Dec 01, 2008 11:23 PM
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I had been using a Nokia 5300 for almost a year, when my better half decided that it was time to upgrade her Samsung X 200. So what happens. After initial discussions, arguments, consoling, cajoling she agrees to accept my Nokia 5300 and I decide to buy a NEW MOBILE FOR MYSELF!. Since I had already been using the NOKIA 5300 XPRESS MUSIC. I immediately short listed just 2 phones. NOKIA 5310 AND NOKIA 5610. Finally I purchased Nokia 5610 because I always wanted to own a phone with 3.2 MP Camera.
The Nokia 5610 XpressMusic is a slider phone which falls in the middle class music phones It is a slider with a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash and autofocus, FM Radio, plays videos and has 3G connection. I purchased the phone on 15-08-2008 and have been using it for last 3 months.
The Sales package contains:
Nokia 5610 XpressMusic handset, Nokia Battery, Nokia Travel Charger, User guide, Nokia Stereo Headset, Nokia microUSB Cable, Nokia microSD card 512 MB or 1 GB – Depends on the dealer
I shall try and enumerate the important features of the phones as noticed by me and used in the last 3 months.
The appearance of the Nokia 5610 XpressMusic slider is Sporty and very Youthful. Especially the Red casing( in my case). The Nokia 5610 has a 2.2” QVGA(240 x 320) TFT display with 16.7 million colors. It is covered by a scratchproof glass, which is a fingerprint magnet. It has a very good contrast and the picture is beautiful with lively colors. Above the screen is located the brightness sensor and the speaker and the video calling camera, which is red and resembles a robot eye.
The music slider is the innovation here. You can easily push it left or right and it will automatically come back to its position in the middle. It is used as a music shortcut, There are two system lights on both its sides, which flash when the phone is in standby mode or in the event of a reminder, missed call, message etc.
The phone slides up very lightly, especially if you place your finger on the protruding music slider. Even when it is opened, the 5610 fits firmly in the palm of the hand. Sliding the phone up reveals the shiny black keyboard backlit in white. The buttons are good.
The bottom of the phone houses only the strap hole. All the connectors(charger, microUSB slot and the 2.5mm jack) are located on the top part of the phone, accompanied by the battery lid release button. The back cover is very hard to remove and you have to push so hard that sometimes it’ll feel like it’s about to brake. Unfortunately, since the microSD card slot is under the cover, you’ll have to deal with the inconvenience every time you want to replace.
By default, the main menu is visualized as a 3x3 grid, but you also have the option to view it as a grid with labels, a list or as tabs. In addition, the menus can be rearranged to suit your needs best. Navigating through the menus is easy, because 5610 reacts quickly to all commands.
The phonebook is visualized as a list with names in alphabetical order. It can also be viewed as a name and a photo or name and a picture. At first, when entering a new contact, you can input two names and a phone number, but you also have the option to add more information. In addition, you can delete, move or copy all contacts from the phone to the SIM and vice versa.
The organizer offers the functions of: Alarm, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, Calculator, Countdown timer and a Timer.
The messaging menu is also typical for Nokia. From here, you can write or send an SMS, e-mail, flash or audio message. The T9 predictive text input system helps you for those and you can use the templates too.
Nokia 5610 XpressMusic is a quad-band GSM with support for 850/2100 MHz 3G, which makes it a global phone.
Since it is a music-oriented phone, 5610 provides excellent music quality.
The slider button under the display is used for fast access to the music functions. It lets you jump to the music player, the FM radio and back to the homescreen.
From the music player menu, you can see all tracks, your playlists, you can sort them by artist, album, genre or take a look at the videos available.
In addition, from the settings, you can activate the equalizer and/or the stereo widening function, which to enhance the sound. The loudspeaker delivers a high-level sound. The video player supports 3GP or MP4 file formats. The videos can be recorded at 640 x 480 pixels and 15 fps.
Besides the music player, Nokia 5610 offers a built-in FM radio with RDS support. Before turning the radio on, you need to plug the earphones in, because they act as an antenna. You can store a total of 16 stations, also being able to change their names and the order, in which they appear. You have the option to program all stations available, input a specific frequency or to search for all the stations in the region you are in, via the Internet, which is kind of pointless.
The camera of Nokia 5610 is 3.2-megapixel with autofocus and a double LED flash. It takes 2 seconds for the interface to start, two more for the autofocus, and you’ll have to wait about 6-7 seconds after snapping a photo, in order for the camera to be ready to go again.
The pictures are above average for such a camera. The flash manages to illuminate the object photographed bright enough, so it is clearly defined on the picture.
Overall, I am content with the performance, because we cannot expect a music-oriented phone, to make perfect photos.
The Nokia 5610 XpressMusic also comes preloaded with some programs, which can be found in the menu Applications. These are: Converter, Download!, Installer, Opera Mini, Search, Sensor, World Clock. There are four games as well.
I am absolutely delighted with the phone.
The Phone takes around 2 Hours and 20 Minutes to charge from Empty to full. In Chennai conditions, the charge has lasted for 2 full days(48 Hours) with around 15 calls of 2 Minutes Duration(average). Taking 5-8 casual snaps and Listening to Music for 2 hours. All in a day.
