2600 Classic

Although the Nokia 2600 Classic has a creaky case, possesses limited internal memory and suffers from slow menu navigation, its features and low price generally make it worth considering.

Nokia has always been known for building handsets that are idiot-proof, and the 2600 Classic is no exception. The menu displays easily recognisable icons for accessing various functions like messaging. Unfortunately, opening folders and activating programs can sometimes take up to a second because of lag, which quickly becomes annoying.

Although the case looks very stylish — especially considering the low price point — it feels flimsy and every squeeze causes a creak or groan. On the plus side, it's very light at 73g and it has a slimline design.

The keypad's five-way navigational pad is slightly too small and the keys don't provide enough bounce-back. This hinders fast message typing as users slow down to visually confirm that each letter or number has actually been entered — this is made more frustrating by the system's lag. The 2600 Classic's 16-bit display is bright and displays colours reasonably well.

The features list is relatively impressive and identical to that of the Nokia 5000 . An FM radio, voice recorder, media player, Bluetooth 2.0 and a VGA camera are all included. Potential buyers shouldn't get too excited about the camera and media player, however, because the 2600 classic only has 10MB of internal memory which can't be expanded.

The PIM (Personal Information Management) software included is surprisingly useful, providing a very handy unit converter on top of the usual suite of a stopwatch, calculator, calendar and alarm clock.

Telstra offers the handset for $79 (plus an additional fee if you want it unlocked) and it is a feature-packed phone that is relatively versatile. If you can get past the fact that it squeaks more often than a rubber ducky, it is worth a look for budget-conscious buyers.