The company had earlier come out with the 755 model with touchscreen and stylus input. The 766 is basically a clamshell version of that model.  

Similar to the 755, the 766 is not smartphone. The big question now would be whether the 766 offers something different or more attractive compared to its competitors. 

Mobile phone designs have become very important these days as even some fashion trends are derived from the latest phone designs.  

Philips has done well in certain areas with regards to the design of the 766. Its brushed titanium finish gives it a dash of style even though it may have a rather boxy frame.  

The phone's antenna stick outs rather oddly but not to the extent of causing any unwanted bulge in a pocket. 

The stylus has been neatly placed on the left-hand side of the phone. Philips made a smart move by making the stylus extendable – it is 65mm long and extends another 20mm to make it easier for people with bigger hands to use.  

On the upper right corner is the volume adjuster while the camera shutter button is at the lower right end. The shutter button also works to illuminate the external display. 

The camera lens has been placed on the upper level of the back panel next to the flash.  

The positioning of the camera shutter button and camera lens is perfect. I found that there is enough space so that fingers won't get it the way when capturing images.  

The highlight of the 766 is its swivel hinge – the display panel can be twisted from right to left (anticlockwise).  

When capturing images, I had to twist the top panel and use the display as a viewfinder. I could also key in data using the same method. 

The external display is 65,536-colour screen, which shows the time and date, who is calling as well the indicators for missed calls and received messages.  

The main 262,000-colour screen takes up nearly all the space of the top panel, which is a good idea as it maximises usage of the limited area. 

The 766 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera, which has a multi-shot option that allows users take a maximum 15 shots in QVGA and 10 shots in VGA resolution.  

Users get 11MB of internal memory for images and unfortunately, there are no options for expansion. 

There are options, however, to either text in English or Chinese. There is even an English to Chinese and Chinese to English dictionary to help you out when the need arises. 

The 766 also has handwriting recognition for Chinese and English input. 

The phone doesn't have Bluetooth or infrared, which means data transfer to a PC can only be done via the USB cable.  

Entertainment on the phone is rather limited since the 766 does not come with MP3 playback support, FM radio or Java. 

The basics worked well enough. I managed to get an average talk time of slightly over five hours.  

Reception quality was good and writing an SMS and navigating the phone was easy using either the touchscreen and stylus combo, as well as the regular phone buttons. 

Some blips include the lag in performance when it came to using the camera and video playback is rather slow too. 

On the bright side, however, the 1.3-megapixel camera produces good quality JPEG images.  

There are also enough special effects options to be creative with the 766.  

The built-in additional light source also made it easier to capture images in dim conditions. 

The 766 certainly has enough features to keep the average user happy.  

The boxy design is a slight letdown but the 766 makes up for it with some nice touches like the swivel hinge.  

Its multimedia capabilities may be nothing to shout about but at least the 766 got all the basics right – the display screen is good and voice reception is clear. 

Pros: Swivel hinge touchscreen interface good basic performance. 

Cons: Boxy design, no memory expansion slot, lacks multimedia features.