Nokia 6360
Average Ratings
Nokia 6360
I have been carrying Nokia's 6360 for about 6 months now. Before that I used a 6162, the best TDMA phone I've ever used in terms of network performance.
It was a difficult decision to switch, especially after the less-than-satisfactory experience I had had with earlier internal-antenna models from Nokia (8860, 8260), but the wealth of features brought me to make the change. The opinions I have below are in comparison mostly therefore to the 6162 model.
Key Pros:
-Phonebook. This is exceptional, allowing up to 500 names with multiple data listings per name, synchronization with MS Outlook, and backup via free software from Nokia. Also, since I have over 300 entries, the newly enhanced name-search makes it much easier to sort through quickly.
-Battery life. While I never get the >5 hours Nokia purports it to be capable of, I consistently get 3-4 hours of life which is more than I've ever experienced with a phone and its standard battery.
-Profiles/Caller Groups. This feature (which was present on the 6162) is one that I cannot imagine living without. The ability to set my phone, which is used throughout the day for work, to only accept calls from people identified in the phonebook as "friends" or "family" members is, in a word, awesome.
-Display. Much larger, more readable, and a little brighter than the older models, this is a definite boon.
-Other. The calendar is enhanced, games are enjoyable, and the phone is much lighter/thinner than the old model. Internal antenna can't break off.
Key Cons:
-Power button is extremely difficult to depress.
-There is no way to lock your phone to prevent others from accessing the phone book or using the phone if it is lost or stolen.
-Calendar is not particularly user-friendly. A text-driven event search would be great.
Overall, the phone has performed exceptionally, with performance on my provider's network nearly identical to the 6160 benchmark. I highly recommend it.
More trouble than I'd have liked for the $$$
I have had this phone for a year and 3 months now. While it has some GREAT features - the address book capacity and ease of use for example - I have had more troubles with this phone than I'd like considering how expensive this phone was (still is).
The biggest complaint I've had to date is re: sound quality & reception.
Often, I can't hear the person at the other end well and must turn the volume all the way up (with & without a head set).
At other times the person at the other end is so loud that I have to turn the volume all the way down to one bar.
Worse still is that often I can't hear the person at the other end whatsoever, but they can hear me just fine. This occurs at least once during *every* phone call I make. Very frustrating! To rectify this problem, I either have to hang up and re-dial or I have to wait for the call to drop so that AT&T doesnât get more $$ for a new connection.
Reception is not always great inside of buildings, but this has varied widely depending on where I am inside a building, architectural features such as windows or columns, interference from other electronic devices, etc.
Dropped calls have also been a major problem. I suspect however that this has more to do with AT&T Wireless having the most âdead zonesâ of any other carrier in the Los Angeles area.
Iâve since ordered a Nokia 3595 GSM phone and am looking forward to trying it to see if I have more/less problems than Iâve had with the 6360. In the end, it may be that the Nokia brand is just not going to be the best choice for *me*.
Thankfully, Iâll have 30 days to try the new phone and will be able to return/exchange it if it is a clunker.
It would sure be nice if I could find a cell phone that will sync with my PC calendar, have clear reception and be fully functional in most of the Continental U.S.
The 6360 just wasnât that phone for me.
The #1 TDMA Nokia to Date
The Nokia 6360 is still Nokia's #1 TDMA phone to this day. The features on this phone are unreal and it has the infrared as well. The phone is a little large for most people but once they begin to use that's usually an after thought. The battery life is solid and reception is as good as any other phone. The downside is that this phone is a little pricey for most people. If getting a phone in the 150.00 range and your choices are 3560, 8265, or V60i this is the phone to choose. No complaints on this one at all.
Impressive 6360!
Packing a wide variety of features packed into a standard "candy bar" sized phone, the 6360 is small but impressive.
As with my experiences with an Ericsson R300lx, the loudness of the alerts is sometimes barely notice, depending on circumstances. I made 2-3 less than 5 minute calls, played with the settings numerous tijme during the day. I started out with a fully charged battery and ended up 24 hours later with 1 bar left on the meter (approx. 15%). The battery cover is the slide/lock with plastic tab type and is a little hard to open.
You can record up to 3 minutes of memos and according to the manual, you can record a conversation during the ongoing call, but it declines to say for how long.
Downloadable Ringtones/graphics and picture messages are available. Accessories are few. According to almost everyone, there are no face-plates available. However, I was able to do some digging and found some wild face-plates, back-plates and flashing batteries for this particular phone.
Redoing the outside of the phone might be an option as this phone looks kind of "low end" to me with its black, gray and chrome". But I do not know yet how the 3rd party plates would affect the "feel" in the hand. It is fairly lightweight and the buttons feel soft when pushed.
