The VS7 has a one-push button at the hinge to flip it open. First-timers might find it a little difficult to operate because the phone can fly out of the hand if not gripped tightly, as the opening mechanism is rather strong.

As with all clamshell phones, the main concern is that the hinge will wear out after long use. During the course of this review, I relentlessly flipped open and close the phone, and I am glad to report that it still works well.

The phone has an interchangeable front cover but to change it you have to first remove four screws. I found this rather difficult and unnecessary – aren't we living in the age of plug and play?

Fortunately, the VS7's internal 2.5in screen was a lot better as it is able to display 16 millions colours. Combined with the higher resolution of 320 x 240pixels, the screen looked crisp, vivid and colourful even under strong sunlight.

The buttons on the phone are extremely flat – one would not be able to feel the position of the buttons without looking at them. However, the good tactile response more than made up for it.

Panasonic's phones are well known for their built-in digital cameras, and the VS7 does not disappoint – it has the best camera that I have encountered.

The 2.0-megapixel camera captured excellent pictures in both well-lighted and dimly lit environments. The pictures came out good and had the right colour balance and saturation.

In speaker mode, the phone sounded a little muffled because the speakers are located at the back of the phone. Flipping it around solved this problem.

Since the phone has an MP3 player, it is strange that Panasonic did not incorporate a card slot to expand the VS7's onboard memory of 32MB (2MB is reserved for MMS).

Because of its large screen, the battery ran dry within two days when I used the camera a lot. Heavy users should seriously consider getting an extra battery.

For a phone with a 2-megapixel camera, the VS7 is very attractively priced at RM1,399. If you are looking for a clamshell phone with a good camera, and agree with its looks, the VS7 is definitely worth considering.

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