| |
News |
| |
Portable Devices |
| |
All reviews |
| |
Handhelds |
| |
Storage |
| |
Internet services |
| |
Software |
| |
Audio & video |
| |
Digital cameras |
| |
Camcorders |
| |
Notebooks |
| |
Peripherals |
|
|
Add to favorite
|
|
Edit this article
|
|
Delete this article
|
|
Mail this article
|
|
Printable version
|
|
Discuss this article
|
|
Home  Handhelds Cell phones |
|
Nokia 3650
|
|
Last update: 11-29-2003 |
Submitted by
Kenny Ngo |
|
|
|
|
It's been a little while since Nokia delivered a groundbreaking mobile to the U.S. market. The company finally has another one with the 3650, which features a built-in camera that captures not only low-resolution still shots but also video clips. Additionally, it's equipped with Bluetooth, a built-in speakerphone, and an expansion slot for adding memory cards. And while the 3650 certainly isn't inexpensive, its sub-$400 price tag is competitive for a leading-edge phone. That said, it faces stiff competition from other multifaceted, high-end models such as Sony Ericsson's P800, which sports many of the same features in an arguably sleeker package.
At first glance, with its circular keypad and large, 4,096-color, 10-line display, the 3650 looks more like a portable handheld TV than a phone. Its unique design comes at a price: girth. Measuring 5.1 by 2.2 by 1.0 inches thick and weighing 4.59 ounces, the 3650 is too big for pockets. But while it's slightly larger than Sony Ericsson's P800, the 3650 weighs an ounce less.
Ring around the keypad: It's a whole new dialing game with the numbers placed in a circle. | 
Big on size and features: The unique design is too bulky for most pockets. |
The real showstopper is the phone's ability to take pictures and capture short videos. On the back of the 3650 is a VGA 3.5mm lens. There's no built-in flash, as there is with Sanyo's SCP-5300, but we didn't miss it. Like many of today's camera phones, the 3650 has a screen that does double duty as the viewfinder. To take pictures, you launch the camera application and press the four-way rocker key, which serves as a shutter-release button. You can also snap shots using the phone's internal menus. Storage isn't an issue with the 3650; you can keep images on the phone's 3.4MB of onboard memory or the included 16MB MultiMediaCard stored underneath the battery. Naturally, you can add a higher-capacity card.
On the side of the phone, you'll find an IR port, and on the top--in classic Nokia fashion--lives the on/off button. When Bluetooth is activated, a black dot appears at the top of the display. The bottom of the 3650 has jacks for a power plug and a headset. Unfortunately, there are no volume-control buttons on the side, which means you'll need to remove the phone from your ear in the middle of a conversation to adjust the sound level or activate the speakerphone function.
Aside from the 3650's large display, which is on a par with that of the Sony Ericsson T68i and P800 but not as crisp as the Samsung SPH-A500's, the circular, backlit keypad is a real eye-catcher. Unlike any other keypad we've seen on a phone to date, this one has the numbers placed in a spherical pattern, like an old-style dialer. It takes a little getting used to, but we adapted fairly quickly. All the other buttons are fairly standard, though a blue elliptical graphic adorns the dedicated menu button.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
