I used this as my main handset ever since it was released, even though I managed to test out loads of other handsets because of my job role in Orange I always, without fail, returned to my trusty old 702. Although this has now changed since I got an 8210 (although I still use the 702 in my car because I’ve got a car kit installed) I would still not hesitate to use it if I had to.

This phone was, and still is, an absolute gem and I believe the only reason it hasn’t retained its popularity is the fact that it doesn’t have predictive text messaging or removable fascias. This and later its dual band counterpart the 6150 were also the mainstay of the corporate market but since the introduction of the 7110 and later Nokia models a lot of large companies have upgraded therefore leaving a shrinking requirement for new stock hence the discontinuation of production.

As far as size goes the 702 is quite small in comparison to a lot of other models and is a very comfortable handset to hold, the keys are very responsive and of course it has the hugely popular Nokia navigation menu. These factors make it a very user friendly handset.

It was also one of the first phones to give the user the profiles set ups a lot of the more advanced phones have now, this allowed the user to set up groups of contacts under different headings and allocate different call settings to each. For example you could put your girlfriend under “Lover”, friends under “Friends”, the boss under “Work”, family under “Families” etc etc and set the phone so that it would have a different ringing tone for each. You can even “mark” any particular groups you wanted and these wouldn’t ring at all if somebody in that group called you.

Another new function included was the calendar, this allowed you to set all sorts of alarms to remind you of meetings, birthdays, etc. This from a work perspective was invaluable and I for one have been very grateful for this particular function on more than one occasion when I’ve been away from my desk diary and had forgotten a meeting. In a way I suppose this made the 702 the first phone with an incorporated PDA built into it, albeit a very basic one.

It was also the first phone to have built in games with snake being my personal favourite, of course a lot of people would say whats the point of having games in a phone but think of all the times you’ve been on the train bored stiff, snake at least gave you something to occupy your mind and kill 20 minutes !!

Of course if you were with a like minded person you could go head to head and play them at snake by utilising the infra red and linking the phones together ….. aaahhhh, little things please little minds !!!

As far the serious stuff goes the 702 was excellent and its battery life was brilliant, providing of course you had the lithium iron battery, then again even the earlier versions with the NiMH battery could not be faulted in this respect.

There was a recurring problem for a time with the 702’s where the screen would fade, this though was easily solved by simply pressing down on the top of the screen and hey presto the screen would come back to life. The cause was eventually traced back to the elastomer lining which held the LED away from the glass and a change in the design rectified the fault.

If there was one complaint I had about the 702 it was the fact that it wasn’t dual band, this sometimes caused you problems when you travelled abroad but it wasn’t a major issue as far as I was concerned, anyway when the dual band 6150 was launched (which is by and large the same handset) this problem was solved.

So as you can probably gather from the tone of my review I have nothing but praose for this handset and I would say if you get the chance to own one don’t hesitate …. providing of course you can live without being able to change your fascia !!!


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 100