Nokia 3230

• T
• Tech
• 2@H
• 02 Apr 2006

To Sumit,

A very good review I must admit. So you decided that 6630 is better. I stumbled upon the option of buying 6630 and I found it rather good when I held it and noticed its colors. It appeared to be a rich boy's toy at that time (more than months back).

6630 is the best and has the most powerful Nokia processor in its entire range. It has Symbian OS version 8 which is even higher than 3230's. Symbian OS creates an operating system for the phone to use its phone api and design softwares using C++ and Java to harness the operating system's and the phone api to create more softwares than are usually allowed by older default OS like Series 40 used in Nokias.

Moreover its cost was also same as 3230. However still I decided to go in for the 3230 because -

1) 6630's design does not look sleek and professional especially in corporate offices. It is quite bulky and oval shaped. 6600 is still widely used by business sophisticated professionals however nobody has 6630 in my business circle. Hence it would appear to be out of the way to hold out a rather strangely designed phone even if it was far better and faster. Nokia does these things purposefully. They do not want to give a perfect phone to keep sales of all products going. Each phone is designed for particular features. Phones have to be stylish also. And tell me who would not agree to it? Styling sells a lot. Look at the Moto RAZR. Even though it has not even 1/3rd of the functions which 3230 has still it sells so much. People have no idea about its functions. They just want it for Style. See how much a hit the Apple IPod is? Just because it's an Apple IPod and it looks cool. Style statement matters a lot. It reflects your personality also if you want to make a good impression. It's only human after all.

2) It does not have a FM radio. Radio gives you access to news and 100000's of songs 24 hours of the day and is much better than having songs stored in the memory card. It helps to feel connected to the world with so many FM stations. In many countries you have close to 40 FM channels with so much stereo music, shows, news. It's great !

3) 6630's battery does not even lasts a single day especially due to its 3G feature.

4) It did not have a joystick which is great fun to use when playing games etc. It is almost very easy to use especially if you work a lot with your PC and mouse.

5) It uses costlier Dual Voltage RS-MMC which was costlier 6-8 months ago. Now it is just slightly more costly hence it is better today but certainly not earlier when I bought 3230.

6) It has a stereo MP3 player which is its great plus point over the 3230. However I have 2 MP3 players - An IPod and another one smaller than a match box, so I do not mind if 3230 does not have a stereo MP3 player. At least it can play stereo Mp3 songs in mono and I can use playlists through softwares. That's more than enough for me. It's speaker is not a quality speaker however it is better than Nokia 6600. Plus it plays song in a tone softly - which is better than the shrill treble sounds of 6680 and 6681 N70s etc. Treble has to be reduced a lot to make it bearable.

7) 6630 did have issues with dropping off the network. And that's a big issue because basically you buy a phone to talk. What happens if you bought all the power and you cannot even make calls with it? 3G phones need to keep continuously searching for 3G networks. Is there a way to turn it off? Also does it have safety hazards when it tries to search for powerful 3G networks? What's the use when you cannot do that? Plus you need to recharge the 6630 every day. It has a poor battery. All the functionality goes kaboom when the phone's battery dies so fast.

8) Pricing. The 6630 came out with a steep price tag of 660 $ USD when it was launched. I still remember those Nokia ads mentioning 3G phones and power with CNN news readers in this phone's ads. Nokia created such a hype out of it. Now look at it today. It hardly costs 255 $. A drop of close to 1/3 rd. Still at this price it is a very good buy but certainly not when it was launched at such a steep price. For me getting value for money is higher than spending needlessly on features which I will never use. It's not that I cannot buy the costliest phones, I can buy the entire Nokia range, but getting value for money is what matters most.

9) 6630's music edition was not available at that time. It featured a 256 MB memory card with better speakers for stereo sound etc etc. A feature which I liked a lot but this edition of 6630 handset was not available then.

10) 6630's camera was just as good as 3230's. It's smooth 6x zoom was good however with a software it is possible to do a smooth zoom on 3230 also upto 8x and higher also.

This was why still 3230 was better.

• Reply

• ?
• Anonymous
• Na$
• 02 Apr 2006

I am a proud owner of a Nok-3230 & need to know what does SYMBIAN statnd for....??

