Despite sharing a model number with the 6500 Classic, that is pretty much where the similarities end with Nokia's 6500 Slide. Taking the candybar design and adding a slide used to be a good alternative to genuine advancements, but the changes here are far from merely cosmetic.

Sharing looks with the N95, the 6500 Slide is pretty sophisticated, adding a TV out, a secondary camera for video calls and a more robust camera. Yet all of these features haven't managed to detract too much from overall form, serving up a nice looking if slightly bulky handset. Having said that, comparisons to other phones like the N95 leave the 6500 looking favourably svelte.

When opened, the phone remains unimposing, a nice looking slider with a simple keypad. A major issue though, is that the sliding mechanism is just too close to the keys, resulting in slight scratches from continuous use. A problem endemic to the N95 and a shame it still happens with this.

The screen is a clear 2.2 display with a very minimalist Home screen, allowing easily accessible shortcuts to all of the important features. A couple of seconds and any Nokia fan will find their way around with ease. Surfing the web is not bad, but far more suited to the slimmed down service Opera Mini provides than the warts-and-all browsers on smartphones. This is a good thin, keeping navigation swift even without HSDPA and wi-fi.

The 3.2-megapixel camera is capable, with Carl Zeiss optics and the dual LED flash capturing great images in any situation. The camera is really simple to use, holding the phone in landscape as one would a digital camera. The usual connectivity for uploading photos is also present, making for a painless experience. However, anything other than the highest resolution results in some blocky images through the TV Out

There is also a secondary camera for video calls, and the quality is the usual jerky image, some steps short of being good enough for frequent usage. Whether that it is due to quality or cost on data plans is another question entirelybut the one present is perfectly serviceable.

Memory is provided via MicroSD slot, a 256MB memory card packed in to bolster the meagre 20MB on offer. It's not much, but enough to keep a couple of albums on the go with space for photos. If required, the 6500 supports memory cards up to 4GB.

Call quality is above average, the provided headphones doing a far better job as a hands-free kit than for music. The reception is clear, and drop-outs are rare.  

Despite falling short with a lack of wi-fi and GPS, the 6500 Slide offers most of the technology thought to be the reserve of the N-series of handsets, for quite a lot less. It lacks some of the refinement and beauty of the classier N95, and has almost nothing in common with the 6500 Classic, but is still an able combination of form and function.