We can not help but start our assessment, focusing on the motive. Nokia was able to pull off is clearly a creative and atypical design from voltage surges, and although some may refer him to leave, as mildly unsightly at first glance, we are big fans. In the chest inside “lip” at the bottom provides a great spot on the screen sliding up to reveal spacious QWERTY keyboard, and the gliding motion of nothing short of delectable. The phone is small, thin and light, although we believe that this is one of the strongest featurephones we had the pleasure of handling.

At a glossy black finish is a fingerprint magnet, but glowing backlit keys to more than compensate. We’ll talk about that Nokia could have stood to add a little more screen here. We have in mind, look at that part! There are more than enough space around the current LCD things have advanced a little, and taking into account the fact that this thing rocking Symbian S60, more pixels, of course, would have appreciated. Despite this, a combination of buttons on the main screen and the QWERTY keyboard by allowing us to move to the OS quite well, although we have been talking a lot of screen time in a vain attempt to magically turn is not the touch screen display that one heeded our every finger press.

With regard to the button layout, we were generally satisfied in hard links (Media Net, the main menu or messages) on the front panel of the device, but we would have liked on the central square “Enter” to support scrolling. In its current form, the button only understands pressure lowering, not swipes in either direction. Around the horn (read: the edges), then the volume rockers, who can stand to be more pronounced, a dedicated camera button, a disappointingly small 2.5mm jack for headphones, external speakers, an AC input and the USB-connector. Unfortunately, you have to remove the rear cover to access the MicroSD slot, but at least you do not have to remove the battery / SIM-cards.

By sliding the screen up, you are presented with a majestic, QWERTY keyboard with backlight, which allows most of the other text handy phone shame. We’ll just go ahead and say: sharp in QWERTY keyboard best board we have ever used, and considering how long we have been pecking at these vertical iPhone and BlackBerry keyboard, something to say. He took the next, is not the time for us to fully adapt to the landscape layout, and a few minutes to get acclimated to their distance, we were texting sky. Key travel is perfect, at intervals of a utopia, and in contrast to the XPERIA X1, top row without encroaching too heavy a burden on top of the display. This is one of the first wireless keyboard, which we felt very comfortable to use for a long time, and frankly, we began to dream of things to say simply that we have had occasion in the text of another member of our list of contacts. If you’re one of those people, who produces 10,000 + texts a month, you owe it to yourself to try sharp.

Software and functions

Despite the fact that Nokia only gifted sharp 2.4-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, she went ahead and loaded up S60. We can not say that we did not find themselves wanting more screen real estate, but there are many here, if you’re willing to compromise. Simply put, using the S60 was pure joy from voltage surges. Flipping the phone open and closed (with horizontal and vertical) have to update the screen, which was startlingly fast, and we could not find even the hint of lag anywhere in the system. Each application is ready to rumble, we opened for a few nanoseconds, and unlike the HTC hero, we really felt as if it was a lot of hardware capable of keeping pace with the software. Even when the flipping of the camera to the screen and on the Internet, every move was alarmingly quickly. We have never seen even a hint to lag when texting / clack of the messages, and the general reaction of the entire OS was us marveling.

Of course, it’s not all been peaches and cream. S60 is still quite aways to make this as robust as the Apple in the iPhone OS 3.0 and the company’s Google Android, a general lack of applications is testimony to this. In addition, the built-in electronic installation is supported only a handful of clients, none of which Gmail. We still managed to get our account open in Gmail with a far less glamorous way, and although it is certainly better than not having mobile access to e-mail, it is definitely an outdated system, which looks like something fit for SMS / MMS pure than by email.

To his credit, S60 handled all bases with the class. Playing music is enough, IM / SMS / MMS, it was more than enough and the media net browser is ideal for viewing web pages that have been hand-made for use on mobile devices. Unfortunately, the cost of access to the luxury of doing things is less attractive, but the point we are going to pull more in the next section. We must say, 2-megapixel camera on a sharp left to the desired level. In particular, in the house of light / low light situations, it was the border use. In broad daylight, perhaps you can get through, but it definitely will not be your next P and C backup.

Gallery: Nokia Network Camera examples

Wrap-up

The thing that really puts a damper on it is not a sharp design, software or lackluster Web browser that is not all good for the most part beyond the control of the mobile news pages. No, this is obscene these prices have forced you, at least, and so you can see, users can purchase this phone without a data transfer for $ 129.99 on contract, but you will not see the full subsidized price of $ 79.99 if you are also a line at $ 30 per month Unlimited data. On the Apple iPhone in the year of $ 30 per month (almost) understandable, given its robust e-mail client and in-class web browser, but featurephone, that literally would be to use only one smidgen of data compared to the average user of iPhone, it’s just pointless.

When you try to buy this phone through AT & T site of the elusive $ 15 Media Net unlimited data option is not found anywhere else, you are stuck in the same $ 30 per month ‘PDA Personal “plan, BlackBerry and iPhone users have to choose, that completely kills the value of proposals . The web browser is so antediluvian, that it is unlikely to provide any non-mobile web pages across the Internet and e-mail client so unembellished, you will probably never use it with any regularity . In other words, asking $ 15 a month for access to the sharply reduced in web applications associated Suite would be justified, but as soon as you hit that $ 30 mark, you can also drop $ 99 on the iPhone 3G (or $ 49 if you do with a refurbished product), or choose a favorite BlackBerry - both of which will absolutely benefit by $ 30 more data than the Nokia bursts.

The phone without a data transmission, a sharp one more winner in our eyes. Keyboard phenomenal, the operating system quick and texting fiends, of course, adore him. It will be hard I know you have a functional email client and browser is ho hum, that you can not use without charge eleventy billion cents per kilobyte, but at least you will not be forking out $ 30 a month for data plan which is really too rich for something that offers dramatic in terms of connectivity. If you could understand in some way to hook this bad boy up to $ 15 per month Media Net plan, but he is very much the perfect phone for those not quite ready to shell out big bucks for the full-blown smartphone. Good luck with that.