N6800: Sky is the limit in designing a cell phone

Zatni Arbi, Columnist, Jakarta, zatni@cbn.net.id

If you are a veteran SMS (Short Messaging Services) writer, you must have mastered the art of key punching. Some people-including some irresponsible drivers on our streets-have developed the ability to write short messages on their cell phones without even looking at the screen.

SMS has clearly become an accepted mode of communication. The growth in SMS use has been driven by a number of factors, including the low cost of communication-particularly when compared with making long distance and international calls.

Personally, the beauty of the SMS for me is that I do not have to interrupt whatever the receiver of my message is doing. So, for example, if a friend is in a meeting, I can still send him an SMS message and he can read it after the meeting is over. That's as long as he remembered to turn off his cell phone before the meeting.

And he can also answer my message whenever he has the time to. If SMS was not available, I would have to call my friend and go through the potentially time wasting "How are you?" protocol.

Even though I have come to depend on e-mail SMS, is much more effective because people usually have their cell phones on them. Until everybody carries their Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) with them, or until the use of e-mail services on GPRS-capable mobile phones becomes commonplace, SMS will remain the choice for timely communication.

Nokia seems to have noticed the popularity of SMS and heard complaints from people whose fingers are not nimble enough to dance on the tiny cell phone keypad and have difficulty remembering how many times they have pressed the same button. The new Nokia 6800 reflects Nokia's focus on this segment of users. Courtesy of Nokia Indonesia, I was able to play around with a demo unit of this model for two weeks.

* Keypad vs. keyboard

When the keyboard is folded, the N6800 looks like a regular cell phone. Its aluminum alloy housing, however, makes it very sturdy. Even the four-way joystick feels very durable.

Lift the keypad -- you need a bit of strength to do this -- and the keyboard is exposed. Flip the keypad 180 degrees, and the cell phone looks like a spacecraft with two wings. The familiar QWERTY keyboard, is cut into two pieces.

When the keyboard is closed, the keypad becomes active and it works the same as any ordinary cell phone. However, when the keyboard is opened, the display automatically rotates 90 degrees so that we can use both wings of the keyboard with both hands and we can read the display easily.

One of the nice features that I like in the cell phone's SMS functions is the option to include the received message in our reply. This feature can come in handy when we want to let someone know what we are talking about if we have delayed replying to his message.

To be honest, though, if you are already a master key puncher, it will take you some time to get used to the N6800's keyboard. However, apart from that, there are a lot of other things that I like about this cell phone.

The two shift keys next to the keyboard's two space bars -- one on the left and one on the right -- are very useful. Somehow, I still get an unpleasant feeling when reading messages that are all written in capital letters. With these shift keys, there should be no excuse to write in all capital letters-unless you are really feeling upset.

The unit's speaker is excellent. It is far better than my N7650, and it is perhaps one of the strongest points of this model. Handsfree operation is a snap. Also, the polyphonic music emanating from the speaker is strong and clear. My favorite ringtone is Chopin's Fantasia Impromptu, of course.

This mobile phone is also equipped with an FM tuner. However, it requires the handsfree headset to listen to the radio broadcast. My demo unit did not come with this accessory, so I was not able to test it.

What is on my wish list? This well built cell phone did not have the same high-resolution bright display screen as the N7650 or the N3650. Reading and composing your SMS messages is not as easy as on your eyes as the two camera-mobile phone models.

Nokia may have chosen this display screen because the mobile phone is not intended to take pictures. The menu structure is rather confusing. To set the alarm, for example, we have to go to organizer instead of clock. I prefer the menu in the N7650 and the N3650.

When designing cell phones, the sky has become the limit. This also means that there is always room for improvement. Still, if you are an SMS maniac and demand excellent audio to impress the people around you, this cell phone is the right choice for you.