Camera Phones Plaza

Although more susceptible to camera shake than a low-end digital camera, the Sony Ericsson K800i is in fact capable of replacing just such a product; a considerable feat, even though the vast majority of users will not want to rely on it for preserving precious memories.

Its imaging prowess is backed up by strong performance in the areas of calling and messaging, while its browser is of the rather mediocre sort; handy, then, that the overall impression is picked up by the inclusion of a stereo FM radio with RDS, a RSS reader and even a sprinkle of stereo Bluetooth audio for an otherwise unnoteworthy MP3 player.

Specifications

- 2.2-inch QVGA high resolution display
- 3.2 Megapixel camera with autofocus, Xenon flash and burst mode
- MP3 player
- MP3 ringtones
- MB of onboard memory
- Memory Stick Micro memory card expansion, 64 MB card bundled
- Bluetooth dial-up networking, headset and stereo headset support
- USB 2.0 connectivity with PictBridge support
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- 3G with video calling
- Tri-band GSM
- 105 x 47 x 22 mm, 115 g
- 4 hours of talk time, 8,5 days of standby

Read full review here.

The new, exclusive Vodafone live! Sony Ericsson V630i UMTS phone actually looks very much like a portable music player. It comes in an unostentatious candybar design with the main music player functions on the front. There are start, stop, pause and skip buttons for convenient MP3 player operation. The Sony Ericsson V630i is also a stylish accessory. It comes in 'vibrant black' with eye-catching orange MP3 player buttons at the front and speakers at the back.

The entire music programme can be started at the touch of a button and Vodafone Music Downloads are a big hit with users. One of the practical features is that the integrated MP3 player in the Sony Ericsson V630i can be operated independently of the other phone functions.

It's easy to text messages, surf on the Vodafone live! portal and listen to music at the same time on most flights because you can switch off the phone's mobile reception while you're in the air. The UMTS phone comes with a stereo headset and a 256 MB memory card so that users can listen to an extensive collection of songs or add to the existing collection from Vodafone MusicDownloads while they're out and about.

The Sony Ericsson V630i music phone is now available from the Vodafone shops and via the Internet. Without a contract, the phone costs EUR 449.50.

Review: Sony Ericsson V630i

Buying and listening to music with mobile phones is now one of the most popular multimedia applications, and exclusive music phones are in big demand. The new Sony Ericsson V630i music phone incorporates a first-rate MP3 player for excellent quality playback. Not only does the candybar Sony Ericsson V630i incorporate music technology, it also has a 2 megapixel camera and many other attractive UMTS-based services.

All your multimedia content will be stored on Sony Ericsson’s answer to the TransFlash card, the MemoryStick Micro M2. A 256MB card is supplied, enough to stockpile around 60 songs encoded in AAC format at 128Kbps, and assuming you don’t stock up on other multimedia content. However, Sony Ericsson has 1GB capacity M2 cards available should 256MB be insufficient.

The V630i has two cameras onboard: a front-loaded VGA for video calls and a two-megapixel lens for still images. Having made a video call to the LG U400, we were quite impressed with the mugshot quality. Sure, digital noise did occur, but in the main the moving images were relatively clear. The audio also sounded loud over the built-in speakers and in a quiet environment, you won’t need to use headphones to hear the conversation.

Compared to the photos delivered by its fellow 2 megapixel camphones like the K750i, W810i and W900i, the V630i suffers a little in quality. Picture resolution is 1600x1200 pixels, compared with the 1632x1224 of its aforementioned compadres, and tricks like autofocus and macro are missing. Alongside identical photos taken by a W810i, those by the V630i look washed out and display a greenish tint. It won’t spoil your enjoyment too much but that little extra capability does make a difference. Also integrated with the camera is the eBlogger service, which lets you automatically send in and post your photos online to your blog.

Read full review here.

Today in London, Sony Ericsson announced their 3G barphone K618. The latest addition in their lines reminds very much of the K610 model and differs only by the 256 MB Memory Stick Micro memory card included in the package. Otherwise the phone has UMTS 3G networks support and is tri-band GSM device.

It will come with a display of 176 x 220 pixels resolution and 1.9" size. The TFT technology display will show up to 262K colors. K618 also has a 2 megapixel camera with 2.5x digital zoom and QCIF resolution video recording options. The memory card can be expanded up to 1GB and thus the phone can be used as a music phone. It supports lots of audio formats and has a Bluetooth headset included in the package. Connectivity features of K618 are Bluetooth EDR, USB 2.0 and Fast port.

Sony Ericsson K618 will be available in Q3 2006 in two color variants: Vibrant Black and Bright White.

Here is the press release from Sony Ericsson:

Stay entertained with Sony Ericsson’s 3G K618: a vibrant blend of work & play.
LONDON 8 August 2006 - Sony Ericsson today announces the K618: a slim, lightweight 3G phone that will launch in selected markets and deliver the perfect mix of mobile phone, multimedia applications and business solutions.

