Amidst all the hype about camera-phones and Bluetooth connectivity, Nokia has released the 2600, a basic mobile solution with a few thoughtful enhancements to sweeten the pot. Forget the bells and whistles with this model, itÂ’s all about going back to the roots.

Design
Sporting a familiar candy-bar form factor, the 2600 fits snugly in our palms and feels lightweight at 94.5g. Positioned to appeal to the hip and trendy, the 2600 allows for interchangeable Xpress-on covers to compliment any garment or occasion. Generally, the Nokia phone has a functional, simplistic design.

The 128 x 128-pixel 4K-color display is quite a letdown compared with 65K-color screens typical of recent phone offerings in the market. While bright, colors seem washed out and the display marred by slow refresh rates, generating a “ghosting” effect whenever we scroll through the menu quickly.

To its credit, the 2600 has a responsive keypad with equally adequate feedback. Combined with its broad and well spaced-out buttons, users are in for a smooth texting experience. One slight drawback is the lack of any side panel buttons. Users will need to utilize the directional buttons on the keypad in order to control volume which is impractical during phone conversations.

Features
The 2600 sticks to the tried-and-tested intuitive Nokia Series 40 user interface. In addition, one can also adopt an iconized grid menu to view its functions much like a Series 60 model. With the four-way directional pad, navigation is rapid with minimal clicking.

At high volume, the handphone is clearly audible even in crowded places though its vibration function seems meek by comparison. The speakerphone proves extremely useful as a handsfree alternative with loud and clear voice reproduction.

One useful feature of the 2600 is its number screening ability. This sets the mobile to silent or vibration mode when incoming calls are made by numbers previously filtered out by the user.

Among all its elegance, the dualband handset is sorely lacking in connectivity options. The 2600 does not support Java, WAP, GPRS or even infrared, so users will be unable to surf the Net and download additional ringtones or wallpapers via these channels. There is also no camera, FM radio or MP3 playback.

Reception, Battery Life And SAR
Due to the phone's simplicity and absence of power-hungry functions, the 2600 excels in battery life longevity. Using a 900mAh battery, the phone lasted a full 3.5 hours on continuous usage and winked off only after slightly more than four days based on normal usage patterns. Reception was excellent throughout the entire review period.

The highest Specific Absorption Rate value of the 2600 is 0.8W/kg, which is within international SAR guidelines.

Conclusion
With a simple design and intuitive user interface, users should have no worries operating the phone. While more advanced users may be turned off by the lack of connectivity options, the 2600 makes up for this with a long battery life. At a street price of S$198 with a two-year plan and S$348 without contract, this handset is a suitable choice for anyone looking for a fuss-free mobile.