I can't understand why this phone isn't more popular! Another one of Nokia's well-thought-out little creations. I've gone into some detail on what I feel are the most important aspects of the phone.
Look/Presentation This phone suits me perfectly as it feels sturdy, small but chunky, like you could give it a bit of abuse (trust me, it gets enough of this day to day in the bottom of my bag) and it would come off with all functions intact. Its look is deceiving, because the 'chunkyness' of it I think makes it look bigger than it really is. It's actually smaller than my last phone (Samsung C100; don't go there; read my review) at 10cm x 4cm x 2cm approx. The great thing also is that the cover is replaceable, so when it gets completely knackered you can just give it a 'facelift' and it will still look fine! The only downside is that dust collects quite easily behind the cover screen, so you may need to take the cover off and wipe the screen from time to time. Phone Display/ Menus - Very similar format to all other Nokias. Nothing fancy or overly animated.
Another cool feature is the glow-in-the-dark stripe round the keys and face of the phone,so you can see it in the dark recesses of a bag... but this becomes almost irrelevant as you can set the phone to flash in time with the ringtone when it rings or you get a text. I would say definitely a phone for a more active type of individual/lifestyle, not suited to posing!
Messaging The best thing about messaging on this phone is there's a shortcut from the main screen straight to write message just be pushing the left navigation button. And you can also set whichever input you prefer (predictive or 'traditional'!) as default.
Memory Pretty standard for current phones - 500 names in phonebook, but you can add several numbers for each name (eg mobile, home, office, fax) which saves some space because you don't have to put 'X mob' seperately from 'X home'. Text messages - 100 capacity. (Why anyone would want more I can't think.) The only thing is is takes a while to switch from inbox to message and back. **I just did an experiment and it actually only takes about a second... what does that say about this fast-paced day and age?! Or my impatience?!!**
Games I'm not a phone-gaming freak, so phone games don't do much for me. It come with three: bowling, beach rally or snake EX2. Graphics are fairly good... but for some reason known only to nokia, the sounds on the games still play when the phone is set to silent!!
WAP This phone does have WAP capability, but I am currently on pay as you go, so I can't activate it :(
Battery Battery life very good, expect about 5-6 days with average use. I like the fact that there are 7 battery bars, so you have a much better idea of how much battery life is left at any time.
Anything bad? Well, it depends what you're looking for in a phone. The colour screen, although impressive, is not quite as high-res as some other models (Samsung in particular) and the wallpapers are static (ie not animated). And of course, there is no integral camera - althhough it IS possible to buy one separately that interfaces with the phone. I don't have one, so I can't advise as to the quality of pictures!
As a summary, I would say this is a brilliant upgrade choice for anyone who wants a small, functional, tough, modern yet easy to use phone with minimum of gimmicks (I never have been a fan of poor-quality digital camera phones). Nokia seem to me to have got the formula right once again, a good balance of technology and practicality. Definitely one to check out.
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I recently bought this phone after my boyfriend bought it and was teasing me saying you want one don't you, and yes I did. It's such a brilliant phone and well priced for what it's capable of doing. I don't understand why it's not so popular, I think it isn't advertised a lot. I got the PT 3 camera for it recently off of ebay (much cheaper) and it's brilliant! Great review! xx
flickpugh 30.04.2004 12:52
One I'm considering so thanks for your helpful advice.
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Advantages: Small, Light, Colour Screen, Good Battery Life Disadvantages: Crackly Reception, Screen Not As Good As Other Brands, Not Many Accessories Available (yet)
broadbandrew 03.05.2004 (03.05.2004)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Nokia 3100
Feb 10th, 2004
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