Not as stunning as the popular 8210, but absolutely worth your while.
We were slightly unfortunate with the first 8310 Nokia gave us for
testing. After having activated the GPRS settings, the handset went
bananas and started turning itself on and off and on and off endlessly –
all of a sudden the screen went dead, three seconds after it was activated
and three seconds after that it was dead again. I tried turning it off
completely and restarting it, but in the end, we had to get a replacement
phone from Nokia.
New handsets, box-fresh from the factory are known to have a bug or two,
of which this first handset was a prime example. The second one, however,
was in tip top shape and made a good impression.
Ease of use
Nokia menus are known for being user friendly, and this one is no
exception. However, we had to struggle to set it up to WAP.
The extraordinarily over-hyped portal Djuice.com that is supposed to give
Telenor subscribers all necessary set-up information was dead, drowned or
down and has been for more than a week. The Norwegian operator is known to
have spent close to one billion NOK (about USD 100 million) in its effort
to make Djuice.com a household name. What is the use of branding, when the
product does not work?, we ask, perhaps naïvely, at WAP.com
Finally, the IP-address and dial-up number are found on a different
Telenor site. Unfortunately, Djuice is main Telenor service to offer WAP
set-up via SMS and the current condition of the portal forced us to go
through the horrors of a manual set-up. There are other ways of arranging
an SMS set-up from the operator, but djuice is the one ordinary end-users
are made aware of, and this test is for ordinary end-users.
Nokia may have a friendly interface when it comes to the non-browsing
services like games, SMS, radio, calendar and so on. But the manual set-up
was not easy on this phone. After you have submitted the IP address you
are asked to press the button for the symbols *+. Sometimes an ordinary
dot appeared after the IP, which made the IP incorrect, and another time
the * appeared. Why we are even asked to press this button “… for a
period,..” is very puzzling indeed.
I got through the set-up in the end, but let’s take the time for a word
of caution, manufacturers and operators around the world. Your average
user would never even bother going through this process, which is why very
few WAP- phone owners actually use it for browsing.
On the other hand, it is difficult to put all the blame on Nokia for this
one, and to sum it all up: Nokia’s menus on the whole are user-friendly
as always.
Design/style
Unfortunately, the 8310 does not look solid. The plastic chassis is very
thin, which is good for the weight, but makes the phone appear fragile.
The 8210 was a designer treat with universal appeal. After WAP.com saw a
member of a European branch of Hells Angels carrying around a tiny red
8210, we understood that its moment as a luxury handset had passed.
Nevertheless, the 8210 gives a more overall symmetrical impression. The
8310 is a bit too shiny and the two-coloured cover can be exchanged for
other colourful versions. The upper part, with the screen, is broader than
the lower part and this is not an attractive design The result is a
somewhat asymmetrical handset that looks like a small toy. It is small and
light and definitely not ugly, but it looks like the design favourite
Nokia has made a couple of minor mistakes that have resulted in a (not so)
good-looking phone.
Vital statistics
Weight: 84 g
Dimensions: 9.7x4.3x1.7cm
Screen size: 84 x 48 pixels
Phonebook: up to 500 names with 3 numbers and 1 text.
Calendar notes: 100 - 250 notes, depending on the length of the notes
To-do list: up to 30 notes
Predictive text input for over 10 languages.
Picture messaging for sending graphics with text to other compatible
phones
Speed dialling with up to 9 names
Voice dialling with 10 voice tags
Dual band: GSM 900/1800
Three-dimensional design concept - multicolour mix'n'match colour covers
Integrated FM radio
WAP version 1.2.1 over GSM Data, HSCSD and GPRS.
Voice command for up to five features
Voice recording of up to 3 minutes
Talk time: 2 h 15 min – 4 h
Standby with radio on: up to 8 h
Stand by: 100-350 h
WAP browsing
The display really is small if you are hooked on reading the news on the
wireless Web. On the other hand, the blue back-light makes the font look
crisp and bright. Graphics are fine and you can easily drop by Picofun’s
site for a game of Lifestylers or On the green. WAP browsing worked fine
on the small display with blue back- light and GPRS makes surfing faster.
When entering a large site you get to choose whether you want to have the
pictures displayed or not. This is very useful if you are looking to cut
back on the scrolling and get down to the text itself. The 8310 also
offers high-speed options for those in a hurry, but then again, you’ll
have to be very organised and together, maybe have a degree in
engineering, to pull it off. When you do get it right, it works fine.
WAP related features
A good calendar, many contacts and voice features make this a good choice
for the busy bee who has two dates a week, long hours at work and a huge
circle of friends. 8310 is small enough to always keep it within an
arm’s length and big enough for a busy life. It lies steady in your hand
but if you have large hands or high-maintenance nails, you may find
activating the wrong keys on the small display is easy. But the keys are
covered with some sort of rubber that makes the key-tapping quite pleasant
considering the size of the phone. SMS and T9 are a good pair in any
phone.
Still, the most impressive features of the 8310 is the integrated FM radio
and its battery time. The radio works perfectly, requires no setting-up,
just plug-in the headset, press a few buttons and you’re on. Volume
buttons are conveniently placed on the side and the headset with a
fastening clip is handy. WAP.com tested the handset for 24 hours, and
during that time the radio had been active for 2.5 hours, 4 SMS were sent
and 25 minutes spent talking on the phone and the battery showed no sign
of power loss at all. Unfortunately, batteries are always best when they
are brand new.
Overall
The small size, beautifully intuitive FM radio and plenty of room for
contacts make 8310 a phone worth owning. However, it is not a phone for
the eager WAP user (if you are still around?), and it does not look as
exclusive as the 8210 once did.
