Sony Ericsson Z610i review – small, smart and brilliantIn front of me lies the new Sony Ericsson Z610i mobile phone. Few people have seen it yet. Even less people have held it in their hands... I like this phone very much.In fact, I like it so much that I cannot stop myself staring at it. Neither will you - as soon as this delightful toy appears on the market. This model uses the same technique as the famous "chocolate" from LG KG800 - the new phone has a stunning appearance. And it's a Sony Ericsson on top of that. Those who favor the brand will understand me. Astonishing - another novelty from Sony Ericsson, a musical folding phone W710i lies beside the Z610i. Different class models. But the high-class and refined (in the sense of design) Z610i does not make the budget W710i look like a pitiful freak. No, sir! On the contrary, you can see right away that they are close relatives. Horses from the same stable. Sony Ericsson can surely make phones. Even the cheaper models that are usually bought for children and grandparents turn out to be very nice. Z610i is only preparing for the Russian market. But its future is already obvious. It's going to be one of the most relevant and desired phones. And it is going to be very hard to stay in the frame of the approximated price of $450 (I could not find any exact information). And in the first few months, one can expect transcendental prices. As I said - it is uncommonly handsome. After seeing it, one does not want to "play" even with the most advanced of smarts... Who needs superfluous functions in a mobile phone? It is just a mobile phone, after all... And striking appearance? It is a mobile phone, after all! A world favorite thing... All about him – Z610i on the outside No, plastic has nothing to do with it. Plastic cannot be so bewitching, so glaringly brilliant... Although, I remember the "chocolate" once again. How can you tear yourself from its appearance, in order to critically evaluate the technical component? Are you groping for the sensory buttons? But they are - sen-so-ry. Period. The rest is irrelevant. And you accept the "chocolate" with your heart, not with your mind. And only one though remains - I want it... Same holds with Z610i, only to a much greater extent. Have you ever seen a SE K610i mobile phone? Have you ever held it in your hands? You should hold it sometime as just looking at it at the showcase is clearly not enough. A cool thing, isn't it? Well, Z610i looks even better, although, it seems that a better look is impossible. Even more so, you can notice K characteristics in the Z design. They are almost twins. But let me (with great pleasure) repeat myself that Z610i looks better. So the exterior panel of the top part of the new folding phone is made from polished plastic. I am holding the green and white version. Meaning that the exterior and the rear phone parts are green and the interior (near the keyboard and the screen) is milky white. At the same time, the color is only called green. In fact, it is a metallized greenish mirror - if such a color really exists. The panel looks semi-transparent as if it had another dimension - depth. Even if you can see this transparency only when the exterior display is switched on. Then the light green symbols appear through the thickness of the polished plastic. When switched off (the exterior display is rarely off, only during a call, an incoming message or when the alarm goes off and etc.), as hard as you look, you can see only your own face reflected by the polished plastic.        I can tell you in advance - quality of the material is very high. The plastic does not scratch off and you cannot see fingerprints on it (you could on the black version of the phone). All the phone parts are made from excellent plastic that I favor over any, even the most solid, metal (due to the appearance, weight of the phone and just because metal is not the most comfortable material). The exterior display is built via OLED technology. It is monochrome with horizontal order of symbols - letters and numbers are located not across, but along the top part of the phone. A white "Sony Ericsson" inscription is located on the bottom part of the panel. The second «2.0 mega pixels» inscription, this time, in green, can be guessed near the camera lens. Camera lens overhangs the panel. The lens glass is set with the metal ring of the rim. The glass and the ring are the only optics protection against accidental damages. You won't find a mirror for self shooting or a LED flash or any other elements here... Running ahead I have to add that the camera does not have an auto focus. For some people, it might be a disappointment, but it is an advantage for me as there are no disappointing delays during shooting. There is nothing else on the top part of the phone (we are not opening the phone yet). If you look at the device (on its front panel), there is a tiny start and stop player button on the top of the lower left side. The button is in the form of a circle segment. The button is