After almost 2 years of using the same old handset my network finally decided I was able to claim an upgraded handset as long as extended my contract.
The choice I preferred was always going to be a Nokia as any I'd had previously had been better than other brands Id used, and one of the newer options avaliable was this the 6500 slide.

As Im with Orange I had the option of the new black version or the original silver, I chose the black simply because they had it in stock at the time.
On receiving the handset my intial impressions were about its weight and size. With a predominantly metal casing it feels robust and obviously metal increases the weight. The front of the phone has a large colour screen and the four large buttons with the central navigation button. Sliding it open you have a relatively small number pad which is also metal rather then the plastic of earlier Nokias.
The back simply has the lens for the camera, and as is etched in to the metal it is a Carl Zeiss Tessar 2.8/4.5, 3.2 megapixel.

Containing as most modern phones do the abilty to be used as a basic mp3 player you also have a mini SD card in the handset, the construction of the bettery compartment means this sits above the slot for the SIM card and is possible to remove without first removing the battery. On the sides of the handset are a button to operate the camera without opening the phone and a volume control.
The menu is the same as is to be found on all Nokias, and can be set as a grid or list style menu, I prefer the grid which shows the symbols representing the function of that submenu, and as is typical has contacts, media, messaging, orange world (which is the wap section), settings, call log, media applications, the organiser, games, and Orange plus (general information and the orange helpline number). One I havent seen previously is the music store, in this section you can buy mp3 dowloads.

From the basic screen on the phone, there is also the new style quick menu, a series of symbols which run down the left side of the screen allowing quick access to your day planner, messge inbox (text and email) and messge writer, the phone book, media options, your call log and wap. This option can be turned off as I did since Im unlikely to be that bothered by not being able to access the information seconds quicker and didnt like having my screen cluttered. As is standard the top left button give you access to the 'Go To' menu, letting you change the tone profile, bluetooth options, camera, music player, radio and alarm options quickly. The top right button gives you access to the phone book.
Ok sorry about the boring stuff.

The camera unsually for me has been used quite a few times already, the quality of the image is good as long as you dont use too much zoom, video is reasonable but I get better quality from the video function on my digital camera. In low light the flash is ok, again not great but clear enough, though generally if I want a photo Ill have my digi with me so the phone option doesnt occur to me. It should be noted that using the camera drains the battery life, when the camera and flash get used regularly I find that the battery life is less than 2 days but without having used it the battery will last nearer 3 days.
Call quality even in the area I live in which has very weak signal strength is good, in areas where the signal is strong the calls are very clear. The phone as a result of the good speakers is good for playing music, my ringtones are generally songs I like and are played with a good sound quality, differing little from the quality from my (admittedly cheap) music system at home.

Texting is typical Nokia standard, predictive text is as easy to use as it was on my previous nokias (once you get used to it again anyway), and I like that it is now very easy to add attatchments to messages without needing to send a separate multimedia message. But Im not a fan of the cartoon style smileys it now has, they are too small on the screen to properly make out what the image should be.
Bluetooth connectivity is well standard bluetooth, it took a couple of minutes to transfer music files from one phone to the new one and in the transfer the files retained their quality. Connecting to my laptop via bluetooth is also simple, though I prefer to connect it with the provided wire, since as with the camera using the bluetooth does drain the battery.

One reason I used to love nokias was that they were among the first to put simple games on their phones, and with this I celebrate the return of the basic Snake game, only this time its in colour! Other games on the handset are a casino game, backgammon, golf tour and 3d rally, so far these havent been played in preference for my beloved snake (another battery draining application) .
Battery life is one area I have been quite disappointed but with the engery hungry features on the phone I would be being unfair to expect much better, and as mentioned previously is much improved by not using the camera and flash, and only using the bluetooth when it is required. One minor niggle for me is that the large screen always seems to be grubby, either greasy from being against my ear or covered in finger prints.

The package of items with the phone included what I take to be a lead to connect it to a tv (to view video clips and photos?), a USB cable to help you to sync it with your pc/laptop, and headphones which act as antenna if you want to listen to the radio on it. Along with the obvious charger, SIM, mini SD, and battery. The only thing you might want to get which isnt included is a bluetooth headset if you need the phone while driving, but is any phone call really that important?
I got this free as an upgrade but you could be asked to pay anything up to around £170 on Orange pay as you go.

Overall Im impressed by the 6500 slide, it has retained the simplicity I like from a Nokia, and the appearence of being robust enough to cope with the abuse I generally mete out ot my phones. While it seems like something of a step back from the smaller lighter handsets I had previously I feel more confident about not breaking it anytime soon. Trouble is now I need a bigger handbag to go out with. As always if I have any problems with the phone Ill update the review accordingly.