Oddity or masterpiece? - The Nokia 6650

Well steve,

you have got just the right usability for this phone!! gift it to your wife, passing teen kids. they will probably love it and you also for it and it will not burn a hole in your pocket also!!

Not for heavy duty symbian users but they will get all that they probably will need from a phone. I see a nice little competition coming up between 5320 and 6650. Though the former is still preferred..

Sad thing is its locked but then there are ways of getting it unlocked! Ask Rafe!!

Steve,

Please can you tell me if the right soft key shortcut can be changed from web'n'walk to something else?

I know t-mobile have a bad habit of preventing that shortcut from being changed.

Thanks!

The cover calendar does show your future events and there's also a separate day view. You just need to have events in your calendar to see it. But agree that the sleep mode is annoying.

Thanks. Yes, if there are events, you can select a date and see them - my apologies. It's still not a very useful mini-app though on the cover UI.

The right hand main S60 standby shortcut can be customised in the usual way. Thankfully.

Thanks steve for the info about the short cut key.

I would love a sim-free version of this model but it doesn't exist. All the ones on ebay UK are sim locked.

I doubt generic firmware even exists for this model even if it could be unlocked.

Again with the RAM nokia, why?

If its S40, fine, if its S60, its just daft. S60 is all about being a smartphone and adding the ability to install your own programs.

The market this is aimed at, well I feel it should be S40. For some reason S40 are generally less money, so cost could be saved here.

And nokia maps is on S40 as well, although not V2 yet.

Which is also puzzling. Why not version 2 given that its running S60 V3?

I truely think this is an S40 phone, but by all means make an S60 version, with more RAM, and a more sensible software package - Nokia maps 2, open office, etc.

Dear Steve,

Having read your review I am quite impressed by your positive view on the 6650 - and I will probably re-consider buying this device.

One remark: I have been very disappointed when I have recently tried it out in an T-Mobile store (in Munich). The software in the cover display took *seconds* to react to my commands. Did you experience something similar? Or could I assume the test device in the T-Mobile store just to be sligthly "crappy"?

Thanks a lot!

Best regards,
Gill

Probably it was just the way you were tapping or swiping the touch-panels - they do seem quite temperamental - the cover display is a little slow, too... but stil quite usable.

Which is also puzzling. Why not (Maps) version 2 given that its running S60 V3?

According to Rafe Maps 2.0 is still unstable on S60 3.2, so that may be the reason.

It seems S60 3.2 is causing real headaches for Nokia, as PIPS is unstable on 3.2 and they need PIPS to run the N-Gage app. That's why N-Gage wasn't bundled with the N78 or 5320, and it may not be bundled with the N96 either.

Its certainly not as stable as it should be, there has been a few times where my 6220 has refused to get a lock (with any GPS software) until its had a reboot.

My 5320 came with N-Gage installed. (Norway)

I'm thinking of getting this phone as an upgrade but was wondering about whether it supports the micro sdhc cards as I'd like to put lot's of music on it

Any help much appreciated

Hi, I've just bought a headset in Poland, but its locked to ERA network over there. I would love to have it unlocked so I can use it with my O2 sim. Anyone knows how to tackle it? Both phone shops I've been to this morning said that they have no idea how to tackle it....

Any thoughts?

P.S. Phone is just great to my eyes.

If I buy this locked on ebay will it unlock or is it one of these that can't be unlocked?!
thanks
Claire

Hi there - thank you for the review!
I am tempted by the 6650 purely because I am a luddite that likes simple clamshell phones with a comfy keypad - and my trusty old 7200 really is dying.
When I am not a luddite I need some eMail on the go, so it's time for an upgrade... but the guy in the shop tried to sell me the 6650 claiming that I could use it as a WiFi hub - was that totally made up? You say that it has not got WiFi...
Also, have you tried using it as a modem via Bluetooth? I'd need to use it as a modem as I am getting rid of my landline, and T-Mobile do the contract with a 3GB cap and full modem allowed. But I'd like to know whetehr it works reliable with a bluetooth connection? Wifi would be nicer of course...

Also, can you connect at Bluetooth keyboard to it?

Of course you might not be able (or bothered) to find out which is fine of course - but it'd be great if you could tell me!

And last not least I am hearing from several people that t-mobile 3G is slower than other networks. Makes me want to unlock it and go with "3". But I suppose you're then still lumbered with the T-Mobile tweaks on it? (Sorry, you can tell I never had anything more modern than my beloved 7200 😊

Thanks a lot!
Yoree

hi,

Sorry if this is a bit of a simple question but I brought a 6650.... got it unlocked and I love it! Problem is, I'm with o2 and I CANNOT get it to bypass bloody web and walk and get me online! How do I do this? Am really desperate and hope you can help me....
Thanks
Claire

Hi all,
Can anyone help? Tried to download Sprts Tracker for the 6650 but it's not on the list. Does anyone have any idea if other versions work or if I need to wait?
Steven

Can anyone help with getting this unlocked? I have bought it SIM free from e bay and have tried various codes etc??

This 6650 has one but serious problem working with car kit CK-15W. Almost everything is ok, but bluetooth link breaks when outgoing call is initiated from CK. There's no problem when call is initiated from handset linked with CK. NokiaCare told me to wait for FW update, but they didn't say anything revealing....

I have the new 6650 fold and although it is a great little phone, it does have a bug which Nokia are not prepared to cure. After a while, you make a call and the cover screen does not reset after you've finished. the only way to clear this is to switch it off and then back on. T-Mobile have been less than useful!! Anyone got any ideas maybe??

Ok I have finally had to upgrade as my previous nokia after 3 years is pretty tatty and sometimes doesn't like to charge!!!

I managed to persuade T-mobile to let me have the 6650 as I am used to a clamshell...what do I think???

I am shocked that no one else has commented on how quiet it is!! I have it on max volume on ringtone and it is still a lot quieter than my last phone and also anyone elses phone I have compared it to... in fact I was so concerned I got T-mobile to swop it but it is the same with the new one the sent out.. there are other minor issues like the calendar and not being able to repeat reminders on a weekly basis..

any one else have an issue with the volume?

the cover screen hang up after making a call, it's a bug of PC Suite 7.xx, use 6.xx ver, if you want to know more, read this post form the forum of Nokia Europe.

http://discussions.europe.nokia.com/discussions/board/message?board.id=hardware&thread.id=10012

hi i have just bought the phone and was wondering how you get the big analog clock on the cover screen

ashu wrote:...sad thing is its locked but then there are ways of getting it unlocked! Ask Rafe!!...

Hi,

I think that although this phone is S60 while it should remain S40 so that it won't crash all the time, I think that actually �30 a month for this phone is a good deal, because at the moment T-Mobile are offering:

--700 minutes
--UNLIMITED texts
--FREE UNLIMITED mobile internet

and + you can also use it for mobile broadband on your computer. For me, this is a no-brainer, surely?

I bought this phone with AT & T. For years I have always kept my phone in my pocket but with this "light weight" the second day after purchase it broke. The first item to go was the caller ID LCD display on the outside. It cracked on either the change or the keys in my pocket and is rendered useless! I was going to replace the LCD screen myself at a cost of $20 but yesterday I dropped the phone on a carpeted floor and it is now dead, dead, dead. It wont charge, turn-on and has a serious dose of "flat line". I had my Nokia 6230i for five years and it have been subjected to some awful beating but it would appear that this 6650 has parts made out of tinfoil, sugar glass and egg shells. The worst thing about it is the damage is physical so my 30 day warranty is completely null and void.

If you do buy this phone treat it with my care that a Faberg� egg.

Denis

Hi,
i used to own a nokia N82 earlier, now i have a nokia 5320. The hardware specs for the phone is really great, and the interface looks cool too,
but i get really annoyed when my phone suddenly reboots or gets hung up, and all. Such problems where not on the N82 i had.
My point is i saw some stating the unstability of PIPS on v3.2.
What is it exactly, and why is nokia using an inferior os(9.3) rather than a much better os(9.2)?
As for 6650, other than the clamshell factor , my 5320 is way better.

Is it true that one cannot set recurring weekly appointments in the calendar?

Can one debrand the phone from AT&T and T-Mobile software - cleansing it so to speak?

Thanks