Nokia 6101

After several years lurking in the dark back alleys of mobile telephony, clamshell phone designs have risen to prominence of late. While their newfound popularity may be due to better hinge designs, larger keypads compared to candybar-style models or the fact that when closed, numbers can't be accidentally pressed, a personal theory is that the dual satisfactions of flicking open the lid and snapping it closed play a key role. With this snap-shut design, mobile phone manufacturers may have finally solved Jerry Seinfeld's "How can you satisfyingly hang up on someone by pressing a small button?" issue.

The 6101's canny marketing campaign has emphasised both the phone's ease-of-use and its aesthetic appeal. This ensures the model holds appeal for both style-conscious young'uns and their technophobic parents (or grandparents). So does it suit all? We investigate.

Design
Nokia's previous forays into the clamshell design have been square-edged and sometimes gimmicky (Exhibit A: the fabric-covered, fashionista-friendly 7200), so it's surprising to see a model that follows the rounded contours of phones like LG's F2400 and Samsung's E730. The silver and black-hued 6101 certainly looks elegant with its shiny lacquered accents and richly coloured external display. The only thing detracting from the simple silhouette is the honking great external antenna that protrudes from the top left hand corner.

The keypad is mercifully large and slightly recessed, a layout which, combined with Nokia's praiseworthy text entry methods, allowed us to crank out long-winded text messages in record time.

The only gripe we had design-wise was that the battery cover showed some small scratches after the phone was carried around in a bag for a week. While we admit we're a little rough-and-tumble with our phones, the plastic cover did seem rather prone to damage.

Features
The 6101 has a basic feature set, with a VGA camera, FM radio, push-to-talk, some Java games and a voice recorder rounding out the functions. While MP3 files can be used as ringtones, the maximum memory capacity of 4.4MB means you'd either have to use the world's shortest songs or store only a few.

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The features list for this phone may not seem too flash compared with what's on offer in other Nokia models, but there are a few simple touches that really make a difference. Things like being able to change the font size when composing text messages give the 6101 a high score in the usability stakes.

Performance
One thing we really liked about this phone was the no-nonsense, intuitive menu. It was most refreshing to not have to navigate layer upon layer of options to change a minor setting.

The VGA camera loaded quickly, and pictures taken were of acceptable quality, but a lack of flash meant that low-light or night-time shots were too dark.

FM radio reception was nice and clear as long as the headphone cable was fully extended.

The main screen did take about a second to spring into life when the clamshell was flipped open, but compared to the delays we've endured using smart phones, it is a very small issue.

The 6101 is a great combination of simplicity and style with the camera, PTT and game functions putting the fun into functional. It is a phone equally suited to young and old, and its simple user interface doesn't intimidate or frustrate. A solid choice all round.

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