Nokia 6630 to Nokia 6120c

Two years have passed since I upgraded my phone to a Nokia 6630 under the retention program of Smart Communications Inc. A few years back, Charlie (the nickname that Nokia gave to the 6630) was a groundbreaking smartphone. It ran under Symbian OS 8.0a S60 2nd Edition with Feature Pack 2, the first Nokia phone to have 3G, the first to have good stereo digital sound and the first to have a megapixel camera. It also has bluetooth, memory expansion slot and a 2.1" display. Being an S60 smarphone meant there are tons of software that you can download off the internet (freeware, shareware and commercial apps) like Excel/Word/Powerpoint viewers/editors, PDF viewer, e-book reader, dictionary, portable encyclopedia, translators, bible, Koran, scientific calculator, motion activated camera recorders, health guides, Nintendo Family Computer and Gameboy emulators and a lot of Java and S60 games. It's still a capable phone today.

Now its again time to renew my contract with Smart. Their retention plan states that if I promise to keep my post paid subscription with them for another two years, they will give me a free phone or give me a big discount on any of the other phones listed on their retention plan. The free phone can either be any of the two below

• Nokia 2630 (0.3MP camera, bluetooth, audio/music/video player, FM radio, dictaphone, no front camera, no 3G connectivity, weighs 66 grams only)
• LG KU250 (1.3MP camera with flash, front camera for video calls, 3G, bluetooth, dictaphone, audio/music/video player, weighs 73 grams only).

I was impressed by the features and small size of these phones but... these free phones are not smart... not smartphones to be more specific.

So I paid extra to get myself this: a Nokia 6120.

Oooops! not that oldie, but a Nokia 6120 Classic.

The mall price of this phone is around 12,000+ PhP but with the retention plan it costs only 4,300 PhP. This Nokia model sounds like a normal phone without the usual "N" or "E" in its model name like the N95, N82 or the E90. It is also quite tiny when compared to the N95 or my old 6630 - but it is a full fledged smartphone. A tiny phone that is very smart and very light - it is actually the lightest smartphone from Nokia to date.

• The 6120 Classic is running under Symbian OS 9.2 S60 3rd Edition with Feature Pack 1. The same OS used in N95 and N82.
• 240 x 320 TFT display with 16 million colors. Same resolution and color depth as the N95 and N82.
• quad band so you can go anywhere in the world and stay connected
• support for 3G networks & the faster and newer 3.5 network (HSDPA)
• 2MP main camera with LED flash
  
  
  
  
  
• 320x240 front camera for video calls and for taking self portrait shots
  
  
  
  
  
• image editor
• MP4 video recording at 320x240 15 FPS with sound
• video editor
• stereo FM radio
• audio/music player
• video player
• VoIP telephony support
• loudspeaker
• voice commands
• text to speech to let you phone read out aloud your text messages or e-books
• sound recorder (one hour max. per recording)
• instant messenger support
• Safari-based web browser with mini-map to help you see where you are in the page
• no more proprietary Pop Port connector
• common miniUSB port similar to what is used for digital cameras
• 2.5mm audio jack; can also use common headphones if you attach a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter that you can buy for less than 50 pesos
  
  
  
  
  
• bluetooth
• supports external bluetooth GPS devices
• can function as a USB mass storage device (flash drive) for storing data or a modem to connect your laptop to the internet anywhere there is a phone signal or a portable music player to sync with your PC
• expandable to 2GB (micro SD)
• pre-installed Excel/Word/Powerpoint viewer which is upgradeable to allow editing and saving
• PDF viewer
• e-book reader
• tons of downloadable S60 softwares similar to what I mentioned above for the 6630

all of this in a nakaw-proof looking phone weighing only 89 grams.

Two years from now, when I again renew my phone subscription with Smart, I hope the following features will be available in a phone that would cost less than 10,000 pesos under the retention program.

• Wi-Fi connectivity
• built-in GPS with localized Philippine road maps and points of interest
• bigger physical screen size
• 3D graphics accelerator chip for gaming
• stereo loudspeakers
• TV out
• higher resolution camera with optical zoom, Xenon flash and image stabilization
• video recording at near DVD quality (640x480 at 30fps)
• expandable to 8GB or more
• the iPhone's multitouch interface
  
  
• built-in TV tuner like the Chinese mobile phones offered by Babiken. You can actually buy in some of our local shops these imported Chinese phones with TV tuner, touch screen, bluetooth and allows two SIM active simultaneously and with one year warranty for less than 10,000 pesos. I would skip on the telescope attachment though :)