The quad-band 3G Cocoon is not the first own-branded whiter than white handset I've seen from O2. That accolade went to the Ice. The Cocoon though, is a uniquely oddball mobile in several respects. It certainly looks different enough to be an eye catcher and apparently if you take your Cocoon to the O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) in London, the phone knows what you are doing and will provide you with ‘exclusive content'.

O2's menu system is reasonably clear to follow. Up to eight shortcuts run along the bottom of the main screen and can be customised to show what you prefer, even pointing to individual browser bookmarks. The Cocoon can automatically change its wallpaper daily or hourly.

The Cocoon's curved white outer casing with its rounded top and bottom edges and black sides makes it look unlike any mobile I've ever seen. The casing is made of a plastic that has a semi rubbery feel that's quite nice in the hand, actually.

For all its unique looks the LED display is the real innovation of this handset. It has many functions. It can, for example tell you when you've got a text and show its first couple of words. It also shows who is trying to call you if they are in the device phone book, shows the time and provides battery low information. A series of five little icons light up when the LED is active to tell you if you've missed a call, got a voice message, switched to vibrate profile, set an alarm or need to recharge the battery.