Panasonic X300

The X300 is a tiny mobile phone that has been designed around the digital camera, which is built in to the left-hand edge of the handset.

Slide down the lens cover when the phone is turned on and it switches straight to camera mode, giving you the option to snap still images or record video clips. Slide down the lens cover again and the section of the phone housing the colour screen pops out of the body of the unit and swings 90 degrees to the right, so you can turn the phone and hold it as you would a digital video camera.

There are three video-image quality settings on offer - select Normal and you can shoot around 10 seconds of footage - and as the phone features MMS messaging, you can send clips or photos to people in your contacts book.

There is no infrared or Bluetooth to transfer images to a PC but you can surf the web using GPRS, and download ringtones to supplement the 20 pre-loaded polyphonic sounds on the handset. For a more personalised feel, you can compose your own melodies using the ringtone composition software loaded on the phone. Also, as this is a tri-band phone, you'll be able to use it in the US.

The menu system is easy to navigate but you may find the closely spaced buttons fiddly to use at times.

While the X300 is certainly quirky and fun, there are other handsets on the market that offer more for your money if you are happy to sign a contract. Buy direct from Virgin Mobile before the end of January and get £20 off the handset, with £15 airtime until the end of December.

Contact:
Virgin Mobile 0845 602 4418
www.virginmobile.com/mobile

See also:

Motorola C651

A mobile phone with decent features but a price that's hard to justify  03 Feb 2005

Orange C500

Orange's third-generation smartphone  03 Dec 2004

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