Construction wise, the Evolve is a treat. The back comes off easily and it’s extremely simple to get the Sim and microSD cards in and out (unlike the Palm Centro, which was a nightmare to get the Sim in and out of even if you remembered to remove the stylus). However, removing the Sim wipes the list of recent phone calls. That’s good in terms of privacy, but annoying if you are a Sim swapper and sometimes use that log to quickly call the person you last spoke to.

As for the menu system, it’s might be a cliché to say it’s dead easy but Nokia built its reputation on that and there are no slip-ups here. The only minor niggle we had is that the central logo in the main menu is for the Gallery, when we’re much more likely to head to the Messaging section that’s at the top right.

Perhaps the most disappointing feature is the screen. At 128 x 160 pixels it’s fine for everyday functions such as texting and diary updates, but doesn’t shine when it comes to all the other things we’re starting to take for granted on modern mobiles. For example, the phone comes with three great games, but only Sudoku is easy to play – Snake III and Soccer 3D being too small to satisfy. MPEG movies also made you wish for something bigger, which is a shame when we’ve seen the quality that can be produced on tiny players like the Sandisk Sansa View. That means you’re unlikely to take advantage of the Evolve’s ability to handle 3G video streaming.

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