Connection to a PC is accomplished with a data cable or infrared. I do not have a seriel cable at this time and I am having connection issues with my Jornada PPC.
All in all I would say that I am fairly impressed with the phone. As with other phones, basic setup is fairly easy, but can be a little time consumeing to fine tune. Once done, the phone works and does as advertised so far.
Good and Bad
This phone had the potential to be great, but it missed the mark in a few areas.
1. There is no way to keep the backlight on constantly. I find that irritating, especially driving down the road at night. (Yes - I know - I shouldn't be driving & using cell phone - thanks for the lecture.)
2. Even if I could keep the backlight on at all times, I wonder if it would really matter. The backlighting for the keypad is not very effective, although it seems fine for the LCD panel.
3. The bland color leaves a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, no simple snap-on covers are available for this phone.
4. It is a royal pain to turn the phone on and off. The puny power button imbedded at the top of the phone is a bad joke.
5. Why on earth is Nokia determined to use the horrible plug interface for the earphone? Why not provide a universal mini-type plug? It is far from user friendly. I hate really hate it.
6. There is no option for a security code when turning on the phone. That's downright stupid.
The phone isn't all terrible. I have found it to be dependable, it is solidly built, it has acceptable battery life, great reception, it's light, and has many nice features. The phone book is large, and each entry can be assigned multiple numbers. Voice dialing is a plus.
Solid performer that likes to excel
A great phone that can do the essentials. I used this phone for a period of about 10 months until it met up with a night in the jacuzzi. No I did not drop it in, but the steam must have made its way inside because by the end of a long call I could not get the phone to hang up, it had breathed it's last. While having the phone however it had great reception in Orange County California using AT&T. Volume, screen, brightness, and buttons all worked terrifically. My only complaint, only five "groups" for ring tones, meaning only five different tones for different callers.
One added benefit to this phone is the antenna connection on the back, I purchased a portable antenna that increased the signal strength when I went to the mountains around Big Bear. All in all a great phone, perhaps a little more water resistant in my case or perhaps just more caution on the users behalf.
A great phone! Short on accessories right now.
Like some of the previous reviewers, I'm equally impressed with some of the new features I have with this Nokia (I upgraded from a 6160).
I didn't give up any functionality or quality from my 6160. The 6360 has good sound quality, mic sensitivity and battery life. In addition to the things I didn't give up, I got a lot more in terms of extra functionality and new software.
Linking up my contacts from Outlook to my cell phone has never been easier with the software I downloaded from Nokia's website, and the built-in infrared port on the phone. I can now synch up my contacts (and calendar items if I wish) by just putting the phone next to my laptop. I was impressed on how easy it was and how few problems I had.
The only criticism I have at the moment is that the accessories that you can get for this phone are a bit skimpy. I can't find a wide selection of belt clips, car kits or cases. There are a few, but nothing like the glut of accessories I could get for my 6160. I'm hoping more will come out when this phone has been out for awhile. The upside is that all of my handsfree and battery chargers from my 6160 will work for my 6360.
Overall, a great phone. I will probably switch away from TDMA when coverage improves for GSM, but I really like this upgrade.
It's an awesome phone, was when I owned it
It was incredibly durable. I tossed it and dented it and scraped it, and I think I got it slightly wet.
It is a good phone
My 2nd Internet Phone !
Connecting to the Web by Infra-red with my TDMA NOKIA 6360 & my Palm Handheld T2 was a delight considering NOT needing a Cable (DLR-3P) like before with my NOKIA 6160i (with internal Modem). Growing more mobility !
What's more, Internet Connexion was calculated by Airtime instead of by the Kilobyte (or Megabyte) meaning Unlimited connexion (Offpeak min.) at 9,6 kbps.
That's why I call the NOKIA 6360 my 2nd Internet Phone.
Nokia, Listen Good!
Nokia should re-release this phone with, perhaps, a few minor cosmetic changes (i.e. metal body, not the overall shape), a software update for browser, bluetooth, larger screen and the capability to run on CDMA or GSM!
This phone always worked! Without fail, Great reception until the "lovely" people at Cingular decided to dismantle a perfectly good viable network.
PROs
Good shape, feel, weight and layout of keys; easy to read (no clutter).
Easy connectivity (Cable or Irda) w/Computer for backup/sync. Good software support.
Large directory, multi-info per listing.
IT ALWAYS WORKED!!!
CONs
Suncom/AT&T never supported the WAP browser so it was not installed.
Some of the cosmetics are dissapointing or cheap looking.
IT ALWAYS WORKED - now I can't stand most of the new phones from anyone.
