Nokia’s E61 and E62 belong to a family of phones spawned by Nokia’s obsession with sumo wrestler or some other monolithic object. The E61 suffixed with an “i” for a camera, is a bulky device that’s quite well built, and features a well laid out, and spacious QWERTY keypad, that was slightly improved ergonomically over the keypads of the E61. The screen itself is beautiful at 2.8 inches, and features 16 million colours. Sadly there’s no touch functionality which would have been a productive and nifty add on. The beauty of the  E61lies in the simplicity however, and as a business phone to type out mails, or for long hours on call it makes perfect sense.

However video playback is fun due to the screen.The camera itself is no great shakes, and the audio qualities are limited.It is quite expensive for it features it offers- which will satisfy neither the die hard multimedia junkie.

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The LG KS20 borrows deeply from LG’s desire to make hot devices for the young, urban crowd. Unfortunately, too much of a good things kill as the proverb goes, and the chrome down the sides of a shiny black exterior may be viewed as garish or tasteful- depending of course on your aesthetic sense. While the device fits the hand well, it also has a couple of glaring ergonomic issues. For one, the joy-stick’s a total pain to use, and navigation is irritating. Although based on Windows Mobile 6.0 Pro means application support will be very good , the LG KS20 seems to be more of a lifestyle device than a serious PDA as both number and QWERTY keypads are absent.This is also means that the device is quite compact and lightweight, despite retaining a screen size of 2.8 inches.

The camera and music performance was about par, although it takes more to impress. Once again a nifty add-on by LG is the ability for this phone to play Divx videos like KU990. It is also one of the new PDA phones to support FM radio. The LG KS20 is a stylish device to be sure, but there are better cellphones available at the same price point, which leaves KS20 out in the cold.

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HTCs P3470 is a PDA phone based around a Windows Mobile (WM) 6.0 Pro OS. It’s rather plain to look at and will garner no beauty accolades. Although built quality is good, nothing is inspiring. The lack of a QWERTY and any form of number pad will ensure that serious PDA users will look elsewhere. Due to this glaring omission the P3470 has ergonomic issues. Its camera and multimedia properties aren’t too fancy either, although the features are available. More importantly the phone lags slightly-this indicates a slower processor. Call clarity is about par with what is acceptable, nothing more.

Although the HTC P3470 is reasonably compact it’s nowhere as attractive as other phones.We can’t recommend it to anyone.

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The K850i targets users desiring a good camera phone-exactly what their K850i achieved some three years back. This is a device that will strike you with  its sheer build quality-its like a little rock, and feels exceptionally solid in hand. The color scheme is cool-shiny black with dark green stripes down the sides and on the joy-pad-and is an attention grabber.The other things that will attract you immediately is the compact dimension of this phone. The only minus a result of this is the very small number keys on the phone, thanks to which the edges of your fingers will get sore after a lot of SMS typing-a saving grace is that the keypads well spaced out, else this device would be a spectacular failure.

Sony Ericsson provides good PMP capabilities, a good music and video player menu system, and good stereo sound. The camera that the “K”series are famous for is the pinnacle of SE’s cameras-5 mega pixel coupled with a Xenon flash. Although its not as feature-rich as the N95, it’s a very different device. focused more on the user who wants something compact, and more handy to pull off a couple of quick shots. For those wanting a huge feature list look elsewhere.This one focuses on being a king of a few trades, and not a jack of many.

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Samsung makes excellent sliders, Definitely true, if the U900 is any indication. Besides being very well built , slim and featuring a brushed metal body, the U900 has a lovely screen. It’s compact too, and very much for the college goer looking for something powerful and chic. The call accept/reject button are large, you could find them with your eyes closed. The keypad seems reminiscent of Motorola phones, some sort of a membrane based keypad that nonetheless works fine. The most innovative feature is incorporated into the menu button- there is none.

Samsung 5 megapixel camera is easy to use with good menus and option, although its camera isn’t as good as N95 or the N82. The only trick which Samsung missed is the presence of GPS and WLAN. The U900 is a good phone for something cute, hardly, yet functional. It hasn’t got the powerful convergence of features like N95 and N82, but it looks radically different and is flashy too, like the Viewty. Choose it over two Nokia’s above only if you don’t need the extra features they have!

