NEC's N500 has a standard design for this class handsets, measuring 48 x 86 x 14 mm and 80 grams. Despite the weight it has a good feel in the hand, and the good shaped plastic body and styled highlights give it an attractive and nice look.The black and white display is ideal for text, messages and simple pictures like logos and picture massages.The display resolution 176 x 220 pixel ideal for small and smart phone.

The left side of the unit holds a spacious volume rocker, while on the other side we find a dedicated camera button.There is nice LEDs which notify users of new messages, active network and missed calls. This is not common for all NEC handsets and is not necessary to pick up and activate the device to see whether any alerts are waiting.

The N500 is not comfortable for hold in ones hand because it is too wide.Sporting a simple and user friendly menu in style with other recent NEC handsets.The plastic keypad has good placed keys, giving it a cheap feel while oddly designed buttons, with the comfortable center keys, make the phone easer to dial.

Dual band 900/1800 MHz connectivity isn't all the NEC N500 has to offer: there's also support for GPRS, SMS, and a range of applications such as Java MIDP 2.0, 64-channels polyphony, all of which laptop and handheld users will be pleased to learn is a breeze to utilize either by means of GPRS support is the fastest way to download files with your mobile, and spacious phone book.

As previously mentioned, the N500 is also equipped with a 0.3 megapixel camera support for picture-taking and audio/video recording, as well as an integrated MP3 player.

Unfortunately, neither Memory Stick Duo format or any other method of memory expansion is supported by the N500, meaning users find themselves drawn by the MP3 playback capabilities will also quickly - and repeatedly - drawn to their PC and USB cable for updating ones playlist.

Audio quality on the N500 was crystal clear, and signal quality was good. The removable 700 mAh Li-ion battery is rated for 2 hours talk time or 120 hours standby, which is quite low given the battery's theoretical capacity. Charge time is about 105 minutes.

NEC's N500 is yet another model in a range of phones from experienced users from NEC. A new compact design and a reduced sized battery - which avoids rendering a negative impact on battery life - ensures a thin and light phone which is ergonomically comfortable.