set into the frame and can be easily pressed. The exterior display will show the time, signal and charger levels and Bluetooth module symbol if the phone is closed and the stereo set is not attached. The player will switch on if the phone is open or the set is attached (even if the phone is closed). Lower are the volume buttons that work only in the player mode and if there is an incoming call. In the waiting mode, when the phone is closed, they bring out the present time (only), but when the phone is open, they bring out the phone status information (number, name of the phone model, profile, free memory size and charger level) on the interior main screen. Memory Stick Micro (M2) slot covered by a rubber cork is located on the left of the lower part. You may guess that the phone supports "hot" memory card exchange. I got a test copy without any additional devices. There was not even a charger, so I cannot say anything about phone kit. I don't know the set characteristics or, even, if there will be a set here, or which card will be in the kit. There is nothing on top and right parts of the frame. There is a standard (for third generation phones) system cable socket for synch with a computer, charger, set and other accessories (like a portable acoustic system that will be reviewed separately). There is also an intricately designed loop for a neck lace in the center. The lace is inserted when the cover of the battery compartment is removed, winding around a specially designed protuberance. When the cover is put back on, the lace is fixed in place. The plastic cover of the battery compartment is removed by moving it down and held in place by tiny protuberances. The cover itself is made from polished, although not plate glass, lusterless plastic. On the lower side you can see a spherical protuberance with the brand logo. It is made to protect the lower part from scratches, when the phone is lying on the table. Two rubber "legs" are built into the upper part of the panel for the same reason. There are also a rubber cork for the antenna socket and "loud" speaker holes. The speaker is not too loud, but does its job. Although I still set the max volume on the alarm ... The charger is a standard BST-33. I could not tell the exact numbers of its work time, but I think everything is functioning properly. The phone works about eight hours in the conversation mode (it seemed to me that it works for more than that). Or about that time... I could find out more, but there is not enough information about the Z610i on the official site. And the information there is somewhat contradictory. They state that there is 16 MB in the phone memory (without the memory card) and my phone shows 19 free MBs (so not less than 20 - there a couple of application installed in the phone that take up some of the memory). Well... We'll know for sure when it appears on the market. Right now, we can just get acquainted.         Okay - the SIM-card is placed into a narrow slot and held in place by the battery. The fastening is fine, but it is somewhat hard to take the card out of the slot. Let's open the phone... The spring is very soft. You get a feeling of a smooth finish - the phone itself aims to fold and open. And the form of the lower side of the upper part (a slight slant) easily lets you open the phone with one hand. The screen... My god... It is something... There is a narrow slot of the phone speaker on the upper top of the folding phone and the eye of a VGA camera beside it (meaning that the phone can be used in 3G networks). The eye is covered by a thin transparent plastic sheet. The same covers the screen. Size of the TFT screen is impressive - 2 inches diagonally. In fact, the working space of the display is as big as it seems, because the screen is edged with a black line. And the screen resolution stays within the traditional Sony Ericsson frame – 176õ220 pixels. Meaning it is not a QVGA. But the color (262 thousand shades), brightness and contrast are great. By the way, the exterior display resolution is 128õ36 pixels. The main screen does not hold bright exposures too well and goes blind in the sunlight. Although, not to the extent of the exterior OLED display – you cannot see anything on it in the sun. It is especially noticeable after smarts and Nokia phones that use screens with mirror mats. That's why on a bright day on the street I sometimes had to shoot almost randomly, without seeing a picture in screen. But I repeat that this is a subjective opinion (I have a great number of new phones at hand and that somewhat hinders the analysis of the specific model). All in all, the screen leaves a good impression. The keyboard... Very big, spacious and beautiful. Soft and phone buttons are flat, round and metallized. A bit more button motion wouldn't hurt, especially on the upper row. Joystick is big with a central four-part button. It is built as a protruding metallized puck. Easy to press, there are almost none erroneous abrasions. All in all the upper button row can be given a