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For those who don’t have the money to buy the N95 8GB, or want something more compact the N82 will appeal. For one it’s solidly built, although the keypad is very cramped and will take some getting used to, even if you happen to have long nails. Features wise it’s identical to its costlier sibling, but loses out on the slick double slider and adds a much needed powerful Xenon flash. Although the screen isn’t as good as the N95, what is appreciated is the compactness of this device, and the fact that Nokia managed to fit everything into a shell that is 25 percent smaller in volume.

Although the N82 may have the same hardware but it looks and feels different enough to have unique personality. For one, its music quality isn’t as good as the N95 -which it will be inevitable be compared to. Secondly, and more importantly, signal and voice quality isn’t as good as its costlier siblings. It’s a very good feature-rich, and hot looking phone-but it’s not as usable as the Nokia N95 8GB

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The Return of the King

Bulky by today’s standards the Nokia N95 8GB is a wonderfully functional device that exemplifies the phrase all-in-one.it looks slightly dated now, but the mix of rubberized black rear finish and the glossy black front finish still grabs attention, as does the beautiful crisp 2.8 inch screen and the unique 2-way slider.The front chrome buttons atop the front add a very PDA-like feeling, but unfortunately the large, gorgeous screen isn’t touch capable. The menu button and the keypad layout is  very good, and with a load of shortcut keys the N95 8GB is very ergonomic. With features like built in GPS and support for Nokia Maps, and a built-in 8 GB of storage, in addition to goodies like WiFi and a 5 megapixel camera this phone has something for everyone.

Amongst our complaints and suggestion for improvements are a slightly larger screen 3.2 inch a better battery, touch screen, and a Xenon flash for a camera, and the slider mechanism from the Nokia’s Sirocco series. And can be a little slimmer? And can we get more than 8 GB of storage?

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The North Star? Not Really….

The 6110 Navigator has been graced with the suffix navigator mainly because of the inbuilt GPS and the fact that it supports Nokai Maps. While also a slider phone like the 6500 Slider, build quality of the slider mechanism and the device itself is no match for its superior siblings. The body is made cheaper, plasticy materials. The keypad is flat, but reasonably well laid out and using is is largely ergonomic.

On the multimedia front the 6110 Navigator has a 2.0 mega pixel camera that is largely cosmetic. It has decent PMP capabilities and music quality is good, as a video playback, courtesy the crisp 2.2 inch screen that could have been bigger especially considering the GPS function. If cellphone integrated GPS is really your thing, there are better, albeit costlier, options.It makes a sweet buy for those looking for a cheap, reliable GPS-enabled phone

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Heavily Armoured Foe

Nokia’s 6500 has the best slider mechanism one has seen from any Nokia phone barring the Sirocco. Its outer body is built out of brush steel, which exudes a quality feel. Needless to say the phone’s heavy, although you’d be hard pressed to find better quality. The keypad is well laid out but the buttons are a little flat. The quality of accessories is as good as we’ve seen, and a TV out cable has been provided; just like N95 and the N82-both much costlier phones! The 2.2-inch screen features a high resolution of 240×320 pixels and has a rich 16 million colors. Camera and music playback quality are well above the par, although not enough to sway a purchasing decision solely on their performance.

Although it is well built, the look itself is unexciting, and may not inspire interest when compared to its beautiful siblings the 6500 slides makes a good buy for some one looking for a feature-rich, usable and very sturdy cellphone. Expect too much in the way of good looks from it and you’re going to be disappointed.

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Wanna be rich-boy’s play-toy

Nokia’s N78 is anothe device formed out of the thought process that brought about the N82-a convergence of features in a nice compact body. N78 bears striking features with a 3.2 megapixel camera, a sleek body that’s slim and ultra compact and a tiny keypad.The steel Grey finish is absolutely top class, and the quality of accessories is also excellent-a very good bundle in all. The phone itself sports a great screen that’s unfortunately small-2.4 inches is no substitutes for a 2.8 inch sreen.

In terms of connectivity N78 has all-WiFi, GPS, superb MP3 player, great camera as well as a snappy processor to get everything done. Despit the keys being little more than oblong ridges, you can use this phone without finger nails playing a major role in pressing the keys. Some one looking for something that’s down-right handsome, features rich, and compact you have a definite winner at the price point.

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