Nokia 7260 mobile phone

Posted by T3 Online on Wed 31 Oct 2007

So fashionable it has a clique of hangers-on.

We've never delved into women's handbags, but if we did then we guess this mobile would be lurking among the car keys, tissues and loose change. It's obvious this is part of Nokia's fashion range, with the swirling design of its numbers and curvy edges, and it nestles comfortably next to the lipstick-shaped 7280.

But the 7260 is the 7280's plainer friend. Whereas the latter was literally stick thin and would draw admiring glances, the former is just mutton dressed as lamb (or roadkill, depending on who you ask). And any man is going to feel more than a little embarrassed by the cherry-red glow the keypad emits when unlocked.

When you've got past the styling, you're bombarded by further "fashion" novelties such as the clothes size converter and an awkward wrist strap, both of which failed to charm.

The controls are nasty, with the joystick feeling cheap and wobbly. The top four buttons are also too close together for anyone with normal-sized thumbs, resulting in some mix-ups when selecting options. The screen is bright, but it's too small.

The menu system will be familiar to anyone who's used a Nokia, but these days Sony Ericsson handsets offer better ease of use. You get three hours' talk time too - just enough to tell all your friends how trendy your new phone is. Sound quality is clear even in built-up areas, but that's probably the last concern of people buying this handset.

As an attention-seeker, this succeeds - though not as successfully as the 7280 - but as a functional handset it's pretty average.