Sporting a large, 4,096-color display screen and an unconventional, rotary-style keypad, we found the sturdy, feature-rich Nokia 3650 cell phone one of the best designed phones on the market, with excellent ease-of-use, crystal-clear reception, and a camera, video camera, and Internet access.
In our tests, we found that the comfortable rounded base of this 5-inch phone rested easily our palm, and the clever retro button display took only a moment of getting used to. The buttons and disc navigation felt quite durable, with a nice, solid action. Menu navigation involves two thin buttons on the top left and right that allowed us to move in and out of menus; then the standard 4-point clickable disc provided more detailed selection. There's a separate button for the main menu prominently below the disc, and the faux-rotary layout of the number buttons helped keep the navigation buttons out of the way during dialing. The requisite call and hang-up buttons are intuitively marked, and a futuristic-looking blue light shines through the numbers on all the buttons for easy keying in low-light areas.
The 3560 delivered consistent, excellent reception in a variety of testing environments, including a basement-level room that typically causes trouble with similar phones. The default ring tones were a bit too gentle for their own good; they were hard to hear in busy outdoor environments. The tones that we created using the composing feature, however, were quite audible, even in the midst of lots of noise. The vibrate alert was also quite effective and hard to miss. Nokia has also preloaded a variety of other polyphonic ring tones for alternate use, as well as a voice-dialing feature, which stores 25 numbers and was easy to use.
Thanks to high-speed GPRS connection, users can access a variety of Web content, such as news, travel information, and entertainment specifically designed for mobile phones via an XHTML browser, which supports pages written in both HTML and WML (Wireless Markup Language). The 3650's calendar, phone book, and to-do list can all be synchronized with a PC using Nokia 3650 PC Suite software. This phone also supports Java for downloading business applications, and built-in Bluetooth and infrared connections empower users to send photos and text in either e-mail or MMS format to a PC or to another compatible wireless device. Some of the downloadable Java and Symbian applications provided by Nokia through their website include Merriam-Webster Word Search, and games like Racing Fever, Avant Go, and Terminator.
The phone's digital VGA camera is cleverly built in to the back of phone, and can store up to 1,000 photos at 640 x 480 megapixel resolution on its (upgradeable) 16 MB memory card. Also, the Nokia 3650's photo capability is immediately accessible from the top-level display menu, so unlike other phones it was easy to snap a photo at a moment's notice. The camera records images in standard, portrait, and a nighttime mode.
With the same basic set of controls, RealOne software lets the video recording function capture short, low-fidelity sound and video clips for immediate MP4 video playback on the generous screen or for sending to another Web-enabled user. The 15-frames-per-second video recording rate delivers stuttering, delayed images that look sort of like Neil Armstrong's transmissions from the Moon. We found this all very entertaining, and potentially useful for transmitting small bits of information, but hard to take seriously as a true video recording device.
Among the scores of additional features on this phone are text messaging templates, where you create a basic message (like "Let's eat at --- ") then fill in the blank as you wish; a foreign currency and units converter for the jet set crowd, and a "favorites" folder to store Web shortcuts and links. For hearing-impaired customers, Nokia even provides TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) compatibility. The headset included with this phone is functional, and Li-Ion battery comes rated for up to 4 hours of digital talk and 200 hours of digital standby time. The phone comes with a refreshingly well-written manual. While decorative faceplates and other accessories are available, we found that even without them, the Nokia 3650 is one of the most coolest phones we've ever laid our hands on. --Erik Hammen
Pros:
- Great reception
- Excellent, intuitive user interface
- Feature-rich
- Solid build and large display screen
- Fun camera and video features
Cons:
- Large phone size to accommodate large display screen
- Default ring tones a bit quiet.
How We Tested Battery Talk/Standby Time
When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.
Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.
To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. Since no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier signal strength.
Sporting a large, 4,096-color display screen and an unconventional, rotary-style keypad, we found the sturdy, feature-rich Nokia 3650 cell phone one of the best designed phones on the market, with excellent ease-of-use, crystal-clear reception, and a camera, video camera, and Internet access. In our tests, we found that the comfortable rounded base of this 5-inch phone rested easily our palm, and the clever retro button display took only a moment of getting used to. The buttons and disc navigation felt quite durable, with a nice, solid action. Menu navigation involves two thin buttons on the top left and right that allowed us to move in and out of menus; then the standard 4-point clickable disc provided more detailed selection. There's a separate button for the main menu prominently below the disc, and the faux-rotary layout of the number buttons helped keep the navigation buttons out of the way during dialing. The requisite call and hang-up buttons are intuitively marked, and a futuristic-looking blue light shines through the numbers on all the buttons for easy keying in low-light areas.
The 3560 delivered consistent, excellent reception in a variety of testing environments, including a basement-level room that typically causes trouble with similar phones. The default ring tones were a bit too gentle for their own good; they were hard to hear in busy outdoor environments. The tones that we created using the composing feature, however, were quite audible, even in the midst of lots of noise. The vibrate alert was also quite effective and hard to miss. Nokia has also preloaded a variety of other polyphonic ring tones for alternate use, as well as a voice-dialing feature, which stores 25 numbers and was easy to use.
Thanks to high-speed GPRS connection, users can access a variety of Web content, such as news, travel information, and entertainment specifically designed for mobile phones via an XHTML browser, which supports pages written in both HTML and WML (Wireless Markup Language). The 3650's calendar, phone book, and to-do list can all be synchronized with a PC using Nokia 3650 PC Suite software. This phone also supports Java for downloading business applications, and built-in Bluetooth and infrared connections empower users to send photos and text in either e-mail or MMS format to a PC or to another compatible wireless device. Some of the downloadable Java and Symbian applications provided by Nokia through their website include Merriam-Webster Word Search, and games like Racing Fever, Avant Go, and Terminator.
The phone's digital VGA camera is cleverly built in to the back of phone, and can store up to 1,000 photos at 640 x 480 megapixel resolution on its (upgradeable) 16 MB memory card. Also, the Nokia 3650's photo capability is immediately accessible from the top-level display menu, so unlike other phones it was easy to snap a photo at a moment's notice. The camera records images in standard, portrait, and a nighttime mode.
With the same basic set of controls, RealOne software lets the video recording function capture short, low-fidelity sound and video clips for immediate MP4 video playback on the generous screen or for sending to another Web-enabled user. The 15-frames-per-second video recording rate delivers stuttering, delayed images that look sort of like Neil Armstrong's transmissions from the Moon. We found this all very entertaining, and potentially useful for transmitting small bits of information, but hard to take seriously as a true video recording device.
Among the scores of additional features on this phone are text messaging templates, where you create a basic message (like "Let's eat at --- ") then fill in the blank as you wish; a foreign currency and units converter for the jet set crowd, and a "favorites" folder to store Web shortcuts and links. For hearing-impaired customers, Nokia even provides TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) compatibility. The headset included with this phone is functional, and Li-Ion battery comes rated for up to 4 hours of digital talk and 200 hours of digital standby time. The phone comes with a refreshingly well-written manual. While decorative faceplates and other accessories are available, we found that even without them, the Nokia 3650 is one of the most coolest phones we've ever laid our hands on. -- Erik Hammen
Pros:
- Great reception
- Excellent, intuitive user interface
- Feature-rich
- Solid build and large display screen
- Fun camera and video features
Cons:>
- Large phone size to accommodate large display screen
- Default ring tones a bit quiet.
1 GREAT PHONE(bluetooth,video,camera,XHTML)
I bought this phone because it was unique. Alot of my friend love to play around with the camera/video, and I don't see very many people walking around with this phone eihter so you'll definetly catch some attention when using it in pulic. I didn't even know of the real capability of this phone until I played around with it.
BLUETOOTH-This has been the biggest pro for me so far. I can send pics, ringtones, files etc. between my phone and computer at NO COST at all. This is great because it saves money by emailing jpegs from your computer rather then sending via Multimedia Message. I can also use wireless headsets with this. What I really like about this feature is getting REAL VOICE RINGTONES. Even though it won't play MP3'S, I simply convert MP3'S to AMR files on my computer and send them via bluetoooh. It's not the best quality though, but it's something.
VIDEO/CAMERA-These aren't the best quality pics/vids I ever, but they look pretty decent compared to other camera phones. And just the fact that it even got video makes it unique. Infact I managed to download a program from the Nokia website that updates the video recorder to include sound (some people say they don't have sound with their video). I use the camera to take pics/vids of all my friends, and up close the pictues come out pretty good. Only con about this is that the videos are short(9-15 sec.), and there is no zoom in feature.
Apart from that the phone comes w/ every other feature that most other Nokia phones have (calculator, calender, notes, voice recorder, games)
The only cons I can think of is that sometimes when I'm on the phone with someone and 2 or more incoming calls show up, the phone will shut down and restart. As for the loudness of ringtones, I don't even use the default ringtones cause I get real ringtones, which sound off just fine when I get incoming calls. I have a bit of a problem though with turning on and off the Vibrating Alert. When I try to turn it off, it'll turn off and even stay off when I try to turn it back on. Plus it takes about 30 seconds just to turn the phone on, but these aren't major problems. And the size doesn't bother me at all, it fits perfectly in my palm and it doesn't take up space in my pocket, I simply use a belt clip.
2 5 stars for the features....
I have had this phone for well over a year now, and have considered upgrading several times to a smaller phone, but each time decided against it as this phone has every feature I could want. Even Motorola's new top-of-the-line RAZR phone does not have a slot for a SD/MMC card, and the phone is priced at about $500! This one has a card slot and it is two years old. That speaks volumes about the feature-richness of this phone from Nokia.
I am giving this phone a 5 star rating based on the features. Everyone knows this is a large phone- that is not a secret. It has the MMC slot, the Buetooth capability, infrared, in short, just about everything you could want in a phone, without an ultra-compact size. But can it really be expected that a phone with nearly every conceivable function will also be the smallest? Not likely.
3 Great phone, with one problem
Love the phone. I find that the large size fits perfect in your palm and can even be used to prop on your shoulder, unlike many cell phones. There are so many features on this phone, I lose track of time when playing with it.
Now, to the one complaint. The ringtones are not very loud. When I test them they sound great. But when I apply them to a contact and get an incoming call; it is much lower than before. If it is something I have done wrong, please any current users let me know! And yes, I have done the obvious and turned the volume to the fullest.
4 Good phone if it did what it advertises
Nokia advertises "Synchronize your phone book, calendar and to-do list with your PC using Nokia PC Suite 5" on the 3620/3650 phones, but the PC Suite application does not support Office 2003. This was one of the biggest selling points of the phone to me, and I can't use the most popular Personal Information Manager (Outlook 2003) with my phone. It worked with 2002, but 2003 is not supported.
Nokia claims this is because "this PC Suite version was made before Microsoft released Outlook 2003:. This is ludicrous. Office 2003 was in Beta (March 9, 2003) long before the Nokia 3620 was released (October 9, 2003). The development effort could have been completed before the release of the phone (and the supporting PC Suite application) in anticipation of the new (and, of course, widely adopted) Office suite. Furthermore, Office 2003 was released less than 2 weeks (October 21, 2003) after PC Suite was released.
Considering that the egregiously short-sighted decision to release without support for 2003 was made long ago and cannot be changed, one would think that Nokia planned to address this issue with a new version of PC Suite. Not so...
I loved the phone when I could use it as a "PDA-lite". Having all of my contacts and calendar entries in my phone made life easier. I didn't have to carry a seperate PDA, and I got all of my reminders just like I do in Outlook. Since I lost that functionality, I have a high-priced camera phone that I can play some VERY basic games on...
5 Great Phone with only one complaint
I know everyone complains about the size of this phone but for me it is a plus. I simply slip it into my pants pocket with little notice. As I get older my eye sight seems to be getting worse and worse. This is the only phone I have tried that I can read perfectly. It has a large screen, very good contrast, and good detail. Even pictures I take look better because the size of the screen. This phone would get a five but for the keypad, which I understand they have fixed with a newer model. I love the bluetooth feature. It has allowed me to use it as a PDA and link to outlook. It has also allowed me to download free tones and upload pictures to use as wallpapers. I also use a wireless head set. It has so many more options than the phones of my wife and daughters. The speaker phone is loud and clear. I don't use the web features so I can't comment on those features. Typically I like to upgrade to a new phone every year as the technology seems to come out with some new wrinkle that leaves me wanting. I have had this phone a little over a year, and in this case I am perfectly content but for the circular keypad. If I upgrade it will be for the same phone with the traditional cell phone keypad. I hope they continue to make phones this size and readable. Oh by the way, it is built really well. Not many cell phes would be able to fixed after falling into a lake. But this was just needed to dry and be cleaned.
6 Big Size for BIG Capabilities
This is a great phone!!! People constantly yap at me about its big size... "Hey, your phone is the size of a brick!" But you know what I say when they tell me that? I ask them these questions:
* "Can your cellphone play Gameboy games?"
* "Can your cellphone act as a remote to control your TV?"
* "Can your cellphone run old Commodore 64 programs and games?"
* "Can your cellphone get on AIM/ Yahoo/ MSN/ ICQ messengers all at once with a nice graphical display?"
* "Can your cameraphone shoot 640x480 quality images?"
* "Can yours play classic NES games?"
* "Do you have speakerphone?"
Unless they also have the Nokia 3650 (or maybe a 3660), the answer they almost give is a big FLAT "No, my phone can't do that." Oh, did I forget to mention that bluetoothing files to other bluetooth devices (Palms, phones, etc.) is great too?
Sure, the design of the keypad may make me think of birth control pills, and sure the software that comes with it may be limited. BUT, if you do some searching around for third-party software (and shell out a couple of extra bucks for the non-free stuff), you can do some amazing things with your phone ... even get past that 10-second limit for recording videos.
"But, can you actually make phone calls with the thing?" Yes! Unless you're right next to a blackout zone, the signal quality is always great and I'm on AT&T. However, I will admit that the signal strength hasn't been as great since Cingular acquired them.
At this point, after seeing all that it can do, I hope you'll see that size isn't an issue at all. Heck, just buy carpenter-style pants and put the phone in that pocket because that's what I do.
"Are there any drawbacks?" I will answer yes... Even though this phone can play lots of games, I don't think it was designed for this. How is that? Well, the joypad only goes up, down, left, and right... It DOESN'T go diagnol. So, playing games that require that is a pain.
"If you like playing games, why not get an NGage?"
Sorry, I don't like Taco Phones.
Here's a great link that got me started:
http://www.angelfire.com/pro/nokia3650/
I'm going to dread the day that I have to upgrade from this phone.
7 Nokia has troglodytes doing customer service
Do not buy Nokia phones. Ever. Here's why:
I bought a Nokia 6600 to replace my earlier Nokia 3650. Due to a design oversight, it does not work with the vast majority of PDA's via Bluetooth. This currently includes all Palm PDAs. After all the frustration of adding all of my newest contacts to the 6600, I asked a Nokia technician at 1-888-NOKIA-2-U if it were possible to transfer the data from the 6600 to the 3650. He advised me to back up the 6600 to a newly formatted Nokia MMC card, and restore the data to the 3650 in a similar manner. I followed the technician's directions to the letter while they were on the phone, and after I had done so, the phone restarted and displayed the message "Phone startup failed. Contact the retailer." I spent over an hour talking to a tier-2 technician who told me that their tier-1 technician should have known that it was not possible to backup the 6600 to the 3650 safely in any condition. I could not get the 3650 working to even factory defaults, even after trying every reset code they could muster. Nokia finally determined that my phone was in need of repair, but since it was out of warranty (it was made in May '03 and they would not take an eBay purchase as proof) they refused to fix the phone for less than $120! After over two hours of being placed on hold and persuasion, a supervisor finally agreed to fix the phone for free.
I did a little research and discovered that the repair could be done by any basic cell-phone repair shop for $30. All that had to be done was restore the software to the phone, and all that took was a cable and some Nokia software. I still decided to send in the phone, since insured shipping was only $10.
Two weeks later I mailed the phone in for repair. Two days after they received the phone, I received a letter in my mailbox stating that if I did not pay $120 for the repair of my phone, it would be returned unrepaired. I called Nokia to try to get it sorted out, and they stated that they had no recollection of ever promising to repair the phone for free. They stated that though it was a simple repair, they would not do it for less than $120. I suggested that it didn't make sense for me to send in the phone for repair if I thought Nokia would charge me $120 to repair it since I could get it done locally for $30. This simple nuance was too much for Nokia, and they still refuse to acknoledge the fact that their technician could have broken the phone or repair the phone for free. The supervisor stated that it must have been third-party applications on the 6600 that caused the 3650 to break, and would not take the suggestion that his own tier-2 technicians stated that it was not possible to back up the 6600 to the 3650 without damaging the 3650, regardless of what was or was not on the 6600. I have since spent hours on the phone with Nokia and they will not help.
In short - Nokia customer service does not understand the basic operations or limitations of their devices. If you don't heed my advice you will spend hours with technicians around the globe reading from scripts, chiding you in broken english for not following their directions exactly. Ultimately you will learn just how bad Nokia is, and why their recent loss of market share is so utterly deserved.
8 Features are good; phone is too big
I got this phone because I wanted a camera phone with Bluetooth (...). The phone is OK, but for the last several weeks I have been hanging out on ebay and amazon looking for deals on new cell phones. I am sick of ALWAYS having to carry a handbag when I go out because this phone is just too big -- you can't possibly stick it in your pocket.
The phone has good battery life, the keypad design didn't bother me for a second, and the camera works fine for my needs. I live in NYC and use the phone with AT&T, and I have not had issues with coverage.
But, the call volume cannot be made loud enough and the phone suffers a bit from "function creep" -- it does more than you will ever even be aware of, and the built-in Help feature is an utter joke, so if you want to figure out some functionality when you're on the road, just forget about it; you have to wait to get home and look it up in the manual.
(...) ultimately it took more than six months to get my money back. If I had it to do over again, I would probably just go for a smaller, cuter phone that did (and cost) a little less.
9 Great phone and great AT&T service
I know I looked at these reviews before I bought my 3650, so now that I've had mine for a few months, I wanted to report that it has been super. No complaints at all. And I get comments all the time from people on how cool my phone is. I have a digital camera, but it's great to have this little cameraphone on me whenever I need to snap a picture. Really nice colors and decent quality. Also, I really struggled between T-Mobile and AT&T, and I have to say I have been sooo impressed with AT&T. Just got back from Europe, where I had excellent coverage and they erased a charge when I called to say it seemed I was double-billed for a call. Great customer service every time I call! I've been really surprised.
10 Amazon is great.. phone is great, just say away from AT&T
WARNING: AT&T representatives ("Dawn: R361" and "Max: N360") themselves said during my troubleshooting (as detailed below) that I should NOT have bought through Amazon, and that they have received a barrage of complaints from Amazon buyers! I still really like Amazon, but they're integration with AT&T is non existent. People should not have to wait 2-3 days for service after they receive the phone. Buy the same phone on Amazon, but a different carrier.
11 a bulky one with gr8 features
i have bought from ATT n i dont think we can send ringtones. n the other issue is that copyin the contacts to sim card. needs to be done one by one. if a contact has multiple nbrs, then each one shud be handled explicitly. i donno if it really had better options to do that. if so, plz ignore this. as u all know, it is bulky. except for these, this is a gr8 phone. i love it.
12 The phone was overall good.
The phone was awesome most of the time. There was a few issues with the screen freezing and without an extra memory card it could only hold about 40 pictures. Another problem was the volume is awfull real queit and hard to hear along with the phones ringing volume even at the top volume it is hard to hear. But the phone has cool features and a great screen size. The internet is quick and real helpfull on it. And i never had an issue with reception. T-mobile has great plans at great rates!!
13 3650!! aaw
Umm itz a cool set
umm i love it :p
hehe
simple joss
14 great phone!
Overall, this is a great phone. Fun gadgets - camera, video, recording. Love the big screen. After I got used to the rotary-style dial I like it better than the other kind. Fingers are less likely to accidentially press the wrong key. Fun games, rings, and screensavers to download. Good graphics. The phone is comfortably held in the hand.
The things I don't like so much about this phone are that since it's a little large (because of the big screen), it's not as convenient to stow away in a pocket or purse the way the other tiny cell phones are. Also, the volume often seems too low - even when turned up to the highest setting. However, when I use the speaker option or a earbud, it is more than acceptable sound quality and volume.
15 Great phone, but be careful with AT&T
I bought this phone and I love it. However, I first bought it through a reseller at Amazon Marketplace. I was sold an AT&T branded version of this phone. I was stunned to find out that the phone was a dual band, NOT a tri band phone. It contained only the 900 and 1900 bands, not the 1800 band. I wanted to use the phone in Europe and since Europe uses the 900 and 1800 bands, there was no guarantee the phone would work without the 1800 band. The reseller did agree to a refund and I bought the phone through a T-Mobile reseller, who offers a tri band version of the phone. I have AT&T cell phone service through work with a non-GSM phone and AT&T's service is terrible. We get few features and not a very good value for the money. I would strongly advise people who want to buy this phone to be very very careful if you deal with AT&T as they may sell you a crippled dual band version of the phone that may not work very well outside of the USA. You should also be aware that the AT&T GSM network is very small and not very good. I would recommend using T-Mobile if it all possible or Cingular instead of AT&T with this phone.
16 very good
i love this phone and the way i rated it is very good.pls
17 Bluetooth Fails
I get good reception, but bluetooth, which worked great on my Sony T616 will not work with it. After about 2 seconds, computer says telephone disconnects. I returned the Sony because the telephone reception is bad, now returning the 3650 because bluetooth does not work. Beginning to miss my old Nokia doorstop phone.
18 Better camcorder than phone... AT&T does suck
I got this phone back in June, 2003 and have been dissapointed with its horrendous reception. I have yet to make a single phone call around my neighborhood because there's NO reception! There are moderately tall buildings (3 floors) all around but that's no excuse. Coincidentally, I can make phone calls inside one of the buildings.... but not outside!Other dissapointments are:
*Battery life. It barely lasts 24 hours on STANDBY!!!! My dad has a regular Nokia phone and it lasts at least 72 hours.
*Inaudible ring tones. It comes preloaded with some awesome ring tones, but most of them are barely audible. I can barely hear them even when the phone is on my lap.
*Start up takes forever. Most phones are ready to use within 5 seconds after turning on, this phone takes around 30 seconds!
*Memory storage is too small. 16MB is just not enough to keep all the pictures and videos. You have to frequently erase them or the phone will lock up. I usually email the pics to myself so I can save them.
Btw, to the reviewer who stated that he had to remove the Back/mMode button to keep from accidentially pressing it... it can be changed! Go to MENU ---> TOOLS ---> SETTINGS ---> PHONE ---> STANDBY MODE ---> RIGHT SELECTION KEY.... then change it to any other function. I changed mine to Video Recorder.
I also used to have a problem accessing mMode accidentially while in my pocket, but I fixed that by moving the mMode icon to another folder. Which can be done by pressing OPTIONS in MENU.
19 Regret buying
was quite excited to be getting this phone, given all its functionality. The size & key pad were not (and still are not) hinderancs. The ENORMOUS problem has been with its bluetooth functionality. I have spent over 25 hours talking with Nokia customer service & 2 different Bluetooth manufacturers (Belkin & Linksys). None can fix the problem. The bluetooth companies blame Nokia & Nokia blames the bluetooth companies. Meanwhile, my phone's functionality (a KEY reason why I bought this phone) still does not work, I've wasted over 25 hours with tech people, & no answer seems in sight. This has been an exhausting and extraordinarly disapointing purchase. I could NOT recommend this prodect - or Nokia, given their poor customer service - at all.
20 Won't work with BLUETOOTH
I was quite excited to be getting this phone but have been VERY disappointed. Despite 8+ hours on the phone with Nokia & Belkin, I am unable to get Nokia 3600 (cingular's version - same phone) to connect via Bluetooth. Nokia blames Belkin & Belkin blames Nokia. I am thoroughly disappointed, frustated, & tired. I am returning this phone.
21 AT&T Wireless deceptive billing practice upon cancellation
Be aware--if you cancel your service with AT&T Wireless during the middle of a billing cycle (even if you're just 1 day into it), AT&T Wireless will bill you for the entire month. The bill will show you they've credited you the unused prorated amount for the month, but then sneakily add back that same amount as an 'adjustment fee' with no explanation whatsoever.In my case, for the $29.99 monthly plan, I switched to T-Mobile 9 days into the billing cycle (in fact, I only used 2 minutes of air time!). The bill shows a prorated credit of $20.99. However, they added an adjustment fee of the same amount and my bill was back to the usual $34.99 (after tax).
Worse yet, when I called their customer service, none of their lower-level service representatives know about this fee. One guy falsely blamed it on some 'loyalty' program I signed up for that I violated by the cancellation--which he backed off when I asked him to prove it. After more than an hour, someone finally explained the real reason. The additional fee is charged in accordance to their terms of service stating "When a billing cycle covers less than or more than a full month, we may make reasonable adjustments and prorations". Well, "reasonable", to AT&T Wireless at least, implies FULL monthly charge and NO proration at all, and deceptive terms of service & billing statement language to get away with it. They claim this has been their practice for several months now with no exception made to anyone.
At least after paying this final bill, I'm comforted in knowing I will never contribute a dime to AT&T Wireless/Cingular again. (T-Mobile, on the other hand, has been nothing but pleasant to deal with so far--significantly better reception & customer service contacts.)
22 Awsome phone but AT&T ain't that good!!!
The phone is awsome and cool. The camera is good and everything else. I had a few problems with at&t at first. WHen u call them it takes really long to speak to someone. I had to send my phone away cuz it was broken. But other than that its an awsome phone like my title^^^. I say u should get a belt clip since the phone is quite big. BUY THE PHONE. PEOPLE ARE JELOUS OF ME.!!!! THE REBATE IS AWSOME.(...)
23 Worst customer service of AT&T
If there is any negative rating, I will give -5 star to AT&T. I used AT&T for 1 year, and there were lots of problems. They offered me two months free and a free phone (Nokia 2260) for extending my contract. I accepted because they were the best interms of the signals in my area. And my first bill was $250 !! no free month, no free phone !!! I called them, they said there is no such note in your account, such offer was not made to you.. How horrible they are! Totally lier ! Don't go with AT&T. Other thing, I had national roaming plan. My primary use was in NJ, but for two months I went to CA. So they applied $17 tax for my $34.99 monthly bill!! they said that when I went to CA, my phone was through their NY towers so NY taxes are applied !! I never stayed in NY and I am paying NY taxes $17 a month !! I immediately cancelled my service..
24 3600...almost the same phone
I own a Nokia 3600, with service provided by Cingular. The phone design and options are about the same. I've found it to be a great phone, and am really happy with it. Mine never shuts off by itself (as someone else reported about a 3650). The pictures come out pretty clear if you have a steady hand. The phone is a little complicated to learn, and isn't super intuitive, but once you have the basics down, is a breeze to operate. The round dialing pad threw me for a while, but I'm used to it. All in all, I'm very pleased with it. I wrote a longer review on my website (in the blog at www.celaine.com).
25 Good phone... Bad AT&T
Please do not ever purchase anything from AT&T Wireless. It is really for your own good. I could go on and tell you everything that went wrong, but it was essentially the same as everyone else on this site. You will have a nightmare if you ever need to talk to customer service.
26 Don't get GSM until you have no choice...
I was happy with my previous plan, but when I lost my phone and had to buy a new one, AT&T switched me to the GSM network. Terrible. My coverage area has collapsed. Not to mention that AT&T customer service is lousy, overall (some good experiences, mostly bad though).
27 Frustrating!
I'm sure all of the bells and whistles are nice, but this phone turns off by itself all the time. It also doesn't register voicemails for days sometimes. I hate it.
28 Do not get service from AT&T !! They are LOUSY !
The phone is great but the service provider LOUSY to say the leastDo not get service from AT&T.
The phone came and it was not activated. In fact I did not even receive my tel# from AT&T.. I had to call up customer service for the same!!
The AT&T hold time could be as long as 1 hour!!!! same was the case with voice mail.. needed activation..
SMS service not provided to all countries
Hope to get the rebates in time atleast to make the purchase worth the effort
29 Nice Phone - except for Mmode button on face
The phone has been a good performer. It took a bit to get used to the round keypad design. The camera is functional but not better than my cheap Intel Pocket PC Digital Camera I purchased in 2000. The infrared interface makes tranferring photos a breeze.The real nightmare is the Mmode button on the face that also acts as your BACK button. I have been accidentally accumulating charges under $5 per month from the button being pushed when the phone is in the case. I had decided that the Mmode feature was clunky and not viable in the first week of getting the phone. I found out from ATT Wireless that this "feature" cannot be disabled. Therefore, my phione would continue to make connections on its own and I would be billed for them. Unacceptable. The Mmode connection should be buried in the menu like all other options.
I ended up removing the right BACK / Mmode button so that connection was impossible. I have contacted Nokia via email requesting the connection settings within the PC Suite for Nokia 3650 to inhibit the Mmode connection through failure to find the appropriate server or service.
30 Glitchy, doesn't compare to other camera phones
I'm glad I ended up finding a bundle that made this phone only $$$ after rebates. (You should be able to find it free with signup now, else don't bother.)
It's too bulky, turns itself off occasionaly (with plenty of battery left), has developed a glitch with the ringer tone volume (too low even at highest setting), has too little memory (full after one custom tone, one game download, a few dozen address entries and 5-10 pics) and only syncs address book with iSync (no calendar or notes sync).
It does have excellent reception and the camera is fun if you have a well lit subject, although keep in mind you'll need a bluetooth computer to share the photos unless you subscribe to iMode (which is a terrible service, they should pay *you* to beta test their user-interface).
The rotary style buttons didn't bother me but irritate many of my friends who have purchased the phone or have used mine.
I'm setting my sights on the Sony Ericsson T610 as soon as my contract is up.
31 State of The Art Features And Good RF
The Nokia 3650 is a wireless phone/digital camera/PDA that took me some time to really appreciate. The obvious features (video camera, digital still camera, embedded e-mail client) are there and function as well as one could expect. However, it took time to understand everything the device truly offers. With the Symbian operating system it allows one to download and install many different programs offered by third party vendors over the internet- from games, to financial spreadsheets, to a TV Remote Control! It also contains the Mobile Real One player so video may be captured, played back, played directly from streaming video when accessed on the phones internet. It also comes with Nokia PC Suite software which allows you to synchronize your MS Outlook calendar, contacts, and to do lists with your phone. The embedded email client allows for real time access of email and ability to email photos and recorded video clips. However, the best feature about this phone may be the signal strength (RF); it BLOWS AWAY Sony Ericsson and Siemens. The only feature I can leave out would be the rounded rotary style keypad, but a squared off keypad may be found in the latest release by Nokia, the 3620. Other than that a device you will really come to like and appreciate.
32 Don't go for the AT&T, customer service sucks
I had bought this phone on Dec 9th with AT&T service and wanted to have the number ported from T mobile. My phone was activated on 1Oth dec with only outgoing, no incoming. I had to be on phone for 45 minutes everytime to get hold of the AT&T Customer service to resolve this issue. But, still it didn't workout. I had sent a email, no response. It is 25 days from the activation, I am still without the connection. I wanted to cancel the service and return my phone back to the amazon. Please don't fall into the trap of getting money back. I would love to go back to the Tmobile with my old serivce.
33 Phone is nice, but AT&T wirelesss customer service is not
The phone works great and has nice features. But having to deal with AT&T wireless is a nightmare. We were promised a free car charger but they charged me twice for it. I have been trying since October to fix this issue. They just make you hold over an hour each time - Customer Service and then just pass you to another department that says they will research it and call you back. Big surprise, no one calls you back and you have to repeat your story again over and over. Also, it says voice mail is automatically activated but its not, and guess what you have to wait an hour to call them and get it activate. Buy the phone but use a different provider...
34 good
Good:
- has built in camera
- has lots of memory and more can be bought
- has GPRS
- can sent and recieve emails
- picture quality is superb
- comes with 2 games and more can be downloaded
- has a video recorder
- supports many image types
- has bluetooth and infaredBad:
- buttons are not user friendly
- the phone is too big in size
35 Good Phone with a few problems
Excellent phone with a few problems but can live with them. Lots of cool features.
36 Unique Design Has Some Drawbacks
First off I have to start with how easy this phone was to use, which was a pleasant surprise given its large list of features. Navigating the menus, taking and sending pictures, checking e-mail, and working with the calender and contacts was a total breeze (part of the secret is the 'tabbed' menu views, which I have never seen on a phone before). The only time I even had to peek in the manual was how to setup e-mail and access voicemail. The camera was above average for a camera phone, I thought, and the "Night" feature does help improve the quality of pictures when you don't have light source in the room. It's not a flash, but it does help improve the brighness without getting too blurry. The large display is great for web browsing, viewing photos, and checking e-mail. I was thrilled to see the phone supported IMAP (not just POP3), however was disappointed the IMAP implemenation is fairly limited. It will perform better than POP3 due to not having to download the entire message when you check mail, but it does not mark read, replied to, and deleted messages or leave a copy of outbound messages on the server. Still I really feel all phones should support IMAP since it's much better for roaming users than POP3, so this is a step in the right direction at least.Now, for the negatives. I have to start with the rotary style keys. Yes, you do adjust to them, but even after 2 weeks using this phone I still found myself misdialing (it's easy to dial 911 instead of 611, which isn't a good thing), plus doing text messaging goes a lot slower. Also, the white plastic keys feel kind of chinsey to me, and since they are raised up more than most phones, you can end up dialing numbers if keeping the phone in your pocket. The solution is to lock the keys, but when you go to unlock the keys, the display backlight and keys do not come on until the phone is done unlocking. This was probably done to save power, but can be a frustrating experience if you're trying to unlock it in the dark and don't remember the sequence.
Now the biggest problem - about 2 weeks after having the phone, it reported no signal. I thought this was a provider issue and waited several hours, then rebooted the phone to see everything was back to working fine. This has is now happening about twice a week. It's a problem, because while the phone is reporting no signal you can't receive incoming calls. I also have had a couple times where the phone doesn't charge, or will shut down right after booting up even when the battery has charge. The solution is to turn the phone off, then turn back on while plugged in to the charger and leave it alone until fully charged. Both issues are a hassle, and really should have been fixed by now considering this phone has been out for over 6 months.
As far as coverage, AT&T GSM is pretty good in the Seattle area, but there are some weaker spots (including my apartment) that T-Mobile works better. The main thing to realize is that while AT&T's TDMA network covers just about everywhere, their GSM network is much smaller. Since this phone only does GSM, AT&T's TDMA network will be of no use to you. ...but for right now I would not recommend getting this phone, despite all the features it has for half the price of many smartphones.
37 I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy this phone
If you love to fiddle like I do, you'll find endless stuff to play with on this phone without sacrificing the phone-part of the device. Really, it's as much a hand-held computer as it is a phone. There are so many features to this phone that no review will be able to touch upon them all... but I'll try!!
I'm a technophile, so I want the latest and greatest toys. This time I went looking for a phone that would replace my PDA and my mp3 player and -- in a crunch -- my digital camera and cable-modem so that I could travel light.
I did my research and picked the Sony Ericsson P800 as the classiest top-of-the-line-does-everything-phone... which was a whopping $600 bucks!! I couldn't afford that!!
Well, what's comparable to that Ericsson but won't bankrupt me? The only phones that do as much are the Nokia 3650 and the as-yet unreleased Sendo X. I was happy to discover that Amazon was going to PAY ME to buy the Nokia 3650 (...).Wow! That made the decision easy.
The P800 is superior in a few ways. It is more conservative-looking, it allows you to use a stylus for entering text like most PDAs, it offers easier access to the memory-expansion card, it has superior audio quality and it and can play MP3 files out of the box.
Arguments for the Nokia: It has a MUCH easier interface to learn, a better camera with video recording and night-mode, and hey -- it's cheap!! Also, there are an astounding number of ways to customize this thing in addition to the usual ring-tones, faceplates and keypads.
I purchased the MGS game package with 11 games that are overall very close to PSOne-quality. This phone really replaces a GameBoy -- actually I think it's much BETTER than a GameBoy because the graphics are clearer and you can add games for Symbian, Java and (if you are clever) N-Gage and GameBoy. Most of the games that AT&T offers for download appear to be Java-based. I find that if I run more than 3-4 Java games in a row, the device develops quirky behavior and I have to restart.
I purchased an MP3 playing app and a MIDI/MOD player. It turns out that listening to MP3 music isn't very good. The speaker sucks for MP3's and a headset really doesn't help. Listening on a Bluetooth headset is like listening over a very bad AM station. On the other hand, MIDI and MOD music, play impressively well and can be found for free all over the internet, so if you don't mind not having lyrics to your music, this phone can replace your MP3 player.
The bundled RealOne Player isn't bad for what it does, but Real video is so crummy that one of the first things I bought for the phone was a copy of PVPlayer, which allows you to play and stream MPEG4 video. This way, I can take my home movies and save them from QuickTime in a format that is widely compatible if I want to send the file to someone else from my phone. It's an amazing thing to go from iMove to QuickTime to my cell phone in a matter of minutes. The MPEG4 image quality is astounding. Other people have told me that they use the Real Player to watch sitcoms that they download from the 'net since Real is the de facto format for such things, but I don't see the need when there's so much else to occupy myself with on this phone.
If you want to use this phone on an airplane (legally), you need to put it into "flight mode" and remove the sim card to prevent it from constantly scanning for cells and potentially disrupting flight-radio. Unfortunately, while the flight mode is an option on the N-Gage, Nokia did not provide it for the 3650 so you will have to download a 3rd-party program to enter flight mode and use the phone (legally) on an airplane.
I had the phone working as a Bluetooth-wireless GPRS/Digital "modem" to link up my Powerbook to the 'net in about 2 minutes. It's easy to do if you want to use AT&T's mMode to connect, but it costs extra for access this way. It would be better to connect using the phone's ability to perform as an analog modem, but AT&T disabled the "carrier connect" feature of their networks to prevent that. Still, the mMode connection is about twice as fast as 56k dialup for me and I don't expect to have to use it often, so I'm pretty happy with it.
It sort of replaces my organizer, although the built-in applications are limited, so I'm running demos of several programs right now to see how they compare to my FileMaker Pro DB, PDF, XLS and PRC readers on my Palm. I don't like the high prices they charge for half-decent productivity-software. And it's hard to find an e-reader with text that's comfortable to read for long periods on that screen which is huge for a cell-phone, but tiny for a PDA.
Running all of these programs does slow down the interface and you can run out of RAM by running too many programs simultaneously. Odds are that you won't have more than 2-3 programs running at any time, so you'll be fine. Running a 3rd party screensaver program halved my battery life, so I removed that program. I seem to get about 6 hours of CONSTANT use out of this phone, 3+ hours of conversation-time or two days of standby time before it needs charging. It also needs to be restarted periodically -- like a computer -- or else RAM gets fragmented and programs slow down. Turning it off and on again once a week should keep it running happily. I have managed to crash it a few times, but nothing has done any damage that powering it off and on again didn't fix.
Nokia's support people are very helpful and when the guy I spoke to couldn't answer my admittedly arcane questions immediately, he got his supervisor and 3rd level tech support involved. I'm very pleased with the response.
So, the Nokia 3650 sort of replaces a GameBoy, an MP3 player (if you don't mind missing the lyrics or sacrificing sound quality), a digital camera (except the photos are a grainy 640x480), a movie-player, a modem, a PDA (except the screen is smaller and productivity software is expensive) and gee whiz -- it's a cell phone, too!
It doesn't do all of the jobs perfectly, but it does so much that you can comfortably leave behind your digital camera, MP3 player and PDA without worrying about missing something. Combine it with the Jabra earpiece that Amazon is presently discounting and even the phone-part is fun. That's really why I enjoy this phone -- the toy-part has converged with real productivity-applications to make everyday tasks fun.
38 Lot of functions for a reasonable price!
I initially rejected this phone because I didn't particularly want the camera, and got the (monumentally disappointing) Nokia 3300 instead. But I'm very glad I picked this one as a replacement. The sound is good, the large color screen is bright and gorgeous, and it lasts a decent time on one charge. Bluetooth and Nokia PC Suite make syncing a snap. And I really appreciated the pre-installed RealPlayer, MMC slot and the ability to download Symbian applications (MP3 players, Opera web browser, e-books, etc.)--you can make it into a real smartphone without paying smartphone prices. Many will consider it too large, but it's smaller and lighter than the Kyocera Smartphone it's replacing, so that's a matter of perspective.
39 Good phone... ATT not so good
I switched to AT&T from T-mobile... only because T-mobile does not have coverage where I'm at. Although AT&T advertises that they do have coverage, it isn't very good. Anyway, the phone itself has great features and I keep finding new ones. The size is a bit larger than I'd like (I used to have an 8290). All in all, a very good device.
As for service, I agree that AT&T is not doing so well with their GSM service. I frequently have dropped calls when in a moving vehicle. I think this is due to handoffs not being fast enough between towers. The signal strength will drop from 4 or 5 bars to 1 then jump back to 4 in a few seconds. During that time, the call gets dropped. Very frustrating.
Customer service has been mixed. I had one experience where the AT&T systems "were down". The rep was very rude and told me that even if the system were up he probably couldn't help. When I called back, I got a very good person who took care of the billing issue with no questions asked.
40 AT & T Mail in rebate and service
Nokia 3650 phone is the best phone i have ever seen, but when i purchase the phone from Amazon with Mail in rebate, I got Amazon mail in rebate but At & T is not responding to give the rebate, after 4 months also they are saying they didn't received the forms, I sent Mail in rebate forms 2 times. THey don't have FAX m/c to send the forms also. Worst AT & T customer service i have ever seen. They are not at all interested in responding to the customer.
41 DO NOT GET Service From AT&T
Do not get service from AT&T. The phone came and it was not activated. Have been calling Amazon.com and at&t more than 2 times a day for the past 3 days and it is still not resolved. Some of the at&t hold time is as long as 1 hour!!!! Some of calls at at&t customer serivce will hang up on you after 20 minutes waiting. I am giving Amazon.com and at&t till this friday and if nothing is being resolved I am returning /refunding the phone. Amazon.com is not very helpful in trying to get it resolved. All they say was" there is is nothing much I can do here. I apologize..." Goog Luck
42 Great Phone Good Service
This is really a great phone one can have.. The bigger size can be justified by tons of features it offers..It has great reception, customizability and is fun to use. The pictures are satisfactory (at least you dont have to regret for forgetting your camera on special occassions).Odds are its low ring tone & not so good AT&T customer support.
43 Serious Software Shortcomings
If you are a power user of the address book or any high memory usage functions beware of this phone. I have the address book loaded with over 2000 Outlook contacts which is very useful for me. However, resultantly any contact beginning with "d,e,f" can not be searched upon, the operating system reboots randomly at least twice a day and overall functionality of the phone slows to a crawl. I have researched other contact or address book applications but unfortunately this version of the Symbian operating system is very limited. Nokia thought I had a phone problem but I am now on my second phone with exactly the same problems. Also be aware that although the 16mb memory expansion is nice, very few of the applications can address that area of memory, resulting in the 4mb resident memory filling up very fast and limiting overall capabilities. Although I find the camera useful, the picture quality suffers from the limitations of an inferior lens. I disagree with most of the comments about the keyboard, after a couple of days you find yourself getting used to it. Bluetooth is difficult to configure but once it is, you will love that aspect of the phone more than any other. I have yet to find a phone that combines seamlessly with the functionality of a PDA and this isn't it.
44 Good buy
This phone is a all-in-one digital warehouse. An excellent buy I bet. Phone Features:
The signal reception for AT&T is excellent around my home area (NJ) and work (NY). After all, what is a phone that has everything but can't communicate? I charge the phone in once every two days and it did well with moderate use. The earpiece is very loud and clear. It also has a speaker phone that can be used when you are driving. It has most of the features that is on a land-line phone like hold, flash etc.
Non-Phone Fetures:
I have almost tried every option in this phone ranging from using infrared, bluetooth, camera, video etc etc. I must say that these features are not just antoher add-on but really value adds since all of them work very well and are very easy to operate. Specifically the camera takes pictures with excellent resolution even when viewed on a laptop.
Cons:
Everything has its toll. The size is its biggest drawback. It feels you are carrying a cordless phone in your pocket. However the discounted Jabra bluetooth-wireless headset compensates for it(By the way, the headset works great. Very rarely there were mystery disconnects from the phone)
The ringing tones are not very loud enough to get your attention if you are outdoors. I set it to the "intro" tone that is kind of wierd but the loudest. The dial pad resembles the older ancestor phones and not the traditional modern phone. This could be cumbersome when you are trying to type something in. To add the contacts you might want to use outlook instead of the keys.
But again, none of cons are realted to the communication features of the phone. I give it ****.
45 A friends word
One of my friends (Bobby) own this phone i seen it and it was the last straw for me so i had to buy my own camera phone cuz im a gadget freak but with my past phone pressing number's while it's in your pocket is a problem with me so i was lookin around at camera phone's then i thought what about one like a friend of mine has (bobby's) and this is the phone when i asked him he said the reception is less than descent and the phone is a big phone for the new ones and the dialing is kinda a problem but he said he adjusted in a couple days but haveing problems with house phones :-\ then i thought i dont make much calls from home so i was still thinking baout this phone then my dad said the phone plan is important and i asked him that VIA text and he said he just got billed $0.10 for me sending him a text and another $0.10 for replying and not to text anymore :-\ so that was enought for me i will not go with a AT&T plan but the phone he said is a descent one atleast.................I thought this would be helpfull to you (im eyeing a few camera flip phones know)
46 So far, a great phone... adequate service.
Over the first week, I've been very happy with the Nokia 3650. The built-in camera and video camera are very nice toys. The product quality is excellent. The phone itself is a very solid piece of hardware. Though the menu is a bit long, and finding things the first few times can be a bit of a trial. The ringtones included with the phone could also be a better selection. Minor sticking points though.I've also invested in a few accessories for the phone. Foremost among them, a Bluetooth dongle for my iMac/iBook. Once the Bluetooth application is set up, it works like a charm to move pictures and ringtones. (By the way, there are a number of sources for great ringtones on the web. If you like an artist or song, you can probably find a polyphonic ringtone for it somewhere.)
I've also gotten a USB power cord which will power the phone from the computer rather than a plug. And, a number of different faceplates are available to change the look of the phone. (Beware on this though. Some are of a lower quality and don't fit exactly as they should. Check the vendor before purchasing.)
All in all, an excellent phone. If only AT&T could grasp the concept of customer service, all would be right with the world.
47 Cool gadget, lame phone
I'll cut to the chase. I'm a gadget freak who just HAS to have the latest and the greatest, so when I heard that camera phones were finally going to hit American shores (after drooling over them in Japan for so long), I decided I had to buy one, and, after some research and pricing, I decided the Nokia 3650 was the one for me. It also helped that at the time, AT&T had a better deal than T-mobile, so I signed up.Okay, first off, feature-wise, this is one nifty gadget. The photo quality is pretty good, considering it's a CMOS sensor with VGA rez. The screen is crisp and vibrant, despite what you may think of a 4,096-color display--photos and video clips come out surprisingly clean. The fact that you can play videos and songs on a phone is also quite a coup, as well the contacts and e-mail/messaging features, even though data input can be a chore with the 3650's unusual keypad layout.
But here's the downside. At first, I wasn't sure if it was AT&T service in my area or my phone, but the reception is TERRIBLE. The two places I need my phone the most, at home and at work, is where I have the least reception. But, my fiance has AT&T as her work phone, and she has no problems at our house, so I can only assume it's the phone. Dropped and missed phone calls are the norm, as are lost messages and extremely late voicemails.
Pros-
-Nice color screen
-Integrated camera
-Video recording/playback
-In-depth contact information
-Java-enabled
-Symbian OS simple & easy to use
Cons-
-Incredibly poor reception
-Mediocre battery life (not bad, considering the screen & other features)
-Unusual keypad layout
So, like my title says, this is one nifty gadget. But you buy an item like this to use as a phone first, and cool toy, second. And unfortunately, despite how it excels in the "cool toy" category, it fails miserably in its primary purpose--to make phone calls!
48 Good Phone.. has its own quirks.. not the best ATT service
Have had this phone for about 4 months.. has been a great phone.
I am yet to try the bluetooth to the PC but it seems to work with other phones so I guess it should be easy to use with PC.Wish it had a louder ringtone and better battery life, though I am satisfied.
Images are pretty decent considering its a phone with camera, not camera with phone!!! The round keypad is a bit unusual but I hardly use it, the voice dial and other features are more than enough to make up.
....
Overall, I think it is a great phone. Ever Heard this before?
" Neighbors envy owner's pride"
49 GSM/GPRS not ready for prime time
the new AT&T GSM/GPRS (Next Generation Phone) network is not ready for primetime. I have many problems with the phone when I go from one tower to the next with dropped calls. With the standard digital not the new GRPS phones I never had this problem. plus its not the signal strength. I will go from 5 bars full to drop call to 5 bars full as I move from one tower to the next on the highway. (not cool) ... The other thing is there is no volume control for setting the volume of the Calendar Alarms. If you sync up outlook calendar with an alarm and you have the normal profile set .. the alarm notices come blaring out at 100% volume, no matter what your ring or speaker volume is set at !!
