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I always look for a balance between functionality and appearance in a mobile phone. In my opinion, a mobile phone is both an indispensable communication device, as well as a fashion accessory. Samsung managed to produce this balance somewhat successfully in the latest Samsung SGH-U700.

Launched in 2007, the newest member of the Samsung Ultra Edition II provides the user with an attractive slider phone which is fully 3G capable. It comes with a mini touchpad screen, metallic silver buttons, complete with a sleek, silver finish on the outer casing. This phone is one of the slimmest on the market, being only 12.1mm thick. Features-wise, it is equipped with a 3-megapixel camera with flash and video capabilities. The U700 supports multiple music file formats including popular ones like MP3, MPEG4 and WMA. What's more, its phonebook comes with a predictive function, it can list out phone numbers from your phonebook even when only the first 4 digits are typed out. The U700 even sports a round scroll wheel, a la the iPod, which can be used in the main menu, as well as in functions like text messaging.

Many have labeled this a 'fashion phone', with some critics calling this a 'bimbo phone' prior to the official launch. Yet this phone has gone on to dispel the criticism with its rich functionality, despite the attractive exterior. However, I must say that this phone was over-hyped and much of its plus points have lost their shine as a result.

The first thing I noticed when I removed the phone from the plastic wrap is the stunning appearance of the phone. The minimalist design is more beautiful in reality, than in any pictures posted on any brochures. The simple yet distinctively elegant design stands out from the more outlandish designs of mobile phones we have seen in recent years and this design remains one of my personal favorites. I was pleasantly surprised by the sliding function - one only has to slide it halfway before the automatic spring system finishes the job of sliding the screen smoothly upwards. This was a marked improvement over previous Samsung slider phones I've used, as the screen usually encounters difficulty while sliding up and down.

I have heard many complaints about the chrome finishing on the perimeter of the screen peeling off, to reveal a white coat after a few months of usage. The outer surface is rather frail, indeed I have seen the 'peeling' on quite a few U700s. This problem, however, is easily rectified by giving your device a transparent wrap (which I did). Even after 6 months of usage, I encountered no peeling of the surface beneath the wrap.

The camera is satisfactory, it can take photos of sufficient clarity in different kinds of lighting, but there is that occasional camera lag I experienced. The zooming capability was pretty much a letdown, with no optical zoom function. The text messaging system worked brilliantly, the buttons are easily depressible and I got used to the messaging dictionary style rather quickly. It is possible to personalize phonebook entries with images, custom ringtones and even descriptions. What I did not like was that, in order to assign a MP3 track to a particular group of contacts, the MP3 file must be stored in the phone memory. With the song in the memory card, it would be unable to program that as a ringtone. The same is true for grouping contacts into phonebook caller groups.

The most annoying feature of the U700 has to be the touchpad just below the screen. Aesthetically it looks gorgeous lighting up when you slide open the phone, fading away when you close it. The downside is that Samsung made this oversensitive. When you slide open your phone to answer calls, the slight brush of the touchpad against the cheek can disconnect you from your call. Many a times this has happened to me and I had to slide the phone open, wait a moment to make sure the touchpad auto locks itself, before pressing it to my ear to answer the call. This sensitivity also poses a problem during text messaging - an accidental brush of the 'cancel call' button would erase the entire message typed out. This would be an issue the user would have to get used to while using the phone.

Despite some exasperating flaws in the working of the U700, this phone remains pretty much glitch-free, user-friendly and very much pleasing to the eye. Beware though, not for the clumsy, you would not want to drop this fragile thing.

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