The free Nav4All navigation service is no more. The timing is interesting when we consider that Nokia just made its maps application free and the following statement has a touch of annoyance within it.

It is with the deepest regret that we hereby notify you that the global navigation of Nav4All and the Tracking & Tracing will go offline in 3 days. The reason for the same is that the data licence agreement with Navteq (a 100% Nokia subsidiary) was not extended, in a totally unexpected manner. It is not possible to implement data from another supplier in our Nav4All systems within the short term.

The Nav4All navigation system was developed for Navteq data. Nav4All has therefore been constrained to stop.

We greatly regret the fact that we have to suspend the operation of our service. With your help, we have developed Nav4All into a global product with 27.5 million users in 56 languages, in 5 years. This has made Nav4All the largest navigation supplier. This large number of users also has to do with the fact that Nav4All works on hundreds of different mobile telephones of many makes such as Blackberry, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola, Android, HTC, Nokia, LG, Iphone, Ipod etc.

After 5 years of testing and market development, we witnessed rapid – in fact, exponential – growth during the last two years. That growth was reported in the licence reports to Navteq. In mid-December 2009, the global coverage was extended to include the Philippines, Morocco and Kenya.

Please contact the Nav4All support desk in case you have any questions: www.nav4all.com/support. If there is any further information from Nav4All concerning the subject of this letter, the same will be published on our website: www.nav4all.com. For reasons of privacy, Nav4All does not have the email addresses of all its customers, and we therefore request you to forward this email to the maximum extent possible, in order to ensure that everyone is informed.

This is funny, very funny indeed. A BBC reporter has broken an unbreakable phone with just a couple of hits. The video is here and the uncomfortable laughter from the company rep is even funnier.

The Samsung GT-B3410 is one of a number of new feature phones which include many functions you would normally expect to find only in a smartphone. The GT-B3410 can now be bought for under £80 unlocked with a pay as you go SIM card and the main features stand out for people like me who expect certain things in any phone-

A slide-out QWERTY keyboard, 2.6” TFT LCD touch screen, 2 Megapixel camera, MP3 / Voice recording, Built in instant messenger, Social networking out of the box, Email setup wizard.

Can an £80 phone really cut it as a smartphone? Well I have to say that the answer is yes if you are happy with more caveats than I have time to quote here. The B3410 is very easy to use and the touch screen is ultra responsive with the clever interface making you feel that you are using a phone which costs at least twice as much. The build quality is good and sliding out the keyboard produces an immediate change of orientation that makes some of the Windows Mobile devices feel sluggish in comparison. Sadly the keyboard is somewhat dowdy and doesn’t provide much feedback, but it is still better than most touch screen keyboards.

For size and form factor the B3410 feels almost perfect and offers a reassuring if slightly chunky feel in the hand. I have little doubt that it will survive that harshest of handbag and briefcase environments. The 3.5mm headphone jack shows that entertainment is high up on the list of priorities here and music and video playback are acceptable, if not of the level of most other devices. The microSD expansion does mean though that you can carry a large selection of music and videos with you whenever you like which is a bonus.

There is a lot of software included and the PIM side is usable at best. The notes application and calendar do the job quite well with the contacts app feeling more than a little clunky, but the inclusion of tasks, memos, a world clock, calculator and a converter will no doubt be all that the target market will want on a phone. Other apps are included with Google and Facebook being the most notable alongside an FM radio, voice recorder, communities (MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, Photobuscket and Picasa) and some trial Java games for good measure. Sadly you will be relying on Java apps for expansion, but again I suspect the target market will not need to download much (patronising I know).

The communication side is weak with no 3G or Wi-Fi and only EDGE support offers usable internet browsing. However, this phone is all about messaging and keeping in touch and for that you can easily get away with 2G so it will still suffice for what it really needs to do.

The B3410 is a basic phone which knocks on the door of the smartphone world, but ultimately provides a voice experience which is too weak to be classed as a serious contender. It feels slightly cheap and this goes against the great screen and usable keyboard which are the highlights here. It is a hugely likable device with a good battery though and will serve its purpose well. For £80 it is a demonstration of what is possible in 2009 / 2010 and I suspect we will see a feature phone which deserves the title ’smart’ before 2010 is over with.

