Mar 27, 2002 03:17 AM
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(Updated Mar 27, 2002 03:19 AM)
The Nokia 3350 isn't the sleekest, slimmest or smallest phone around these days. That honour belongs to the Nokia 8000 series. However, for those of you who think spending large 5 figure sums just for a phone isn't worth it, then this is one of the best phones you can get your hands on these days.
A lot of phone dealers as of late, advised me NOT to buy a Nokia phone, apparently because of glitches in their interfaces and poor reception. Nevertheless, I've seen almost every other phone available today. They all lack that one minor but important detail. The Nokia charm. Nokia is a cellular phone company. Unlike Samsung, Siemens, Panasonic and other brands, the company's ONLY focus is their phones. Nokia revolutionized cellular phone technology from its very inception. Nokia was the first cellphone company that created a medium for transfer of ringtones and pictures encoded through SMS messages, something you won't find in most of the other brands till today. A Nokia phone, thus lets you express yourself differently making it unique. Its more than just a cellphone.. its a whole new medium of expression (No they didn't pay me to come up with that.. heheh)
The Nokia 3350 debuts a wide variety of new features among contemporary Nokia models. These include a Rhythmic back-light that flashes according to the preset ringtone and a Picture Editor.
Some of these features might seem to have little or no value for some, but then again the phone is aimed at a younger generation.. (that would be me) so my review is based on my perspective as a teenager.
The previous models in the 3000 series (The 3310 and the 3330) had several annoying disadvantages that were sorted out in this model. If you're a messaging addict like me, most mobile phone users would prefer a One-Touch-Inbox/Outbox Erase feature, which was lacking in the previous models. Every time the Inbox filled up, you'd have to delete each message individually to clear it up which can get very annoying sometimes. In the Nokia 3350 one menu function can empty your inbox/outbox.
Another small, but seemingly useful improvement for some was the inclusion of Nokia's new key-ring notch, which they seem to be including in all their newer models. If you look closely, the phone has a loop on its upper right corner which enables you to attach it to a key-ring and then to a chain or fastening cord perhaps. For all you irresponsible people, this will come in handy ;)
The Picture editor is a fun tool for the artistic and those who have a lot of time on their hands. The Picture editor comes with basic paint functions such as drawing circles, rectangles and freehand drawing. The phone also comes with 3 sets of tiny clip-arts which can be included in the pictures. More can be downloaded via the phone's WAP capabilities I think.
The phone also has a useful timer-driven keylock feature which locks the keypad if the phone is left idle for a specified amount of time. This is useful if you jam the phone into your pockets in a hurry. The rubber keypad on the 3350 isnt as sensitive as the clicky plastic ones on its predecessors, but nevertheless, its better to be safe. A few button presses could dial a number (long distance perhaps?). A scary thought.
The phone retains all of the other features that came with its predecessors. Nokia sells 5 different coloured covers for the phone, black, red, purple (shown), green and blue.. if my memory serves me correctly.
The only thing this phone seems to lack is Caller groups, G.P.R.S. and an FM Radio which feature in the Nokia 8310. A voice/polyphonic ringer would have been nice, however the ones I've heard arent really that loud so having them doesn't make that much sense. Maybe something to look forward to in the next 3000 series model.
