David Gilson takes on Nokia's latest touchscreen hybrid smartphone, the C6-00, looking in this first review part at the raw hardware - how does the C6 stack up against the hardware in the 5800 and N97 mini, between which it seems to represent a middle ground? From overall styling and shape to keyboard ergonomics, David leaves no stone unturned... Future review parts will look at the C6's camera, multimedia and general applications and performance.

"The Nokia C6-00 is the first hybrid form factor in Nokia's new Cseries range. The Cseries fits in with Nokia's plan to 'democratise' the smartphone market by providing the majority of flagship device functionality at a budget price. Clearly, the C6 will mostly be compared against the N97 mini. Over the forthcoming parts of this review I'll explore how many compromises have been made to keep costs down with the C6, and how reasonable a price gap there is between it and its premium cousins."

Read on