LG has just sold its 10 millionth Cookie phone which is a stunning achievement. It is a low end touch phone which appeals to consumers of all ages and the price point makes it a firm favourite with huge swathes of the market.

From IntoMobile- “The LG Cookie, which first started shipping during in November 2008, is a low end touch screen device created for the masses. In July Dusan reported that it took LG just 9 months to sell 5 million, well here we are in December, a little over a year since the Cookie first hit the shelves, and the South Korean company has just announced that they’ve shipped their 10 millionth unit. Over 5 million units were sold in Europe, 2+ million in Asia and 2+ million in Latin America.

“The sales record adds credence to our philosophy of studying consumer demands and offering a full touchphone that balances premium features with sleek design. LG will continue to shape the future by delivering products and technologies to satisfy the tastes and expectations of our consumers.” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Division.”

Nokia has released two more sliders for the mass market. They are not exactly budget models, but are near the lower end of the market.

Nokia 6700 slide – Capture and share quickly and easily
With a choice of six fresh and vivid colors – pink, red, petrol blue, aluminum, lime and purple – this slimline slider is sure to turn heads. Its compact size, modern design and aluminum finish feels great in the hand, and fits perfectly even in the smallest pocket or bag.

The smart capabilities of the Nokia 6700 slide are beautifully easy to use: The 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics is perfect for capturing and sharing moments as they happen. Favorite images can be edited on the go and uploaded to the web directly from the camera menu. The device’s high speed 3G connectivity ensures your favorite communities are always as close as your Nokia 6700 slide.

Nokia 7230 – Share in style
Being connected has never looked so good. The Nokia 7230’s compact slide design, colorful looks and solid set of features are a package that offers great value for money.

Sharing special moments and joy with friends and family is effortless, thanks to the 3.2 megapixel camera, large 2.4″ display and fast 3G connectivity. With the Nokia 7230 in your pocket, you also have quick access to email, instant messaging and social networks on the go, and the subtle illumination indicates if you have missed calls or messages from your friends.

AAS is reporting that the N97 has been withdrawn by Vodafone and that the SE Satio has also had the same treatment by Carphone Warehouse. It seems that high returns are to blame- makes you wonder how things like this are ever allowed to get through the manufacturing process.

Nokia has announced 5 new phones which will sit at the very low end of the mobile spectrum. They are designed specifically for emerging markets and areas where mobile life-improvement services will be useful, but they will be available globally soon. They are described as follows-

With affordability and ease of use as the cornerstones of solutions for emerging markets, the five new Nokia phones – Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800, Nokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 – support Nokia Life Tools, and bring with them all the features that consumers around the world have come to expect.

Priced at EUR 20, EUR 24 and EUR 26 respectively (before taxes and subsidies), the Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616 and Nokia 1800 support FM radio, prepaid tracker, flashlight, anti-scratch cover and dust-resistant keymat, among other features. The long battery life, with up to 22 days of standby time, is vital for people in areas where access to electricity is limited.

The Nokia 2220 slide and the Nokia 2690, priced at EUR 45 and EUR 54 (before taxes and subsidies), also support email on the device through Ovi Mail, giving people in developing markets their first digital identity directly from their handsets. Ovi Mail accounts can be created on the device and people can start sending and receiving emails without ever needing a PC. Other device features include FM radio, VGA camera, GPRS and MMS support, phone books for up to 1,000 contacts, and Bluetooth. Standby times for the Nokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 are about 20 days and 13 days respectively.

Sony Ericsson has officially announced the Xperia X10 which will be available in Q1 2010. Check out this video for a quick view of the device near the end and all looks good judging by the interface on show. The only stumbling block may be that better may arrive in the meantime. Timescape is a new feature which sounds a little like webOS- “manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations the bright way to check out your Facebook™, Twitter™, photos, emails, and texts all in one go.” and the Android interface appears to be heavily tweaked in a similar fashion to what HTC is doing with the Hero and Tattoo.

