SONY ERICSSON K 660I

While all the attention tends to go to the high-end handsets -- with a plethora of features that are rarely used -- it's worth having a look lower down the chain for hidden gems. A potential diamond in the rough is the Sony Ericsson K660i. It might not be laden with glamorous features, but its simplicity could just be what you're looking for.It's currently available from 3, for free on a monthly contract starting at £15 a month.

Design
There's something very attractive about keeping things simple that the K660i exemplifies. Rather than opt for flashy design gimmicks, the K660i is understated, with a straightforward candy bar layout that's easy to understand. The navigation keys and keypad are easy to press and its slim design ensures it'll slip into most pockets.

A silver frame, similar to the i-phone's, adds a touch of quality, but if you're looking for a large touchscreen you should go elsewhere, because the K660i's is modestly sized and not touch-sensitive. An interesting addition to the keypad is a set of shortcut keys, which give you quick access to certain browser features -- we'll discuss these later on.

Features
The K660i's simple design is reflected internally with a straightforward interface that's responsive and easy to use. It's not a super-phone, but the K660i does have some stand-out features, including HSDPA (3.5G), which allows you to browse the Web at high speeds. Its browser allows you to view full Web pages.

The keypad shortcut keys we mentioned earlier light up when you're using the browser, allowing you to quickly search Google, add a bookmark, visit the Sony Ericsson fun and downloads site and zoom in and out of a page, similar to opera mini. The browser works fine, but we prefer Opera Mini, which the K660i supports.

From the K660i's start page, you can access a slick-looking menu -- similar to the PSP's -- that gives you access to K660i's main media features. At the top of the list is a 2-megapixel camera that takes acceptable pictures when you're out and about during the day. Don't expect great shots in low light, though, because there's no built-in flash or photo light. There's also a front-facing camera for video calls, should you feel the need to chat to your mates face-to-face.

Next on the media-centric menu is an MP3 player. It's pretty comprehensive and offers plenty of options, including sorting tracks into play lists and the ability to adjust the equalizer. You have to use the provided headphones unfortunately, as there's no built-in 3.5mm headphone jack, but an adapter is available, at added cost.

The Sony Ericsson K660i definitely isn't one of Sony Ericsson's most advanced handsets, but similar to the nokia 6300, it's an easy-to-use phone that does the basics very well. If you're not after all the fancy frills, it's definitely worth a look.

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SONY ERICSSON G900

During the MWC 2008 show in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson announced three new classes for its devices: camera-oriented phones now will belong the the "C", "X" comes for "ultimate user xperience" and "G" - the line of the phone we will present here. G-series are advertised as easy to use phones, for the average customer, yet with enough organizer options. They are touted for the option to draw something in a note and send it to another person – for example a St. Valentine’s card to your beloved, or reminder memos one would usually put on the refrigerator. Overall, these devices should be accepted as phones intended for the normal user and the smart phone OS is only integrated here, in order for the touch-screen to be controlled (SE already has experience in this field) and to manage the extended organizer options.
Design:
There is nothing impressive about the appearance of the phone - a standard, slim candybar with dimensions of 4.2 x 1.9 x 0.5 inch (106 x 49 x 13) and weighing at 3.5 oz (99g), which reminds us to a great extend to the old M600 (without QWERTY keyboard). In other words, this is a clean, pocket friendly phone, it is not ugly, but it would have been nice if there was some bling-bling added (transparent materials, extraordinary colors, big golden dice etc.

The 2.4” TFT display occupies the top half of the front face; it has a 240x320 pixel resolution and supports up to 262k colors. The video calling camera is positioned over it and the functionality buttons are below.
Here are situated the 5-way D-pad and two couples of keys: notes and messaging shortcuts in the upper row and back and clear keys below. The two shortcuts hint about the key features of the phone (notes with option for drawing, etc) but are something some won’t really use often. Those two keys are where ordinary the soft keys are situated. As such are actually missing in this model, it is taking some time to get used to the fact that one must press the bottom part of the touch screen. Below it there are three dots, trying to remind you of this fact.
Somewhat forgotten by the manufacturer in its last devices, the back button is back, which will be a nice surprise for the hardcore fans of the brand. The numeric keypad is also old fashioned – three columns of standard keys with a lot of space between them.

In the silver trim on the right side, are located three keys: volume rocker, locking key and camera shutter. The keyboard/display lock is one of the few things, which remind us that the phone is not a regular candybar, but it disposes of a touchscreen. The charger connector and the M2 Memory Card slot are on the left, but in order to get access to the latter you need to remove the entire back lid. This is quite strange, since in the lower-level G700, which has the same size, it is brought to the outside.As expected, the 5-megapixel camera is on the back. It has autofocus as it suits a hi-end

Software and Features:
You already know that Sony Ericsson G900 runs on Symbian OS v9.1, UIQ 3.0 and is equipped with a touchscreen! This sounds so good!
The big question is – „Why do I need the touchscreen?” On one hand the screen is very well calibrated, the stylus is comfortable, and the virtual keyboard can be used even only with fingers. On the other the interface is user friendly without the necessity to use it. It’s just that in 99% of the time you don’t need it (unless you use handwriting recognition or if you don’t want to draw). According to us the touchscreen is implemented to attract more customers (the die hard fans of „touch”) , and is made simpler in order for the phone to be user friendly.

