IT IS not hard to overlook this phone. The design is not as elegant as many of the more popular clamshells in the market but what it lacks in style, it makes up in functionality. 

The Innostream A20 initially struck me as a wanna-be phone: It wants to be a camera, a camcorder, an MP3 player but most of all, it wants to be an elegant clamshell model.  

But how does it fare as a functional camera phone? Read on to find out. 

Watch the birdie
The 2-megapixel camera produces sharp images and I could actually get creative with a camera phone in ways I didn’t know I could.  

The rotating screen allowed me to take pictures from above, below and practically every which way around my subjects.  

Images are captured by pressing the side buttons. This is because the unmovable camera lens is stuck on the right side of the phone, which isn’t such a bad idea as the screen can be rotated.  

Amazing though it may be, I had to remain still for a few seconds while the camera processed the captured image. A slight move would ruin the take, producing ghostly images.  

I also got the chance to let my narcissistic side free with the portrait capture function. This is done simply by aiming the camera directly at oneself, and the image can be previewed on the subscreen of the phone.  

Just by looking at the image on the subscreen, I could then adjust my look and the angle of the shot and the result, a perfect take of moi! If only official photographs can be taken this way! 

If the camera is not enough to capture an unforgettable moment (or to satisfy one’s narcissistic needs), use the camcorder.  

The camcorder records and plays MPEG4 files. Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the quality of the playback as it was sluggish. The sound quality was good, though. 

Big screen, small keys
I was impressed with the phone’s large colour screen, which complemented the phone’s camcorder and video player functions.  

This phone earns another brownie point for its large fonts. Numbers took up two thirds of the screen making it impossible to make a mistake when keying in a new contact. 

The keypad is also well organised so it is difficult to accidentally press the wrong key. Truly a user-friendly keypad, this. 

However not everything is perfect here. I found the keys to be a bit small and hard, plus there is a delayed response, which doesn’t make it very friendly to those who multi-tap their SMSes.  

Sound of music
The MP3 player function on this phone is commendable. It has imitated the circular control keys of the iPod and the sound quality is great.  

However circular thumb movement is not required as adjustments to volume and song selection are done with one press of the circular navi-key.  

There is also a built-in equaliser, which can be used to jazz up the sound output.  

The sound produced by this phone is not as brash as other phones, even when it is at full volume. It is actually easy on the ears and does not wake up the dead whenever there is an incoming call.  

Final judgement
This phone tries its best to be elegant but design-wise, it is not as fancy as other clamshells in the market.  

Maybe that explains why it is so shy and reluctant to be opened. It takes a little bit of strength to pop open this clamshell – a one-handed flip is possible but difficult. I frequently had to use two hands to open this phone, similar to de-shelling a clam. Talk about taking things literally, eh? 

Once you have it opened though, the phone shines in many departments – it has great sound quality, takes sharp images, and has a user-friendly keypad and interface.  

My final judgement: This phone will suit those who are more concerned with what the phone can do rather than what it looks like. 

Pros: Lightweight user-friendly takes good photos sounds great 

Cons: Plain-looking difficult to flip open slightly sluggish when typing out SMSes.