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Many might be wondering why I’m bothering to do a write-up on a 3-year-old, GSM cell phone from Nokia. Recently, my Samsung U700 was sent to service for some hardware problem and I had to rely on my old Nokia 7270 as my only means of mobile communication. Imagine, downgrading from a stylish 3G mobile phone with a 3.2 megapixel camera to a blocky GSM one with only a VGA camera; most people would not be pleased with this transition. However, as I found out, things were not as bleak.

During these weeks when I had to make use of the 7270, I realized that this was a very reliable and durable mobile phone. This phone model was launched in early 2005 - that’s 3 years ago! At the current rate that mobile phones are launching and disappearing, being sufficiently useful even after 3 years is actually quite an astonishing feat. SMS functions are standard; this keypad is actually my favourite out of all the phones I have used. I have never used a better keypad, be it in practical terms of aesthetic. There was no problem for me typing text messages without looking at the keypad. Calling functions are standard, with good audio clarity. Call logs and other features are standard functions in a Nokia phone and still remain extremely useful.

To my surprise, this phone actually supports MP3 playback. I remembered during that time, MP3 playback was recently introduced into mobile phones and the feature was so sensationally hyped up. Thus, this phone spared me the embarrassment of using a MIDI ringtone while my U700 was on hiatus. The VGA camera, though, was a horror to use. In this day and age, where integrated cameras in mobile phones are almost or even on par with quality and performance of a digital camera, this VGA produces some photographs of abhorrent quality. Anyone who is still using this phone can give the camera a skip.

One downside that I discovered after a few hours is the incompatibility between 3G SIM cards and GSM phones. My 3G SIM card could hold up to 1000 contacts and profiles, however when used in the 7270, it only displays the first 250 contacts that were saved (non-3G SIM cards have a 250 contact limitation). Also, its extremely limited phone memory means weekly clearing of the message inbox and outbox, this is a particular hindrance if the user is a hardcore ‘text-er’.

Despite its humble appearance, Nokia 7270 is a very durable basic cell phone. It has satisfactory calling and messaging features, as well as a GPRS WAP browser. It even has a changeable skin - choose from either black or red velvet skins or just opt for a bare metal outlook. The features are no match for many of the phones in the market today but this remains my ideal choice as a spare, backbone phone.

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(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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