Separate phone, pocket PC and sat-nav? Tsk, tsk. The Mio A701 flies in the face of gadget multiples and perches in the hallowed halls of convergence.
It's a phone-shaped ­device and its triband ­functionality means it works almost anywhere in the world, though it's GPRS only - don't expect high-speed 3G downloading or video ­calling. For satellite navigation aficionados, the A701 packs a latest gene­ration SiRFstarIII chipset into its compact form. That means it won't lose signal near tall buildings. Its hefty ­processor should tear through mapping tasks, too. You can specify the software.
Thanks to its potency, the A701 will doubtless make a fine fist of its multimedia tasks. A 1.3MP camera with video recording capability heads things up, while ­Media Player 10 handles the DRMed WMAs and WMVs, as well as MP3s and WAVs. You can download TCPMP freeware for more format support. And games should look great on the touch-sensitive screen. Like any device running Windows ­Mobile 5.0, the A701 is a fully ­functioning, tiny PC.
Standard software ­includes mobile versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Internet Explorer.
Bluetooth connectivity is present and correct. But
Wi-fi is woefully lacking.


The Chocolate apes the ill-fated Olympus m:robe MR100's liquid nitrogen-cool, red-LED-on-dark-background style. It has a standard 1.3MP camera, but you'll cherish its slim, ­sliding 15mm form.



This 8800 has the same guts as the original model - triband calling, immaculate sliding mechanism, reinforced glass screen and rudimentary SVGA camera - but the special metallic black finish marks it out.



There are three new flavours of V3i to celebrate. You can now pick a 1.23MP, Transflash-toting Motorola to match your curtains, thanks to these oh-so-classy new maroon, violet and dark blue finishes.

Mio A701: from £450
LG Chocolate: £tba (due May)
uk.lge.com

Nokia 8800 in black: £1,500
www.foneplanet.com

Motorola Razr V3i: £tba
www.motorola.com/uk