Nokia 7230 review

The one plus of having less multimedia options on a phone is less wear and tear on your battery. We've been hammering the camera, the video recorder, the music player and the web access and the battery has stood up to it very well.

Talk time is over four hours, with standby at a healthy 14+ days and even with using all those added features, we found the battery didn't need to be charged for three to four days of heavy use. If you like your phone in your hand rather than in a socket, you'll like the Nokia 7230.

Nokia 7230: Organiser

If you find life drifting away from you, the on-board organiser might offer just the helping hand you need. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a calendar with the option to add notes and view appointments by day, week or month and little audio reminders of what's coming up.

Simple and effective, but no syncing with any online calendars if you are looking for that - that's par for the course at this price, with others like the INQ Mini 3G missing out on the synchronisation game too.

Other added tools include a calculator, alarm clock, a 'to-do' list, timer and stopwatch, as you would expect, along with a conversion tool for weights and currency, as well as a size convertor, should you be shopping in a foreign land.

You know, the kinds of things you don't know you need until you actually need them.

Connectivity

Connectivity on the Nokia 7230 has been steady, if unspectacular. Basic connection never died completely, but for a 3G phone, we haven't seen that 3G symbol nearly enough.

Ok, that might be down to the local network, but having used other handsets in the same area, this particular phone is certainly no better and occasionally, seems worse.

No Wi-Fi on board the Nokia 7230 as you have probably guessed, so when it comes to web browsing and accessing email, the variable 3G might be a problem. We have certainly found it frustrating.

The phone does come with Bluetooth and it's very easy to use. Testing it with a Mac, it's just a matter of turning it on, pairing and you're away. Transfer speeds were very brisk, with an MP3 transferring in less than a minute.

Just as well really. The lack of a cable to hook up to a PC in the box means Bluetooth is pretty much your only way of transferring data to and from a PC/Mac when you get the phone. If you do plan on picking up a 7230, make sure you grab the additional cable off the shelf too.

Nokia 7230: Other

There's a welcome bonus in Nokia's Maps being pre-installed on the phone, which offers up both mapping basics and directions to your chosen UK location.

No GPS here, but if you just want directions, the app is very nippy and as a helping hand round an unfamiliar town, Maps offers a very useful (and free) bonus.

Games are always included and the 7230 is no exception. Take your pick between trial titles and free favourites, specifically Asphalt 4 Elite, Bounce Tales, Brian Challenge, Midnight Pool 2 and Rally Stars, plus Snake 3 and Sudoku.

The trial games are slightly frustrating in that you can only get so far, but to be honest, none of them made us want to go out and buy.

Finally, a voice recorder can record all those moments of inspiration you have on the move. Decent sound, easy to use, a nice thing to have.

Nokia 7230: Comparison

Comparisons are tough because the 7230 falls between the budget market and higher-end sliders, but you might also want to check out the Sony Ericsson Aino , which adds more bulk and a bigger price tag, but does come with GPS, a far better media player and BBC iPlayer out of the box.

Alternatively, messaging and networking on a budget is available via the INQ Chat 3G coming in at under £100.

Finally, if you want your slider to multi-task, do media to a high standard and offer up a touchscreen interface too, check out the Palm Pre.