The phone definitely takes advantage of the functionality of the OS, but the interface is personalized in such a way that it’s easy to access by the average user. At the homescreen for example, we have the standby applications (similar to widgets), which are there to make your life easier: shortcuts, favorite contacts, calendar appointments, new message - these all are listed by default, but with a few clicks you can add others such as alarm, music, bookmarks, and world clock.

Sony Ericsson tries to personalize the Symbian UIQ interface for these phones in a way that it resembles more the non-smart models, instead of the smart ones. The media menu included in the new SE models (К850, W910, W890 and others) is present here as well. In one menu (with flash-based interface) here is the photo gallery (with options for tagging, slideshow), the feature rich music player and the one for videoAs we already mentioned the phone has a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus. It lets you manage the focusing area by tapping anywhere on the screen.It has lots of options, available in a list with large, easy to touch icons. Only the lack of things such as “best pic” makes it different form the Cyber-Shot models.Unfortunately G900 is tri-band (900/1800/1900MHz) GSM, single-band UMTS and is not HSDPA capable, but it has WiFi. We can't give you a subjective opinion on the browser since it is not the final version, but it looks quite promising.

G900 definitely is a model that we are eagerly expecting. Sony Ericsson has done a really good job offering a product that will be attractive for wide range of consumers. It has something for the touchscreen and the Symbian fans, but it is most desirable for the average person who has always wanted the functions of a smartphone integrated in a normal device.

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Sony Ericsson G700

At MWC 2008 in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson presented its G-class. In contrast to Mercedes’ this one targets the mass consumer. Although they use Symbian UIQ, the phones presented should not be viewed as smart ones. They are rather average, easy to operate devices, for which the touchscreen and the OS are extras broadening their potential on the market.In this preview, we will explore the G700, intended as a mid-level phone.

Design:
The phone has the typical Sony Ericsson candybar look and dimensions of 4.2 x 1.9 x 0.5 inches (106 x 49 x 13 mm) and weighs 3.5 oz (99 g). In contrast to its older brother G900, the device has more of a fashion design. All edges are rounded and the back lid is ribbed, which adds a pleasant stability feeling while using it. We liked the colors used as well – the one seen here is in dark and light brown. We liked this one more than the official silk bronze and we wonder why it has not been announced. The Touchscreen is 2.4” TFT and it has a 240 x 320 pixels resolution, supporting up to 262k colors. On its right side is a scroll symbol, but specific hardware for that function is missing (as in the dash for example), so you have to use the touch-display instead. Besides the touch-input, it also has all necessary hardware navigation buttons (including soft keys), which allows it to be used just as a standard phone. The buttons and the D-pad are standard in design, except for the two small round shortcuts to notes and messaging. The same goes for the numeric keypad, which is divided in three columns far from each other.
The entire body is encircled by a light brown line, on which are located the camera and the volume buttons (on the right), power button and the stylus holder (on top). The keyboard/display lock button and the M2 Memory Card slot and charger input are on the left.
A 3.2-megapixel with fixed focus and a flash camera is located on the back. We think that because the phone is intended for the mid-level consumer, the camera quality is good enough.
Interface:
Still, there is something similar between the G-classes of Sony Ericsson and Mercedes – they cannot be inspected in one aspect only. The automobiles of the German giant are luxurious means of transportation off-road and on the highway, and the phones are a hybrid between a quality candybar and touchscreen handset. G700 performed very well as a regular phone - easy access to all options via the keyboard and the D-pad. The menu interface is similar to the one used in the new SE models (K660, K850, W890 and others) and has large beautiful icons. However, the use of Symbian UIQ is notable not only because of the slight lag felt when opening the separate applications. The big innovation is the presence of the standby applications on the start screen. They are fully customizable and by default are: my shortcuts, favorite contacts, appointments, new messages and main menu, but you can easily add many more – alarm, bookmarks, music. There even are two presets for the icon appearance (default and business).
We are already familiar with the media menu from the latest SE models. In other words, in one place (with flash-based interface) we have the photo gallery (with tagging options, slideshow), the multifunctional music and video players. The fact that you may never experience the need to use the touchscreen does not mean that it is not manufactured properly. On the contrary, everything related to it is fine-crafted, beautifully calibrated with the comfortable stylus, and for text input there is software keyboard (one version only) and handwriting recognition. Via the small icon next to the signal strength, you will have access to all frequently used functions, even with the standby applications turned off.
The camera interface is similar to the one seen in G900, with big and easy to press icons, but with reduced options. Since the model has a fixed focus, the respective menu and the scenes menus are missing. In their place, we have a white balance and a self-timer.
The model is tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) and single band UMTS, not supporting HSDPA and Wi-Fi, which is typical for the mid-level. It is notable that the browser is in the process of being developed and has trouble visualizing web pages, so we cannot give you our final opinion. We still think it is very promising because it has the new window, landscape and zoom in/out options.

The fact that Sony Ericsson has managed to fit so many different classes in one, is impressive. G700 could be what you want it to be, no matter if you like average, smart or touch phones. For us it was really convenient to use it as a standard candybar, but what type of phone it will be for you is your choice.

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