Nokia 3650 GSM Phone from
AT&T Wireless

Name and contact information: Nokia 3650 GSM Tri Band Telephone.

 AT&T Wirelessdomestic and international cell phone service featuring the Nokia 3650

Overall impression:  Having a GSM phone and phone number able to make and receive phone calls in the U.S. and abroad (France in our case) facilitates communications for the business and leisure traveler seamlessly. Unless we said something, our business and personal callers did not know we were out of town or out of the country! Phone owners should familiarize themselves with roaming rates to avoid any unpleasant surprises.

Being able to connect to the Internet while in the U.S. was a bonus. The phone operated as an infrared modem for the computer and provided reasonable transfer speeds. We were unable to connect to the Internet while in France. Although this service was listed on the website for France, the partner in Paris did not offer GPRS service.

It was expensive for locals to reach us since they had to dial a U.S. number even if we were only a block away. By default, the AT&T Wireless version of the Nokia 3650 comes locked and is not able to accept local GSM service. You will need to contact AT&T customer service to discuss unlocking the phone if you want to exchange services while traveling.  

The reception was excellent in most areas and the connection to the U.S. was equal to the cell reception we enjoy at home. The connection to the U.S. did not suffer any delays or interference from the distance. Sometimes  there was an echo on the line during phone calls within parts of Paris, but this appeared to be caused by the roaming partner.

This telephone has some nifty features that we dabbled with but did not make extensive use of because our time was limited. The photo feature took a reasonable picture, and the phone has the capability to associate the photo with a caller, so their picture appears on the phone when they call, or when you call them.

Technology: GSM 900/1800/1900. GPRS, Java, Bluetooth, IR, Mobile video, instant messaging, Series 60 operating software.

Battery:  Lithium compact wall charger Talk time: 240 minutes  Stand by 200 hours

Service: U.S. connectivity provided by AT&T. French connectivity provided by the Bouygues Telecom

Manufacturer/distributor: Nokia

Type of product: GSM Tri-band cellular phone

List price: $299

Release date: February 2003

Size: It measures 5.1 by 2.2 by 1.0 inches thick

Weight: 4.6 ounces

Features: Built-in camera/video recorder; works on GPRS networks (Internet data); voice-activated dialing ; IR port; Bluetooth; operates as a world phone; large, color display; includes 16MB MultiMediaCard. 4,096-color, 10-line display. The camera is on the back of the phone which features a VGA 3.5mm lens. Internal antenna.

Caller ID, conference calling, voicemail, text messaging, alarm, a phone book (store names and numbers on the SIM and MultiMediaCards), a calendar, a calculator, a to-do list, a currency converter, and wireless Web access for WAP and XHTML sites. Voice-activated dialing for up to 25 numbers; as a built-in speakerphone and voice recorder.

It may be customized by running the Symbian 6.1 OS and supporting J2ME applications.. It is possible to download applications, games, screensavers, and polyphonic ring tones. Options include reordering the phone's menu system where you may  select between a list-type and a PDA-like graphical user interface. The Nokia 3650 is compatible with SMS, MMS, SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 e-mail formats. It is possible to connect with your desktop PIMs via IR or Bluetooth. To do that it would be useful to download the free software from the Nokia website. We downloaded a few games and they were sort of interesting for entertainment while stuck waiting someplace.

Other: Phone book can accommodate 500 names; games installed include: Log Jam, Goldminer, NuSpace, Photobase, Active Toons, FotoFit. One year warranty.

Number of days tested: 40

Countries tested: U.S. and France

Date of review: January 2004

Would you use this product again? Yes