A Review of the New Nokia 7280 Unlocked Bluetooth Camera GSM Phone
Nokia 7280
The Nokia 7280, released in 2004, hugged the headlines thanks to its unique design. Looking more like a digital camera, MP3 player, and to some extent, a lipstick, the 7280 was dubbed a fashion phone that got a lot of press for its nice set of features and good performance.
Design (4 out of 5)
The new Nokia 7280 unlocked Bluetooth camera GSM phone weighs a mere 3 ounces and measures 4.5 inches in length, 1.3 inches in width and 0.8 inches in depth. The slim and compact design makes the phone very portable and it can easily be slipped into a pocket or clutch bag. With an odd shape, the phone comes in an attractive, black and white frame. The screen can support up to 65,000 colors, and its circular LED light located at the upper end glows whenever the handset receives a message or call.
Features (3 out of 5)
The Nokia 7280 comes with an extensive phone book capable of storing up to a thousand entries. Each contact can be customized and include up to five phone numbers, notes, email addresses, while the SIM memory can store up to 250 contacts. Contacts can be assigned with voice tags and organized into caller groups, and paired with a photo or any of the polyphonic ringtones.
Other basic features of this phone include alarm clock, vibrate mode, voice recorder, calendar, note pad, and organizer. It also has a speakerphone, infrared port, Bluetooth, and PC synchronization. There is a WAP 2.0 wireless browser that is, however, hard to view on the small screen of the Nokia 7280.
The Nokia 7280 has a VGA camera that can capture images with a mere 640 x 480 resolution. But users can make adjustments such as selecting from various picture modes like portrait, standard, and night picture, and image quality settings such as basic, normal, and high. There is also a zoom function, self timer, plus the option of using shutter sound.
There is also an integrated FM radio on this phone. The headset connected to the phone serves as the antenna of the FM radio, which comes with 20 station presets. The Nokia 7280 can also be personalized thanks to the wide variety of wallpapers, themes, screensavers, color themes and ringtones available for downloading on this phone. There are no games on this phone, but this is quite understandable when you consider the small screen plus the lack of Java support for the Nokia 7280.
User Interface (3 out of 5)
The new Nokia 7280 unlocked Bluetooth camera GSM phone conspicuously does not have a keypad. The limited controls feature a scroll wheel that has a menu and OK button in the middle, a couple of soft keys, and buttons for talk and end calls. This is a noticeable departure from the traditional design of Nokia mobile handsets wherein the End button also serves as the power off and on control. The thumb-sized wheel is the main tool in browsing the apps of the phone.
Given the unique interface of the 7280, users will have to learn first how to dial numbers and input text on this phone. However, texting is arguably easier on this phone since there is no need to press the same button a couple of times to get to the desired letter. Dialing of numbers on the other hand is a different story, as users have to choose a menu option, then scroll back to choose the digit.
Performance (4 out of 5)
The triband Nokia 7280 performs well, especially in making phone calls. Users should expect very good call quality and enjoy crystal clear conversations with very crisp volume. The speakerphone is also reliable enough. The phone’s music player can provide great music especially when heard through a Bluetooth headset.
The camera of the Nokia 7280 is also very reliable, although users should not expect the most detailed images. Shots are not even really good enough to post on the Internet, but will do for capturing quick moments which need to be recorded. The photos can be saved to the 50 MB phone memory, which is big enough compared to other handsets released in 2004. The phone also plays videos downloaded to the handset, but there is no video recording function on the Nokia 7280.
The battery life is also exceptional, as the Nokia 7280 can last up to 4.2 hours of talk time compared to the advertised 4 hours. The standby time of the phone is up to 9 days.
Verdict (4 out of 5)
The Nokia 7280 is a solid phone with a creative, out-of-the-box design which clearly is its most glaring attraction. Although users should expect some time to get used to the design, the phone is user friendly. The screen is a bit small but this is to accommodate the compact design of the Nokia 7280. The phone also has advanced features that can topple other phones released during its time. Overall, the Nokia 7280 is a good phone to have.
