The reviews of this phone I have seen so far have been a very basic look at the phone. I would like to go a little bit further and include some more in depth detail. For those who aren't to up to date with technology, the first part of this review will be very basic. For those who know a bit about cellular networks, the more detailed info will be further towards the end. Enjoy.
I purchased the Nokia 3310 in July 2001. I didn't exactly have a reason to, I didn't really know too much about the phone, and at that time it was quite expensive, having only just hit the shelves in Queensland, Australia. My 3210 had died on me and I simply needed a cell phone.
This is a fairly lightweight phone, and it has a nice design. It also features the interchangable ''Xpress-on'' faceplates. Basically you can buy covers for the phone to make it your favourite colour or match those colours of your fave sports team.
The menus of this phone are as follows:
Phone Book
Basically has the functions for changing views, adding and erasing numbers. You can also set up Voice Dialling Tags, and call people just by holding a button and saying thier name. Speed dialling at the touch of a button is also included in this menu.
Messages
You can Send and Receive SMS, and send and save up to 8 Picture messages. There are 14 picture messages on the phone, 6 can not be replaced. Also in this menu are the functions for setting up your voicemail number and information services. You may want to note, Picture messages are made up of multiple SMS messages, therefore your carrier may charge extra for sending them. Your best bet is to give them a call and ask.
Chat
The chat menu simply lets you chat with a mate while showing history, kind of like an IRC chat room online. You may want to note, all messages sent during this chat session will be unfortunatly, charged at your carriers normal SMS rate.
Call Register
The call register has functions for viewing, saving and dialing recently recieved, dialled and missed phone numbers. It automatically saves your last 20 dialled numbers, last 10 calls received and last 10 missed. You can also see what time and day you made/received/missed the call. You can also set up call cost limits, provided your network supports it.
Tones
The tones menu lets you modify your current profile (more on profiles later) as well as compose your own ringtones on one of the best ringtone composers on the market.
Settings
The settings menu simply lets you set up personalised settings on the phone, as well as changing your sim card pin(s).
UPDATE: As a new member of Mouthshut.com I wasnt sure whether ot not people liked reviews that had too much info. The amount of friendly correspondance I have recieved has shown me that most of you guys like lots of detail. So here is some extra info on the setings menu.
The settings menu lets you set up Automatic Redial, so when the person you call is busy it will automatically try and connect up to 10 times, very useful if you sit the phone in your pocket and have a handsfree connected. You can also activate call waiting, show your number to people you call and change between lines 1 and 2 (network service). Languages, area info (cell broadcast) and network selection can also be chosen from this menu. You can either choose your netowrk manually, or choose automatic and let the phone choose the best one for you.
Call Divert
The call divert menu allows you to set up your call diversions to other phone numbers, as well as your voice mail box. Also has a menu to divvert to your voice mail box, without you having to type its number every time.
Games
The 3310 has 4 games and a new settings menu.
Snake, Bantumi, Pairs II and Space Impact are included with the phone.
The settings menu lets you choose between:
Lights on/off: good battery saver at day time
Sounds on/off: let's face it, beep x 29382 (or another large number) becomes annoying, right?
Shakes on/off: turn vibrations during games on or off, another battery saver.
Club Nokia ID: you can enter your Club Nokia ID so you can upload your highscores and see if anyone is better than you.
Calculator
Self explanitory. Allows you to perform basic calculations, as well as featuring a currency converter. Handy.
Reminders
You can store up to 10 Reminders with alarms so you never forget that important meeting or call to your girlfriend/boyfriend. Can also be great for reminding yourself about a TV program you wanted to see. I'm sure you can think of better uses :).
Clock
Slightly better featues than its predecessors, has a stopwatch, countdown timer and if your network supports it, can update to the correct time automatically (network service, not supported as of 19/01/2002 in australia).
Profiles
Profiles allow you to quickly change between volumes and tones. You can set up a profile for around the house, a loud one for when your at the shops, a quiet one that only vibrates when your at school, or a meeting. You can change between them with a quick press of the power button, then scroll to the profile you want.
Okay, here is the slightly more detailed information
The Nokia 3310 is a Dual Band phone, which operates on GSM 900/1800Mhz networks.
It has Half Rate Voice codec, allowing for reduced call quality, but 30% extra battert life, Full Rate, for good call quality and Enhanced full rate, for 10% less talk time, but superb call quality.
The phone UNFORTUNATELY doesn't support wap or fax/data, so anyone wanting to surf the net or connect to their laptop or palmtop should stay clear of this phone.
You can connect a datacable to it, and upload picture messages, ringtones and operator logos. Operator Logos replace your network providers name at the top of the screen with a small graphic of your choice. Datacables arent supplied by nokia for this phone, so check out some auction sites or mobile sites in your area.
To Enable Half Rate: *4720#
To Enable Full Rate: #3370#
To Enable Enhanced Full Rate: *3370#
This phone is a must by for people who want something that will last, but dont need all the functions and technology available. WAP isn't a necessity, it is expensive, and there usually isnt much to do on it.
I would recommend this phone to anyone who asked me ''Brad, I need a phone that lets me make calls, send sms and pictures, is very easy to use, has some games and can be personalised easily and wont burn a hole in my wallet, what should I buy?''
UPDATE: 18-01-2002
I just thought about another good point of this phone. A lot of people look at the 8210 becasue it is so small, light and looks pretty sweet. However, the 3310 can hold twice as many picture messages, and more ringtones. The 3310 supports Long SMS of up to 430 characters, and the 8210 only supports 160 characters.
There are also many known faults in the phone. Screens becoming very dim, not showing anything at all and other misc. screen problems. You rarely see any problems listed for the 3310. If you have access to newsgroups, feast your eyes on alt.cellular.nokia and see what I mean for yourself.
So don't purchase for looks alone. Consider these points and then make your decision.
Update: 18/01/2002
Hey I just realised something else. The phone I am using in my picture at the top of the page is a 3310 :).
