NOKIA 7500 PRISM

Take a look at pictures of Nokia's 7500 Prism, or its sister handset the 7900 Prism and you can be forgiven for thinking it is a very distinctive looking candybar mobile which ought to feel like a million dollars in the hand. Surely that is the idea behind the design, which makes the phone look like a cut precious stone. Distinctive it certainly is, but I'm not convinced about the expensive sheen.

The number keys are triangular in shape, as are almost all of the other keys on the front fascia. The mini joystick that acts as a navi key is housed in a diamond shaped surround. The back fascia mirrors this idea, being designed with pairs of triangles making diamond shapes. The whole of the front fascia has a shiny, reflective finish whereas the back mixes this with mat.

The front fascia also has a slightly raised main section, partly to add to the ‘cut like a precious stone' appearance and also, I am sure, to help the light bounce off it at interesting angles, which is, after all, the key to making precious stones glitter and glisten.

The problem with all this is that the effect doesn't work that well. You really don't feel that you have a piece of polished and cut jasper or jet in your hand because there's no getting away from the fact that the casing is made of lightweight plastic. In fact this mobile weighs a mere 83g, which is pretty light for a candybar of average proportions - 109mm tall, 43.9mm wide and 14.4mm thick.

Nokia has tried to integrate innards and shell when it comes to themes. You can select from among 12 themes for the phone, and the predominant colours they offer are blue, green, pink and red. Some are called ‘shards pink', ‘shards blue' and so on and these have a sort of angular design within them.

You can coordinate your chosen theme with a band of colour round the edge of the phone. You get three bands - blue, green and pink. You slot your chosen one onto the back of the phone before putting the back cover on. To be honest, neither effect makes much difference. This is still a plasticky mobile trying to look like something more than it really is, and failing.

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