As Nokia smartphones struggle to hold the line against the storming droids, more and more pressure falls on their feature-phone squad. It will be up to those foot soldiers to buy enough time for the heavily armed Windows Phone 7 reinforcements to arrive.
The Nokia C2-02 is the first of a trio of handsets to try and make the most of what’s probably Nokia’s last remaining stronghold - simple to use phones with good looks and an attractive price tag. The Touch and Type series has been doing well for Nokia and even though they scrapped the name, the spirit will live on.To get us started, here’s what the C2-02 is all about:Key featuresDual-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support2.6" 65K-color resistive TFT QVGA touchscreenS40 6th edition2 megapixel fixed-focus cameraQCIF video recording at 15fpsStereo FM radio with RDS, Visual radioBluetooth v2.1(with A2DP)Standard microUSB portmicroSD card slot(32 GB supported, 2GB included)3.5mm audio jackExtra smooth and precise haptic feedbackAttractive priceMain disadvantages No Wi-Fi
Doesn’t charge off USB
No screen brightness control
No document viewer
No smart dialing
No video-call camera
No accelerometer sensor means no cool features like tap-for-time and turn-to mute
No multitasking
If you’ve been keeping track, you’d surely find the flaw list familiar. S40 made the leap to touchscreen but Nokia still didn’t bother packing it with smart dialing and multitasking – features already available on competing feature phones for years. The screen itself is nothing to shout about: a small, low-res, resistive display. But the slider form factor makes quite a bit of sense - especially if you had doubts about the first Touch and Type candybars. Sliders make better use of space: the C2-02 gives you a reasonably comfortable dial pad and a bigger screen.