This Nokia 5165 model, which works with AT&T's Wireless's prepaid service,
has quickly caught on in popularity. Like its predecessor, the 5160i, the 5165 is
a lightweight personal phone with impressive talk and standby times that's loaded
with classic, simple-to-learn features. Its changeable faceplates, 30 different
ringers (and room for five downloadable tones), and an expansive world of
accessories add up to a fun general-purpose phone that's a perfect fit for
prepaid use. And handy refill cards allow you to purchase additional airtime
minutes whenever you need them.

Weighing in at 6.2 ounces (including battery), the 5165 measures 5.2 inches
high, 1.85 inches wide, and 1.2 inches deep. It's extremely rugged, and should
stand up well to being thrown into bags and briefcases or occasionally dropped.
And, its dual-band/trimode operation ensures you'll be able to receive cellular
service anywhere it's available. The addition of predictive T9 text input, wireless
business cards, and e-mail capabilities make it a viable business
communications tool as well.

Four buttons handle most menu navigation: a hefty "Navi" key in the middle, up
and down arrow buttons that control volume during calls, and a key marked "C"
for "clear". Menu navigation is very intuitive. A tap of the Navi key brings up the
first of a series of graphical menu items. Hit Navi again for additional menu
options, or tap the up or down arrow keys to select a different menu. Top-level
menu choices are a phone book, messages (SMS and voice-mail alerts), call
log, settings (for calls, phone, and security), system, games (Memory, Snake,
and Logic), clock, tones, and keypad lock. The brightly backlit display works well
with the control keys to simplify finding and making choices. In text mode, the
phone provides five 16-character lines.

The 5165 lets you choose from 30 preprogrammed ringer tones, and you can
also download an additional five from AT&T Wireless's Web site. Although
there's no internal vibration mode, an optional vibrating battery is available. You
can store electronic business cards in your phone book. Any friend or
associate can forward his or her name, number, and e-mail address to your
phone, and you can automatically store the information with some deft menu
navigation.

One caveat regarding faceplates: In theory, all 5100-series faceplates should
work with this phone, but in practice, only Nokia-brand faceplates seem to work.
The problem is the keypad, the thin rubber pad inside the phone on which the
actual keys are mounted. We tried several different faceplate models (both
Nokia-branded and after-market models) and found the 5165's original keypad
will not accommodate non-Nokia faceplates.

The 5165 supports the usual array of call and messaging features, including
caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, and voice-mail. A call history stores the
last 10 numbers dialed, the 10 most recently received calls, and the last 10
missed calls. The phone supports two-way SMS text messaging, but isn't
Web-enabled.

The 5165 offers four basic security features: an initial security code, a keypad
lock, call-restriction modes, and a lock code that can activate or deactivate
memory and menu options. The lock-code feature lets you store numbers in a
secret unlocked location, allowing you to make calls even if the phone is locked.

The 5165's NiMH battery is rated to last up to 180 minutes of digital talk time and
200 hours of digital standby time. In our testing, we achieved 180 minutes of
digital talk time and over 225 hours of digital standby time.

Overall, Nokia's 5165 is a noteworthy and reasonably priced prepaid phone.
Choose your favorite faceplate color and ringer tone and start dialing!