Nokia 6730 Classic: "Smartphone Lite" for Everyone!

Announced in May 2009, the Nokia 6730 Classic is a basic smartphone that comes in a, well, classic "candybar" form factor. Though sleek and shiny, there is something a little retro about it as well. Available in the classic colors of black or white, it's got a camera (3.2 megapixels) with video calling, autofocus, and an LED flash; a 2.2-inch display (240x320) with a palette of sixteen million colors; and an expansion slot microSD cards (up to 8GB total). There is a built-in stereo FM radio tuner and, as might be imagined, the Nokia 6730 Classic also doubles as a portable music player, though the audio jack is your standard 2.5mm found on most cell phones. These days, all that means Bluetooth 2.0 compatibility with A2DP. It runs on Symbian Series 60, 3rd Edition, so users can download additional applications, including games. Capable of 3G speeds, the 6730 also has power-saving abilities, with official talk times rated at up to ten hours (standby is five hundred hours, regardless of speed).

But perhaps the most notable feature of the 6730 is its navigational capabilities for motorist and pedestrian alike. Don't forget that the 6730 is arguably not too much more than an introductory smartphone. Yet the on-board mobile navigation seems very sophisticated for its class: turn-by-turn directions are combined with a database of points of interest and both white and yellow pages information to make for a pretty powerful entry-level handset. The 6730's navigational capabilities are what makes it different from other basic cell phones. This model can be thought of as a missing link of sorts between the cell phone proper and smartphones in general.

Thus the 6730 is a nice all-around smartphone that should appeal especially to the sort of mid-range customers that is likely being targeted, who tend to be casual and budget-conscious users. The 6730 Classic is exclusive to Vodafone subscribers, however. Vodafone is a global telecom company with over three hundred million customers worldwide, and the Nokia 6730 is a product of the two companies' strategic collaboration. Unfortunately, WiFi is not available. Nevertheless, the Nokia 6730 Classic is the least expensive 3G phone as of this review, and thus likely to be widely adopted the world over - especially by those in emerging markets where this handset would serve as a wonderful introduction. It is only a few years ago that a phone with all that the 6730 offers would have been considered seriously high-end, but thanks to the phenomenon of "trickle-down technology" such features today are considered a commonplace.