Twitter and Peek have got together to launch the TwitterPeek which is a co-branded device aimed squarely at mobile tweeters. It is retailing through Amazon from $99 with 6 months service included and it wouldn’t surprise me if this became a surprise Christmas hit. One trick pony devices which are well priced tend to find a market the rest of us consider to be poor value for money. You can even send Santa a tweet this year and let him know what you want for Christmas. I’ll have an X10, Bold 9700 and a TwitterPeek please…

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is now live on the Rogers website and is retailing for $299.99 on a 3 year plan- phew! This is the device which should resolve the issues in most of the other BlackBerry smartphones and without doubt looks like the best RIM product yet.

The HTC HD2 is shaping up to be a monster in the Windows Mobile world and we are only days away from its release. Clove is offering it on pre-order, but you need to be quick because many have already got their orders in. T-Mobile UK will launch it on 9th November and O2 will be releasing it, but no date yet.

GameSalad has launched its $99 iPhone game publishing service. It will be interesting to see how successful this venture is, but somehow I suspect it will only add to the raft of tosh already on the app store. Don’t get me wrong- the app store has more than its fair share of excellent titles, but are we really going to see quality games come out of this idea?

Opera Mobile 10 Beta is now available to download to your Symbian smartphone. Opera is continuing to push the boundaries of mobile internet despite immense competition from the big boys and this version is looking very good indeed.

Sony Ericsson Aino Review

Available from Clove for £391

Main features-

The best of both worlds: traditional keypad and touch UI in media mode
Media Home and Media Go – simple to take your content with you
Remote Play with Playstation 3 – control and access your Playstation 3 media content from your mobile phone
3 inch 16 million colour screen – surf the web in widescreen
8.1 Megapixel with auto focus camera
WiFi/DLNA
Clear audio experience – listen to music in superb quality with the stereo sepakers or 3.5mm audio jack
Design matched Wireless Stereo Headphone MH100 and Charging Stand EC100
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync

In the box-

Sony Ericsson Aino
Battery
SanDisk microSD 8GB
USB Cable
Colour-matched Wireless Stereo Headphone MH100
Design-matched Charging Stand EC100
User guide

I am going to try hard here to set aside my preference for smartphones and consider the Aino by merit on its own. It is far too easy to compare it to smartphones like the HTC Hero and iPhone 3GS and then wonder why it is priced at near £400, but not every phone needs to be a traditional smartphone, whatever that really is, and the quality of the components must also be taken into account.

Camera phones still dominate the mass mobile market and being able to sell a unit on Mega Pixels alone is often enough to have Joe Public salivating over the idea and shelling out hundreds of pounds for the privilege of having a good camera in a good phone which does little else very well. Did that sound patronising?

The Aino actually does do a lot very well, which I will come to later, but you can see from the main features listed above that it is aiming for the mass market in every single step. Remote Playstation 3 play, free movies from PlayNow and the camera are obvious nods to what more people may want than the average smartphone buyer. The goodness does not end at triviality though because Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync in included alongside a bizarre touch interface which only works in the media application. Why would anyone include touch functionality and limit it to a select few apps?

The Aino is complete from a specifications point of view and like many feature phones rivals the feature set of smartphones in almost every respect. The fundamental difference lies in the implementation and how Sony Ericsson is expecting users to use these features. Specific features like the camera, which is very good by the way, are pushed to the front and the underlying excellent of Activesync and the like are there as afterthoughts presumably because most users will not use them that often.

The interface is typical Sony Ericsson and requires manual button navigation, but it is a system which is easy to understand once you have played around with it for a while. There is a lot of functionality hidden beneath the twelve icons on the front screen as can be evidenced by the number of functions under the Organiser icon; Alarms, Applications, Media Home, File Manager, Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Video Call, Synchronisation, Timer, Stopwatch, Torch Calculator. Phew! Location Services contains NearMe, Google Maps, Navigation, Tracker and My Favourites and so the list of features goes on and on and on. It includes a diverse range of functionality hidden beneath a feature phone layer and this will appeal to people who prefer the more simplistic interface this type of design offers. Strangely shutting the keyboard will bring up a touch interface again which can be used to manage media- it’s all rather strange and I can’t quite work out why it has been implemented this way.

