The Nokia 6555 - A Versatile, Stylish Phone

I have used Nokia phones for quite a few years because of certain features I like that are continued in their newer phones, with nice enhancements. Nokia started serious development of flip phones two or three years ago and they've come a long way. The Nokia 6555 is my newest upgrade and I love it. This phone has a trim, fashionable design and it is solid, comfortable and affordable. It feels natural from the ear to the mouth and has keys that are large, flush with the unit and easy to use.

There is an integrated MP3 player that I haven't yet used, because I'm not heavily into music. I'm told, however, that it stores a lot of songs and they sound great through the stereo Bluetooth or handset. I'm looking forward to using this feature shortly. The phone uses the new 3G technology, which provides for fast downloads and video streaming.

The phone is just less than 4 inches and it does not have an external antenna, like the 6102 I had previously. It has a striking appearance, and people started commenting right away, "You have a new phone!" It's rather eye-catching and I believe it appears more expensive than the $49.99 cost from AT&T with a rebate.

A camera is incorporated into the phone, although it's only 1.3 megapixels. Pictures may be just a little dark and Nokia cameras are not as good as some others, in my opinion. It's fine, however, for me, and it also has a video recording feature. There is a really cool calculator, unlike others I've seen, and it has a lot of functions. There is an XHTML browser for internet browsing and it has the Bluetooth version 2.0.

Text messaging supports concatenated SMS, picture messaging, and the SMS distribution list. The predictive text feature supports all major languages and I have always liked this in the Nokia phones.

My favorite features are the address book, to-do list, notes and calendar-organizer. The phone numbers can be noted as general, home, work, mobile and fax. Address entries can have numerous details, such as street address, web address, e-mail, formal name, nickname, company and others. The large capacity and SIM card can store up to 1000 entries. It can actually be synchronized with MS Outlook contacts, calendar and notes. There are various alert tones, and the alarm clock is really cool, as well.

Voice features include enhanced voice dialing, voice commands, voice recorder, voice messaging and hands-free speaker. I use these features to varying degrees and love having them available.

The Nokia 6555 has some disadvantages that could be a turnoff for many people, and will most likely prevent them from being happy with the phone. The most significant problem is the battery, which has the saddest performance I've seen. I don't know why this is, because all of the batteries in my previous Nokias performed exceptionally well and lasted for days. Truthfully, heavy users will be fortunate if the charge lasts until the end of the day in the 6555.

Another problem in Nokia phones is the listening volume, which tends to be too low and difficult to hear in noisy surroundings. The picture quality is also not up to par with other brands, as I mentioned previously.

I would not recommend the Nokia 6555 to folks who would be disturbed by the poor battery performance and other few problems, but for those who could charge their phone a bit more frequently, it is really an outstanding choice, overall.