We've seen a few slider phones from Nokia recently, but what sets the Nokia 3600 Slide apart from the others is that it offers a high quality digital camera for a pretty reasonable price. By high quality, we mean that the 3600 Slide has a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and dual LED flash. It can capture VGA resolution video at 15 fps, and the 3600 Slide also has a TV out port for video playback. That's a pretty good camera bearing in mind that the pre-tax SIM-free price of the 3600 is about €175 (£140 / $280).
The 3600 Slide shares many features in common with the much more expensive 6600 Slide, and remember that this type of camera was confined to high-end N-Series and E-Series handsets just a year ago.
The display on the 3600 Slide is a 240 x 320 pixel panel, the phone comes with microSD expandable memory (with 512MB in the box), Bluetooth 2.0, an FM radio and a multimedia player. The Nokia Maps application is included, and this can be used with the optional LD-4W GPS accessory. There's a 2.5mm audio socket plus a microSD connector for transferring files. The Nokia 3600 Slide also features "background noise cancellation", but Nokia's information on exactly what that is and how it works is lacking. This isn't a 3G phone, but it does support quad-band GSM for use worldwide. Talktime is up to 5.5 hours with a maximum of 12 days standby time. The size and weight are pretty typical for a device of this type at 98 x 47 x 15mm and 93 grams.
If you're looking for a reasonably priced slider phone with a good camera, then the Nokia 3600 is definitely worth considering. Nokia say that it should be available during Q3 2008 in red or black colour combinations.
Nokia 3600 Slide at a glance
Available:
Q3 2008
Network:
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Data:
GPRS + EDGE
Screen:
240 x 320 pixels, 16m colours
Camera:
3.2 megapixels
Size:
Medium slider
98 x 47 x 15mm / 97 grams
Bluetooth:
Yes
Memory card:
microSD
Infra-red:
No
Polyphonic:
Yes
Java:
Yes
GPS:
Optional
Battery life:
5.5 hours talk / 12 days standby