Great camera phone (considering that it does not have flash)!!!

• Reply

• j
• joe crack
• NH7
• 02 Apr 2006

please my casing is badly damaged and i was wondering if anybody out there can kindly send me one cos i have searched for it to no avail. and is there anything one can do to increase the volume of this fone cos it seems like the volume is reducing by the day

• Reply

• M
• Mitza
• mAZ
• 01 Apr 2006

hy..i wonder what does mono MP3 player means...a poor sound quality or what? i am not sure but with speakers will it sound better?

• Reply

• o
• optional
• wYE
• 31 Mar 2006

as someone living in the philippines, using a phone for calling is only an option. most phones here are only for text purposes.

when i first got this phone i was happy to have a better phone than the 6600. i was wrong, it was the 6600 all over again.
it slows down... unless i clear the Log.
i was disappointed that my 256MB MMC won't fit, i had to buy an RS-MMC.
the cover for the battery easily slides off and then the screen instantly asks if you want to remove the memory card. if you press yes, any apps running from the memory card will instantly be shut off. especially themes!
this phone reboots too much.
no improvement when taking video from the 6600 other than that it can record longer.
there is a contrast and saturation problem when taking pictures. colors are too extreme.
you can barely hear anything when listening to mp3s with the headset.
volume isn't that great either. it's too loud and it all sounds the same. it's mute, loud, louder, and louder, etc...
if you receive a call or message, there's an annoying beep before the tone plays. and it can't be shut off. and again. adjusting the volume from the Profiles does nothing.
infrared is useless, it's hard to connect to another device.
the phone can't read the memory card correctly, it reads it as corrupted. i realized this because that little piece of metallic thing that slides the simcard in and out, scratches the memory card. i place a piece of paper to resolve this problem.

aside from all these. i find it great to be a texting phone. the keypad "feels" better than the 6600. and i love that the thumbstick has its own functions.

• Reply

• S
• Sumit
• PWY
• 31 Mar 2006

Hello everybody. I am Sumit. from india.
This is My first detailed review on nokia 6630,3230,6681

** 3230 vs 6630 vs 6681 **
I will discuss these three models in detail and simple language....
may be it will be helpful to u.

** History of my previos handsets **
nokia 2100
nokia 3100
Ngage
Lg G1800(i have this now also.and i like it)
nokia 6630 (best among all the phones)

my 3 frinds have 3230. i have 6630. and 2 frinds have 6681. i got my 6630 four days ago.after reserching 2 months on the web and reading almost all forums and stuff available on the net. i went for 6630.

** Let us discuss about three phones. which i had considered before buying 6630..


** Processor **
3230 - 104 MHZ (slower)
6630 - 223 MHZ (faster than 3230)
6681 - 223 MHZ

** symbian os **
3230 V7.0
6630 V8.0 bugs fixed. more ability
6681 V8.0

** battery **
3230 BL 5B
6630 BL 5c(best)
6681 BL 5c (" ")

nokia has BL series like bl 1,2,3,4,5
Among them Bl 5 is latest and i think best.

6630 has talktime upto 3 hours(3g on) and 6 hours ( 3g off). enough for everybody..
3230 has talktime upto 11 hours. because its processor is slow. stand by time of all three is almosy same..

** DISPLAY **
3230 best
6630 normal
6681 normal

technically all are same. but 3230 is best according to me.

** mp3 player**
3230 worse... its mono..
6630,6681 strereo and best

** 3D Games **
3230 supported
6630 supported
6681 not supported.. go through other sites and u'll see this.


** phone memory **
more phone memory = more speed.and runs big application also..
3230 6mb
6630 10mb great than others
6681 8mb

**memory card included in pack **
3230 32mb
6630 64mb
6681 64mb

** i recommend to add memory cards of following size for good(bearable) performance and good size **
3230 128mb. since slow proccessor,low ram
6630 512mb required for mp3
6681 512mb "" ""

** assembly **
3230 bad
6630 excellent
6681 excellent
in asia 3230 is manufactured in china. and shiped to asian contries.anyone can see the difference in 3230 it feels like cheap plastic. 6630,6681 are manu.in finland.. and imported to asia.. their build quality is best.

