From the happy moment Jonathan of Crashed Pips was proffered an extra penny upon purchasing his 3 Skypephone, to the second he finished penning his insightful critique of the device – it has been something of a rollercoaster ride for his relationship with the phone. He expressed initial delight at the service, packaging and aesthetic appeal of the phone, stating that it was “very nice-looking” and that the box was “very easy to open, and well-thought out.”

His experience was offset by a number of small issues however, from the ‘minor, and pointless, irritation” of the USB port cover, to the clicking sound that the keys make on default setting that can give the impression that “there’s a Geiger counter going off in your pocket.” An interesting reference indeed. He also makes the point that video calling is rendered pretty useless, by the fact that there is no forward-facing camera – and indeed, one would have to “carry out the call in front of a mirror.”

However, as Confucius himself once said - “better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without” - and it seems that Jonathan concurs with this sentiment. Summing up his article with this sage recommendation, he finishes “Overall, the phone is quite good. It does get the feeling of being slightly unfinished, but I’m sure these will be sorted out with software updates. I highly recommend it as a general-purpose phone with plenty of functions: and at £49.99 (or £49.98 in my case) it is excellent value.”