Sony Ericsson K550 review: A Cyber-shot on a budget

Key features:

• 2 megapixel camera with auto focus
• Active lens cover
• M2 memory card slot (comes with a 512MB card)
• FM radio with RDS
• Tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Bluetooth support
• Multi-tasking
• Small size

Main disadvantages:

• Low resolution display
• Camera not as good as the Cyber-shot brand suggests
• Records video in ancient QCIF resolution only

The Cyber-shot revolution has done only good to the Sony Ericsson sales. It proved rather successful and that is the reason why the manufacturer naturally releases a more affordable cameraphone to the masses. Sony Ericsson continue their long line of bar phones which are either camera or music-oriented with the K550. The midrange K-series continuation comes again in a small shell with a tight fit waist. At only 14 mm thickness, it surely packs in some nice features. So let’s continue with our review, but bear in mind that in the case of Sony Ericsson the Cyber-shot logo does not necessarily mean great camera performance but enhanced imaging capabilities.

The Sony Ericsson K550 is going to be produced in two distinct versions. The first one is the K550i and the second one the K550im which is an i-mode version of the mobile and is the first i-mode phone by the manufacturer bearing that Cyber-shot logo. The test handset we received is in fact namely that i-mode version. It carries certain differences and as such those will be duly noted. Nevertheless, it gives us pretty much the full picture about the more widely-distributed would-be version – K550i.

Cyber-shot branding

Being part of the Cyber-shot family the K550 has naturally made us curious. The camera comes equipped with a 2 megapixel lens, auto focus, a two-LED flash, and an active lens cover which is used to start or shut down the camera application.

Final words

Well the Sony Ericsson K550 left us somewhat bewildered – the Cyber-shot branding seems more of a marketing move than a new strong player in the cameraphones lineup. The camera shows nice performance but is yet incapable of outranking the Sony Ericsson K750.

Well, summing it up, it seems as always, that if the price is right, the Sony Ericsson might just win the hearts of the fans. The decent camera, the memory card slot, the good battery life and the Flight mode are things that are not easily found in other midrange solutions. So, if you are looking for those, the Sony Ericsson might just be your next mobile gadget.

PS this phone is available

Windows Mobile 6 announced

Microsoft's finally ready to take the wraps off Windows Mobile 6, the long-awaited successor to Windows Mobile 5 (what else?) that's been baking in the oven for a while now as "Crossbow." The platform formerly known as Pocket PC Phone Edition has become Windows Mobile 6 "Professional," while its more pocketable little brother, the Smartphone, has become "Standard" and plain ol' Pocket PCs are "Classic."

Major new features include:

- HTML support in email
- Windows Live for Windows Mobile
- File transfer capability in Windows Live Messenger
- New versions of mobile Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint with rich editing
- Remote wipe capability for stolen and lost devices
- Call history in contact cards
- Tight Vista integration
- "Calendar ribbon" for more easily viewing schedule by day or week
- New versions of .NET Compact Framework and SQL Server built-in

No carrier or manufacturer announcements have been made at this point regarding availability or upgrades -- all eyes are on next Monday for that. Stay tuned for details to come fast and furious from us ahead of some fanfare at 3GSM in Barcelona, including full hands-ons with the new OS in both Standard and Professional form!

Sony Ericsson W880 review: No catch, plain thin

Main features

• Ultra slim design (9.4 mm thin)
• 2 megapixel camera
• Memory card slot with hot swap functionality
• 3G support with video calls
• Walkman 2.0 music player
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio profile
• Multi-tasking support
• TrackID music service
• 1GB Memory Stick Micro M2 included in the package
• Included headset has a standard 3.5 mm audio adapter

Main disadvantages

• No FM radio
• No Infrared port
• Camera has no autofocus
• No EDGE
• Records video in ancient QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolution only

The Sony Ericsson W880 has a trendy design which manages to please the eye at the very first sight. The front panel is made of brushed aluminum which adds to fashionable looks and provides for a rather solid construction while at the same time the W880 is still lightweight and really slim. It measures 103 x 47 x 9.4 mm and weighs only 71 g. Unlike other slim mobile phones on the market it doesn't compensate for it's ultra slim body with larger body width or body length. The Motorola RAZR for example is rather wide; the Motorola KRZR is rather long, while the mobiles in the Samsung Ultra line are both too long and wide. The only other mobiles with a similar ultra slim form factor are Samsung P310, the LG KG320 and the LG KE820.

