Nokia 8260 Cell Phone

Ever since Nokia started making its diminutive model 8260 cellular phone, I've seen a lot of these phones around here. Is it due to the small size, or is it a result of the excellent reviews the 8260 has received from critics and trade publications?

Actually, I would wager that it's probably due, more than anything else, to the fact that one of the three color schemes in which this phone can be purchased is a nice combination of mostly red and black, which happen to be the University of Georgia Bulldogs' school colors. If you think it sounds absurd that someone would purchase a particular cellular phone, just because it comes a nice rendition of their school's colors, then you obviously haven't been to Athens, Georgia (home of UGA). While it seems unquestionably and totally absurd to me, many people are just that hog-wild about UGA Athletics.

Apart from the nice "red pepper" color, the Nokia 8260 also comes in either "electric blue" or "carbon gray." No matter which of the three difference color schemes you choose, however, the black and silver parts of the phone look the same. The different colors are basically equivalent to the changeable faces featured by certain other models of Nokia phones.

Probably the single greatest advantage that the Nokia 8260 presents over many other phones is its extremely compact size. At just 4.1 inches long and 1.8 inches wide, it is positively tiny...almost too tiny. While it's nice being able to drop it into your pocket and almost forget it's there (after all, it only weighs around 3.4 ounces), its small size may actually be a little annoying. Now, without trying to insult anyone, some people just have bigger heads than others, and for those who have larger heads, four inches from your ear to your mouth is just not going to be long enough. Fortunately, the microphone on the 8260 picks up your voice fairly well, even if you're not speaking directly into it...but it can still be annoying.

Talk times and standby times are fairly good with the Nokia 8260; about the same as other phones of the same, high level of quality, but certainly not eye-popping. Nokia claims that you will be able to get up to 3.5 hours of digital talk time (1.5 hours for analog) and up to eight days digital standby time (36 hours for analog) with a fully-charged, standard battery. Of course, it should be noted that these are absolute maximums, and you will almost certainly never reach these levels. For example, if you pulled the fully-charged battery out of the charger, stuck it onto the phone, turned on the phone, and then put it down and left it alone entirely, it's slightly possible that the battery would last eight days. If you plan to actually use your phone in any way, however, you'll find that your standby time will be significantly decreased from what Nokia claims. Likewise, your talk time will only approach 3.5 hours if you make a call immediately after taking it off the charger and then stay on the same call for 3 1/2 consecutive hours.

Another particularly nice thing about the Nokia 8260 is the complete lack of an external antenna. Before having seen one in person, I always just assumed that the antenna was just retracted in the commercials. However, the reason the antenna is never visible in Nokia's commercials is actually because it's inside the phone. From what I've read and been able to tell from personal experience with respect to this phone, the internal antenna neither adds to nor takes much of anything away from the performance, range, or clarity of the phone itself. It seems basically to be little more than a triumph in convenience (no more having to pull out that little, plastic antenna every time you want to make a call) and compactness (even when a typical cell phone antenna is retracted, the stub can catch onto things or poke you.

Apart from the above listed features, the Nokia 8260 brings little to the table that isn't already offered by other phones on the market. That's not to say that the 8260 isn't a fabulous, high-quality phone, but it's certainly not ground-breaking in a technology sense. That having been said, though, if you'd like a top-of-the-line phone that's feature-rich and is even pretty darn aesthetically pleasing, then the Nokia 8260 definitely deserves some serious consideration.