The Nokia 3220 is an entry level phone loaded with exceptional features. Released last year, the phone was “buried” amidst the high end phones Nokia introduced in the market. Reviewing a phone that was released last year for Technews seems odd at first but seeing the improvements in the 3220 made me realize that there are lots of new features in this phone. The 3220 also shows that good phones need not be expensive and that entry level phones do not have to contain entry level features.
The 3220 is a tri-band GSM phone that measures 105mm x 44mm x 19mm and weighs 86 grams. It sports translucent rubber grips that bulge out at the sides. The rubber grips make the phone comfortable to hold; and the said grips contain colored LEDs (light emitting diodes) that light up when a call or message is received. The lights blink in sync with the beat of ring tones.
The 3220 is currently the only phone in the world that allows users to send mid-air text messages called “light messaging”. By waving the unit from side to side, the Xpress-on Fun Shell lights up to write messages that appear to float in mid-air. This has become possible because of the special arrangement of LEDs on the back of the Xpress-on cover. When the phone is waved in the air, a motion sensor in the phone makes the lights blink in a sequence that spells out specific letters. An optical illusion turns the sequence of letters into a message that appears to hang in the air.
This function is very useful in dimly lit bars and concert halls and it allows you to talk to your friends across a crowded room. It never failed to amaze other people when I showed them this feature.
The Xpress-on cover is sold separately and it only takes a few clicks of a button to install the wave messaging application. I did it in less than two minutes with the help of Luanne Erni, of Nokia Philippines.
Another new feature of the 3220 is its ability to be used as a kind of joystick for its featured games. The 3220 has a device built-in that can determine how you are moving or turning the phone and, with that information, can interact with supported "motion" games in the phone. Two such games, Swamp Racer and Air Express, can be downloaded and, like the wave messaging application, all it takes to download are a few clicks. Other games in the 3220 include Nature Park, Water Rapids, Adventure Race, Phantom Spider, Club Pinball and Dance Delight.
The phone also features a flash message capability. Like other phones, the 3220 can send text messages (SMS) and multi-media messages (MMS). But unlike other phones, the 3220 can send a Flash Message. The person to whom you send your message does not need to press any button or open his inbox to read incoming messages. Your message is instantly flashed on the screen until it is read. Although Flash messages can be sent by computer or thru operator support, this is the first time a flash message feature is integrated into a phone.
Additional features are a VGA camera with video recording; a 65k color display; Java support; EDGE high-speed data technology; and a speakerphone.
In the course of writing this review, I have persuaded friends to whom I had shown the functions and extra features of this phone to switch from their present non-Nokia phone to the 3220. Some of my friends, and a lot of phone users, spend a fortune to own a phone with high-end features that they rarely use. The 3220 is an affordable phone with features that consumers will find useful and fun.
Technews recommends this phone for people with basic needs and high-end fun requirements.
Features of the Nokia 3220:
• Integrated VGA camera (640 x 480 pixels)
• Colour screen (65k colours, 128 x 128 pixels)
• Xpress-on™ grips
• Downloadable themes: wallpaper, screensaver, and ringing tone, animated MMS
• Cut-out covers
• MIDI polyphonic ring tones with synchronized lights
• Integrated hands-free speaker
• Java™ games
• Multi-media Messaging (MMS)
• E-mail
• Instant messaging
• XHTML browser
• Pop-port™ connector
• Tri-band
• Size: 105 x 44 x 19 mm
• Weight: 86g
• Battery standby time: up to 15 days
• Talk time: up to 3.5 hours
