Product: Nokia 7250
Price: €350 with a first time connection
The 7250 is one of the latest phones to come off the seemingly endless Nokia production line. The new phone has much in common with the recently reviewed 7210, such as the colourful design, colour screen and MMS capability. However, the newer model adds a few more features to the mix, the main one being an integrated camera.
The 7250 is probably best classified as a high-end consumer phone. However, like plenty of models on the market nowadays, it’s more than suitable for all but the most demanding business user. The phone is quite characteristic of most new models coming onto the market. The availability of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) allows for higher data speeds and faster browsing over WAP. It is also the technology which allows for MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). MMS is an attempt to build on the success of SMS messaging and allows for the transmission of media such as photos with messages.
The most obvious thing this phone has going for it is its look and feel. It’s a small, neat handset, weighing in at only 92g. The model we reviewed was a fairly tasteful navy and black colour. While the keypad is a little unorthodox, unlike some recent Nokia designs, its layout was fairly conventional, so sending text messages and navigating the menus was a breeze. What impressed us most about the phone was that it managed to incorporate a camera into such a small shell. Earlier models, such as Nokia’s 7650, tended to be a bit on the clunky side.
Turn the phone on and you’ll notice a bright colour screen. The Series 40 interface ought to prove familiar ground with veteran Nokia users and it’s fairly easy to find your way around. As you might expect, colour schemes and wallpaper can be customised to your tastes. The addition of polyphonic ringtones is another fairly recent departure and the phone features a good selection of tunes. However, as we’ve remarked with other recent phones, it would be nice to have some regular ringtones available if the fancy ones weren’t to your taste.
The camera is probably the feature most users would look at first and it wasn’t a disappointment. Users can access the camera directly via one of the shortcut keys and picture quality was as good as we’ve seen with any other camera phone.
The other feature of note is a built-in FM radio. Users can listen to it through a set of headphones provided with the phone.
All-in-all we were impressed with this model, which is a step up again from previous Nokia phones in this category. Our only beef lay in the area of connectivity. While infra-red is included, the addition of Bluetooth would be nice, or at least a data cable to connect it to a PC. Not only is this useful for getting online while on the move, but if you’ve got a couple of hundred numbers in your phonebook, transferring them over can be a bit of a pain.
Also on review was the Nokia Music Stand. At first sight this accessory had us scratching our head a little bit. However, it’s a novel idea. Basically it’s a phone cradle which connects to a charger and has a set of speakers attached. This allows you to play the phone’s radio over the speakers while it’s in the cradle. It also acts as a handsfree kit, allowing you to talk while the phone sits on your desk. The other benefit, we found was that it greatly increases the volume of the phone’s alarm. This may be useful for those who find it hard to get out of bed in the mornings. The Nokia Music Stand retails for approximately €99.
By Dick O’Brien
