Nokias don't just get laid by enormous birds that cannot fly (Nokia 3410)

Member Name: MrDurden

Product:	Nokia 3410
Date:	17/12/03 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: T9, Java enabled, screen savers

Disadvantages: design

Why does Nokia insist on this egg-shape design? Haven't they learned anything from the 3310? This mobilephone looks like something a ostrich might have laid. But it's a Nokia. And Nokias don't just get laid by enormous birds that cannot fly. I'm rambling.

I honestly admit that I disliked this phone from the moment I saw it. For me, the best looking Nokias are the 8210 and 3210. Then I got around it's menus and features. The menus are classic Nokia style: simple and effective. The important features are discussed further on: Sections A and B.


A. Yes, yes:

1. Screen savers. Nice. Standing by in style. But sometimes it get in the way of seeing the time. You can deactivate the feature anyway. It great that you can personalise them, and you can put any text on the screen, letters will bounce, or fly, or whatever you choose. There are about 5 types of text effects and some 2 more screen savers. Nice. Real 3D rendered too! Smells like Direct X to me.

2. Two words people: T9! The T9 feature on this baby is simply wonderful! Multilingual too. Write SMSs like there's no tomorrow with this feature! It even formats your text by automatically setting small caps or capitals! In other words this is a downsized mobile Nokia-style version of MS Word.

3. Memory to store all kinds of applications (like games and such) of about 180kB. You of course need that nice expensive data cable to download them from the PC! Ha! Otherwise what is preinstalled will have to do. That is a nice exasperating game with a banana-eating monkey (Chuckie Egg meets Donkey Kong 3D sort of thing). The rest of the games (4) bring nothing new to the mobile phone gaming community. For more on the games please refer to Section B, Paragraph 4.

4. Ringing and other means of call alert. You can set the 3410 to have its keys blink in sync with the ringtone. It's like there's a party every time you receive a call! It also has vi
brating alert. But not in sync with the ring tones. :(

5. Durability: it's light. It's quite tough. A nice combo when dropping your phone on the floor. The heavier the phone the stronger the shock. This one is built solid, can withstand a little tumbling down the carpet or something. And if the XpressOn face cracks or gets scratched, you can easily change it with a brand new one.

6. Brains: quite the smartie-pants! And easy to use! But it's not something special when it comes to Nokia.

7. WAP: personally, I am not into this kind of masochism but I put this in Section A because the browser is better then the ones on other phones.

8. No service packs required: almost bug-free, this type of OS has been implemented in Nokias since I don't know when. And that is probably why they have reached a level of design close to perfection.

Personally I had no major problems. It once behaved a little strange when charging, but nothing important.

9. Picture editor: If you're feeling artistic, you can always use the built-in picture editor to dabble something on your lunch-break or in the dentist waiting room. You can save the picture or you can send it and show your friends what the fear of the dentist makes people do.


B. No, no:

1. Design: blah! don't like it, never will! Sorry. Man this phone is UGLY! And I thought the 3310 was ugly! It looks like anytime now a little alien will hatch from it leaving but an empty XpressOn shell.

2. Light: disappointing. It's wavy, the screen has dark areas at the top. And a little dim. Not even close to Ericsson T28 or T29, not to mention the flawless light of the R310. Better use this phone in plain daylight or well lit areas.

3. Too popular: due to a promo of a major operator, everywhere I look I see one of those little light blue eggs being talked into, played with or just standing by for that alien to hatch in someone
9;s pocket. Could it be a well planned alien invasion?

4. Games: the same over-played Snake (but now II, no more walls), the easy-beaten Bantumi, the keyboard-bashing Space Impact (they should have installed a joystick for this one), the sleep-inducing Bumper, an interesting and playable Link5, and a monkey-something game. In case of imminent boredom do not rely solely on these games! Except the Monkey game, there is nothing new. About this game with the monkey: because it is 3D and the 3410 is not a micro game console, it moves slowly. If you can overcome this little setback, you'll definetely stumble on the fact that it is simply boring.

5. No IR port. It's a low-end phone so what'd you expect?

6. Keyboard. Awful squishing noise by the keys. Sounds like pressing on little sea animals. Then again, maybe you're into this kind of thing.


C. Sign off:

Maybe you'll think that I'm a little shallow for judging a phone by its looks instead of its brains. But also consider this: the majority of Nokias have similar brains. So if I can get the supermodel with the mind of a space scientist, why not? After all we live in a capitalist society, and it is just a mobile phone, it does not hold feelings which can be hurt.

MrDurden

Summary: