CAPTAIN SENSIBLE
Appeared in What Mobile

Nokia 6300
In recent months, Nokia seems to have been concentrating on its Nseries and E-series handsets. Yes, ‘multimedia devices’ as Nokia describes them are becoming more and more accessible and affordable, and most users don’t even realise they’re smartphones, but for those who are a little scared by the term ‘smartphone’, Nokia has released a decent Series 40 handset.
The candy bar 6300 feels top quality in the hand. Although it’s heavy for a handset that’s only 11.7mm thick, what else would you expect from something made out of stainless steel? The design is sleek; it has a metal front and back with hints of black plastic, coincidentally the same colour scheme chosen by Sony Ericsson for the W880i (see p34). In fact, the two handsets are very similar, proving that even the companies who don’t often compete in the ‘fashion’ or ‘ultra-slim’ categories are jumping on the bandwagon.

The keypad is the best I’ve seen on a Nokia Series 40 handset to date. The number buttons are a joy to use – there’s no effort required, but they’re not so soft they don’t respond. Even the world’s slowest texters will have no problem getting their typing skills up to secretarial level. Above the number keys is a four-way square key with the menu button in the centre. There are also two buttons on each side of the four-way key which are self-explanatory: call answer/end and two customisable selection buttons, preset as shortcuts for the Internet and phonebook.

The screen is a crisp, 240x320 pixel display that can show over 16M colours, and is simply stunning. The active standby screen can be modified simply, just by highlighting the application you want to replace, clicking on options, and then ‘change shortcut’. This means you can have quick access to the features you use the most, whether it’s creating a text, logging onto the web or setting the alarm. You can also see what you’re playing on the music player, radio and view your appointments on the active standby screen. There are two themes loaded on the 6300 – both that make the handset look identical to a Series 60 handset. For a sleek look, go for the black, for a simpler look, go for the blue.

The camera is decent enough considering it doesn’t have a flash. In fact, the 2.0-megapixel snapper creates ultra-sharp bright images. The only slight annoyance is the time the photos take to save onto the phone. You’ll be waiting at least five seconds for the animated ‘saving’ icon to disappear.

Thank you for the music
The music player is simply designed, and just as simple to use. You control it via the four-way button and central ‘menu’ button. The media equaliser gives more options than a standard stereo, plus there are two customisable ‘set’ options for personal settings.

For a handset with a mono speaker, the sound it blasts out is remarkable. Although the speaker is on the rear, so it’s quieter when the phone is placed face-up on a surface, you will still be able to hear the tunes loud and clear. This goes for the ringtones too. You’ll never miss a call with the ultra-loud tones, especially if set to a favourite MP3. There’s also stereo Bluetooth for wireless listening, with a ‘stereo widening’ option.

As with all handsets, to listen to the FM radio, you’ll have to plug in the earphones that come in the box. The sound through the earphones, whether listening to the radio, MP3 or media player, is just perfect. There’s even a skip track button integrated into the ’phones so you don’t have to keep fishing the handset out of your pocket. If only there was a volume button too, it would be worth getting your hands on a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor and using them with your MP3 player.
Applications pre-installed on the 6300 are quite impressive when you consider it’s a Series 40 handset. Although it’s becoming more commonplace for standard handsets to feature a wider selection of applications, it’s pleasing to see the Opera browser is pre-installed, making web browsing even simpler than using the Nokia browser. There’s also Nokia’s Sensor community application installed. Although this is certainly no Microsoft Messenger or MySpace, it’s great to use if you’re playing around with mates with Sensor-enabled handsets.

While it’s unlikely to win any design awards, the Nokia 6300 is a great choice for someone who wants a reliable, high-spec handset that’s easy to use. With everything you’ll ever want or need, including an FM radio, decent camera, MP3 player and a tip-top browser, in one thin, solid, good-looking handset, this device is all set to take the mass market by storm.