My mobile friend (Nokia 3310)

Member Name: Jon K

Product:	Nokia 3310
Date:	26/03/04 (471 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Reliable, Fairly compact size, Lots of good features

Disadvantages: Not as sophisticated as other Nokia phones

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br>Mobile phones - where would we be without them? There was a time when they didn't exist, but since the mid-1990's they've become the must-have product and it wasn't long before I got one (as a Christmas present).

But about two years ago, I wanted to get a better phone (which wasn't a hard task, believe me!) after having my current one for several years, and decided a Nokia 3310 might be worth investing in. You'll find out why over the course of this review, but there is a lot to be said for this phone, no matter what you think of it.

In this day and age of mobile phone technology, the Nokia 3310 looks (and to some extent is) basic. 'What you see is what you get' is the key here - unlike many new mobiles on the market, it isn't a camera-phone, doesn't have a (large) colour screen and can't store or play polyphonic ringtones. If you want any of those 3 things in a mobile phone, the 3310 isn't for you.

But that’s not to say it isn't any good - there are a lot of functions on this phone, and most of which are useful and make it worth the asking price. These include:

1) Phone Book - Here is the best starting point for any phone! You can add names and numbers of people you want stored in your phone, and keep tabs on how many numbers are stored, as well as speed dialling and a search facility.

2) Messages - the section where you compose and check text messages. Since I've had my phone, it doesn't seem to be capable of storing more than 14 texts. This may be a factor which could put people off, especially if you text regularly or receive loads every day. But Nokia phones feature 'predictive' texting - this is where you press the key(s) you want to use once and as you're typing, it spells an actual word for you. Very handy, but it does take some time to get use to, and if you dislike this method you can always choose to text the ordinary way (pre
ssing the keys multiple times to get the letter you want). You press the hash (#) key to switch between the two.

3) Chat - not too sure on this function, as I’ve never used it - although I assume it's just an extension of text messaging.

4) Call Register - you can find out missed calls, received calls, dialled numbers, and call duration(s) - both received and dialled, and totals. A straightforward section, but handy.

5) Tones - here is where you'll be able to customise your phone by choosing the ringtone, as well as a tone for an incoming text message, ringing volume, keypad tone, vibrating alert, and screen saver. The 3310 has about 35 programmed ringtones (mainly musical), and 7 free spaces for you to (attempt to) compose a ringtone. This section is worth exploring a fair bit

6) Settings - Call settings (automatic redial, speed dialling, and call waiting options), Phone settings (language, welcome note), and Security settings are featured here. Important for basic phone usage.

7) Call Divert - You can choose your options for how you want to use your voicemail service. You can also check the status of every divert option if you're not sure what's what.

8) Games - A feature on many phones, and even on the 3310 you can play 4 different games. They are:

Snake 2
Space Impact
Bantumi
Pairs 2

All 4 are pretty addictive, and worth playing even if games are your cup of tea. Settings options are also featured here, as well as individual options for each game.

9) Calculator - Needs little explanation, other than the fact it is a basic feature for doing sums! Handy, especially if you take your phone everywhere and want/need to do basic maths.

10) Reminders - Not too sure on this feature, but it seems to be like a diary function where you can enter words/phrases and set a time for when you want to be reminded of them. You also need the tones switch
ed on to use this, and remember to set the alarm!

11) Clock - As well as a place to set the date and time, you can also find a stopwatch here as well as a countdown timer and an option to automatically update the date/time.

12) Profiles - this is also available when you press the on/off button to switch the phone off, but is really just a way of setting different options for your phone (such as ringtone, other tones and ringing volume). Your 'General' profile is what you've set on your phone (to date) from the 'Tones' section (see '5)' for more info).

13) Vodafone - you will only get this if your phone is on the Vodafone network, but it is really just lists of phone services, text services and several helplines that come part and parcel with the network. A nice feature, but most of it does cost so remember to keep your credit topped up.

Hopefully you'll find all these options on your Nokia 3310, especially if it's a Vodafone. And always remember to check the Nokia Handbook for advice on all aspects of the phone, and in particular the ones you don't understand.

Other facts about the 3310:

Phone size (dimensions) - 11cm (height), 4.5cm (width), 2cm (depth).
Talk time - 2.5 - 4.5 hours*
Standby time - 55 - 260 hours*
Recharge time - 3-4 hours*

* = Depends on how long you've had the battery in the handset. It doesn't last forever!

As an overall product, I think the Nokia 3310 is a good mobile and has stood the test of time well. It may be simplistic compared to other mobile phones you can get at the moment, but if you want a straightforward phone with some useful functions, I recommend the Nokia 3310.

Summary: