GOOD TO KNOW:
- Touch -Screen Operated
- 5MP Carl Zeiss Camera
- 32 GB Phone Memory
My initial response within the first week of using the Nokia X6 touch-screen phone was generally "eeeek!! ..typing like this will drive me insane!" However, once you actually get used to the ease of use, it may be difficult to turn back.
Getting Touchy
If, like me, you are new to using a touchscreen phone, it may take some time for you to adjust. I can almost guarantee that you're going to spend the first few days, or weeks even, cursing at the unpredictable motions that occur, and quite a few times the idea to switch back to a keypad phone will cross your mind. However, hang in there, because once you get used to the touch-screen flow and ease of use, you may be hooked.
Still, there are some persistent irritations, like forgetting to lock the phone and accidentally touching random shortcuts, or thinking you're touching one thing, when actually you've touched another. This is especially bad when you expect you've touched the "snooze" button, only to find that your half-open eye swiped the first thing it saw, and this happened to be the "alarm off" button.
The touch screen also doesn't allow for multitasking while you type, as you need to be paying attention to the screen instead of being able to feel your way through raised buttons. This makes it extremely difficult to type a text message while walking down stairs (yes, some of us do this), watching a movie, or any other form of multitasking that requires full visual attention.
Web Browsing and Apps
That said though, the touch screen is definitely highly recommended if you plan to spend a great deal of time using the X6 to browse the web. The smooth page-scrolling motion allows for incredibly quick and easy access to all areas of a web page, and scrolling up and down is a breeze in all web-based apps.
One of the first apps I installed on the phone was Snaptu - a great way to keep track of your social media accounts. The Nokia X6 does however come with a Facebook App which has more options than the Snaptu version.
One of the phone's best built-in apps in my opinion is the "Office" application. This has the usual collection of general admin and task related apps, such as the Notes, Calendar and a Dictionary, but I found the Notes to be exceptionally useful. Imagine a busy girl, zapping her way through work, shopping lists, phonecalls to make, along with great inspirations and ideas all popping into mind at the same time. The Notes allow you to jot these down, save them for later, and then send these via mail or bluetooth to keep record of on other wireless devices (eg. laptop, notebook etc..).
A button or so along the side is still present
The lock button - a slider on the side of the phone - is absolutely great! You do not need to close what you are currently busy with before being able to lock the screen, and the lock instantly turns the screen light off as well. Consider the scenario: you're tweeting away when you should be paying attention (admit it, we all do this).. whoops! quick tweet, lock phone, look up, listen, and smile innocently while slipping the phone back into your bag. No need to worry about your mascara, lipgloss or anything else touching buttons and making a phonecall to Greece. Also, once you resume, you're instantly back where you left off - very handy!
The only other clickable buttons on the phone are the camera button and volume buttons on the right side of the phone, and of course the power button at the top.
Random bits of awesome
The main screen layout includes four shortcuts, where you can set up links to the items you use most on the phone.
When making phone calls, the X6 has this really cool thing it does: While you are holding the phone against your ear and chatting away, the screen light switches off. As soon as you move the phone away from your ear, the screen light comes on again. I have no idea how the phone detects this, but trying to figure it out was a game in itself..
Great happy snaps!
The camera on the Nokia X6 is excellent. The photo quality is incredibly high, especially for photos taken in high to medium light conditions. The camera includes a built-in flash, which can also be set up to work as a light on its own when the "Bright Light" application is installed.
A secondary camera is present on the front of the phone. This camera is of lower quality than the main camera, but is still great fun for self-portraits and photos with friends. Camera two probably also works great for video calling, but not many people have this enabled in South Africa.
Although this phone has managed to change my mind about touch screen phones, I'm not sure I'm ready to make a permanent switch just yet.
Turn ons:
- Comes with really cool headphones
- Large screen
- Excellent camera for medium to high light shots
Turn offs:
- Accidentally touching the wrong button takes time to exit or return
- Have to "exit" apps else they all stay open
- Touch screen takes getting used to, which is a MISSION at first
- Not very sleek in design - fairly heavy and bulky
