Home :: Communications :: Cell Phones  

Accessories
Audiovox
Handspring
Kyocera (Qualcomm)
LGIC
Motorola
Nokia
Panasonic
Samsung
Sanyo
Sony Ericsson
Nokia 6820 Phone - Next Generation (AT&T)

Nokia 6820 Phone - Next Generation (AT&T)

List Price: $349.99
Your Price: $199.99
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I had the 6800 fomr the gate
Review: it seems that as a second entry from the beloved 6800, nokia missed a great opportunity. They added a lame camera and still the same screen?? It seems they just shrunk it a bit and added EDGE/Bluetooth. geez.. they could of hit a home run if they juiced up the screen res. and upped from series 40. Can you beliveve they didn't go to series 60??? The camera wasn't needed since you buy all those attachments already for the 6800... some really nice camera attachments are out there plus other things for the radio etc.

I am about to change to it anyway if it isn't a step back since I have a bug in my 6800 that seems to not go away... shame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best Interface Available, Speedy EDGE Performance
Review: Like Nokia's model 6800, the 6820 provides a full QWERTY keyboard in a foldout design. This affords a typing speed that greatly exceeds that of other phones and mobile devices. Unlike the 6800, the 6820 uses ATT Wireless's speedy EDGE network that will allow efficient use of this superior interface.

(For more information on the foldout, compact QWERTY keyboard, please read my review of the 6800. In my opinion, the design is superior to anything else on the market, including Blackberry and Treo.)

As an owner of Nokia's 6800, the similarly designed predecessor to the 6820, I was enthusiastically waiting for ATTWS/Nokia to provide an EDGE compatible phone with a similar interface. Prior to the 6820, the only other EDGE compliant offering was the uninspiring 6200. For those unfamiliar with wireless data networks, EDGE represents a incremental upgrade for carriers that provides double the performance over GPRS data rates.

While far from true 3G performance, EDGE provides bandwidth exceeding that of dial-up (claimed up to 130 kbps). This allows users to experience performance 2x faster than GRPS, which, unfortunately, fluctuates substantially more than voice performance. Third party tests of the ATTWS EDGE network also show fluctuations of 150%, depending on geography and distance to the cell tower. My initial, albeit unscientific, tests show that data network accessed via the 6820 is noticeably faster with a reduced latency when compared to the 6800.

There are four major improvements in the 6820 over the 6800: 1) EDGE 2) Camera 3) Bluetooth 4) enhanced joystick. Another change, which I don't like but may be considered an improvement by some users, is a size reduction of roughly 15%.
The smaller form factor and screen is not helpful in my opinion. For example, ATTWS has recently released a traffic congestion map in a partnership with Mobil. The map is barely readable on the 6800. The smaller screen reduces the utility of these new services.

The enhanced joystick now allows users to depress (five way instead of four) to select items. There are also some additional buttons to improve navigation. Clearly, the interface is designed to maximize the use of high-speed wireless data where the user may need to send/receive quick bits information such as stock quotes or sending a last minute email.

If aesthetics are important to you, the flashy design of metallic blue and silver body may not be appealing. Likewise, cosmetic lights on the main keyboard may be undesirable.

Being an early adopter who experienced many problems with ATTWS's rollout of GSM/GRPS, I am concerned about ATTWS's ability to support a new network from a customer service perspective. When there is a technical problem with data performance or functions like email, customer service is seldom helpful. Similarly, the ATT Wireless store staff's understanding usually lags the technology by several months.

In summary, the Nokia 6820 could be the first phone in US that can truly function as a robust, fully mobile data entry and retrieval device. If it were a bit larger and less flashy, it would nearly be ideal.

Pro's
EDGE Data Performance
Best QWERTY keyboard available
Nice interface touches, enhanced joystick better navigation buttons
Camera
Bluetooth

Con's
Smaller Keyboard (than 6800)
Smaller, more rounded keys (than 6800)
Too flashy
Smaller screen
ATT Wireless service glitches
Data still too expensive

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Simply the Best
Review: Positive Points:
Good Key pad, Good Sound Clarity, Speaker Phone is helpfull, Can be used as Organiser.

Negative Points:
Buying it from AMAZON.com


Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Why Blackberry when you can Nokia 6820?
Review: This phone can do it all! You can check your home, corporate, & M-mode e-mail. The bluetooth connectivity is incredible. The camera isn't exactly a megapixel, but who cares? This is a cell phone. Wireless internet is truly high speed if you have EDGE capability. It isn't as fast as DSL, but it certainly beats dialup.

The best feature is the full qwerty keyboard. It takes a little time to get used to, but after a few minutes you will wonder how you got along without it. It is so easy to check and reply to e-mail messages that it almost makes the Blackberry obsolete. The only thing that a Blackberry has is the push e-mail. If you don't need the message immediately go with this phone. It certainly puts all others to shame. Nokia certainly put some time and effort into this phone. All I can say is that they did it all right.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Love the keyboard, but more memory would be nice...
Review: This phone is great... I bought it for the keyboard and text messaging, but have fallen in love with the calander and other features. The camera is fun, but the quality is not great by any stretch of the imagination.

My only big complaint is the limited memory. If you want to add a snapshot to many of your contacts, or add too many new games, you are going to run out of space fast. On top of that, you can't delete a lot of the applications. There are games I know I will never play, but I'm stuck with them wasting valuable memory space. Still, for my purposes, this is the bast phone out there.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Solid Phone, but screen and camera subpar
Review: This phone works great for the main reasons for which I bought it. It has great battery life, good reception, and bluetooth capability. The fold out keyboard also makes entering numbers into the phonebook and text messaging a breeze.

I didn't really want a camera phone but thought that it was neat that this phone had one. I was really disappointed by the camera and screen on this unit though. It is nearly impossible to take a usable photo on it and the screen leaves a lot to be desired. If the screen and camera were a little better, this would definitly be one of the top phones on the market.

The bluetooth is very convenient (an added headset makes talking while driving much safer), and the loudspeaker is adequate. Reception and battery life are far superior to my old motorola.

Overall, this is a solid phone eventhough I feel that it is a bit overpriced. Had I known the camera and screen were this poor, I would of spent the extra money for a V3. I know I did not buy it for the camera, but why would Nokia add a feature that is almost unusable? Kind of a bummer. If you want a solid phone that with good battery life, reception, loudspeaker and bluetooth this is a good buy if you can find it priced for under $200.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Everything I Need
Review: This phone, an upgrade from my Nokia 6800, has everything the 6800 was lacking: Bluetooth, better web browser, smarter interface, and a camera. The key difference between the 6800 and the 6820 is that the 6800 has an FM radio where the 6820 has the camera. Also, the 6820 is smaller & lighter than the 6800. My favorite feature is still the full QWERTY keyboard; I'll never go back to the old triple-tap keys for text again.

This phone is the perfect bridge between a regular mobile phone, and a PDA/PDA phone. Helpful "get organized" features consist of a calendar, note pad, voice recorder, alarm clock, wallet, and to-do list. You have great flexibility in choosing which features to assign to a quick "go to" button, and the items can include features, profiles, and even web site addresses.

Overall, I am 100% satisfied with this phone and feel that it is well worth the price. If you are a PC user, you can use the Nokia PC suite application to sync your computer & phone. If you are a Mac user (like me), the 6820 is not yet supported by iSync. However, you can transmit files via Bluetooth and can send Address Book cards to the phone, also via Bluetooth.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates