Motorola V70

WHAT'S HOT: One of the most innovatively designed phones available, the Motorola V70 sports a spiffy circular screen with a five-line rectangular display area and a slick silver cover that rotates 360 degrees (instead of flipping up or down like those on clamshell-design phones). To use the phone, you swivel the cover 180 degrees. Weighing a mere 2.9 ounces and measuring 3.3 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches, the V70 is also one of the more lightweight and compact phones on the market. The phone sports a blue luminescent keypad that glows nicely in the dark, and its screen displays white text on a black background.

WHAT'S NOT: Even with service activation, the V70 is still quite pricey at $400. As of press time, Cingular Wireless--the only carrier providing V70 digital phone service--offers service in California, coastal Georgia, Idaho, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and Washington. Given its compact size, the V70's screen and keypad are exceptionally small. The on-screen text can be difficult to read, and you have to be extra careful when pressing the keys since they're so close together; I found it hard to navigate the menu using the tiny up/down arrow keys. Also, I'd like to see the V70 with sturdier parts, because as it stands the phone feels somewhat flimsy.

WHAT ELSE: According to Motorola, the V70 lasts for up to 4 hours of talk time and six days on standby. Though this phone isn't feature-rich, it does come with a few useful functions, including voice-activated dialing, 64 ring tones, and the ability to sync contacts from a PC using the optional Starfish TrueSync software.

UPSHOT: This innovatively designed, if pricey, phone has a swiveling cover, a circular screen, and a cramped keypad.

SUMMARY

Motorola V70 GSM 1900 MHz, 2.9 ounces, 3.3 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches; up to 4 hours talk time, six days standby (times are vendor specified); available through Cingular Wireless. $400 800/331-6456 www.motorola.com/consumer