Nokia 3100: I don't leave home without it!
Written: Apr 27 '05
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Pros: Clear, well-lit display; functionality; size; ring volume; long battery life.
Cons: Call volume insufficient in noisy environments; alarm function quit working.
The Bottom Line: Despite a couple of shortcomings, this has been a fairly reliable phone. I can receive and place calls reliably, almost always. That’s what is important to me in a phone.
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| lonelywind's Full Review: Nokia 3100 |
After switching to a new Cingular plan in October 2004, and having been talked out of a particular Sony Erickson phone by our Cingular representative, he suggested the Nokia 3100. My wife got this for me out of state, so I hadn’t seen the phone until I got the box in the FedEx envelope a couple of days later. The box was fairly decent sized; imagine my surprise when I opened it to find a phone that was 4” long, 1.68” wide, and 0.76” deep, and weighed 87.4 grams! Honestly, they could have gotten at least 10 of these phones in that box, and still had room for a charger and accessories!
I have to admit, I had reservations about this phone from the beginning. The keypad numbers are arranged so that the 1-2-3 keys all share one long button - push on the left side for 1, the middle for 2, and the right side for 3. The same is true for the 4-5-6 keys, 7-8-9, and *-0-#. However, I was surprised to find that the keypad functions quite well this way, and it was easy to get used to it. The key feel is good, giving a positive click feedback plus a beep each time a key is pressed. I have had very little problems pressing the wrong key, or having to press a key twice. The menus are fairly easy to navigate, although the placement of settings is not always intuitive - some things, such as the ring tone, can be set in more than one menu.
One of the more important things for me is the ability to store numbers and information - I have a lot of contacts, both business and personal. The Nokia 3100 allows you to store up to 300 names, with multiple numbers and text notes for each name. Each contact entry can contain one or more of the following types of information: General phone number, mobile phone number, home phone number, work phone number, fax number, e-mail address, Web address, street address, and a text note (I wish they had also included a pager number, as I would be much more likely to call that from my mobile phone, vs. the fax number). Any one of the numbers can be designated as the primary (default) number for the contact. Each contact can be assigned to a caller group (family, friends, VIP, other, or a customized group name), which allows you to set up custom rings, etc. Also, each contact can be set up for one-touch dialing. I found this more than adequate for all my needs, and it is very easy to enter and retrieve the information.
Text entry can either be done using predictive text, or by simple key entry, and it is easy to switch between modes. I find that the predictive text mode works fairly well for this phone, especially compared to some others which I have used. This comes in handy when text messaging - something I don’t do very often (text messages are not included in my package, so I have to pay 10 cents for each one), but still necessary from time to time, especially with a teenage daughter. Although it is fairly easy to send a text message, I find that I have to go through several menu steps to exit the text editor - a minor drawback.
There are a few choices for ring tones on the Nokia 3100 - not as many as most phones that I’ve owned, however. There is also a gallery that contains other tones (polyphonic MIDI). The ring volume can be set to be fairly loud, unlike some phones that I’ve owned, and the vibrate feature is very good also, along with a rhythmic backlight alert. Call volume, on the other hand, is not loud enough to be heard with moderate to high background noise. Using a hands-free earpiece does not improve the volume situation. The phone does have speakerphone capability, which works well in a quiet setting, but again, not so well with background noise.
There are several extra applications and extras included with the Nokia 3100. One of them I use most often is the Calendar, which allows for reminders, appointments, etc. to be entered. Separate alarms can be set for each, and the reminders can be set to be recurring - great for birthdays and anniversaries. There are is also a stopwatch, countdown timer, currency converter, along with a few games. The games are somewhat entertaining, but have limited plays before one has to download (and purchase) a full version. One game, NCAA Football, actually accesses the Web upon starting - which can be a problem if you pay for Web access per use. It would have been nice to have a warning up front about this.
The Alarm function can be set to sound at a given time of the day. I used to use this as a backup to my regular alarm clock - I don’t trust myself not to sleep through my alarm, or keep hitting the snooze bar, so I set my phone on a dresser several steps away. It worked great the first few months, then, all of a sudden, the alarm stopped working. You could set it, but it wouldn’t sound - and then, you couldn’t turn the alarm off. Removing the battery and reinserting it allowed the alarm to be turned off, but when turned on again, it either didn’t sound at all - or sounded at a time different from what was set (sometimes, a previously set time). I’ve given up on this.
Signal strength is about as good on this phone as any I have ever owned. I live on the fringe of my reception area, so it’s not often that I have a full strength signal. However, the phone usually maintains a good, consistent connection. The display and keypad are brightly lit for night usage - bright enough, in fact, to use as a light to locate keys, etc. Battery life is excellent. In standby, this phone can go several days between charges. However, I talk a lot on this phone, and it is not unheard of for me to have conversations an hour or two long. Therefore, I find myself charging the phone every two to three days. A full charge only takes an hour and a half or so.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
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Epinions.com ID:
lonelywind
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Location: Eastern KS
Reviews written: 24
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
High-tech redneck
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