This phone hasn’t let me down. With that sinful expandable memory up to
4GB, I have been able to load some 200 of my favourite songs and listen
to it whenever I have nothing else to do: waiting for
clients/friends/associates to show up at meetings, get-togethers and so
on.
The best part is its music quality. I got it even tested by a
musician who said it reproduces all the sounds in the song which are
normally buried in the lay FM radio player or even a cheap MP3 player.
The best part is that if you are not the type to hear the songs
constantly using those ear bud phones,
it plays on the speaker and can be heard in the next three rooms.
The
photo quality is excellent, if taken in daylight and not so bad if
taken at night, because of the flash that comes with it. Then again,
you can’t choose to take a conference room shot at night and expect
great results. It has its limits. But within those limits, the camera
does a great job. It’s a Sony, remember? Nothing but the best in the
given circumstances.
Earlier, these cameraphones used to be priced
higher than other brands by Sony. But not anymore. Which is good for
the consumer. The only minus point I have is the toggle bar, which kind
of hurts your finger after repeated use due to sharp
edges. If it has been like the ipod toggle, it would have been so much
better. And must say, the camera flash which doubles as a light source
has helped me in many dark situations - like the lights going off at
home or in office or navigating street-light-less roads and alleys. I
only wish the expandable memory was limitless.
What I also use most often is the
’Show in standby’ feature which is nothing making a note and having it
displayed on your screen at all time like a desktop theme. Works like a
Things To Do memo that keeps nudging you to finish those incomplete
tasks.
The interface is also quite good. With buttons on the side, you
don’t have to navigate your screen to switch on the radio or music
player. Just one click and the radio or music player(depending on your
default) is playing in all its glory. When you receive a call, you
could hit the volume button given on the side to’silence’ it.
The BIG minus point is that the phone memory for text messages remains
500 contacts no matter how big your memory card is. It’s here that
Nokia wins hands down. The memory card is only for storing songs and
photos. The other problem is dust gathering on your keyboard, particularly around
your joystick. Nothing can be done about it. Visit a Sony Ericsson centre to clean it up once every six months and all should be fine.