Nokia 1800 (2010)

Basic No-frills Phone – * Pros: 1) Small, lightweight candybar design -- easily-portable in a pocket. 2) Budget pricing with acceptable technical performance -- eg. clear voice-calls, no performance lag. 3) Some useful PIM features (eg. converter, alarm, memo/reminder, calendar) -- no battery-guzzling "smart" (ie. fanciful) features that basic users seeking a simple phone for calls & messaging do not need or desire.

4) Impressive battery life -- on standby mode with minimal usage, a fully-charged cell can last for at least 1 week.

5) Reception for FM Radio (the only fanciful feature, besides games) is surprisingly good.

6) Bright nifty torch -- some might find this useful, as compared on relying on the light from the phone's screen to find one's way in the dark.

* Cons:

1) No external memory card slot for data storage -- fully-reliant on limited inbuilt phone memory (300 SMS, 500 contacts).

2) Absence of easy data-transfer mode (eg. mini-USB, Bluetooth) between phone/SIM card & PC.

3) Plasticky & slippery keypad that lacks inter-key grooves/delineations -- users with normal-sized/fat fingers probably need to use fingertips/nails to accurately select the desired key; eg. the CLEAR key is literally conjoined with the EXIT/DISCONNECT key, such that pressing CLEAR while composing a message often throws one out of the message totally.

4) Interface could have been more user-friendly (like LG's) -- eg. one can't seamlessly surf between messages in the same folder, or between folders (Inbox to Drafts to Send), w/o having to get out of the current message/folder.

5) Non-ideal build design & quality -- the back casing is a single, clip-on (not sliding) plastic piece that hides the base of the phone completely (except for the Nokia logo) -- the flimsy plastic flexes a little too much for comfort when one tries to pry it from the phone; not easy if one wishes to take out the SIM card or battery; such a design probably reduces the phone' structural lifespan as well.

6) A world-clock PIM would have been nice & useful.

* Overall: Rating: 3/5. Budget phone with technically-reliable performance. Ideal as a backup or if used occasionally, but can prove annoying under moderate to intensive daily usage due to the slippery texture-less keypad & multi-step user interface. These 2 disadvantages are tedious enough to make me consider looking for an alternative phone for day-to-day use.