Nokia 6650

The Nokia 6650 has an angular retro design that perfectly befits the thin explosion that started in 2004. It's not exactly eye catching, but we welcome the metal skin that gives the phone a sturdy feel in the hand. Our silver review model had an appealing polish but the handset also is available in red. The features are the same on both models. The hinge has a solid construction in fact, the phone closes with such force that it pinched our finger when it got in the way.

At 3.93 inches tall by 1.86 inches wide by 0.64 inch thick, the 6650 travels well. It's a bit heavier than we expected (3.95 ounces), but that's not a problem. The 6650 has a great external display it measures 1.36 inches and supports 262.000 colors (160x128 pixel resolution). Besides showing all the necessary information including the date, time, battery life, and signal strength, it also shows numeric and photo caller ID.

But the 6650's display goes a step further by allowing access to a variety of features without opening the phone.

You can access the camera, the calendar, the timer, the stopwatch, the ringer profiles menu, the music player, and the camera.

And when you're in camera mode, the display also acts as a viewfinder for self portraits. Even with all that functionality, the interface is intuitive.

Three touch controls just below the display are your primary controls. Above the display sit the camera lens and flesh.

It's a convenient location, as long as you don't place your finger over the lens when snapping a photo. On the right spine you'll find the micro-SD card slot, a 2.5 mm headset jack, and the charger port. A single Micro-USB jack sits on the left spine, below a thin volume rocker and a PTT button.

The controls are easy to use, but because the volume rocker is on the front flap of the phone, there is quite a gap between the rocker and the keypad when the phone is open. The 2.2 inch internal display is positively gorgeous. With support for a brilliant 16.7 million colors (320x240 pixel resolution), it's far better than almost every other phone display in its class.

Graphics and photos are extremely sharp and colors are bright and vibrant. The Symbian series 60, third edition menus are simple and easy to use. We could find features easily and quickly. The list and icon designs are the most intuitive of the four choices. You can change the display's brightness, the font size, and the backlight time. Just be aware that if the backlighting is off, it's very difficult to see the onscreen commands for unlocking the keypad.