Solid, Functional Phone For Regular Use
Written: Mar 08 '04
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Pros: Incredibly solid build. Easy interface. Good features for price.
Cons: Bulky. The con that can't be overcome. Cheesy ringtones.
The Bottom Line: I recommend against getting the phone ONLY because it's too bulky. Otherwise, it's fantastic. Unreal battery life.
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| nolabar10der's Full Review: Nokia 6340i |
I recently picked up the 6340i after switching service providers, from Sprint to Cingular.
A quick word about the transfer of my service and phone number: It was a NIGHTMARE of incompetent 'service' staff and human input computer glitches. As a result, it took me nearly three weeks from the date of order to receive the phone, and a solid two days to get it in working order once I did.
However, this review is for the phone, not the service. I just wanted to issue that little caveat.
OK: The 6340i is clearly a phone for the basic user, which I am. It has all of the features that a typical user may want, including a huge, alphabetized phone book, wireless internet, voice dialing, one-touch dialing, alarms and calculators, and games. I particularly enjoy the 'Pass n Rush' game. I was sitting on a streetcar going across town in New Orleans...and the game came down to the final seconds. I schtoinked a field goal to win, and caught myself piercing the silcent by yelling something like, "who's your daddy!!??" at the handset. People laughed at me, but I didn't care. I love football.
Anyway, I cannot imagine wanting any more features packed into a 'budget' phone. I mean, honestly, how much do you need? It's like that commercial depicting the couple at a restaurant, and the guy's cell phone is equipped with a parmesan cheese grater, silverware, and a host of other extraneous garbage. They made a great point. The Nokia's interface is stupid-easy to navigate, and it is equipped only with what you need. Even that is probably too much for the average hey-honey-it's-me user.
However, I will be upgrading to one of Cingular's better phone options. This phone was bundled with the plan, and for that price, I figured that I could give it a shot, and sell it on eBay if I absolutely could not live with it.
Well, I can't live with it. Why? It's too large, and too heavy. It's not that it's a moose of a phone. It's smartly and neatly designed, with good lines and none of those obnoxious colors or lights you see on a lot of budget Nokia phones. For a woman who carries a purse, or for the fashion-challenged who feel it is necessary to clip it to their belts, this is a fine model.
It's also worth mentioning that a pleasant side effect of the weight is the overall feeling of the phone having been built like a tank. It really is quite solid. Nothing rattles, feels flimsy, or inspires fear of breakage. In that regard I would definitely recommend this phone for your kids or that special someone who is always breaking things (that would be me).
All of that notwithstanding, if I can notice that I'm carrying the phone, I don't want it. I don't want to turn anyone off from the Nokia by implying that it's some brick weighing down one side of your slacks. I happen to be accustomed to obnoxiously tiny phones that I forget that I'm carrying. Which is the point. If I am constantly aware that there is extra weight in my pockets, I'm more apt to leave it home for short trips to the store, etc. And that defeats the point of having a cell phone to begin with.
The good thing about the whole tri-band bit is that this phone will not be useless as more and more companies morph their services into this new band (can't recall the name of it). Frankly, that's all I know about the internal operations of the Nokia. That, and I have read that the phone will work anywhere in the world, albeit at a hefty roaming charge. However, roaming charges are the least of your worries when you're stranded in Oaxaca, Mexico with about $4 American dollars and a warm can of beer. I would have killed to have this phone, then.
At any rate, if you have to have a small phone, I suggest that you accept this one from Cingular, pop it on eBay (they are currently selling for about $50-60), and apply the money towards one of the sexier, more expensive models that neatly slip into that change portion in your right pocket. I don't mind paying $200 for a phone if it weighs as much as the bills I pay for it with.
One last thing: The ringtones are horrible. I want something in between a discreet beep and a DEFCON 1 alarm blast that makes babies cry when they hear it.
Recommended:
No
Recommended for: Adventurous Technophiles - Tough and Durable
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Epinions.com ID:
nolabar10der
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Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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