A unique keypad and an enhanced display

The keypad of the Sony Ericsson W880 is unique in its own way - the reason for that being that the manufacturer has no other model with a similar keypad. The keys are small and at first they seem really hard to use for a person with large fingers. However it turned out that they pose no problem at all. They provide a positive feedback and the keypad an easily be used at night without even looking at the keys. Thanks to their protruding design but soft response it's a real pleasure to type messages.

A serious Walkman

Sony Ericsson W880 supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WAV, WMA, M4A and MIDI file formats. The Walkman media player is version 2.0 and features improved interface. We have seen the 2.0 version already in our Sony Ericsson W850 review and we are more than pleased with it. It has several equalizer presets including the proprietary Mega Bass. The player can be set to run in background so you can do other things with the phone while listening to music. When in background mode, there is an indication of the name of the song and artist of the track currently playing in the top part of the screen. The control of the player is intuitive and really easy to use. It even displays the album cover during playback if there is one.

Final words

The Sony Ericsson W880 is a great addition to the Sony Ericsson lineup. Furthermore it is a really intriguing addition to the group of the slimmest champion mobile phones in the market. Since most of those doesn't feature 3G support, the W880 will most surely find its market niche and would gain strong popularity.

We are impressed with the usability of the device, the nice technical specifications, the great music player and the decent battery life. All in all, a great move from Sony Ericsson that would win them a lot of fans. Well, as it seems, the Sony Ericsson W880 was surely worth the commotion and all that months of waiting.

Motorola RIZR Z3 review: Sliding Moto

Key features:

• great design
• solid construction
• 2 megapixel camera
• microSD card slot
• GPRS Class 12 + EDGE

Main disadvantages:

• outdated Motorola UI, only minor interface updates
• no Java 3D support
• no 3G
• records video in QCIF only

The design of Motorola RIZR is typical for their models which come with a lettered name. On the front panel we can see the Motorola M sign just above the 256K TFT display. The thick thumb-rest for assistance of the sliding process is just beneath the display and the only thing that completes the front panel is the set of buttons in the very bottom. There is a four-way key with a confirming center which is well known from the first RAZR V3 model. Surrounding it are two soft keys, a Browser button, a C back button and the green and red "receivers", which in the case of Motorola are round symbols.

Nice design, same interface, some drawbacks.

The phone surely has great of look and feel. Its rubber and metal construction is so solid it makes you proud of it. But the lack of 3G, the strange SIM card solution and some other minor drawbacks makes the score even. So, we think that if RAZR is offered on a reasonable price, it might just become a market hit. If the price satisfies you and the offered pack suites your needs, don't hesitate and give Motorola RIZR Z3 a try.

Nokia 5300 review: Hop on the music express

Key features:

• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Dedicated music keys
• microSD memory card slot (hot-swap)
• Enhanced MP3 player and stereo FM radio
• QVGA display resolution
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP profile
• Standard mini-USB port
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter in the package

Main disadvantages:

• Somewhat cheap looks
• Below average camera quality
• No camera LED flash
• Records video in the low resolution

The Nokia 5300 doesn't exactly rely on its slimness to attract attention. It measures 92.4 x 48.2 x 20.7 mm, which in fact makes it rather thick. But it's rather its body design than actually the thickness itself that's to blame, since it's even a few millimeters shorter and slimmer than Sony Ericsson W850. The weight of 106 g is also acceptable and it is by no means a heavy phone or anything.

In terms of construction, well… construction has not always been the brightest side of a slider. In this case the mobile body is perfectly stable and rock solid when opened, but when closed it did seem to play a little - but not that much to turn you down.

