5000

The 5000 from Nokia continues the Finnish giant's excellent record of building fine entry-level units. This slim candybar is easy to use, has good call quality and comes equipped with most of the basic features you would expect. Unfortunately, multimedia buffs need to look elsewhere as it lacks removable storage.

The 5000 attempts to appeal to fashion-conscious buyers despite its low price point. A gloss black panel in the middle is flanked by two coloured side panels and a metallic grey finish on the sides and rear. The 5000 is comfortable to hold, lightweight and effortless to use.

The glossy, raised keypad provides good tactility but the fairly small size of the keys can pose some comfort and speed issues when text messaging. The same applies for the five-way navigational pad — it is slightly smaller than we would have liked and does tend to dig into your finger when being pressed. The 5000's display is bright and clear, but viewing angles are poor and sunlight glare is a bit of an issue.

The Series 40 interface is easy to use and fairly responsive. A slight annoyance is scrolling through long lists: holding down the navigational key doesn't scroll fast enough, so you will find yourself pressing repeatedly. The Nokia menu is intuitive and well designed.

Being an entry-level phone, the phone has fairly basic features, headed by a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, a music player and an FM radio. The included 2.5mm HS-105 headset also doubles as a hands-free device and features a call-handling button and a shirt clip built into the cord. Unfortunately, the 5000 lacks removable storage and comes with just 12MB of internal memory — not enough for even a few music tracks and photos.

Other features include a range of PIM (Personal Information Management) functions such as a converter, calculator, countdown timer, calendar, stopwatch, to-do list and notes. Bluetooth allows you to transfer files and use accessories such as headsets, but the lack of A2DP means you can’t stream music or radio to a wireless headset.

Virgin Mobile offers the 5000 for $149 on a prepaid plan that includes $5 Free to V credit to be used in the first 30 days. Alternatively, it is $0 upfront on a Free to V 20 Cap.