| Nokia 3610 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 |
| Announced | 2002 |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 105 X 45 X 22 Mm, 79 Cc |
| Weight | 92 G |
| Display |
| Type | Backlit Full Graphics |
| Size | 96 X 65 Pixels, 5 Lines |
| | - Dynamic Font Size
- Softkey
- Animated Screensavers
- Welcome Message |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Monophonic |
| Customization | |
| Vibration | Yes |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 200 |
| Call Records | 20 Dialed, 10 Received, 10 Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - Editable Message Templates
|
| Data |
| Gprs | No |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Infrared Port | No |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Ems |
| Browser | Wap 1.1 |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Games | 6 - Dance 2 Music, Link5, Magic Draw, Space Impact, Snake Ii, Bumper |
| Colors | Ttranslucent Xpress-on Covers |
| Languages | Country Dependant |
| Camera | No |
| | - Downloadable Game Packs Via Wap
- T9
- Smart Messaging
- Calculator
- Stopwatch
- Rhythmic Backlight Alert
- Picture Editor
- Picture Messaging |
| Battery |
| | Standard, Li-ion 830 Mah (blb-2) |
| Stand-by | Up To 170 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 3 H 50 Min |
|
Nokia - 3610Refreshingly new look with the Nokia 3610
Major features
New translucent Xpress-on casing design with white backlights
High-resolution LCD screen
WAP over CSD, with Push Inbox support
Melody composer & picture editor
Animated and static screen savers
Internal phonebook
Chinese Lunar calendar feature
Concatenated (long) SMS, picture messaging and chat support
Rhythmic backlight alert
Automatic keyguard feature
Problems/Issues?
Issues with messaging
Backlight illumination excessively bright
Sales package (should contain):
1 x Nokia 3610 handset
1 x Li-ion battery @ 750 mah (BLB-2)
1 x standard charger (ACP-7 type)
1 x Nokia 3610 user manual
Overview
“Choice” is what Nokia phones are all about, considering the number of different models that the company has released in the past few months. The 3000-series has just received another new member - the 3610, which comes with a list of improvements on both inside and outside. Are they worth considering? For sure! :)
New/outstanding features
So what’s good and bad about this model? On the outside, the 3610 has been given a new translucent Xpress-on cover design. The 3610 is also the first phone in its series to be given a white backlight and to use the BLB-2 battery (previous 3000-series phones use the BLC-series batteries, which are slightly larger in width). Feature-wise, the phone is given a similar feature set as the 3350 but with improved support for screen savers.
Physical aspects
“Refreshing look” would definitely be the best way to put the 3610. The translucent covers, which come protected with clear stickers on both front and back covers, definitely give this phone a new feel. Removing the Xpress-on covers are easier than ever - by simply pushing down on the respective tab at the top of the phone and lifting the cover off from its sides. The set of white backlights illuminate both the screen and keypad areas - providing more-than-sufficient lighting through the front cover.
By using the smaller BLB-2 type lithium battery (which allows the phone to be narrower), this allows the reduction in both the phone’s length and width - being similar to those on an 8310. Thickness of the phone is retained at around 21mm - similar to its other 3000-series predecessors. Don’t mind the thickness though - as the phone was actually quite nice to hold in the hand.
User Interface (UI)
A reduction in the phone’s size means other things must come down in size as well. The screen size may have shrunk down, but the actual resolution of the screen has become finer - which means a user will get the same amount of information on the screen as on previous 3000-series phones. Menus and usability are similar to the 3350, which means the use of two soft keys and answer/reject buttons (no more Navi-key).
The keys on the numeric keypad are quite closely spaced on a vertical axis, but sufficient gap space is provided horizontally (around 2mm). Does this make it difficult to type? Not really, because each key on the numeric keypad is designed with a slant allowing your thumbs to correctly identify each key without any sort of ambiguity. Smart :)
Making and receiving calls
One possible reason for ridding the Navi-key interface could be the difficulty in managing in-call features - such as hold and mute. While the left soft key allows a list of options to be brought up during calls, the other provides frequently-used functions relevant for the current call scenario (for example, “HOLD” is displayed during one call, “SWAP” when two calls are being managed, and “UNMUTE” after a call is muted by the user).
