Nokia 6290 – Not Just A Pretty Fascia

People often say that looks can be deceiving, and this is particularly true of the Nokia 6290 – while it may look like an ordinary, middle-of-the-range mobile phone, there are a host of hidden beauties underneath its coat. In fact, it’s just a surprise Nokia haven’t been pushing this more, as they really do have quite a funky little handset here.

One of the newer Nokia 3G handsets, the 6290 is also one of the first from the Finnish manufacturer to include the new S60 Symbian operating system, which allows for a whole slew of multimedia and office applications, such as the interactive World Travel feature – ideal for either the tech savvy user or the businessman on the move.

Designed in the popular clamshell shape (an area where Nokia is determined to make inroads against the likes of Samsung and Motorola), the 6290 is a very good-looking mobile phone with both an exterior and interior display screen. Although the outer screen isn’t too bad with regards to its display, it’s when you open the phone up that you really can marvel, with the large 2.2 inch screen displaying images beautifully through its 16 million plus colours.

Although some users of the handset have complained that the standard lay-out of the phone’s menu systems are different from the tried-and-tested Nokia layouts on past phones, this is soon overcome with the easy-to-use Set Up wizard, which allows you to set out your phone with the features you use most quicker to hand – just like your computer desktop at home.

Media-wise, the Nokia 6290 doesn’t disappoint, with the main email and office features being supported, such as Excel, Word, PDF and PowerPoint, as well as external email accounts. With true stereo sound supplied from the box, the MP3 tunes and files that you can download will sound all the better for it too, and make many of the 6290’s competitors seem a little passé in comparison.

Since the phone is a 3G handset, the 6290 is more than capable when it comes to using the video calling facility, which once again, due to the S60 operating system and the incredibly sharp display on the flat screen, is clear and smooth. Indeed, should you need to upgrade the software to improve your video even further, this can be done with a simple add-on application.

With talk time on both normal GSM use, and extended 3G use, at around the three to 3.5 hour mark, with a standby time up to ten days, the standard battery on the 6290 is a healthy one, and one that won’t see you needing to recharge anytime soon. Which, given the addictive nature of the gadgets on this phone, could easily be sooner than you think. Add in a generous 50MB memory card, which can be upgraded even more, and Nokia have given us quite possibly one of the best mid-range phones around today.

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