The front panel of the phone is the one that might attract the most attention. In the upper part, above the display, there are two small holes, which in fact are the in-call speaker apertures. In the lower part there are four control keys and the navigation D-pad. The upper set of keys act as context keys for interacting with the phone's interface while the lower set are the call keys for accepting and ending calls. Just beside the red one there is a small hole which is in fact the microphone aperture. Opening the handset reveals the alphanumeric keypad, which is made out of the same material as the body.

At first glance Nokia 5300 failed to impress us with its design and the materials used for its body. In fact we think that the white color and matt plastic with rubber elements make it look cheap. It's not among the slimmest devices either.

But armed with the highly user-configurable S40 user interface it scores even with the corresponding Sony Ericsson user interface and even makes a stride ahead. The menu is organized logically; functions are detailed, offering high control comfort and brilliant work efficiency.

Nokia advertisement campaign on the XpressMusic handsets clearly shows that they are made for young people having fun. The available microSD memory card slot, the miniUSB port and the standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter make it great for enjoying music on the go. You can even fancy a stereo Bluetooth headset to go with it. The slider form factor would most definitely attract attention too, since the Walkman line lacks a slider in this price category. Summing it up, if you like the sporty design, Nokia 5300 is a highly attractive music proposal from the Finnish manufacturer and it definitely deserves your attention when picking up a new mobile this holiday season.its available

Sony Ericsson W710 review: Sports and music

Key features:

• 2 megapixel camera
• M2 memory card slot (comes with a 512MB card)
• FM radio with RDS
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Bluetooth support with A2DP
• Great music player
• Pedometer
• Sports applications
• Multi-tasking
• Sports-oriented accessories

Main disadvantages:

• Low resolution display
• Camera has no autofocus
• Records video in ancient QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolution only

Sporty all around

Seeing W710 for the first time left us with an impression of cheap white plastic combined with unpretentious grey rubber - nothing fancy, really. Opening the clamshell, made things better, since the white plastic seemed glossy from the inside of the clam, while the grey plastic covering the insides felt and looked nice.

When it comes to dimensions, well… There's nothing impressive in that department too. The W710 is a rather fatty fellow with a width of 24.5 mm - but despite the size, it still doesn't fit into the heavyweight category with its 101 g which is a somewhat normal weight these days.

The front of the Sony Ericsson W710 is dominated by the large monochrome external display which can fit a lot of information for the user. The Walkman logo sits right beneath it and the grey rubber on both sides accommodates the dedicated music keys.

In fact, speaking of those side music keys they tend to resemble a lot the ones incorporated into the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music. Maybe because of the similar color combination (white/grey) we just couldn't help the feeling that these two are as if made by one and the same designer team.

A look at the left side reveals that they are not the only side keys though. There we also see a dual volume key and the camera shortcut key. Placing the camera key on the left side hinted us from the very beginning that the camera is not made to shoot in landscape mode.

An interesting element is the one under the side music keys - the one designated with the Memory Stick Micro logo. Although it resembled a memory card slot cap a lot it turned out it's a dummy cap after all and it only designates where the memory card is located. To gain access to it you have to remove the back cover.

Final words

Being among the few sports-oriented mobile phones on the market, the Sony Ericsson W710 deserves a nice score just for the efforts the manufacturer has put in it and the risk taken. Nevertheless, we find the W710 to be an excellent implementation of a mobile phone, a portable music player, a personal digital trainer and a digital camera all-in-one. It's not a high-end device and it's not meant to be one. It's meant for fun and it manages to deliver what's expected . We at GSMArena.com would like to see more devices of that sort coming out on the market and competing for the hearts of the sports oriented audience. Because W710 surely managed to warm ours.

PS: its available

Transcend's JetFlash T2K USB drives are light -- duh

Transcend is bustin' a play at Sony's Microvault line-up of tiny USB flash drives. As such, they want you to know that their new JetFlash T2K drive weighs just 2-grams. Not bad, but still 33% heavier than Sony's little 1.5-gram whisps of colorful NAND. Still, just like the rest, it is small, damn small. So small that you'll be happy to strap on a lanyard to safeguard the ¥3,980 ($33) / ¥6,980 ($58) / ¥10,800 ($89) you just dropped on the 1GB / 2GB / 4GB models, respectively. Kind of defeats the whole "lightweight" sales pitch, eh?