Panasonic X300

Flip-out? Well, it's flippin' disappointing

Ever thought about trying to make the next Blair Witch movie on a mobile phone? No, us neither - but that seems to be what Panasonic has in mind for this oddball handset.

What sets the X300 apart from its rivals is the curious flip-out screen. It's something we're much more used to seeing on a video camera than on a mobile phone. The screen also means that the camera lens isn't where you'd expect it to be. Instead of placing it on the rear of the phone, the company has plonked it on the left-hand edge. When you push down the release mechanism for the screen (which also doubles as the lens cover), the display will flip out and - like magic - you have a camera phone that looks a bit like a mini video camera.

Unfortunately, the quality of the snaps and video isn't quite so magic. Even on the highest-quality setting, the video is jerky and the pictures are merely average for a VGA-quality camera. The screen is also pretty poor by today's standards.

As a phone, however, the handset performs much better. The carousel-style menu system is easy to use and the call quality is good. Also, despite all the fancy nonsense with the screen, the phone itself remains very dinky.

However, there are lots of other phones with more traditional designs that offer better photo-and-video features. So, unless you're really taken with the X300 design, we'd advise you to look elsewhere.