Media is catered for very well and the stand out feature is sound reproduction in my opinion. The external speaker is simply wonderful and by far the best I have heard to date, but the included headphones also do a good job of bringing the sound home (useful because there is no 3.5mm jack here) and thus I have no complaints about the Aino as a music phone. Sony Ericsson has chosen its standard music player interface which is of course superior to most and you will find yourself skipping through tracks in no time at all.

Photo management is also slick and easy and the accelerometer takes care of viewing photos in portrait or landscape. I have to say that the screen works perfectly in all weather conditions and plays back movies exceptionally well. TV is catered for with a pre-defined link to BBC iPlayer and the surprising aspect here is how poorly it works. Video quality is akin to what you would expect from TV services over 3G and is simply not good enough. Hopefully this can be resolved because all other aspects of the video experience, such as YouTube, work extremely well.

General speed is an issue when you are doing multiple things at once. I noticed music stopping when a new message was received and sometimes things just stop. Eventually the Aino gets itself in gear and starts again, but it is a less than satisfactory experience when you consider how many features are included here. The processing power may also explain some lags when using the camera- you can use the touch screen to focus on a particular point which is great, but the Aino can take forever to save a photo before you can take the next one. Strangely the video recorder is very fast and is capable of near HD quality recording so maybe there are some software tweaks needed to make the Aino feel like a finished product.

For a phone that can do so much battery life will always be important and the Aino falls down here. With light use I barely managed a day’s use and this could be a problem. New batteries do take time to bed in, but it does look as though the physical power side is not as strong as it could be.

I could talk about the Aino for a long time because there is just so much crammed into what is undoubtedly a beautifully made piece of hardware, but that will tell you nothing you cannot read from the spec sheet. It is an expensive feature phone for sure and I can’t quite see who it is going to sell to. Would people really stump up £400 for a feature phone out of contract or would they pay over £150 for it on an 18 month contract? I have to say that I cannot see either happening because it does not fit into either market segment at its current price point.

The inclusion of a Bluetooth headset and charging stand are useful and it would be nice to see similar included for most phones, but it is not enough to make up for the laggy OS and poor battery life. I am not completely discounting the Aino because it has some features which show the others what is possible, but some software tweaks are needed to make the experience as good as its potential would suggest.

Sony Ericsson has reported its third quarter results and most likely would have liked to avoid doing so. Q3 2008 shipments= 25.7m, Q3 2009 shipments= 14.1m. Ouch!

“Units shipped in the quarter were 14.1 million, an increase of 2% quarter-on-quarter and a decrease of 45% year-on-year. Sales for the quarter were Euro 1,619 million, a sequential decrease of 4% and a year-on-year decrease of 42%. The sequential decline in ASP (Average Selling Price) was due to product mix and continued challenging market conditions.

Gross margin improved sequentially but dropped year-on-year due to lower sales and foreign exchange fluctuations. The sequential improvement was seen in both percentage rate and volume, driven by cost savings actions and successful sales of the W995 Walkman® phone.

Income before taxes for the quarter, excluding restructuring charges, was a loss of Euro 198 million compared to a loss of Euro 283 million from the previous quarter. The reduced loss was due to better gross margin, as well as reduced operating expenses.

“Our business in the third quarter started to show the effects of our ongoing transformation programme. Having refreshed our brand we are now better positioned to support the launch of new products such as Aino™ and Satio™ in Q4 2009. We have cleared channel inventories, and have continued to realign internal resources and improve efficiency. We have also arranged external financing to strengthen the company’s financial position,” said Dick Komiyama, outgoing President, Sony Ericsson. “Transforming the business for future growth and returning Sony Ericsson to profitability is the focus of the senior management team and will continue under the new leadership.””

LG is offering $10,000 if you can return an LG Chocolate with a specific serial number. There are 5 serial numbers in total and it is not known why LG wants them back, but the reasons will no doubt be conspired everywhere; military secrets, compromising pictures of their senior management? There you go, conspiracy started…

I guarantee that if you have a Chocolate at home, you ‘will’ have a quick look. Remember though that over 21 million have been sold so the word ‘haystack’ springs to mind.

