4 Comments on Nokia Surge 6790 Phone, Black

Eric L. Larsen on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 4:51 am


I bought one a week ago. I tried transferring data to and from my PC and Surge and I cannot. I tried using 2 different USB/Micro USB cords and neither works. I called the support line and the techs stated that Nokia currently does not offer a USB cord that is compatible with the Surge. They stated that the only way you can transfer data is by Bluetooth. Who uses Bluetooth to transfer data from a phone and PC? So at this time, I have no way to put songs onto my Surge or transfer pics onto my computer. . . Thanks Nokia!
Rating: 1 / 5

T. Boone on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 7:07 am


This phone should not bear the name Nokia. First off, sliding it open to dial numbers is not efficient and when open – it is clumsy and awkward. Phone features and apps are ordinary, the screen size is too small and has very low resolution. The volume controls and the camera button are too close. Last but not least, the charger input is hidden behind a panel – why? The only nice thing I can say about the Surge is the smooth flow of the QWERTY keyboard. If you had to pay full retail for your first Nokia – it will be a huge letdown. I hope this is not the future of Nokia because it gets an D in design. I consider myself Nokia loyal, but I regret this purchase and I will return it (with a restocking fee). Buyers beware of restocking fees – sometimes these fees are as high as the price for the contract phone. It is best to know the product before you place the order. Amazon reviews are most helpful – if you take the time to do this.
Rating: 2 / 5

Amity on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 8:45 am


I have had my phone for a about a week and I am loving it, I had the backjack2 before hand and this phone is a lot easier to use for what I need =) and you can go to nokia’s web page and get more apps for it
Rating: 5 / 5

Lene Jensen on Thu, 18th Feb 2010 11:35 am


When I got this, it was with the understanding that this is a backup phone and not a primary phone. For that, it’s an excellent choice. As a primary phone I have my doubts I could live with it. But I may be spoiled by having had Nokia’s N95 for over 2 years (1st gen and 3rd gen). I have not tried all features yet, but will add that to the review as I try them (music feature and GPS).

Pros
====
* The phone is light. I like that I am not hauling a brick, but something so light. It is much lighter than my N95.
* The display is clear. But it is somewhat small. I actually found it easier to use than my N95, though. It’s as if I see more. I guess it’s because I mostly use this phone with the keyboard pulled out, and then I look at it from the side instead of traditional way. The display becomes more like a TV that way
* Full keyboard. Since the phone is quite small, the keyboard isn’t very big. While I am used to qwerty keyboards on computers, and I am fairly fast typer, I felt I had to relearn it on this phone. I am probably too used to the one handed action on normal phone keyboards, so I found myself staring at the keyboard a lot.
* Menus are easy to use. There are three buttons on the cover for internet, menus and messaging, which is quite nice. There is also a soft menu you can modify. That was one of the first things I did, I practically swapped out all items. I also changed the colour scheme, although the yellow one is not bad. In fact, I found most of the themes to be better than what I had for the N95.
* Offline mode is useful when flying. You can still listening to music while not searching for towers.
* Integration with email is pretty good. I am very happy with how I can connect to gmail and get my mail. I haven’t tried any other email servers, but I would believe they would be easy too.
* Configuration of the snooze. My first alarm clock had a snooze of 7 minutes. I found that to be just perfect. Not so long I could fall asleep again, but not so short I couldn’t enjoy the minutes before I HAD to get up. This phone has a default snooze at 15 minutes, but it can be changed to whatever you like. Mine is now set to 7 minutes
* Macro SD slot under the cover. You have to remove the cover to get the slot visible, but you can extend the memory with this slot. Sweet!
* XM Radio. It has 25 channels ready for you, but you have to subscribe. I quite like the feature, though.

Cons
====
* Everything cost $6. 99! The phone comes with several games, but wops, they are all demos! So you have to purchase games for $6. 99 or subscribe to a service to get them cheaper. I found that most of what I wanted cost too much, so I have not bothered added games on it. Apparently you also have to go online to verify games all the time as well, which is annoying if you are offline.
* No Wifi. I cannot believe that phones come without wifi these days. I cannot live without that after being used to it. Serious flaw
* Camera is only 2 Megapixel. This is really pathetic, especially for a phone that is supposed to be targeting the young. Or maybe that is just why. The pictures are so grainy that party pics would probably not give away who they are (I am exaggerating here).
* Ringing and alarms are way too soft. One of the reasons I got this phone was to use as a backup. Especially when I am on call 24h a day, I need something I can rely on. I am not sure about this one. I know for a fact I was not awaken by a call, however, I don’t know how long the phone rang. I just saw the call after I woke up. So it may have been one ring, and then it cut off, but it could also have been ringing for longer. I do not know. And it wasn’t as if I was sleeping on my bed, I had simply fallen asleep in front of the TV one afternoon. The very next morning, the phone did NOT wake me with the alarm clock. That made me quite disappointed with the phone
* Sound quality. The phone is not loud enough for me. Maybe I am too old for this phone.

I really wanted to like this phone, and to some extent I do. It has a lot of features if you are willing to pay for it. I am not. So I have ended up with a phone that I will be using mostly as a phone and text messaging. Which is what it was intended for, but I still feel a bit disappointed. I will soon upgrade my primary phone to Nokia N97, and I believe it will be a phone I will be happier with.

Edit: After careful consideration, I have decided to return this phone. I have changed the ringtones for both the alarm and the ringer, and none of them managed to wake me up on the highest setting. Being on call 24h means I need a phone that can wake me up. I am sorry for returning this, but the cons turned out to be bigger than the pros _for me_.
Rating: 3 / 5

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