Within a few minutes I successfully connected the DSTL1 to my and began sending and responding to e-mail. Navigation through the messages was easy and intuitive, though typing in the 'compose' box was slow going because of the touchscreen.

The phone's text messaging functions were similarly well organized and intuitive. Once you've typed your message, you choose which SIM card to use to send your message.

Importing my contacts from Gmail was easy; using the phone to was a little more time-consuming. The Android address book adopts a tabular design, which simplifies the tasks of locating and accessing various contact details. When you click a contact, the app displays all of the available modes for contacting the person (text, phone, IM, and so on).

If you use one SIM for work and the other for personal activity, keeping the two separate is easy. Click one of the tabs at the top of the screen and you can quickly view the dialer, the call log, or your favorites (contacts you've dialed most recently).

The dialer interface itself is a touchpad keypad with oversize, slightly overlapping keys. I found the keypad reasonably easy to use, and certainly less arduous than typing on the virtual keyboard.