** looks **
according to many people
3230 better
6630 good. bulky.(only negative factor)
6681 best

according to me
i like all three. but 6630 looks great. i am fan of it.and doesnt matter. its trend of big phones :-)

** EDGE **
3230 half. only for uploading.
6630 full
6681 full
leave kbps.(b= bit)
we'll consider kBps(B=byte, actual file size is in this format.)

if i leave one big file for downloading then i get
3230 5-6 kBps, 13 to 16 mb per hour
6630 18-20 kBps 50-64mb per hour(by edge. no 3G available in india)
6681 same as 6630
i have tested all on pc. now posting this from 6630 connected to pc.

3230 uopload fast. but download by normal GPRS. so no use for me.

**3G support.** soon will be available in india
much faster than edge

3230 not supported
6630 supported
6681 not supported

** weight **
almost same for all.and doesnt matter much

** Data cable **
3230 not included in pack
6630 included
6681 included
its worth Rs 1200
(RS=India currency. 1$=47 Rs)

** headset included**
3230 normal
6630 grey like nylon. one of the best.
6681 pure white. one of the best.

** typing **
3230 headacke... bit difficult
6630 comparatively better
6681 best

** user interference **
3230 best. as its os is 7.
6630,6681 bit difficult, because more powerful os.and can do more things

** push to talk **
i dont know what is it. and doesnt matter. because no friend of mine uses it
3230 supported
6630 not supported
6681 i dont know


** s60 applications **
3230 most of it works
6630 most of it works
6681 most of them DONT work

** price ** india, 28-march-2006
3230 Rs- 11,100
6630 Rs- 11,650
6681 Rs- 14,500

** hot swap **
dont ask what is it. i know it. but tired of typing...
ok.. its... u can remove memory card withouth shutting phone off. and u dont have to remove cover also.
3230 no
6630 yes
6681 yes

** FM radio **
3230 yes
6630 no
6681 yes
doesnt matter for me.

** CD with software **
3230 no
6630 yes
6681 yes

** conclusion **

( "~~~~~~" = best acc. to me)

price
3230= 11100+1200(data cable)=12300
6630=11650 ~~~~~~
6681=14500

*****advantages*****

3230-
FM radio
-Sleek
-Better Disply.
-plays all applications,3D games

6630-
-full EDGE,
-" 3G "support ,
-best mp3
-battery performance
-build quality,
-very vey fast than previos model 3230
-removable covers
-plays all applications,3D games ~~~~~~

6681-
-Solid look,
-fast,
-big impression on others,
-fm radio,
-battery life.

*****Disadvantages*****

again ~~~~~~ means better

3230-
-lack of " 3G "
-full EDGE
-very slow
-bad mp3
-cheap plastic
-no data cable
-not stable. cant say whaen it is going to hang.

6630-
-no FM(doesnt matter for me),
-others find it bulky. but i like it ~~~~~~

6681-
-no FM,
-NO 3G,
-No 3D games,
-doesnt play almost all the s60 applications
-not so stable

** Summery **
6630 is the winner. just go and buy it
-----------------------------------------

**** Now the best part is here.******

I know its very difficult to find free 3gp videos,movies,clips etc on net.
but i have found one good site after long search....
its free
no registration. download
accelerator,manager can be used..
its legal
try it
its

OVAO.COM.

**** free ngage games ****
here u can find all ngage games, s60 applications for free.
just register and enjoy.
site is. dont forget to scroll down...

s60addict.co.nr

*** links ***
www.ovao.com (for free thousands of 3gp)
www.s60addict.co.nr (best i have found ever all ngage games and all s60 applications)
--------------------------------------
IF you like this review..
then please leave a comment on my email ID.
ssr407@yahoo.com
any suggestions or information regarding this which i havent mentioned are also most welcome.................

• Reply

• T
• Tech
• MaA
• 31 Mar 2006

agasi,

A good MP3 player for Nokia 3230 is Viking MP3 Player version 3.5 or higher. It has another name of Gravity also. It has 8 band equalizer which provides good results.

• Reply

• n
• needshelp
• PZ9
• 31 Mar 2006

The screen of my Nokia 3230 flickers. How do I fix it? Did you guys have experienced the same problem? If you were able to fix it, how did you do it? Please share the knowledge. My phone has the latest firmware v4.0537.0.

