NEC e606 Review

Overall Rating

Hi res colour screen, Lots of features, twin cameras, Java compatible

Bulky, short battery life, complex navigation,

At first glance the NEC e606 is certainly bulkier than your average mobile phone, yet this is compensated for by a huge array of features. The 65K colour screen is superb and allows for a very clear user interface. Yet despite this many tasks are hindered by a somewhat complex navigation system.

A lot of work has been put into the 3G services and as such these are easy to use and relatively quick once a connection is made, though this can take a few attempts. Setting up and using some of the phones other features however, becomes a little longwinded by the excessive number of keypresses required to access the various other menus. Setting up a bluetooth connection can be a chore as the required settings are not located in the Bluetooth menu a you would expect. Bluetooth cannot be permanently activated and you must set this up in the handset each time you wish to make a connection. For this and many other features you must refer to the online doccumentation.

Transfer of files to the handset can only be done via the supplied software which itself comes with no help menu or doccumentation, and again you must set up the handset manually each time you wish to do this.

By contrast the contacts menu is fairly standard and very easy to navigate with a single click to view your contacts list or view previous calls. Setting up your phone settings (ringtones etc) is again quite easy if a little longwinded.

The photo quality won't win you any photography awards but they are sufficent and the quality can be changed to suit your needs. Changing between camers however is a slow process that you won't want to do too often.

The biggest issue with the e606 is the short batery life, listed as up to 44 hours, though this is shortened dramatically once you start to play. To get around this NEC are currently shipping the phone with a spare battery and an extra charger.

On the whole the features are fantastic, and of the 3G phones curently available this is a serious contender which is definately worth a look. Once you've mastered the navigation and set up your various options you should have an excellent time playing.