With all the fancy things you can do with your Nokia Lumia, it’s easy to forget the handset’s core function: making phone calls.

You might be thinking that there’s not much more to using the phone than launching the Lumia’s dialler or going through your contacts to call someone up.

In fact, there are apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace that can jazz up how you can make those phone calls and to change the look of your dialler altogether.

At this point you might very well be thinking, how could you possibly improve on a simple numerical keypad? Well, give these apps a try and you can see for yourself!

Phone Dialler (free)

If you have lots and lots of contacts then this app should make finding and calling them a little simpler and faster.

Using the T9 predictive text system that we all know and love, you just start by typing someone’s name and then their details magically appear in the list below.

What’s really clever is that contacts will be sorted by both their names and their phone numbers. For example if you type 2 and 5, then you will see everyone whose name begins with AL, as well as everyone whose number feature 2,5 in the sequence. It might seem odd at first, but it becomes intuitive very quickly.

Rotary Dialer (free or £0.79p) 

If you are feeling a little nostalgic for the old rotary phones, then this app will transport you straight back down memory lane.

I’m not even going to pretend that using a rotary dialler is more efficient or quicker than the modern keypads but it’s all in the name of fun, isn’t it? It might not be practical but it will make you the hipper than all your friends.

The sound effects are charming and there’s also that satisfying little ‘click’ feedback when you dial each number. You can also change the sound effects, turn them off and also change themes. 

Metro Dialer (free or £0.79p)

This app gives you a choice of both the classic rotary dial and the modern keypad; although in a cheeky move the modern keypad is only unlocked after you’ve submitted a review. To be fair, it only took several seconds to do this. 

It’s worth the effort though because both the diallers are very clean and sleek that sit very nicely with Windows Phone tiles. There is also a choice of sound effects for you to choose from.

If you are wondering how to change the colour theme for the diallers, then you have to go to your Lumia settings because the app will automatically use the colour theme you’ve chosen for your phone.

RapDialer (free or £2.29)

The free version of RapDialer enjoys extremely high ratings in the Marketplace, and after using it for a short while it’s easy to see why.

It’s perhaps the first app here that could make a genuine case for replacing the native Windows Phone dialler. It’s packed full of features such as groups, speed dial, swipe gestures and is highly customisable.

My favourite feature is that once you’ve brought up your contact using the super-responsive T9 predictive text, you can send them a SMS just by swiping across their name. 

RapDialer works really, really well and you will be rewarded by the effort spent getting used to it.

Gesture Speed Dialer (£0.79p)

If actually using numbers to call a contact seems terribly old-fashioned, then you might be a little more impressed with this app. 

You can assign a gesture to call a contact, text, email them or even open a web page. It’s very easy to set up and works wonderfully.

If you are worried about having to remember all sorts of different gestures (and what they each do) then fear not, the app keeps a list for your easy reference.

Do you think these dialler apps are useful, or do you have a favourite one? Let us know in the comments below.