Hands-on: Nokia 5300 Xpress Music

It's hard to get excited about music phones—so many of them have turned out to be clunky duds that don't even come close to unseating the iPod (even the Motorola iTunes phone for Cingular doesn't do that). So I was a little jaded and skeptical when I got the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music to test out last week. Yes, the two-toned Mondrian-esque slider has been out since November in an unlocked version from Nokia since last Fall, but T-Mobile is now offering it for as little as $99, completely configured to work with that network's features, including myFaves (which gives you anytime calling and texting privileges with up to five friends). The T-Mobile version also comes in Lilac/White or Black/White accents (the unlocked GSM version comes in Orange/White).

Sure, it's weird that T-Mobile doesn't have a bonafide music download store, but no matter since you can use Windows Media Player to transfer MP3 and WMA files (or the Nokia Music Manager to transfer non-iTunes-purchased AAC files). Now, that sounds great on paper, but the reality is that not all AAC or WMA files are created equal: Due, no doubt, to DRM, I was unable to play any of the WMA tunes I purchased off of the Verizon Music store for my PC (I guess the only phones they'll work on is Verizon phones).

That said, I have plenty of MP3s that I've ripped from my own CD collection, and lately I've been buying a lot of stuff from TuneTribe and eMusic, which sell tunes in the non-DRM MP3 format. Those files transferred seamlessly using a USB cable and Windows Media Player. I was able to squeeze about five or six albums onto the measly on-board five megabytes of memory, but you can upgrade using an up to 1 gigabyte microSD card.

But here's where the phone shines: The interface and music access is user-friendly, music controls (on the side and on the front of the phone) are surprisingly responsive, and the volume goes up to 11 (though you'll need to use the included adapter to use any kick-ass music player headphones like the Ultimate Ears triple.fi buds I was using—I'd skip the tangle-prone white headphones included with the 5300).

It's got a 1.3 megapixel camera and a comfortable keypad that you access by sliding the phone open. What's handy is you can navigate around the phone (and control music) even when the phone is shut by using the four buttons and joypad on the front.

Overall, the 5300 is a sleek little package that is decent competition for most dedicated music players.

How about you? Are there any music cell phones that you like?

Related links:

Would You Pay $700 For a Cutting-Edge Phone?

The Best Music Cell Phones On The Market

Hands-on Review: Sanyo M1 Music Phone