Vodafone has announced the 360 H1 and 360 M1 which are both made by Samsung. The specs on the H1 look particularly good, but compatibility and expandability (software-wise) may be an issue. Check out this video to see what they can do.

The touchscreen Vodafone 360 H1 by Samsung delivers the ultimate Vodafone 360 experience. The crisp, bright 16 million colour display showcases a unique 3D interface, integrated GPS, push email, audio and video playback, up to ten hours talk time, and much more.

Key phone features:
3.5″ OLED touchscreen
16GB internal memory
Wi-Fi / HSDPA / Bluetooth 2.0
5Megapixel autofocus camera with flash
58×115.9×12.9mm / 134g

As the average lifespan of a human being reaches that only previously seen in the tortoise family, there are now more active pensioners than ever before and these people need all of the convenience and facilities that younger people are used to. Just because they have seen more years does not mean they should not have access to modern equipments such as mobile phones. The problem with the mobile phone is that it is of course designed to be mobile and this can hinder usage for people who have problems pressing small buttons and for those with poor eyesight. As mobile phones become more sophisticated, they need to cram more features into a small space, and this is beyond the realm for people of advanced years.

I would suggest that the Doro ranged is aimed at people over 70 rather than all pesnsioners, and that it is also perfect for people with specific ailments such as poor hearing and maybe arthritous. Every aspect of the phones has been built with older people in mind and this makes the Doro range almost unique in the mobile phone industry, and we should not discount the size of this market. The potential is huge and I see no reason why the Doro set of phones should not succeed in a world where ‘everyone’ wants to be contactible in times of trouble or just to speak to family and friends when they want to.

I am a good subject for these phones at the moment because I have been more than half-deaf for the past 3 months and have struggled to make and receive calls on my Nokia 6303. Some days I find myself continually having to resort to a wired headset and it has caused me genuine issues trying to communicate with people. Hopefully this problem will be resolved for me with an operation, but for people who have this kind of health problem for the rest of their lives, all of the sophisticated features and miniturisation of new mobile phones will mean nothing. It all means nothing because they cannot use the phones…

Clove leant me two Doro handsets, both with names that are far from easy, and so I thought I would give them a try and hazard a guess as to how useful they would be for the older generation.

The HandlePlus 326i gsm is HUGE! It looks like a toy and at first glance cannot be taken seriously as a mobile phone. Hard plastic is used for the outer covering and the bold white set alongside the large black buttons and bright white numbers makes for a setup that anyone would be able to see quite clearly. The screen is surprisingly small and made of a low resolution, but there is no need for a large screen because the feature set is limited.

The thinking process behind the Doro handsets is exemplified by this phone and the associated contents. The large print manual and stickers that can be stuck on the battery listing favourite numbers (how sweet is that?) show a keen understanding of the needs of the target market for these phones. The list of sensitive features continues- soft touch coating, large buttons, 4 memory keys (A-D), safety lanyard, keylock, easy to read display, call timer and the features just keep coming. The features will not impress you guys, the smartphone brigade, but they are not meant to. They are designed to appeal to your parents or grandparents and Doro has gotten the message over well.

You would never carry around a 326i and use it in the street, unless P Diddy or Paris Hilton decides that they are the way forward, but for people in homes and those of an age who need a phone for emergencies and general use it is close to perfect. This particular phone is design at the very high end of the age range because it is overly large and has almost every feature needed for someone of very advanced years. The volume on the speakerphone and through the ear speaker can be set very high indeed and is not recommended for people with normal hearing. I have never heard such a clear and loud speakerphone in my life, and manufacturers of standard mobile phones could learn a lesson or two from Doro.

