Sagem my401c

Sagem's my401C is another product in their mid range line of mobile phone handsets. Aimed at the fashion conscious buyer on a budget, the my401C provides a reasonably stylish phone that packs in most features required by the average consumer. With digital music support, Bluetooth 2.0 and all the standard PIM options it is quite well specified and should satisfy those after an entry level phone with a few bells and whistles.

The most notable feature of this phone is its design. Sporting a relatively minimalist but suave black and silver colour scheme, it looks great and will satisfy those after a phone they can show off to their friends.

Weighing just 81g and measuring 86mm x 43.3mm x 18.5mm, it is quite slim, and slips easily into the pocket, so it is suitable for those with a constantly on-the-go lifestyle. The flip mechanism operated well, and although the whole unit is constructed from plastic rather than metal it feels relatively sturdy and should be able to take the occasional knock.

The interface is quite impressive. Navigating around the menu is quite speedy, however there is a noticeable delay when opening and closing it, as well as when firing up applications.

This isn't a huge deal, as the my401C isn't designed with power as a primary concern, but it still slowed down the user experience a little.

Meanwhile, the controls are comfortable but usability is not outstanding. The my401C uses a standard five-way directional pad, two selection buttons, answer and end call keys and volume controls along the side. The keys are slightly raised and are constructed from thick, black plastic that had decent tactility.

The internal 128 x 160 pixel 65,536 colour screen looks pretty decent. It lacks detail and isn't as clear as many other screens on the market. It is more than adequate for basic phone functions but during media playback it lacked the clarity necessary to make it truly useful for watching video files.

Audio quality during media playback is fairly good, although not outstanding. It's more than adequate for the occasional bout of listening on the train. The my401c comes with 32MB of internal memory and has a micro SD card slot for optional expansion.