• Reply

• N
• NITIN
• RK2
• 30 Mar 2006

i have recently buyed this phone & i found all the features in it. & in my opinion it is a geat phone to buy...

• Reply

• a
• agasi
• nqj
• 30 Mar 2006

To Tech
CAn you tell me, a good suitable (with equaliser) mp3 player software for 3230.
Please inform me.

• Reply

• T
• Tech
• MaA
• 30 Mar 2006

To micahel,

Your remarks show that you do not understand technology to the extent what it can do.

Maybe you should pay Nokia 5 times for more expensive phones to correct your view point about the otherwise good 3230 and fall into Nokia's trap. Costlier phones are better no doubt and Nokias are best.

It is the way you look at things which creates impressions. Same thing creates different impressions. Same about your remarks. I am a software professional having excellent understanding about softwares and phones. Here is my perspective about your negative points (as per your viewpoint) mentioned -

Radio - is actually 128 kbps crystal clear MP3 quality Stereo

design - Looks good executive like for high profile business men / corporate men who don't wish to keep the costliest phones

camera - Is better than 6680 / 6681. Higher megapixels does not mean better quality. It only increases the resolution. Picture quality can be best only with digital cameras. Mobiles are only for casual photography

bluettoth - works very good for me. a 1 MB file is transferred in only 15 seconds. You need to learn how to use tech devices.

screen - is better than 6680 / 6681 / other higher end phones with better contrast / brightness ration for more truer colors. I have seen these high end phones. Thye have misaligned brightness levels making them more brighter. Color saturation is also quite poor. Maybe you can spend more to get less colors.

battery sound(no quality at alll - Battery will lasts only a few hours if you keep the display on at all times. 4 hours online for battery is good enough. Even a laptop has normally 4-5 hours backup.

to expensive - is not that expensive any more for this quality of a Sybian Operating system phone for which we can write our own software codes to make it do what we want it to do. Can you create a software to ask your phone to disconnect a particular number and send it an SMS never to call you?

error everytime - Your phone memory is fully used up. Cache memory is also used up. You need to reboot the phone. It's not a series 40 phone to run non stop. It has got its own operating system. Can you run your windows laptop non stop without rebooting? Nokia 3230 is also a mini-laptop in its full sense of the word.

eseally get infected with virus - Since it has an operating system to give it wider power to install applications, hence software can be created to misuse its operating system but only after your consent. Are you trying to say that you accept the virus and then you compain that the phone gets infected with a virus.

lausy 65k colour - 65K colors are visible more colors ful and brighter than 262K colors of Nokia normally. Even a 65K color 6600 is very very colourful. Check out a new handset at a dealer and see for yourself. Believe your eyes only.

only 128x208 pixel - Is more than enough. You can carry your laptop in your handbag every time you go out instead !

bad video - is decent enough because it allows to create small size videos. a 60 minute video with Nokia 3230 uses only 30 MB whereas a 60 minutes DVD video needs 2500 MBs. Do you want mobiles to create 2500 MB files? Do you have the time to store such huge file sizes?

maximum memory only 128MB - Maximum memory can be upto 4000 MB. Though it can slow down. I have used 1 GB or 1000 MBs without any slowing down. - 3230 will slow down only when your free space in phone memory is negligible. Store all on mem card.

bad system - a generic statement. 3230 has worked very nicely for me for the last 6 months.

software like to be erroor - Do not used buggy downloaded software. Normal usage never brings any problem.

EDGE doesnt work yhat good - This phone has faster download and slower upload. Usually we only download data. Nokia 3230's slowr upload speed helps to upload lesser data during the time we are online. Hence our GPRS bill is also less. Nokia 3230 is a better friend than faster EDGE you are seeking out (which can burn a hole in your pocket)

infrared no use - Infrared works best when face to face and when you do not try to transfer copy right material.

keypad is sio bad - This Nokia is not for SMS. The camera is at top so that shooting is easier. The large screen helps to see videos properly in a good hand held position without touching the camera.

