Gizmo

By Andy Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

Nokia has produced some amazing cellular phones in the past, but they induce sticker shock.

Not so with the Nokia 7190. This phone takes many of the great design features from past products and rolled them into an affordable phone.

The 5 oz device incorporates a slide-away panel that conceals its dial pad.

It's a handy feature to prevent accidental calls when in a pocket or purse. The screen looks as if it has been bee-stung. It swells larger than the rest of the phone. The larger screen makes navigating on the device's backlit menus much easier on the eyes. Older users will particular like this feature along with the large display fonts.

Most useful for handheld computer users is an infrared port on the top end of the device that can be used to wirelessly share a dial-up Internet connection.

Newer Palm devices and older units installed with the Palm Mobile Internet Kit can take advantage of this great feature. Pocket PC devices also have the capability to use the IR port however despite repeated attempts and configurations I couldn't get an HP Jornada to work with it.

The 7190 also has some very useful phone features. It includes voice dialing, Internet access on the handset and series of updated video games onboard. The included FoneSync software can also be used to share address book entries and calendar items with other devices either via the IR port or using an optional cable.

The 7190 has all the features that you'd want in a cellular phone. It's a winner.

Price: $225 Canadian / $ 200 US
More info: www.nokia.ca or www.nokia.com
Buy it: In Canada through Fido dealers. In the U.S., through Cingular dealers.