Nokia 7705 Twist

Just occasionally, a manufacturer designs something that looks so different from everything else that you just have to stop and stare. A case in point is the new Nokia 7705 Twist, exclusive to the Verizon network in the US.

It is called the "Twist" because of the unusual rotating design (Nokia's first since the 7373). When closed, the 7705 is almost exactly square at 2.7 x 2.7 inches (69 x 69mm). However, give it a twist and a QWERTY keyboard slides out into view.

Now, we admit that this is a pretty cool thing to do. The problem is, once you've played with the twisting keyboard a few times then the Nokia 7705 Twist beings to look a little ordinary,

One important thing that we need to get out of the way is that this is a CDMA / EVDO device, rather than a GSM / UMTS one.. so the 7705 won't work in Europe. There's no indication that there will ever be a GSM version, but it does at least show that Nokia can break out from design norms and come up with something strikingly different.

The Nokia 7705 Twist's display is a conventional 2.4" 240 x 320 pixel panel, on the back is a 3 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. The Twist supports stereo Bluetooth and microSD expandable memory, and the 7705 also has a web browser, music player and can support BREW applications.

The 7705 isn't the first off-the-wall design from Nokia. The Nokia 7600 was an early 3G phone that had a radical "teardrop" design, the Nokia 7280 and 7380 "lipstick" phones dispensed with the keypad altogether, and then there was the 7373 and 7370 rotators too. And who could forget the Nokia 7610's weirdly deformed keypad?

This is a CDMA EVDO 800 / 1900 MHz handset, inside is a smallish 860 mAh battery that can power the phone for up to 4.5 hours talktime and 13 days standby time. One slightly annoying feature is the small 2.5mm audio socket. It's not a heavy device, coming in at 3.44 ounces (98 grams). The unusual shape is quite wide, but it should fit in a pocket.

It's not a million mles away from the Nokia Surge on AT&T in terms of specification, although it is a very different looking handset. Verizon say that the Twist should be available to order from September 13th onwards at just under $100 after a $50 rebate, when taken with a 2 year contract.