Nokia 6170 mobile phone

Nokia 6170 is a tri-band clamshell cameraphone, which is aimed at the mid-range sector of the market. The case is in stainless steel, giving this model its clean and stylish appearance, with a satin finish on the outside and a shiny metallic keypad on the inside. The mobile phone is solid and well built, although this does cause the handset to be rather heavier than usual, although not unduly so. This is a handset packed with plenty of the latest features to attract buyers, including integrated EDGE, GPRS and HSCSD technology, push-to-talk, a WAP 2.0 and XHTML browser, MMS multimedia messaging, video and audio streaming, video record download and playback, voice memo recorder (up to 3 minutes), speakerphone for hands-free conversations, voice control, Java™ enabled, active flip, and an e-mail client.

Nokia 6170Being a clamshell model, the Nokia 6170 is provided with the usual arrangement of dual displays. The main display is a large and bright active matrix TFT screen, which has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and the potential to reproduce up to 65,536 different colours. This internal display can be used to view your photos and MMS messages, and it also offers a good screen on which to watch your videos, or to browse the mobile Internet and play games. On the outside of the case, the smaller display is a passive type of LCD, with a resolution of 96 x 65 pixels and the capability to display 4,096 different colours. This external screen shows details such as the time and date, alarm clock or calendar alerts, the active profile, incoming caller’s name and number, as well as the battery condition and network signal strength. The menu offers “Go To” shortcuts, so that the user can quickly jump to their favourite functions. The phone may send and receive MMS messages of up to 100 kB in size, and each MMS may contain a combination of text, sound, a picture, a calendar note, a business card, or a video clip.

There is an integrated VGA quality camera fitted, and this can take still pictures with a resolution of up to 640 x 480 pixels in both Standard and Portrait modes. A choice of 3 picture qualities is available (high, normal and basic), as well as a night mode for when the light conditions are poor. There is a 4x digital zoom and it is possible to change the pictures with the image editor, which allows you to crop the picture, add a frame, clipart and text. A timer is also provided for when you want to get yourself included in a shot. Both the main and the external mini displays can be used as viewfinders for the camera.

Video capability is increasingly finding its way into mobile phones, and the 6170 has the capability to record and playback video clips. The other equally useful features are the phone’s ability to download video clips, or stream video and audio directly onto the phone. The popular file formats of H.263, 3GPP and MPEG4 are supported, as well as AMR sound tracks. However, as is the case with most mobile phone video, the picture quality is not great, and only a resolution of 128 x 96 pixels (SubQCIF) is possible.

A useful feature, that has been much talked about, is the phone’s support for Push-to-talk (only if supported by your service provider). This instant talk channel can be used to set up direct two-way radio conversations over the network with your contacts. A handy dedicated push-to-talk button is located on the side of the mobile phone, and at the press of the PTT button the user gains access to this service. The person you are calling does not have to answer the phone, and you can even hold a conversation with a group of people having compatible devices.

Nokia 6170 has the usual customisation possibilities, for those who like to personalise the look and sound of their phones. You can choose new themes (suites of graphics and sounds such as wallpaper, screensaver, colour scheme and ringtone), as well as being able to set new individual wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones. If you wish you can select different wallpapers and screensavers for the main or the external display. Images may be added to some contacts, and this helps to identify your friends and family when you call them, or they call you. Caller groups can also be set up, and different ringtones and pictures can be allocated to each group, to help identify when somebody from one of the groups calls you. Sounds captured by the phone’s voice recorder can also be used as ringtones, for that extra bit of personalisation. Another feature is the ability to set different profiles for how the phone will react to various events, environments or caller groups.

With its Java™ capability, this phone may be used to run a wide range of Java programs. One of the benefits of owning a Java enabled phone is that you can download the games and applications software that you wish to use, and this is a straightforward procedure when you need to do it. There should be at least a couple of games and applications preloaded, but this may depend on what your Service Provider offers.

In this world where data transfer rates seem to be constantly increasing, the 6170 can offer the fastest rates for a non-3G phone. This model has the integrated EDGE, GPRS and HSCSD technology, which can squeeze out the best performance from the GSM networks. As you would expect, there is also good mobile Internet access as well, and the WAP 2.0 and xHTML browser will allow you to search out all the interesting and useful services that are now on offer, whether that be for entertainment, news, sport, or other online banking and shopping services. The other data feature that will appeal to users is the onboard e-mail client, providing you with the chance to access your normal e-mail correspondence via this phone. The e-mail service supports the standard POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols.

For connectivity the 6170 offers a choice of using its infrared port, to make a wireless link to other IrDA compatible devices, or alternatively the user can connect by a USB data cable to the phone’s small Pop-Port™ connector. After a connection has been made, you can then exchange files and data, and, for example, synchronise your personal information in the calendar, phonebook, and to do list, with the data on your home or office computer. As this phone is also SyncML enabled, it is possible to synchronise data remotely over the network, which is convenient when you can’t get back to home or office to synchronise your information. This phone supports the exchange of vCard business cards, which is a feature that may appeal to those who use their phone as a work tool.

The organiser features of the 6170 include a calendar, to-do list, notes, alarm clock, stopwatch, countdown timer, calculator, currency converter, and a wallet. This model contains a useful amount of 500 contacts, with up to 5 numbers for each one, as well as other contact information such as their postal address, e-mail address and push-to-talk address. For the busy users it is also possible set up the “presence” feature, which lets selected people in your phonebook know your current availability, and this feature also allows you to request the availability of your contacts. This phone has a vibrating alert and T9™ predictive text input.

Nokia 6170 Cameraphone specification

Nokia product page

Manual and phone support

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Last updated 30th January 2008, 14:39 GMT