• Reply

• m
• micahel
• ijn
• 29 Mar 2006

Nopkia 3230 dont buy it
This phone has abad
radio
design
camera
bluettoth
screen
battery sound(no quality at alll
to expensive
error everytime
eseally get infected with virus
lausy 65k colour
only 128x208 pixel
bad video
maximum memory only 128MB
bad system
software like to be erroor
EDGE doesnt work yhat good
infrared no use
keypad is sio bad

• Reply

• c
• christ
• PFD
• 29 Mar 2006

this phone is so good compare to my 6600..i think..coz it has 1.3 megapixel but i think nokia 6680/6681 is better..coz they've flash..that made the phone awesome..but i'm looking forward to buy this phonee

• Reply

• M
• Mantowich
• ntW
• 28 Mar 2006

About midi and other formats that are not recognized.I dont know why,but my nokia 7610 had this problem too,maybe its older symbian problem. I found this solution: you have to just to fotmat your mmc card,not phone,just card. I done that,and everything become OK.

• Reply

• z
• zak
• MZs
• 28 Mar 2006

Hi all,
plaase can anyone tell me why my 3230 cant
play midi files?
Thanks a billion

• Reply

• a
• agasi
• nqj
• 28 Mar 2006

Is there anyone to tell me how can i registr powermp3 for 3230. one version of software is registred but dont play normal, plays very slowly. but another version i cant registr. if anyone the way to solve this problem please help me.

• Reply

• h
• hao
• F4p
• 27 Mar 2006

tis phone i hate it.i merly drop the phone frm a table which is 80 cm long.the screen crack i was shock as i thought such a phone should not be so easily damaged as previously i was using 7610 n i dropped 4 a thousand time the screen was still fine.the 3230 i took it 4 repair when i took it back it was fine but the nxt dae the screen suddenly blackout the phone still can be use to call.i took it 4 repair again i thought tat it was the person did not repair the phone probaly,when i took it back the nxt few dae were fine n suddenly the same problem come i took it 4 repair again but tis time i waited 4 a 1 month b4 i took it back again but on the veri night the phone totally jam.i tried to wait 4 a while n suddenly it was ok but the problem come again in the nxt few mins.i waited 4 the phone to be ok again n i take tis chance to sell my phone n change 4 a 6630.luckily when the person check the phone it dosnt jam.At last,i want to tell everyone if anyone want to buy this phone,pls think twice!!

• Reply

• d
• djmike
• ijm
• 27 Mar 2006

3230 is a smartphine with cheap price that nokia is offering
after about 3 months i used it
i realized that its has a lot of negative factor
1)It has a bad keypad that you likely will be hate it when sending sms
2) camera system likely to be error after u use more than 100 times
3)its sound is the bad among the bad
you can compare with other phone that it has the cheapest quality sound maybe this is to reduce the cost of makining nokia 3230
4)when i try to compare thw design with w800i it seem this phone has no eye cathing at all
5)althought it has a ridio but it cant work properly
6)its memory only can store up to 128MB
Eventhought it likely to be hag when you use it
7)If you is carefull just see the battery it has only power of 780mah and it is use for lower type of nokia phine its talktime 3hours with standby time 150hourscompare with w800i,w550i,k750i this 3 phone has 9 hours of talkttime and has 900hours of stanby
8)The price is to expensive for buying this phone which has 8 negative for me
My opinion is not to buy this phone you Still has a lot of brand to choose it ex Sony ericson,motorola,samsung,etc
I am thanks for you all tio read my message and you can let me know about this phone to my email adress djguedoang@yahoo.co.id thanks alot

• Reply

• D
• Domidius
• TKb
• 27 Mar 2006

Just bough dis hp 4 my mom 2 days ago... am dissapointed dat d keypad is a lil resistent wen pressed and it always reboots after i transfer mp3 from d pc to it... d sound quality leaves much 2 b desired...

like d design (very executive lookin)... d color is very gd (compared to 6680, weird rite, 65k vs 262k)... would have prefered if it came wif stereo speakers (since 6630 which was launched b4 it has stereo)... i think d camera quality is much better den 6680 and 6630...

my only major prob wif it is dat d batt life is less den 24hr...

• Reply

• T
• Tech
• 2@H
• 26 Mar 2006

Hi All the 3310 in my below review should read 3230. Sorry about that.

• Reply