Nokia 8390 = updated 8290
Written: Aug 29 '03
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Pros: great Nokia UI, tiny size, nice design, internal antenna
Cons: poor durability, not a world phone
The Bottom Line: If you need a simple GSM phone for the US,
perhaps as a spare, the 8390 will do the trick nicely.
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| bdwelle's Full Review: Nokia 8390 Cell Phone |
The 8390 is an update of the now-venerable 81/82/83/8890 line. It's essentially
the same as the 8290, with the addition of a few updated features such as GPRS. If you need
a simple GSM phone for the US, perhaps as a spare, the 8390 will do the trick nicely.
DESIGN
+ Typical small candy-bar size, and nice, simple, functional Nokia design.
+ Internal antenna means no protruding parts.
+ Buttons: better feel and easier to use than the 8290
+ Backlight: a bit brighter than 8290
- Durability. The overall build quality and resulting durability of the phone is not nearly
as good as it should be. I've had at least three Nokia's on the 8x90 chassis; the screen went
south on two of them, the speaker failed on one, and the microphone failed on my 8390.
I'm hoping that the new chassis on which the 6610 is built is more durable.
USER INTERFACE / OPERATING SYSTEM
+ Nokia's UI/OS beats all the others that I've tried hands-down. It's very intuitive, easy to use, and consistent across all Nokia phones.
~ Display: The old school black and white display works perfectly fine. Sure, color is nice, but certainly not necessary.
FEATURES
+ Infrared. You can sync contacts to your PC and swap "business cards" from phone to phone via the IR port. Very handy!
+ Voice dialing. You can record voice tags for up to eight numbers. Very simple process, and
it actually works. Keep in mind that it's not actually understanding the name as you say it,
it's simply matching what you say to the list of "voice tags" that you've previously recorded.
+ T9 Predictive text input. I'm sometimes amazed
at how well the system works; it can somehow predict the spelling of my [rather unusual] first and last names.
+ two-way SMS/email. You can receive and send both SMS and email messages from the 8390. The
difference is that SMS goes directly via the GSM network to/from other GSM phones, while of
course email is, well, email. You really can send email to any internet email address
-- just put the address at the start of your message, and then send to the number "121".
Note that incoming emails are
broken up into 120-character messages and in some cases cut off, and so you aren't going to
want to receive lengthy emails on the phone.
+ Calendar. Since the IR port lets me sync the phone to my PC calendar, I've ditched my Palm,
and now just have my calendar in my phone. Very intuitive interface, somewhat limited
display (it only carries over the subject field of your appointments, not location and notes
fields, for example), and you can even add in new appointments on the phone keypad. Very
useful. The calendar holds up to 50 appointments at any one time.
+ Data call capability. Again, since the IR port lets you connect to a PC, you can use the
phone to make modem data calls, from anywhere.
+ SIM card. All GSM phones use a SIM card to store your carrier, phone number, preferences and
address book data. The 8390 can store 250 numbers on the SIM and another 250 on the phone
itself. You can take the SIM out and stick it into another GSM phone, and you'll have your
phone number, and your entire address book intact.
What's NOT stored on the SIM? Although your phone numbers are stored on the SIM, voice tags
and custom ringtones are not, for example.
+ GPRS -- useful, I suppose, if you use it. I don't.
+ Voice Recorder. You can record short voice memos to yourself, and even record cell phone conversations!
+ Vibrating Alert.
+ Profiles. The profiles feature makes it easy to set up different ringtones for different
situations, e.g. outside, standard, meeting, headset, silent, etc.
+ Self-adjusting alarm clock. Set the alarm, turn the phone off, and it will wake up at the
desired time, and then nicely ask whether you want it to turn itself on for calls... The clock
on the phone adjusts itself via the GSM network.
+ Games. I'm not much for games, but once in a while I play Snake while waiting for baggage to
come through...
+ Calculator. useful. The calculator also has a currency converter function, although it's a
little hidden. Open up the calculator, and hit Options, then scroll down to Exchange rate. Hit
OK, and then you can put in the exchange rate btw your "home" and "foreign" units. Once you've
done this, you can put a number into the calculator, and then hit Options, scroll down to "In
home currency" or "In foreign currency", and it will make the conversion. Although I suppose
this could be useful, it's usefulness is limited by the fact that the 8290 is not a world
phone. You could use it in Canada, I guess.
+ You can store email addresses in the phone book.
- old-skool ring tones. You'll have to get a newer phone for polyphonic tones.
SOFTWARE & URLS
+ Nokia 8390 phone page: http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/8390/1,1162,,00.html
RECEPTION / COVERAGE / BATTERY
Reception/sound quality is excellent.
Battery life is excellent. No complaints here, and it takes a charge very quickly.
PRICE
I paid about $150 for a used 8390 on eBay. They should be even less now, with all the new
color/polyphonic/picture phones coming out.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150
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Epinions.com ID:
bdwelle
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Member: Bowen Dwelle
Location: san francisco, ca
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 1 member
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