The standard headset and power socket interface (at the base of the phone) allows for the use of Nokia headsets, car kit and Music Player accessories.
Messaging
The 3610 offers several messaging options - standard SMS messages with the possibility of writing up to 459 characters (nearly the length of three standard messages), picture messages offering more than just words, and an ICQ-like messaging interface called “SMS Chat”.
In addition, the 3610 is the first phone in the world to offer Hindi input - which should make a lot of people in India happy as they will now be able to use their own language for messages instead of English (phones with Hindi input ability may only be available for the India market only).
Battery life
The BLB-2 battery provided with the sales package gave the 3610 an average on-time of around 2-3 days after several charges. I found the phone did slightly less than other 3000-series phones, such as the 3315 and 3350 - which is due to the lower capacity of the BLB-2 batteries (750 mAh versus 825-950 mAh). Talk time was around two hours maximum in total.
Major features...
Size comparisons:
Nokia 3610 (left)
Nokia 8910 (right)
New translucent Xpress-on casing design with white backlights
A move away from the standard 3000-series footprint, the 3610 comes in a slightly smaller design and the use of translucent covers - allowing the white backlights to give off its full effect. This new design raises the bar in what we could expect for future models to come in this series.
High-resolution LCD screen
The 3610 has been given a slightly smaller, but higher resolution, LCD screen which can display similar amounts of text and graphics as other 3000-series phones with the default screen sizes.
WAP over CSD, with Push Inbox support
Internet access over the built-in WAP browser allows a user to connect to WML pages and access other Nokia-related services, including the downloading of different levels for games available on the 3610.
Melody composer & picture editor
The melody composer and picture editor features provides the ability to create new or edit existing ringtones and pictures, which may then be sent to other people with compatible Nokia phones as an SMS transmission.
Animated and static screen savers
A list of animated and still (static) screen savers can be activated to be used after the phone has been idle for a pre-defined period. New three-dimensional animated screen savers, with user-definable options, are available as standard (built-in). Picture messages received can be used, as well as ones downloaded via the WAP browser from either Club Nokia or another compatible service.
Internal phonebook
The 3610 comes with a 150-entry phonebook, giving users additional space on top of the available SIM card memory.
Chinese Lunar calendar feature
A Lunar calendar feature is available on the 3610 under the “Clock” menu. Users will be able to look up the specific Lunar date according to the provided Gregorian date. This will require the phone to have either Simplified or Traditional Chinese languages built-in and selected as the current language to work.
Concatenated (long) SMS, picture messaging and chat support
The 3610 provides a list of messaging features - including long SMS messaging, picture messaging and the SMS Chat feature.
Rhythmic backlight alert
The white backlight on the 3610 can be set to “blink” along with the current ring or message tone chosen, which gives that added effect when a call or message does come through.
Automatic keyguard feature
Pressing “menu-star” isn’t the only way to lock the 3610’s keypad. By activating the automatic keyguard from the SETTINGS menu (under “Keylock settings”), you can pre-define the inactivity period as to when the phone should lock its own keypad.
Problems/Issues?
Issues with messaging
The problem that I have with this phone, and other Nokia models that I have expressed the same concern about, is the lack of speed or responsiveness to keypresses during standard messaging. Many may share the same concerns, where the problem becomes more irritating as the message being typed becomes longer.
Backlight illumination excessively bright
The 3610 I reviewed came with the white cover, which complemented the phone’s white backlights very well. But one thing which I found irritating was using the phone in a dark environment, where the backlights around the keypad area became too much for my eyes to bear (for those who have used the 8250 before, you will know what I mean!)
In Summary
I was pretty happy with the 3610, especially when I compare it with previous models in the same range. Although this phone was developed especially for the Asia-Pacific region, the 3610, it should have no problem making its mark in any market it gets sold in. This phone is an example of things to come, with the likes of the upcoming 7210 and 6610 models… who knows? :) |
| Common misspellings on this brand: mnokia |
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