Fall in love with the Nokia 7360, 7370 and 7380

Crave was charmed by Nokia's strange, stick-like 7280, but we didn't expect anyone else to like it. We certainly didn't expect Nokia to upgrade it or update it, or do anything more than donate it to the Museum of Off-the Wall Technology Inspired by the Long Finnish Winters.

We were wrong on both counts: we've seen people flaunting their 7280s in Starbucks, and Nokia is following it up with the equally stick-like 7380. It still has no keypad, it's virtually screenless and it's part of the new L'Amour fashion collection.

Whereas the previous fashion collection had Art Deco overtones, L'Amour is all about love and flowers and soft breezes rustling through the leaves of the climbing rose that twines around the pergola at the end of the garden. Or in Nokia-speak, "Hints of vintage and craftsmanship are fused with natural materials, colours and patterns, all carefully crafted and layered with a passion for detail."

There are three phones in the new collection. The 7360 is a sensible chocolate-bar phone that comes in two colours, Coffee Brown and Warm Amber. It has an FM radio that plays through the matching fashion headset and a VGA camera -- although that resolution is so last season, darling. The 7370 comes in the same shades of brown and beige, but is slightly more adventurous. It has a swivel design, a 1.3-megapixel camera, video ring tones, stereo speakers and FM radio.

Last -- and least, in terms of size -- is the 7380, which takes the form factor and rotating Navi-Spinner of the 7280 and makes itself even more mysterious by turning the entire front into a mirror in standby mode. The token buttons of the 7280 have also disappeared. Additions include a 2-megapixel camera (up from VGA in the 7280), an MP3 player and enhanced voice commands. Unlike the other models, there's only one colour combination: amber and white.

All three phones should be available in Q1 2006, at prices ranging from around £160 for the 7360 to £400 for the 7380 -- or for much less with a monthly contract. -ML

Update: a full review of the Nokia 7380 is now live.

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