Nokia 1680 classic

Nokia's 1680 classic is marketed with the slogan “my first phone, my first camera”. This budget handset is cheap as chips and relatively well designed, but the lack of Bluetooth may be a turn-off for some, even considering the low price.

Nokia’s entry-level handsets are all very similar, with simple, no-fuss designs. This usually results in a design that may not turn heads but is compact and lightweight. The 1680 classic follows this trend. It's built of matte black plastic with a gloss black bezel surrounding the display and has rubber-style keys.

The display has surprisingly good viewing angles. It isn’t fantastic, but it does all it needs to considering the capabilities of this handset. The controls are flat and the rubber surface provides good tactility, though the lack of separation between rows may pose a problem for users with large fingers.

A VGA camera with self-portrait mirror is the highlight of the 1680 classic’s arsenal. The camera doubles as a video recorder, but it has no flash so it’s useless during low-light conditions. The camera is fine for taking photos to use as phone wallpaper, but it will naturally struggle to produce images for other uses. With just 10MB of internal memory, you won’t be taking many photos or videos.

The rest of the 1680’s features are fairly standard. SMS, MMS and e-mail messaging (all with T9 predictive text support) are included. Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging is also available. The familiar Symbian Series 40 interface is a highlight: even first-time users shouldn’t have any issues thanks to straightforward and clearly labelled menus.

Rounding out the package are three Java games, including Snake EX2, and a range of PIM functions, including a converter, expense calculator, alarm clock, calendar, to-do list, notes, calculator, timer and a stopwatch.

Virgin Mobile offers the 1680 classic for $69 on a prepaid plan, which includes $5 Free to V credit to be used in the first 30 days. Alternatively, it is free on a Free to V 20 post-paid cap.