The new K618 has been developed for those users that want ‘the best of both worlds’; entertainment on the move & a powerful business tool. This high performance 3G device is as light and slim as a typical 2.5G phone, yet delivers blisteringly-fast speeds for streaming or downloading music & video clips, browsing the web or gaming. And staying in control of your inbox is made easier with support for push email, allowing messages to be sent directly to the phone without having to download them.

This compact phone is well equipped for both capturing & sharing photos, and playing music. Notably, the K618 features Bluetooth™ Streaming, which means that full-length music tracks (or video clips) can be sent wirelessly from the phone and listened to on a compatible Bluetooth™ enabled device, such as the Stereo Bluetooth Headset HBH-DS970.

One click of the dedicated camera button and the 2.0 Megapixel camera is activated, which comes complete with 2.5x digital zoom and Mobile Blogger This application allows the user to post (or blog) their images directly to their own blogsite, giving friends and family the chance to go online and view the shots. The K618 is also ready for making video calls; the separate video telephony camera and high speed 3G connectivity making this a reality.

With so many multimedia functions available, it’s possible to build up a sizeable collection of photos, music files, video clips and web pages. The 256MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) provided caters for this and will store around 700 photos or 230 music tracks for example*. There is also the option to expand the external memory up to 1GB as an individual’s media library grows.

The K618 is a striking, slim-line ‘stick’ design that will launch in a choice of Vibrant Black or Bright White. This UMTS 2100 device will be available in selected markets from Q3 2006."

K618's features:

* Entertainment
o Music player (with MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+ support)
o OMA DRM phase 1
o Phone speaker
o Full streaming Audio/Video
o Polyphonic >64 ring tones
o Java MIDP 2.0
o 3D games
o Music DJ™
o Video DJ™
o Photo DJ™
o PlayNow™
o Disc2Phone computer ripping software
o Stereo headset
o 256MB M2 card

* Imaging & Messaging
o 176x220 pixels, TFT 1.9” 262k colour display
o 2.0 Megapixel camera
o 2.5x digital zoom for still images
o QCIF video recording & streaming
o QVGA video playback
o VGA Video Telephony camera
o Consumer push email
o SMS and MMS
o Instant Messaging
o Mobile Blogger - Picture blog application

* Connectivity
o UMTS 2100
o Bluetooth™ EDR
o PC Tools & Software
o USB 2.0 Mass storage FS
o USB charging
o USB cable
o Fast port connector
o External antenna connector
o Flight mode
o HTML Full Browser with RSS

* Accessories
Core Accessories:
o Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS970
o Stereo Portable Handsfree HPM-65
o Flash MXE-60
o Music Cable MMC-60
o Music Desk Stand MDS-60

Other Accessories:
o Desk Stand CDS- 60
o Travel charger CMT-60
o Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-GV435
o Bluetooth™ Headset HBH- IV835
o Bluetooth™ Car Speakerphone HCB-100

Why limit yourself to only 100 songs? Sony Ericsson answers that question with the Walkman phone series that can load up a lot more tracks than Motorola's iTunes phones. And the latest Walkman phone in the US, the Sony Ericsson W810i can handle even more than the previous Walkman model the W600i.

The W810i package includes a 512MB Memory Stick Duo card and is compatible with cards up to 2 GB. It has great phone reception, a bright and colorful 1.9” LCD, integrated Bluetooth 2.0 and an FM radio. The slimmed-down candy bar body is much smaller, more mainstream and more attractive than the W600i. And it’s got a 2 megapixel camera that takes even better photos than the Sony Ericsson S710a and comes close to the Nokia N90 on occasion.

It might not seem fitting to chat so much about the camera on the W810i is when the phone is billed as a Walkman music phone. But the 2.0 megapixel built-in camera is one of the best we’ve seen on a phone currently sold on the US market with a sharp lens and software that give you very high quality photos. The camera software’s user interface will make sense to most anyone, even if he or she never read a word in the manual.

The built-in camera has a relatively large lens (AF 4.8mm 1:2.8) with two bright flash bulbs above and an orange colored self-portrait mirror below. You can launch the camera by either going into Menu/Camera or by holding down on the camera shutter button. The camera uses the W810i screen as the viewfinder and has two soft keys for viewing photos/videos and changing settings. The settings are easy to follow and you can personalize the settings in all features the camera has to offer.

You can take photos up to 1632 x 1224 which is higher resolution than the W600i and the S710a’s 1.3 MP cameras. The lens has auto-focus feature, and you can zoom in and out by using the volume up and down button when in the camera mode. You can take normal still pictures or panorama photos by turning on the Panorama mode. The panorama mode allows you to take a series of pictures and stitch them together.

You can select macro mode for close-up shots, night mode for low-light conditions; you’ve a self-timer, special effects (black & white, negative, sepia and solaria), white balance settings (auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent and incandescent), picture quality settings, shutter sounds, time and date stamps and options to save the photos to the internal memory or the Memory Stick. All options are easy to access and quick to change.

Read full review here.