Do check your handset’s radiation, or Sar value. All of the handsets under review have Sar values well within the EU maximum, 2W/kg. If you can’t keep calls brief, use the speakerphone or a Bluetooth headset — assuming that you don’t mind looking like a chauffeur. And keep your head: it’s a jungle out there.
Continued on page 2: Reviews
Continued from page 1
INTERNET-FRIENDLY
VIDEO ON THE HOOF
LG U880
Four stars
Free with contract from 3
A superslim 3G marvel that is perfect for video downloads. Nowhere has the evolution of mobile phones been more apparent than in 3G handsets. Exclusive to the 3 network, LG’s classy new clamshell is a mere 18.2mm thick and the first with an integrated aerial. It outguns the popular Sony Ericsson V600i by toting twin colour screens that are bright, if not of ground-breaking resolution. The ability to customise almost every aspect of their appearance is, however, a bonus. A generous 80MB of built-in memory can be swollen with a microSD memory card, but the 1.3Mp camera is skimpy. The U880 feels fantastic in the hand and, though the LG menu system takes getting used to, it’s all fairly intuitive. Recommended.
INFORMATION ADDICTION
NEC 343i
Four stars
Typically £80, or £50 from shop.o2.co.uk, plus i-mode subscription fee
A stylish, pocket-friendly phone that offers a new way to access the web. Squint hard enough at the minimalist fascia (left), with its white and chrome finish, and it begins to look iPod-esque. Information addicts will enjoy sampling O2’s new i-mode web services with this handset. It may be only 2G-enabled, so unsuited to rich media, but i-mode is a different ball game to Wap. The predominantly text-based service is ideal for checking e-mail, football scores or flight arrival times. Power users will be less enamoured of the washed-out colour screen, but intuitive cross-fading menus and an easy-to-use square rocker button make up for a lack of features such as Bluetooth or a memory card, even if the back-lit keys are squidgy. A low-rent 0.3Mp camera, for MMS, completes the picture. A slinky handset for the connected generation.
FOR THE FAMILY
TEENAGE KICKS
Sony Ericsson Z520i
Four stars
Free with contract, or £100 from www.o2.co.uk/shop
Those of a serious disposition, look away now. This teeny-weeny clamshell-style phone will give any teenager kicks, right through the night. With a fancy mix of matt and gloss finishes on the casing, the Z520i is more about strutting its stuff than high-end features, and interchangeable panels or themes make it fun to customise. Strangely compelling bundled games and music-and-photo DJ software will liven up any long journey, as will the worryingly powerful speaker. A built-in camera takes video clips, but of only modest 0.3Mp calibre — just as well, given the limited 16MB of internal memory. The external hook-shaped aerial is irritating, but with polyphonic ring tones, twin colour screens and some nifty systems touches, this Bluetooth buck just wants to have fun.
SIMPLE LIFE
Vodafone Simply Sagem VS1
Four stars
Free with contract from Vodafone, or £45 from www.qvc.co.uk
As the name suggests, the Simply phones are pitched at technophobes who would happily eschew fancy features for the humble pleasures of a large screen, legible text and a well-spaced keypad. Anybody who has felt like flinging their mobile against a wall in frustration will be relieved to hear of one that eschews hieroglyphic icons and menus in favour of, well, simplicity, with dedicated buttons for instant access to messages, contacts or the home screen. Chunkier than average, the VS1 is designed to be easily found in a handbag or briefcase. On the side, it has a practical keylock switch and a manual ringer adjuster. Other neat ideas, which all future phones might incorporate, include displaying your own number and stating signal strength in plain English. For now, Simply phones are a bastion of wonderfully straightforward technology.
FASHIONISTAS
CATWALK SUPERSTAR
Motorola PEBL U6
Four stars
Free with contract, or £219 from www.carphonewarehouse.co.uk Motorola’s Razr phone has been the fashion accessory of 2005, but this cleverly rounded object of desire could soon be the choice of the Paris Hilton set. Pull the lid forward and the PEBL bursts open like a spring-loaded clam, revealing an elegant keypad, finished in etched metal, and a striking colour display that powers up at the briefest of touches. This tactile beauty simply begs to be held, and the rubbery, fingermark-proof shell permits guilt-free caresses. Apart from a shoddy 0.3Mp camera, features are thin on the ground, and you will have to master the misery-inducing Motorola software. At least the basic personal-trainer software will help you to keep your body as desirable as your handset; and, thanks to the handy central direction button, you can easily juggle settings, even while clutching a chihuahua.
HIGH-FLYER
Nokia 8800
Four stars
From £170 with contract, or £596 from www.foneplanet.com
With the 8800, Nokia’s plan was clearly to create a phone that looked good (really good), sprinkle in an acceptable number of features, then charge such a high premium that the phone acquired de facto exclusivity. In many ways, Nokia has triumphed. This sexed-up model has more stainless steel and glass than an advertising guru’s home, making it simultaneously scratchproof and a fingerprint magnet — and, weighing 134g, suit-stretchingly heavy. The cushioned slider design is wonderful, but obscures the two main soft keys, so navigation is a chore and gaming risible — the small, fiddly keypad doesn’t help — while the 8800’s SVGA camera is lukewarm. Indeed, Nokia’s better-specced 6230i workhorse can be had for free with a contract, but for those hankering after a triple-band glamour-puss to parade in power meetings, the eagle has landed. Among these reviews, both Nokias boast the lowest Sar values, at 0.5W/kg.
