Nokia 6822
Discontinued 5th January 2005
The Nokia 6822 is an upgrade of the
Nokia 6820
with a better screen and some enhancements to the camera
and software. The main feature of the 6822 is the fold-out
QWERTY keyboard, which is quite usable and a great thing
to have if you can't get used to typing out messages
on a numeric keypad.
Like the 6820, the Nokia 6822 is aimed
at people who want to do a lot of messaging on the move.
In addition to the clever keyboard, the 6822 supports
standard internet protocols for email (POP3/IMAP4/SMTP)
plus compatibility with corporate Blackberry messaging
systems. There's also support for the Open Mobile Alliance's
IMPS instant messaging service, MMS and SMS. Nokias
are normally pretty good with PIM functions, and the
6822 will be no different. Of course, it also supports
Java for additional applications and has an XHTML web
browser.
Connectivity is good, with Bluetooth,
infra-red and cable connections to a PC, plus tri-band
GSM (900/1800/1900), GPRS, EDGE and HSCSD which should
cover most people's needs. On the back of the Nokia
6822 is a pretty standard VGA resolution digital
camera with video recording and night mode capabilities.
It's
the screen which is the main improvement. One of the
great weaknesses of the 6820 was the 4000 colour screen
which was blurry and difficult to work with - a serious
drawback with a phone designed for email and messaging.
Nokia's 65,000 colour 128x128 pixel displays (as
found on the 6822) are usually of a much higher quality.
These are all good things, however the
phone is a disappointment. We were hoping that 128x128
pixel screens would be a thing of the past, especially
on this type of device. In our view the 6822's display
is simply too small for messaging use. Take the
rival Siemens
SK65, for example - that has a 132x176 display.
We think that this phone should be at least 128x160
pixels or larger, but Nokia seem to be stuck in the
past here. After all, this is just a warmed over handset
from late 2003.. and it's now 2005.
Another serious gripe is the camera.
The Nokia 6822 is aimed primarily at businesses, and
most businesses simply do not want cameras on their
mobile phones. Siemens understood this with the SK65,
and RIM doesn't fit cameras to its Blackberry devices
either (such at the Blackberry
7100t). Heck, even Nokia dropped the camera from
the Nokia 9300
to the great relief of many. (Edited: the VGA resolution
camera is, however, an improvement over the old one
in the 6820)
So, despite the good keyboard and connectivity,
the Nokia 6822 still doesn't look that good compared
to its rivals, but it's not a bad phone exactly. Battery
life is up to 8 hours and the phone still comes in at
100 grams despite the QWERTY keyboard, which is impressive.
One interesting thing to note is the
model number - this isn't called the Nokia 6830,
which according to rumour is a much more interesting
messaging device, possibly with 3G support and a much
better display.
Nokia say that the 6822 will be available
in the first quarter of 2005.
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Nokia
6822 at a glance
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Available:
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Q1
2005
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Network:
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Tri-band
GSM
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Data:
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GPRS
/ EDGE / HSCSD
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Screen:
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128x128
pixels, 65K colours
|
Camera:
|
640x480
pixels (0.3 megapixels)
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Size:
|
Standard
candy bar size 106 x
46 x 21mm
/ 100 grams
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Bluetooth:
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Yes
|
Infra-red:
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Yes
|
Polyphonic:
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Yes
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Java:
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Yes
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Battery
life:
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8 hours talk / 14 days standby
(maximum)
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|
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