Like many Nokia phones, what it lacks in looks it more than makes up for in incredible usability and features. In this brief update, I want to let you in on why this is such a great phone and take a look at the key features.

Generally speaking, the Nokia 6260 Slide has got a very simplistic design. Available in black and grey, the front is curved nicely and the phone has a nice bit of substance when you are holding it. The slide phone makes sure that the screen is a little larger than usual for a slide phone to make Internet navigation easier.

It ticks all of the boxes when it comes to the standard stuff that you expect of a phone: it has hands free, Internet capabilities, mobile office… which it should do, for a price tag which runs into hundreds of Euros. What justifies the price is the way that you can navigate the Internet by using the navi-wheel which is built in just under the screen.

The back of the phone let it down a bit. For people who are looking for a sassy phone with appeal, you might want to look elsewhere. It is more of a practical phone rather than one with a cutting-edge design.

Connecting with people… socially

Nokia have endeavoured to make sure that all of the services that are offered on the phone bleed into one to make sure that you can get the best social experience possible. It’s fantastic to use the 5MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lens to take a photo and then to be able to upload it to share with your friends and family in seconds.

3G makes using social-networking websites a lot faster, which is great if you are trying to upload your status on Facebook in a rush (which was tried in this review!). There is no messing around and having to fiddle with the phone which is excellent – there is a lot less frustration when you use the 6260. And yes, the easy-to-use Symbian UI is one of the main things which make this possible.

One thing that Nokia really wanted to do with the 6260 was bring GPS into the mass market, according to the press release. Using the built-in software was easy and not to bad to use if you are on a stroll through the city centre.

The battery life was excellent considering the intensive use during this review. Of course, 3G affects the talk time that you have on the phone when you compare it with the dying breed of GPRS. Three hours is really the plateau to expect when it comes to the battery when you are talking on 3G connectivity, which is neither good nor bad in the current market.

With the new LG Chocolate BL20 mobile cell phone, you are ensured a chystal clear mobile experience with it’s fantastic resolution. You’ll also like to know that despite its looks, it’s actually very solid and far from cheap and flimsy.

Its hidden navigation system and colourful backlighting provide a glossy finish to an otherwise standard slide phone. Unlike its Chocolate predecessors, the BL20 lacks a touch screen, but makes up for it with buttons that are integrated into the body of the phone and providing an exciting and new mobile phone experience.

The Features

The LG Chocolate BL20 boasts a 5-megapixel camera which produces immaculate pictures and has raised the bar in the world of mobile phone cameras. It includes the basic flash, auto-focus and a zoom feature as well as an exciting variety of high-end features such as geo-tagging, smile, blinking and face detection sensors. Taking pictures on your phone will never be the same again. Although the pristine picture quality may have compromised the video playback, as the BL20 is at times sluggish and jerky when viewing video playback.

The BL20 has an impressive music player enables the listener to organise their music by artist, album, title or genre. Combine that with the phone’s Bluetooth capability and the BL20 enables you to listen to your favorite tracks on the nearest stereo.

The most revolutionary feature on the BL20 has to be the introduction of the Widget Hotkey present on their menu. The hotkeys stream information of the user’s choice directly to your phone screen. Whether you need to keep up to date with news headlines, weather or the stock market, the LG Chocolate BL20 guarantees information is only a click away.

Memory

With all these high quality and dramatic features, a phone like the BL20 needs buckets of memory and it doesn’t disappoint. The BL20 provides an impressive integrated memory of 130 megabytes with an additional 8 GB memory card. The BL20 succeeds where other mobile phones have failed before it by providing enough memory to justify its features.

The first handset in the LG’s Chocolate range was certainly a tough act to follow, with thousands of handsets flying off the shelves worldwide – unsurprisingly. This new addition to the range, alongside the BL40, is a worthy successor. After all, it brings the approachability of the first phone in line with some new features.

RATING: 4/5

The LG Chocolate BL20 has officially placed LG into the ranks of its major competitors: Nokia, Samsung and Motorola. The LG Chocolate BL20 is all about style and doesn’t fail to deliver with its sleek shape and chic looks. But it’s not just a pretty face – the LG Chocolate BL20 is unparalleled in its features and performance.

The Samsung Genio Qwerty is a great new phone. Super stylish and looks fantastic, this cell has a variety of kick-ass features. Unfortunately, it also has a few negative sides to it which you are going to want to know about before purchasing.

The Genio Qwerty certainly has some unique aesthetics. The first thing you’ll notice is its selection of battery covers. Available in black, white, or yellow, they’re great for giving your phone a customisable look while curving comfortably against the palm. Its array of cute icons and little animations makes using the phone amusing and fun. One particularly notable animation includes its tendency to put texts in little bubble quotes, making the act of juggling different conversations at once a breeze. Its 2.2 inch screen is a bit smaller than what we would have liked, but thus far it’s bright and vivid enough that most users should have very little trouble seeing what they’re doing.

Samsung has taken a page from Blackberry by including a full Qwerty keyboard. Unfortunately, the keys are far too small and crowded for easy texting, even with their series of addictive typing games to help get your thumbs in shape. Unfortunately, along with being difficult to type on, its navigation and shortcut keys are placed in such a way that makes them difficult to reach.

Sound:

The Genio Qwerty has everything you need to enjoy your tunes, including a 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM radio, media player, and crisp, clear sound quality. Its volume buttons are also sensibly placed, making it easy to adjust the volume no matter how you’re holding the phone. Call quality is also top notch, with a quality speaker phone and voice recording capabilities.

Camera:

Unfortunately, at only 2 megapixels, the camera isn’t very impressive. With no flash or LED light, it’s likely the only quality pictures you’ll get will be in well lit settings, and even then the colour may be washed out a bit. However, it’s still an all right camera for snapping silly pictures on the go. Features such as its 4 x digital zoom, Smile Shot, Panorama Shot, and Continuous Shot also serve to redeem it somewhat.

Internet Connectivity:

Though it’s equipped with quadband technology, GPRS, Bluetooth, and USB, one of the phone’s biggest disappointments is that it lacks wi-fi and 3G, which severely limits your connectivity. However, it does have a variety of social networking related goodies. For example, the Genio Qwerty allows you to use chat programs such as ICQ, AIM, Google Talk, and more through one easy multi-messaging program. It also provides easy access to social networking sites such as Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, and others. Combine this with a competent email client and a decent browser and you might be able to overlook its 2G network. Consider getting the Samsung Genio Qwerty through affordable mobile phone deals online as they give more discounts and has lots of deal choices to choose from.

Memory and Talk Time:

For a phone so heavily equipped, its battery life is spectacular, lasting for several days of heavy use before a charge is needed. Its 37 MB of memory isn’t as impressive, but you can boost this with an 8GB microSD card.

Verdict:

The Samsung Genio Qwerty certainly has its redeeming features. Considering its sleek appearance, nifty user interface, quality sound, and wealth of social networking apps, it’s easy to see why it’s more than worth its low price. However, its puny camera, lack of wi-fi, and crummy keyboard may nevertheless be a turnoff for many.