GizmoWatch: The Nokia 5500

We asked our readers to send in their review of the latest gadget in market. In response, GA reader Rajesh Saratkar, tells us about his Nokia 5500 phone.

I just can't stop talking about my Nokia 5500. It has got all the features you could ever want.

Actually, this was my first Nokia and first camera phone, so I was pretty excited about this buy. You could visit the website to see all the features, but the one I liked most is its 3D sensor. It's amazing!

It can count the distance you have walked, the number of steps you have taken, calories you burnt and so on. It shows you the information in graphical format which also could be sent using MMS. Simply WOW!

If you receive a message while on the move, just tap on the display and it reads out the SMS for you, including the name of the sender if it's in your contact list. While on music player mode, skip / rewind / pause / play / control the music with just finger taps. Did I mention that I just love this phone?

My daughter likes the inbuilt game 'Groove Labyrinth'. This must be the only mobile game that can be played without using a single key on the phone; just tilt your mobile and the ball in the game starts rolling around. It truly is 'neighbour's envy', when it comes to my child playing with the mobile along with other kids.

The next most useful feature is the browser. One can be connected to the Internet all the time with ease. Once I was on a the bus to Bhopal from Indore to catch a train. But due to rains, the roads were blocked. We were worried about missing the train. All the passengers were stranded in a dhaba. But this phone let me track the trains as well as look for alternate arrangements, such as flights. It was really helpful for me as well as co-passengers.

The Nokia 5500 has just one ugly problem, that the company must resolve -- the peeling keypad. The rubber keypad just comes off after 1 or 2 months of normal use. Till date I have had it replaced three times, but it's no use.

After a month or so, the keypad just peels off. It's really disappointing. It was never ever expected from a Nokia phone. How can an experienced manufacturer of mobiles make such a mistake?

My warranty period is coming to an end and I am stuck with this niggling problem. And the next time I visit the Nokia Care centre, they might simply not service the phone, since it's not under warranty any more.