The PhoneEasy 345gsm is positively svelt in comparison to the 326i and I must reluctantly admit to taking a shine to it. The manual is about the size of a standard Bible and the box is quite big. Inside is an 850mAh battery (700mAh in the 326i) and this may sound stingy, but remember that the features are quite short and with a small screen there should be little to drain power. Also, the likely target market is unlikely to be texting and calling a lot; “Hi Stan, see U down the pub. Mega LOLs.” It’s not going to happen is it…

The buttons on the 345gsm are simply brilliant. The motion is perfect and again this is an area that other manufacturers could learn from. With so many phones including buttons that have little or no tactile feedback, it is refreshing to see a phone with buttons that you actually want to press. Again we have very large buttons and a small screen, but in a subtle design which works well- the green stripes on the back soft plastic looks really good and if this design were used in a smaller phone, it could have a fairly large market.

Voice quality and loudness are once again fantastic and I found little wrong with this phone. The LCD screen is not great, but the numbers and letters are large and thus once again the target market has been catered for in every area.

I can’t write much about these phones because they do not do much, but they nail the most crucial areas perfectly. With wonderful sound quality, accessible features throughout the software and hardware, and even well written manuals and accessories they are as good as you can hope for if you need this type of mobile phone.

I walked out of Clove with these two phones and wondered what the hell I was doing. Three days later, I have grown to appreciate what they are capable of and the niche in the market they cover. I genuinely like these phones and the 345gsm in particular caught my attention. Doro has filled a huge gap in the market with its range of handsets, and I am glad I got a chance to see what they could do. Guess what my Mum will be getting for Christmas…

The Doro range of handsets are available from Clove.

Clove now has stock of some Doro handsets which are designed specifically for senior citizens and those people who want the simplest mobile experience possible. There are 6 handsets available at the moment and they are quite keenly priced. Is this something that you would consider for relatives, and if so would you be interested in reading a review of one?

“As we and our relatives get older, there is greater probability that we experience more and more difficulty in completing everyday tasks, especially where new technology is concerned. The Doro mobile phone combats just such an issue. Their aim is to make life easier for senior citizens. The Doro devices have been designed with simplicity in mind, featuring big and “trigger friendly” buttons, easy to use features, a sharp display and only the most necessary functions.

HandlePlus 326i gsm is an easy to use mobile phone. It allows you to simply make and receive calls, no complicated procedures. Direct memory buttons, a large keypad and crisp display make dialling easier, while a vibrating ringer alerts you of incoming calls. With a soft touch surface, the Doro HandlePlus 326i offers better grip, and in the hand use.For added convenience, the 326 includes an easily activated speakerphone.”

Nokia 6303 Classic Review

Many smartphone owners have to carry two phones around for work and personal reasons, and this can lead to confusion as to which is the best device for what task. I have a contract paid for by my employer and so need a practical phone with decent battery life, good speakerphone quality and robustness in the face of bad treatment from its owner.

My Sony Ericsson K800i recently suffered at my hands and eventually gave up the ghost by losing signal after yet another drop to a hard surface. It has performed sterlingly well over the past few years (unlike the more recent Sony Ericssons I have tried) but sadly the time has come to wave goodbye and try something new. Nokia always pops into my head first when I think about standard mobile phones delivering good voice quality, speed of use and a long battery life and so I dropped the money for a Nokia 6303 which seemed to tick all of the boxes for me.

In the box

Contents: Nokia 6303- Battery (BL-5CT)- Stereo Headset (WH-102)- microSD memory card- Data Cable (CA-101)- Mains Charger (AC-8)- User Guide.

A 1GB microSDHC card is included which is better than nothing I guess alongside some terrible Nokia headphones (no surprise there then) and a data cable which is incredibly short. You don’t always get data cables with budget phones, but that does not excuse having one so short that it can only be used from a PC which is setup on top of a desk, and not below.

The rest is fairly standard and not worth spending time on, but you will need to buy a case and screen protector if you tend to bash your phones around a bit. Having said that, the packaged protector on the screen is almost invisible and I still haven’t taken mine off yet.

First Impressions

The first 6303 I got was faulty, it kept turning itself off and was unresponsive to button presses, and so I quickly exchanged it for a working one. This did not put me off because it was obvious from the start that this phone is designed well and perfect for people who just need to call and text the majority of the time.

In the hand it feels sublime and seems to fit every finger and thumb perfectly. It feels light, but has a weighty quality mainly thanks to the stainless steel casing, and just looks and feels good from every angle.