50 Great phone and more,
The PROs
- amazingly useful device that is far more than a phone
- the PDA features such as contacts, calendar, note pad,
calculator all work well.
- Great User Interface designed to work with one hand
- The camera is useful and fun. If you attach a photo to a contact,
then a thumbnail of the photo will appear when that person
calls, useful if you are in a meeting or driving an want to see
who is calling.
- PC Suite does good job of synchronizing. I have my laptop,
Jornada PDA, and 3650 all use the same set of contacts,
calendar, and tasks.
- 3Com BlueTooth adapter on laptop connects easily to the 3650,
and moves the large files rapidly.
- Battery life is better than I expected, given the large
color screen.
- The large screen allows for a lot of information and function.
Great for browseing mMode (on AT&T).The CONs
The version of PC Suite which comes with the phone has problems connecting to many BlueTooth adapters.
The solution is to download the latest (Version 3.0 18-Nov-2003) from the Nokia site.
Once I did this, and installed the 3Com Bluetooth USB adapter (download latest drivers from 3COM),
everything worked perfectly.
In summary, the 3650 is a great phone, and so much more.
51 A really great phone!!!
I have owned this phone since August and I think it is terrific. The reception is excellent and the features are abundant. With the bluetooth I am able to download all contacts from either my pocket pc (IPAQ 2215) or my computer. I can also download my pictures and videos to my pocket pc. All of these operations have gone very smoothly. I have also used it as a modem for my pocket pc but it is way too slow and uses way too much data transfer time.
The voice dialing eliminates any problems with the round keypad. I use it frequently and it has only once missed recognizing a name. You do not have to say the name perfectly either.
The phone is large but feels comfortable rather that bulky, and the large screen is great.
Overall I think the this phones features and ease of use are fantastic!
52 Size Does Matter
The phone gets good reception, yes. Yes, it takes very nice pictures. No, the keypad isn't a problem... it's the size. The phone is big. I'm not talking kinda big, I'm talking 1995 big. Remember those first cell phones where you had to carry a bag to take your phone with you? Here we are all over again. Forget the back pocket of your jeans, kids, time to make friends again with your back pack.I'm actually surprised this phone passed a test period. I don't know who would choose to carry such a bulky thing that wasn't also a PDA in itself. Nokia really needs to invest at least a little money in a viable design team.
The good news is if you're stuck with the phone, at least it works (which is more than I can say for the Sony Ericsson I had last).
53 Really like this phone!
I've been using my Nokia 3650 for about a month now using T-Mobile service, and I must say that I'm very pleased with both the phone AND the service. I come from a Sprint PCS background and switched to Nokia/T-Mobile to get an updated phone and different service. Boy do I wish I had made the switch sooner!Sure, the phone itself is on the large side, but the functionality and ease of use make up for that. The camera and video are fantastic, the contacts list is fabulous, and the t-zones internet can't be beat. Oh, and the phone works well too!
I don't mind the "old school" keypad - I don't find it difficult to use and after using my phone for a month I'm able to dial quickly (and correctly) 99% of the time. But doesn't everyone have a typo now and then?
As for T-Mobile, I get service in all the places Sprint PCS claimed to cover but could never supply. I even got service in a subway stop in NYC (although once I boarded the train the call got cut off, but NO ONE gets service ON a subway train).
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this phone.
54 I love the phone but there are a couple of things..........
I've been using the 3650 for about two months and am really enjoying it. The highlight of this phone is the size of the LCD - it's huge in comparison to other color phones. And battery life is excellent, even with the large LCD. The shape of the dial pad is not an issue as I adjusted very quickly. The photos are advertised as of a resolution good for email but I would rate it below that - but I didn't buy the phone for the camera. I have taken some "decent" pictures with it however which are easy to transfer (see below) to a pc. The 200+ page manual is a testament to its many features.Using Bluetooth for the first time can be a challenge and depending on what kind of adapter you have (I'm using a Belkin F8T001), it can be more or less challenging apparently. If you have other Bluetooth devices, it can be a small ordeal to eliminate conflicts via the single Com port that is established when the Bluetooth software is installed. The 3650 comes with a software package, PC Suite for Nokia 3650, which provides file/image transfer, Outlook Contact and Calendar synchronization, backup, etc.
As an example, I also have a Bluetooth-enabled iPAQ which uses ActiveSync to connect to my pc. Prior to pairing the iPAQ to ActiveSync for the first time via Bluetooth, the phone and the pc connected each time flawlessly and the PC Suite software worked fine. However, once I paired the iPAQ to ActiveSync the first time and performed that synchronization, I was unable to pair the phone to the pc. ActiveSync initialized and immediately started searching for the iPAQ even though the phone was initiating the request to connect to the pc (or vice versa), blocking the phone from connecting. Now I just disable all the Bluetooth settings in ActiveSync when I'm done with it and the phone will connect just fine again (I guess it's not too surprising that the Microsoft application wants to dominate...). It is entirely possible that ActiveSync is the only other software ap that causes this conflict - Nokia customer service had no records of other incidents besides ActiveSync. Now that I have the routine down, it's not an issue and was able to get rid of the lPAQ USB cradle and large cable that used to clutter up my desk (as well as causing some other problems with Outlook).
The Nokia versions of Outlook Contacts and Calendar have some limitations. If you use voice tags (voice activated dialing), you can have only 1 voice tag per contact record. So if you are used to using voice activation to call the same person at home, at work, or on a cell phone, and all those numbers are presently contained in the same contact record in your PC version of Outlook, you will have to break it into 3 separate contacts to create the 3 voice tags. With Calendar, none of the events set up with the "recurring" feature in Outlook will make the transition to the Nokia version of Calendar. These are software & memory limitation issues however, and hopefully Nokia will enhance (fix) them. Although a customer service agent told me that no further updates to hte PC Suite will be made for the 3650, I have to believe they are issues with the Symbian OS and not the phone.
Also, pay attention to ATT Wireless coverage areas. This is a GSM phone and if you get to far off the beaten path, service just quits. No roaming, no nothing.
55 A great phone and a great deal
Got this phone with t-mobile service and haven't regretted switching from ATT. Been disappointed before time and again with quirky billing and service issues of Sprint and ATT. T-mobile has not disappointed yet in three months. Service coverage is not that bad.. Works flawlessly when it's on. Speakerphone is great. Camera is awesome for the fact that it is a 'Phone'. I have given up on convergence and bought this phone as it has limited calendaring, extensive addressbook and all other features I care about in phone. The throwback dialpad is not that big a deal.. just takes some getting used to.
56 Great Phone, Little Big
i bought this phone couple of months back it's a real sleek phone, except it's little big to carry , may be because of it's bundled features like the built camera, bluetooth, modem and a large bright lcd screen.
It takes great photographs, easy to transfer to ur PC via infrared or bluetooth, no cables anymore. nice windows like interface for operations.
Talk time not that great. Ringer volume is less audible sometimes when u r outside , you won;t hear. other than that it's a terrific phone.
