Nokia’s XpressMusic mobiles are known for their funky design and (obviously) for their musical capability. Of course, music isn’t everything when you're considering buying a mobile phone; there are other features that should be given due importance. Does the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic measure up? Here are my findings.

Form Factor
The 5310 is a well-designed mobile. It’s chic, slim, lightweight, and very easy to carry around and use. So much so that I had to keep checking my pockets to make sure it was still there. It has a 3.5mm earphone socket, a microUSB port, and the power key on the top. On one side is the charging port and on the other you’ll find the volume/zoom keys.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_38131_sides_top_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_38131_sides_top_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Display is handled by a 2 inch TFT screen with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 16 million colors. On one side of the screen are three 'quick keys' to activate the music player. I really liked the keypad. Like most Nokia keypads, it's easy to use and the smooth 5-way nav pad makes navigation a breeze.

There's a 2 megapixel camera at the back of the camera. As with the 6300, the 5310 too has a microSD slot on the side, only it's under the rear panel. One thing I'd have appreciated was a dedicated ‘C’ key for deleting characters while composing an SMS. Since you have to use the key above the Call End button, you often end up closing the message.
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_38111_front_back_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_38111_front_back_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Features and Performance
The 5310 XpressMusic runs on a Series 40 OS, so it's a bit limited in some ways. One problem with the phone (and I tested it on two pieces) is that for some reason it kept locking me out of my SIM card directory. I had to restart the phone every now and again. Very annoying. Hopefully this is not a generic problem
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It’s a real pain setting up WAP or GPRS with S40 type phones, and BPL is not a very responsive operator who’ll provide it easily enough. This GSM handset is EDGE-enabled but activating it is a real b*tch, as I said! But once you get that sorted out you’re good to go.

There are a lot of applications and special offers provided with the 5310, such as Nokia Catalogs. The Opera web browser comes preinstalled. Other connectivity features include PTT (Push To Talk) and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP compatibility.

Other features include a calendar, to-do list, notes, countdown timer, stopwatch and converter. There’s also the Nokia Sensor application and a World Clock. The calculator is now much more user friendly.

The 5310 has a wallpaper creator that seems able to create only some psychedelic images. There are a few games; the Music Guess game is very similar to the iPod Music Quiz.

Slider mobile king Samsung, has launched yet another music mobile directed at the midrange consumer. The Samsung F250 is equipped with a 2-inch TFT display with a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels and 65k colors.


The F250 has a 1.3 megapixel camera and direct music access keys. It also comes with an integrated FM radio and supports Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP compatibility and EDGE. It has only 20MB of internal memory but supports microSD cards up to 2GB. This slim slider has dimensions of 94 x 46 x 17.5 mm and weighs in at just 96g.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37926_2_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37926_2_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
The Samsung F250 should be out sometime next year and will be priced at approximately Rs. 10,410 (180 EUR).

Those of you who are also into audio will have surely heard of a big name in the biz – Mark Levinson. This audio equipment manufacturing company has teamed with LG mobiles and developed what they call the LG: the Rhapsody in Music. So it’s a long and odd name for a mobile phone, but according to the company it should speak for itself.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37803_lg_rhapsody_3_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37803_lg_rhapsody_3_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
The most obvious fact about this device is that it of course should have a Kick-Ass music player. Other specs include Bluetooth (possible with A2DP) 1GB of internal memory and external memory support and a 2 megapixel camera. This LG slider also has a navigation wheel under its screen, so following in the footsteps of the Nokia N81 and yes, the ever popular Apple iPod.

The LG Rhapsody is priced at Rs. 21161 (367 Euros), but there doesn’t seem to be any release date yet.