Nokia 3390 Phone (T-Mobile)

• Changeable faceplate
• Voice-activated dialing
• Picture messaging
• Up to 160 minutes' digital talk time and 7.5 days' digital standby time
• Includes NiMH battery, charger, and hands-free headset

Here's the tale of the tape: the 3390 measures 4.4 by 1.9 by 0.8 inches, and it weighs 4 ounces. This means the phone is slightly longer than a business card and weighs the same as today's ultracompact phones. It also has an internal antenna--which people either love or hate--though we never had trouble with call reception. To us, everything about this phone is executed correctly; the keypad is well-spaced, it has salient features (even though it can't access the Internet wirelessly), and it's inconspicuous while in use.

Three buttons handle most of the menu navigation: a central oval-shaped key activates the main menu and lets you select options as they appear; the roller-bar navigation key scrolls through menu options; and the "C" (clear) button jumps back a step and erases text-entry mistakes.

Menu choices are: Phone Book, Messages (SMS and voice-mail alerts), Call Log, Profiles (so you can choose how your phone behaves in different environments), Settings (for calls, phone, and security), Forwarding, Games, Calculator, Calendar, Composer (for DIY ring tones), and Keyguard Lock. With the backlit, five-line display (three lines of text, two lines of icons and indicators), we found it easy to navigate through menus and make selections. And here's a definite design improvement on the 8260: the 3390's power button, located on top of the phone, is raised a bit so it's easier to use (and find).

Like other phones, the 3390 has a full roster of call and messaging features. If offered by your service plan, it supports caller ID, call waiting, SMS, voice mail, numeric paging, multiparty calling, and e-mail. Call logs maintain the last 10 dialed numbers, 10 most recently received calls, and 10 missed calls. PIM functions include a clock, currency converter, calculator, calendar with room for 50 appointments and reminders, and a 250-entry phonebook.

But, as we said, the 3390 offers a couple of new features (at least for Nokia phones). We stored eight different voice-activated dialing numbers (a simple process), and logged on to VoiceStream Wireless's site from our PC so we could download additional ring tones. The 3390 also has eight preset images you can e-mail to your friends--but in order to take advantage of it both people need to have a 3390 that supports picture messaging. You can also download additional images from VoiceStream Wireless's site, provided your service plan supports this action.

The front and back faceplates are separate, so you can have a two-tone phone if you desire. It was a minor challenge to remove the faceplate on the first try, but it was worth the effort. And while the phone's included games weren't enough to take us away from PlayStation 2, we enjoyed Space Impact (sort of Defender meets Space Invaders), one of the 3390's four new games. It also features Snake II, Bantumi, and Pairs I.

The 3390 offers five basic security features: an initial phone lock, keypad lock, SIM card lock, call-restriction modes, fixed dialing (allows you to store secret numbers on the SIM card), and the ability to change access codes at any time.

The NiMH battery is rated for up to 160 minutes of digital talk time and 7.5 days of digital standby time. In our tests, we got the phone to hold a call for just about three hours, and it lasted for a full seven days in standby mode.

We highly recommend the 3390, and we don't want to give our sample phone back. It looks different from the rest of the herd and has the features we want and need on a daily basis--all for under $100.

--Arno Kazarian

Pros:

• Innovative design
• Picture messaging and voice-activated dialing
• Competitively priced
• Changeable front and back faceplates
• Streamlined menu navigation
• Space Impact game

Cons:

• No Web browser capability
• Removing faceplate is tricky