Battery

The expectations of this battery are high given it is one of the main features listed by Nokia and despite its relative paucity in capacity, it truly delivers. After 3 days and 3.5 hours of phone calls in an out, the battery meter is still at half way. Seriously impressive.

Screen

The screen is a surprise. Nokia has managed to keep a similar size to the Nokia 6300, but move the keys down to create a larger screen. The brightness and clarity in bright sunshine makes for a practical viewer that is useable in all conditions.

Keys

The larger screen should make for smaller buttons, but these work really well and the phone does feel balanced. It looks as though it would be top heavy, but when texting everything feels right. The navigation key is as good as could be hoped for and the call start/end keys and menu keys could be better- they are joined to produce two functions per key which is not easy at first, but I can forgive because the rest of the keys work so well.

General Performance

This phone is running the S40 operating system and thus requires little memory and in theory a small processor to run. General performance is very good and feels snappy, but navigating to apps and games on an expansion card can be slightly tardy. I found myself watching the bar fill up across the screen a few times and this was a shame because otherwise performance is very good.

Call Quality / Signal Strength

Call quality is blindingly good when used next to the ear. The volume is very loud when set up high, but I noticed little distortion even at high levels. The speakerphone is clear, but could be a little louder. It is obviously difficult to produce a ‘big’ sound from a small phone, but I have heard better on the speakerphone side in similar sized phones.

Signal quality is also very good for standard voice and data. There was a full connection everywhere I went, but without 3G on board there is little that should go wrong on any of the UK networks.

Camera

The 3.2MP auto focus, 4 x digital zoom and dual LED flash led me to expect a decent picture taking experience, but I was so wrong. The above are just numbers on a specification sheet because in the real world this camera is bad. When I say bad, I mean truly awful and is barely worth including. If it were quoted as a 1.3MP camera with fixed focus I could understand the performance, but these specifications are in opposition to what Nokia has actually fitted into the 6303. The auto focus focuses on nothing, it takes forever for a picture to be saved and the video capture quality is also not worthy. Moving on…

Entertainment

Video playback is quite reasonable given the screen size and in landscape I actually managed to watch 30 minutes of a film quite easily. There were no jumps or skips and even though this is no match for a proper mobile video player like a Touch Pro2 or iPhone, it works better than expected.

Music playback is also poor and I could not use my own headphones (they come back as unsupported) and this is a shame because the included headphones are so dreadfully poor. Imagine visiting an outdoor market where one of the stores sells knock off headphones for 75p- these are worse… I didn’t get a chance to test the 6303 with proper headphones, so my judgement may be limited in this area.

Extras

There are some free games included; Bounce Tales (which is very sweet), Brain Champion, City Bloxx, Sudoku, Tetris Pop and The Sims 3. These are nice extras which offer a glimpse of what is possible on an S40 powered phone. Bounce Tales is particularly good fun and very well implemented.

Applications include Converter, Flickr, Messenger, My Nokia, Opera Mini, Search, Share on Ovi, Size Converter and World Clock.

On the memory card you will find PC-Suite.exe which you can manually install when you connect the 6303 to a PC- a nice touch which negates the need to include a CD in the box.

There is also a voice recorder, equaliser, radio and a stereo widening option to improve the sound, which really does work.

Nokia Maps is also in the bundle, but there is no GPS antenna so you will need to use data to get around. It’s not ideal, but again good to see included.

The bundled software in the 6303 is fairly complete and more than you could reasonably expect in a £99 phone.

Conclusion

The design is near perfect with good buttons, a large screen and a subtlety of form which looks right in any place and any situation. The battery lasts forever, the screen is clear in all conditions, the voice quality is as good as any other phone and it can be had for under £140.

There is almost nothing wrong with the Nokia 6303, and more importantly almost everything feels exceptionally right. Now and then a phone is built that simply does the most important things well and in the case of the 6303, it does it all with style and is a huge bargain at its current price point. Only the Nokia 6700 looming on the horizon could be a match for it. It may not be a smartphone, but it is a very smart phone which suits my needs perfectly…

Available from Clove for £134.55.