Hoo boy. I have been through SO MANY cell phones in the last three years, Nokia owes me some sort of frequent-buyer discount.

First I traded my old Mitsubishi phone in for the 5190 (See my review, "If it costs nothing, it must be worth the same"). The 5190 is kind of the Geo Metro of Nokia phones, so I upgraded to a 6190, which was a previously owned one and the LCD screen ended up fading out. So I went out in search of a new phone, and since Cingular has some sort of deal with Nokia, my choices were pretty limited.

At the time I got the 3390, it was fairly new. It was not yet the standard "sign up now and get this free phone" and so I had to pay a bit more for it - $50, plus add another year of service to my contract. I picked the 3390 over the 8290 or whatever it is - you know, the Matrix phone - for two reasons. One, cost. I didn't want to spend $100 on a new phone. Two, the other one was just too damned small. The 3390 is pretty wee as it is; I am sure if I'd bought the other one I'd have lost it a long time ago.

My new phone has tons of options and features. Lots of ring tones, and you can download more as well as create your own. Games to waste time with. Text messaging features that I'm sure would be fun if Cingular supported them. A built-in vibrate mode, so you don't have to go buy a completely different $70 battery like you would with a 6190. Accessories like snap-on cases (although they do cost a pretty penny) which, by the way, can be found in many more cool designs over in Europe. I spent my vacation browsing through mobile phone shops searching for a nice cover; I found one that makes your phone look like a pint of Guinness, which was cute, but I decided not to get it.

Sounds lovely, right? So what am I complaining about? This phone is made almost entirely of plastic, which makes for a much lighter phone. That is very nice, but if you drop it on a hard surface from only 12 inches above it, you're playing 52 card pick-up with all the delicate parts of your phone. I'm not kidding. I've dropped it two or three times and while my 5190 and 6190 put up with that kind of abuse, no problem, this phone literally goes to pieces.

Second, the battery on this phone is very, very small. You get almost no talk time. Seriously, I am charging this thing daily and I really don't talk on it that much!

The small size can be seen as a pro or a con. It's much easier to lose this phone. It's also awkward to hold it sometimes and be able to hear it and be heard by whoever you're talking to. That's why I always use my hands-free set with it.

Finally, I get the worst reception. Now I have come to realize that this is the fault of my service provider too, but I swear, Nokia phones just don't get good reception, and I think this phone does have some part in the problem.

All in all, not a bad phone. I just hope someday I can get decent cellular service!

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 50