RAZR v3i instead!	Rating: 4
Why settle for less, or commit yourself to a specific cellular provider and service plan, when you can get a complimentary unlocked top of the line Motorola RAZR v3i cell phone that works with any cellular service provider and any SIM card. I got mine free at this web site: stuffgratis.biz/razrv3i

Poor audio volume ... non-intuitive menus

Rating: 3

Have had this phone for 4 days and am going to return it, despite the fact that it's an attractive phone with a good form factor. Main reasons for returning are (1) poor audio volume even when set to max; (2) menus are not intuitive; (3) display info is in vanishingly small fonts and icons, and (4) I don't like the "flat" phone book entries [that is, each name only has one number associated with it. In contrast, my former mobile phone (Sanyo) could store multiple numbers (work, home, mobile, ...) with one name]. Sorry to have to change phones, since I like Nokia, generally.

Nokia 6102	Rating: 2
This is a GREAT phone EXCEPT for the power connector. The pin inside the phone is so small and fragile that it can accidentally be really easily bent or broken off. This cost me $115 because Nokia classified the problem as "Physical damage" and the warranty does not cover physical damage. This is ridiculous. It is an obvious design problem.

Good phone but outside LCD is not durable	Rating: 2
I have owned this phone for about 2 months and the exterior LCD cracked. I did not drop it but simply placed it in my pocket and sat on a couch. It is just not durable and Cingular refused to replace it. Pros: battery life, MP3 ringtones Cons: The phone is not durable, you cannot configure it to display the date on the outer LCD, the games that come with it are terrible.

Earpiece is too small and volume too low

Rating: 3

I got the phone 5 days ago from Cingular. I hasitated for a while and finally decided to return it for exchange to other phone.

The main problem is the earpiece is too small with which you cannot hear the other party's voice clearly, unless you put the hole right above your ear, which is very difficult to locate. Each time, I have to try several times before I can place it correctly. I think other things are good for this phone.

I had Nokia phone previously with very good experince. But why this phone was designed so stupidly?! The earpiece is a small thing, but also the biggest one for a phone.

Get a free unlocked Motorola RAZR v3i instead!	Rating: 4
Why settle for less, or commit yourself to a specific cellular provider and service plan, when you can get a complimentary unlocked top of the line Motorola RAZR v3i cell phone that works with any cellular service provider and any SIM card. I got mine free at this web site: stuffnocost.com/razrv3i

I couldn't be much happier

Rating: 5

I've read several reviews reporting insufficient volume on this phone. I decided to throw caution to the wind, and order it anyway. When it arrived and I made my first phone call, the volume was a *little* soft. I asked the other party to hold a sec, mashed the Up button on the side of the phone a few times while watching the volume meter increase on the display, and resumed my conversation. The next time the person I called spoke, I couldn't believe it. It was not only clearly audible, it was slightly alarming. Perhaps the other reviewers forgot to peel the protective shipping plastic off?

Anyway, the phone is great. It's tiny -- neither as long nor as wide as the Razr (although it is thicker). It doesn't have Bluetooth, which gives me a little bit of comfort. After all, the more Bluetooth gains popularity in wireless devices, the greater the likelihood that bad people will find and exploit vulnerabilities in said devices. If you don't believe me, perform a Google search for "bluetooth exploit," "bluejacking," or "bluesnarfing." But I digress. Call clarity is great, signal reception is better than any other cell phone I've ever used, and it's sexy.

My only complaint about the phone is that there are a few menu items in the phone that link you to Nokia's "MEdia Mall," an online store to shop for new ringtones, themes, etc. Unfortunately, I haven't found a way to delete those links. If you aren't careful, you could find yourself increasing your phone bill by $.10 every time you activate the wrong menu item. I would've given the phone 4 stars because of this, but the overall average user rating is too low.

By Nokia