Trium Eclipse

We very much doubt that any mobile phone user has ever cursed the lack of a colour screen when bashing out a text message or playing Snake. However, phone manufacturers are keen for us to ditch dreary mono in favour of classier colour displays, and Trium's first technicolour offering is the Eclipse.

One of the most striking things about the Eclipse is its size. The screen is lovely to look at, thanks to its 256-colour capability and bright backlight.

The downside is the effect it has on the rest of the phone. Rather than curse the phone with short battery life, Trium did the sensible thing and equipped it with a high-capacity cell. Sadly, this makes it both bulkier and heavier than most modern phones. Owners of dinky Nokia and Ericsson hardware will find trading up to the Trium like stepping back in time.

More obviously, having a screen that measures 34mm by 38mm means the handset needs to be fairly large to accommodate it. The result along with the big battery is a pretty portly handset.

At least big phones don't usually require such good digit dexterity, with nice large buttons that minimise the chances of dialling a stranger each time you make a call. But the Eclipse is in the dark here as well. The screen is so big that the buttons have been shrunk and squeezed underneath.

The two main function buttons and the four-way switch are fiddly to operate. There is a scroll wheel on the side of the phone for navigating menus that, like the function buttons, can be assigned to different tasks.

All this cribbing paints the Eclipse in a worse light than it deserves. It's not truly awful - far from it. It has infrared, speakerphone capability and a lush selection of fruity ringtones that turn every incoming call into a street party. Owners can also download Nokia ringtones, if the supplied ones don't do the business. GPRS support is in place for Wap fans but the number of colour sites to view is minimal at best.

If you're desperate for colour in your hand, the Trium is cheap and chunky. If you can soldier on in mono, there are far better options available.

Price

With contract - £99

Contact

Trium: 0800 912 0020 www.trium.net

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Ericsson T68

A superb phone at a price.
£180 with contract
****
Computeractive, Issue 102