Nokia 5250

Watch out folks, this latest Nokia may look like the new kid on the block, when it is anything but that. Just as the prophecy foretold, the 2G phones have risen from the dead and will again walk among us.

First impressions

The Nokia 5250 is the company's latest budget wunderkind, packing a comparatively high-specced 2.8-inch resistive touchscreen, with a focus on music playback. But to keep the price down Nokia has left out a couple of important features.

It could be argued that 2G mobile connectivity still has a place in certain parts of the world, but Australia is not one of those places. By the end of 2010, more smartphones will ship down under than regular mobile phones, and though the 5250 is technically a smartphone, its snail-paced internet makes most of its internet-capable applications pretty useless. If all you plan to do with your phone is make calls and send text messages, the lack of 3G won't phase you. However, if you have any intentions of jumping online for a quick web fix, this network oversight is bound to drive you balmy.

As a music player, the 5250 desperately needs some memory for storing songs to. Typically, a phone of this calibre will get a 2GB microSD memory card tossed in the box with the handset, so fingers crossed we see the same attention to detail with the 5250. It does have a 3.5mm headphone jack though, which is a step in the right direction.

Outlook

The price of smartphones is plummeting and we're not sure you can launch a 2G phone these days and hope to compete with the Androids on offer from HTC and LG. The lack of 3G will be felt even more keenly because this phone runs of Nokia's Series 60 platform, which will offer a range of excellent features that customers will struggle to use with the painfully slow data speeds. The 5250 is expected to go on sale in Q4 2010 with an estimated price tag of €115.