Nokia 8290

I have service with T-Mobile and prefer using my Nokia 8290. Recenlty, I've stopped getting service with the 8290 except when I'm in my vehicle when it appears to pick up the signal but everywhere else, I get no service. I also have a 3390 and when I change the SIM card to the 3390, reception is fine everywhere I go meaning that it's not my service or provider. Something has apparently come loose in my 8290 but I've no clue where to start. I refuse to pay for a replacement as the 3390 is an option but it's too big and bulky. Anyone have any ideas how to resolve the problem with the 8290? If so, please email me at [email protected]

Nokia has recalled some newer 8290's, but I had mine too long to qualify. Some repair outlets have a repair kit for $45.00 to fix the problem.

I recommend a couple accessories to ensure satisfaction.

1) Check online and find the carry case that looks like an eyeglass case. It holds the phone horizontally on your belt, thereby eliminating the forces on it when you sit down and stops it from popping off your belt.

2) Get the accessory that has a sliding cover over the keypad. It is easy to bump the little rascal on things, potentially causing damage or inadvertently making a call!

It's easy to like the size (and weight), but it is a little bit more fragile. Funny, it's so small that people look at me weird when I'm using it - they can't see the phone inside my cupped hand so it looks like I'm talking to myself!

This phone is very handy, because of it's small size and light weight. It's just a great phone, like all Nokias are. But the screen problem seems to be a common issue on this phone. I bought this phone used from e-bay, and I did not experience the phone when the screen was working. I don't know how long it took the phone to start having problems with the screen, but it looked like an 8 - 12 months old phone. The screen scrambles or goes off. The cause of that problem is the screen itself. The screen seems delicate, and It sounds pretty right that when you put it in a tight pocket very often, the screen will scramble. The temperature does not seem to have anything to do with it. The screen scrambles when you put some pressure on the faceplate, the reason for that is that there isn't much space between the sides of the screen cover on the inside and the faceplate. When you put a little bit of pressure on the faceplate, it will touch with the sides of the screen and cause it to scramble. When the screen is doing alright, and I treat the phone good, nothing happens, the screen will work perfectly well; once I stop treating the phone with delicacy it will happen again. When I say delicacy, I don't mean that you can't hold it in your hand or put it in your pocket. Just don't throw it on your desk when you get home, or toss it around, or just do something that ain't normal. Use the phone normally, treating it good. If you buy this phone New, and you treat it good, I'm very possitive that it will work perfectly well. Nothing will happen to the screen. I've analized that screen problem so much that I'm very sure of what I'm saying. The phone is great, it is just delicate, so if you don't wanna be aware of that, you will have a really bad experience with the scrambling, flaky screen.

I really recommend this phone. If you can't take care of it then DO NOT BUY IT!

I echo the complaints of other reviewers about the display on the Nokia 8290 mobile phone. After several months of usage, the LCD either goes off completely (while the phone still functions -- of course if you can do the hard work of using the phone blind-folded) or displays some garbage. It sounds like a contact problem between the board and LCD. Like another reviewer said, keeping it in your pocket seems to give rise to flaky display. I have also seen higher temperature conditions like direct exposure to sunlight causes the display to go off. So it's either the pressure on the display or the temperature or both. A few months ago my wife and I were lucky enough to take over a pair of 8290's from friends who switched to a non-GSM provider. I immediately dumped my original 8290 and the display didn't fail me yet. However, my wife was frustrated this time around because she started experiencing the flaky display. In summary, Nokia seems to have failed on this model badly. It's ironic how a technology company stumbles on mundane design/manufacturing problems. If you buy this phone with cash (as opposed to with rebates that come with contract commitments), you will need phone insurance protection because there is a 50% chance that it will fail and you will need a backup GSM phone while you try to get it replaced/repaired under manufacturer's warranty. The fact that cellular providers don't offer 8290 via service contracts any longer indicates that they have already taken some heat from disgruntled subcribers. It's a bad thing that product recalls are not mandated on the wireless phone industry yet...

I love this Nokia 8290 mobile phone because it's small enough to fit in my jeans pocket. My friends always end up using my phone because theirs was too big to haul around. No silly belt clip needed. The voice activated dialling will let you record names and then when it recognizes you saying the name, it will call that number. It doesn't recognize the names if you record with the handfree and then try to recall the name without the handfree, or vice versa. I am very happy with this phone though and would recommend it.

Overall the Nokia 8290 is not a bad mobile phone, just like any other Nokia. It has all the needed features: easy to navigate within, good clarity. However, in comparison to the other phones on the market now, I would have to say there are much more stylish phones available. I would not get this phone simply because of the screen problem. It is a commom flaw. Good phone but is not worth the hassle of replacing every time the screen goes.

I don't think that the Nokia 8290 mobile phone is worth it.

I have had the Nokia 8290 mobile phone for a little over a year and have been happy with it most of the time. The reception is good, sound is clear, use is easy. This telephone has problems with the screen. The screen started to go at about the eleventh month, it is still hanging in there, but I know that it will go all the way soon. I understand that this phone is notorious for this problem. Do not buy it.

When I first saw the Nokia 8290 mobile phone, I knew I had to have one. I was upgrading from a 6190 and was drawn to the 8290 because of its small size and predictive text messaging. After about 6-months with the phone, the display flaked out.

It seems that keeping the phone in my pocket causes the display to fail. I have several friends with this phone that have complained about the same problem. However, my girlfriend has had her 8290 for over a year and has not had a single problem. My guess is that it's because she keeps the phone in her purse.

Disassembling the phone and cleaning all the contacts restores functionality to the display. I know people with the 8260 and none of them have the problem with the display. It may be that the removable faceplate is not strong enough on the 8290 to keep pressure off the display when it's in my pocket. Since the 8260 doesn't have the exchangeable covers, it may be the reason why they don't have this problem.

My service provider is Cingular Wireless and their coverage in the bay area is poor. The weak signal of the 8290 doesn't help this much. I've had a Motorola Star-tac, a Nokia 6190, and a Motorola Timeport L7082. The Motorola phones got the best reception, followed by the 6190. The 8290 has the worst reception of the bunch but I continue to use it because I don't like lugging around the larger phones.

I loved this Nokia 8290 mobile phone for about 6 months and it betrayed me. The screen messed up and I could not read anything on the screen. Eventually the screen was blank. Voicestream sent me another one and after 1 week the screen totally went blank on it as well. I would not recommend this phone to ANYONE.