Just went to an AT&T store to look at the phones the other day. Turned out my wife qualified for a free phone upgrade, to a Nokia 6200. Well they didn't have any so they let us take a 3595 for a week. So here are my initial impressions after a couple days...
Doesn't seem like a bad phone. It is larger than the 6200, but overall the same size as the 3360/3390 it is due to replace in that market slot. The 3595 is slightly taller than the 3360/3390, so your cases will almost fit, but will cover the power button-- which is quite hard to press, as you must press it almost right in the middle where the power on logo/circle is.
Ok, probably the biggest features of this phone over the 3390 is the color screen, polyphonic ringtones, and the browser (and AT&T seems more than ever happy to sell you data services). I'm glad to say the polyphonic ringtones are much louder than I had expected, my Motorola T720g is not so loud. The poly ringtones are not as loud as say the mono ringtones on 3390 was at maximum volume, the 3595 is softer, but probably loud enough in most situations if the MIDI file is appropriate.
Now the color screen-- it could use improvement. For an entry level phone it is nice, but compared to something like the screen on the 6200 or the 3650, the 3595 screen sucks when you place those phones side-by-side. It is not very bright, hard to read in direct light and is pretty low resolution, but AT&T was offering it as either a $50 or free phone, so it is hard to complain about the price. I was outside in my car driving with the sun just coming up and couldn't see the screen for the life of me. The screen and keypad are easy to read in the dark, though. I think AT&T also offers the 3590, which I believe is a non-color model of the same phone, perhaps this might be better if color is not needed.
Build wise, the 3595 feels nicer than the 3390. The 3390 had a tendency to creak a lot. The 3595 doesn't seem to creak much, the face plates seem more sturdy. My only complaint is the vertical navigation arrow button below the screen seems to be a little too big for the cutout in the faceplate, so the rubbery button rubs against the plastic face plate and makes some ugly sounds as you move through menus, etc. Perhaps that will lessen as the button is "broken in" so to speak, it doesn't seem to be quite as bad as the first while I used the phone.
Reception seems pretty good on the phone, but seems to noticeably taper off in fringe areas. The ear piece does sound a bit like a tin can and is a bit harsh, along with a noticeable hissing sound-- but the ear piece can get loud if you want (at least louder than my ears can handle while talking to my mother-in-law). My V60g and T720g sound much more natural and smoother in comparison. Outgoing sound quality I've not tested much (just had my wife make a few calls to the house), but I was able to clearly tell my wife was on a cell phone; the outgoing sound quality sounds a bit distant and quiet to the receiving party. In the same fringe areas I use my Motorola's, the 3595 seems to pop a little and tends to break up mildly. I'd say the 3595 seems to have better sound quality than the 3390 from what I remember, but not a whole lot. Haven't tested the 3595 in a noisy environment, like in a car with the sunroof open (an area where the 3390 was awful, sounded like a 100mph windstorm on the other end) and an area where the Motorola's seem do to well in my experience.
I didn't have high expectations for a free phone, but the 3595 seems to do pretty well as a natural evolution of the 3390. Chances are if you liked the 3390, the 3595 will feel right at home with a few updates. The polyphonic ringtones and color screen will be what probably draws most users. AT&T has totally revamped their GSM product line and the 3595 I think is the best buy at the lower end for the geek appeal with color screen, poly ringtones, downloadable apps (phone had 340kB free memory as received, could probably delete sample ringers, images and games to get more), plus the way the keypad and screen illumination leaks around the outside of the phone (looks kinda like what people do when they modify the LEDs on their phones + clear face plates). The phone, with the color screen, seems ready to take advantage of AT&Ts mLife/mMode stuff and it seems easy to get ringtones and wallpaper images from the service. I didn't actually pay and download any but it looked nice and easy. Didn't use the data features other than browsing through the WAP portal (which was just marketing information telling me all about mMode and its advantages to get me to subscribe). Looks nifty at least.
I'd say the 3595 is a great phone if you play around with it and know its weaknesses before buying it. I think one that knows these will be more than happy with the phone. But for the better color screen and probable better sound quality, the 6200 might be a nicer phone to get depending on hardware discounts available to customers. My wife could get it for $69.99 minus a $50 rebate, so for $20 the 6200 seemed like a nice backup phone to have and if you have a PDA the IrDA & EDGE support might be a major feature in favor of the 6200.
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by ehow  edited by Kevin
last modified: 2003-05-29 11:01:11 |
