A Review of the Nokia 2705 Shade Mobile Phone

A Review of the Nokia 2705 Shade Mobile Phone
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Introduction

The Nokia 2705 is a minimalistic phone with very basic call and text features. A modestly priced flip phone with a limited 1.3 megapixel camera, the phone will not cause any excitement among hardcore mobile phone fanatics. It is a good phone, however, for those in need of a handset for the essentials - voice calling and text messaging.

Design (3 out of 5)

Nokia 2705 Shade

The Nokia 2705 Shade has a clamshell design that actually looks good despite the handset’s cheap price. When opened, the handset shows a clean and stylish curve. The handset is colored black with trimmings of silver, although users can customize the look of the phone by mixing it up with interchangeable covers that are sold separately.

The Nokia 2705 has dimensions of 3.32 inches in length, 1.7 inches in width and 0.64 inches in depth and weighs about 70 grams. Given its small frame, the phone won’t cause any problems at all when slipped into a purse or pocket pants. Most users complain that the phone feels like a toy when held in the hand given the plastic skin, but the plastic protects it from any rough treatment.

The screen measures about 2 inches and can display 262,144 colors at a resolution of 160x128 pixels. The screen also doubles as a viewfinder for the camera which is located above it. Curiously, the phone lacks a camera flash. On the left spine of the phone is the volume toggle control and the right spine of the phone is the voice dialing control. The right spine of the phone features a micro USB port where both the 2.5mm headset jack and USB cable can be connected.

User Interface (3 out of 5)

While the phone does not have the most brilliant screen display, it makes up for it with its user friendly interface. The navigational array of the phone is easy to use. A four way toggle with an OK button in the center is featured upfront, as well as a couple of soft keys, a dedicated speakerphone button and shortcut for the camera shutter. The four way toggle can also serve as a shortcut to four functions that can be pre-set by the user. Users may frown at the plastic feel left by the keypad buttons, despite the spacious design that makes it easy to input text messages and dial phone numbers.

Features (3 out of 5)

Nokia 2705 Shade

The Nokia 2705 Shade features basic mobile phone functions like the usual SMS and MMS, vibrate mode, alarm clock, calendar, stop watch, note pad and world clock. The phone book is capable of storing a maximum of 1,000 contacts, with each contact having a maximum of four numbers and e-mail addresses. Users can also designate photos and ringtones to individual contacts or caller groups.

The 2705 comes with a basic 1.3 megapixel camera. It can capture images in four resolutions with a minimum of 160x120 and maximum of 1280x960 pixels. The camera also includes options like brightness meter, white balance, self-timer, color effects, shutter sound, and silent option. It cannot, however, capture video clips. The 2705 has an internal memory of 59 MB.

Aside from these features, the phone comes with USB cable support, voice dialing, chat, airplane mode, voice recorder, and Web-based e-mail. Surprisingly, the phone has Bluetooth but with limited profiles. It basically works for transferring files to and from the phone.

The 2705 is customizable as a variety of themes, clock formats, banners and wallpapers can be changed by its users. Ringtones can also be downloaded through its WAP 2.0 browser. The phone does not have games integrated on it.

Performance (3 out of 5)

The Nokia 2705 may not be the most advanced handset but it pretty much holds up when it comes to performance. Calls made using the handset were good, with strong and clear audio and loud volume. Calls made using the speakerphone, however, were not of clear quality, and because the volume cannot be adjusted during speakerphone calls, users may get frustrated using this feature.

Pictures taken using the camera are of poor quality, but this is expected for a cheap mobile phone. Images taken using the phone camera are usually dark with a lot of picture noise.

The 2705 has a battery life of up to 5 hours during talk time, and 15 days while on standby.

Verdict (3 out of 5)

The 2705 is not the most feature-loaded handset in the market but it makes up for it with its good design and performance. Notwithstanding the plastic feel of the handset, it is very lightweight and should not cause any budges when slipped into a purse. It also gets good marks for its user friendly interface- users won’t have trouble accessing the various functions of the phone even if it is the first time they have used the handset. The battery life could have been better for such a phone with limited functions, but overall, the Nokia 2705 Shade is a good bargain.