For three years I had been using a Nokia 5160. While this phone was light on the features it did prove to be a very dependable workhorse. Unfortunately, this year it started showing it's age as quirky little problems started appearing. I decided it was time to upgrade my phone. I didn't necessarily want the most expensive phone with all of the latest gadgets on it, but I wanted more than just your basic cell phone. The Nokia ended up being the perfect compromise. I looked hard at the Nokia 3360 and some of the Panasonic models. I admit that I pretty much passed over the Ericsson phones due to many past negative reviews. When my SunCom rep noticed that I was having a hard time making up my mind she suggested that I wait until May before getting a phone. That was when they were going to release the Nokia 6360 and the Motorola V60. The 6360 and the V60 shared many of the same features, but the V60 cost considerably more. The few features it had that the 6360 didn't could not overcome Motorola's iffy quality problems and the price gap. In the end, I was able to get the Nokia 6360 for $69 after getting a 50% discount for also upgrading to a plan that was at least $40 a month. I have not had a single regret since then.

Features:

1. Voice Dialing for up to 20 numbers
2. Record memos and up to 3 minutes of a conversation
3. Voice commands for up to 5 menu items
4. Emails, text and picture messages
5. Text Messaging
6. Predictive Text Input
7. Calendar
8. Phonebook with up to 500 contacts, with up to 5 numbers and 4 text entries each
9. Calendar with up to 500 entries
10. Alarm clock with snooze
11. Synchronization with PC
12. Send and receive data via infrared
13. TTY/TDD compatibility
14. Wireless Internet (WAP)
15. Wireless modem capability
16. 5 Games (Woohoo!)
17. Download up to 20 ring tones
18. Compose ring tones using Nokia PC Suite

Specs
4.2oz
Internal Antenna
Vibrating alert
Up to 2.6-5.2 hours talk time and 7-14 days standby time
Compatible with most 5100, 6100, and 7100 series accessories
Local Language Support

A Few Impressions

With my 5160 I had to purchase a vibrating battery to get the vibrating alert. This added a substantial amount of weight to that phone. Obviously, the first thing I noticed about the phone was the cool looks. But more importantly, the second thing I noticed was how lightweight the phone was, even with the built in vibrating alert. Another major physical feature about the phone is the internal antenna. I have cracked and broken more than one antenna. Even the short stubby ones found on many Nokias. I was a little worried about the quality of reception with an internal antenna. My worries were quickly proven to be baseless. This phone actually gets better reception than the 5160. My parents live out in the boondocks. Even though their house is technically in my home coverage area I could never use my 5160 out there. With the 6360 I can be way down at their pond and the reception still gives me a call that is clear as a bell. Even in large department stores what used to be a hopeless situation has drastically improved.

With a phonebook with 500 contacts with 5 numbers each (essentially 2500 phone numbers) There should be very few people running out of space. Any more and you would spend too much time looking for the right phone number.

I've heard reports of the predictive text input capabilities of other phones being sketchy at best. I am here to tell all that it works like a charm on the Nokia 6360.

Another great feature that I use all the time is the voice dialing. It is nice to be able to hold down a button and say a name, then have the phone automatically dial for you. This is especially handy if you are on the go. I keep my keypad locked to prevent keys from accidentally being pushed. You do have to unlock the keypad to get voice dialing to work, unless you are using a Nokia earbud. If that is the case, all you have to do is push and hold the talk button on the earbud cable and say the name, even if the keypad is locked. As far as I am concerned this is one of the best safety features any mobile phone manufacturer has come up with. I'll be honest. I have not messed with many of the other little features, such as the alarm clock, calendar, and to-do list. As far as the games, well, I use them for one purpose, draining the battery for reconditioning. They are excellent for that.

Speaking of the battery. As far as I am concerned, nobody can beat Nokia when it comes to battery life, and the 6360 is not exception. I rarely ever turn my phone off. That way if an emergency arises and my power and phones are out I can still be reached. Don't laugh. It has happened. I can go about 8 days before needing to recharge. That is 8 days of a mixture of talking and standby time, and my phone gets talked on quite often since I have considerably more minutes on my plan than my wife has on hers. I would say that safely falls somewhere in the battery life ranges Nokia claims.

Missing Features

The 6360 can be synchronized with a PC using Nokia PC Suite. Unfortunately the PC must be a Windows machine. Admittedly this is probably not a problem for most people, but it is for me since I work on Macs. Another missing feature would have fixed this problem. That is bluetooth technology. The latest Mac OS that is to be released about one month after this review is being written, will include bluetooth technology, which would allow the phone to synch with my Mac as well as any other bluetooth devices, such as PDA's. Perhaps Nokia will follow Ericsson's lead and release a bluetooth adapter. If not, I will revisit that subject when it becomes an absolute necessity. Until then I am going to enjoy this little gem of a cell phone.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 69