grade four on a five grade scale. Can't give it a five as it lacks a bit in the vertical motion. Three small buttons operating the browser, camera applet and fast start menu ("My bookmarks) separate the upper button row from the main keyboard. These buttons are of the same design - smooth bright rectangles with rounded corners. Main buttons are almost flat on panel, but it does not hinder you typing the number - thanks to their size. Large numbers are marked on the buttons, although Russian letters are still missing. A modest phone switch button is located on the lower part of the keyboard. Like " phone maniac" I am opening and closing the phone. My fingers fly on the buttons, but my eyes keep staring at the bright Z610i surfaces... Who was I in the previous life? A crow? There should be an explanation for this phenomenon! I can't let go of the phone... What a wonderful thing... Another thing, the phone is not too big, but not that small either - 94x49x20 mm with 110 grams of weight. In green, red and black versions. Green and red for women, the black one... for me? Well, if I take off the sneakers and put on a tuxedo, that might be it. Multimedia As no accessories came with the test version, I used a W710i charger and set. And with all responsibility I can say that Z610i is great. There is an equalizer with three preset modes – «Base», «Voice», «HF switch». But there is nothing that does not let you create your own mode. The phone reads ÌÐ3 and ÀÀÑ. You can set an ÌÐ3 melody as a call signal. Concerning the polyphony, the built in synthesizer can play 72 voice melodies. And they sound inimitable. There is no radio... You get used to good very fast. There is a radio on the W710i (that costs a quarter less than Z610i). I missed that function in Z610i. But that's okay. What can you do? Player control is Spartan – only three buttons (start and volume control), although, that was enough for me, especially since I didn't have a memory card and the phone memory held only a couple of test tracks. By the way, keeping in mind Sony Ericsson tradition, you can expect that either there will be no memory card in the phone set or the card will be of a small (most probably 64 MB) size. So you'll have to spend more money. The phone plays the video very well. Although, I haven't tried converting and recording a video to the phone's memory (how can I - without a card?). But the demo played without any problems and with good quality. Well, the camera. Here we have a simple camera without auto focus with a 2 megapixel CMOS censor. You can choose the mode of operation - standard, panorama, frames and series - in the camera preferences. Panorama - consecutive 3 frame shoot that the phone uses to build a panorama. A very interesting thing. Frames - a designer "toy" with many fun effects. You can choose a frame, fit a person's face in the viewfinder and here it is. Instead of your friend's face, you get... a monkey. And series is a four frame max speed shoot. There is a night mode that amplifies the photosensitivity of the censor (and the sound quantity with it). Resolution control function is 2 megapixels, 1 megapixel or VGA. There is an auto-timer - suspended shot timer. White balance control, image "quality" control (the choice of JPEG compression from two possibilities). A small set of filter effects - black and white image, negative and sepia. White balance control. There is a digital zoom that works only when you choose VGA resolution (the same in video mode - digital zoom does not work with max resolution). Shot quality? I liked it. A lot. Maybe, a bit less than Sony Ericsson phones equipped with auto focus (can't say anything, never used them), but still great. Regular digital camera quality. And, most importantly, fast. Without any delays.       Video sample, 3GP, 254 KB >>> Video is written in QCIF resolution. Standard phone quality, isn't worth much attention. It's just there. It works just fine for recording and sending via MMS. For everything a real camera is better... System I haven't noticed any principal differences from 3rd generation Sony Ericsson phones. System is equipped with Russian language. Everything is very comfortable, functional and nice. Java works fast, without any delays. Bluetooth adapter is built into the phone and it supports A2DP profile for cordless sets. You can connect the phone to PC, synch contacts, planned tasks, record music into phone's memory, appearance themes, images and etc...                   To tell you the truth, smart phones look more reliable compared to the camera phones. But when you hold the subtle device in your hand and remember the monstrous, heavy smarts, you involuntarily think - do I really need those? They have everything needed for a mobile life. Games, business applets - you can find anything on the Internet. You can't write on the phone, but neither on the smart. Read? There are Java books (and programmes for their support). Planners, notebooks, ICQs, browsers - all of that is available for them as well. Let's just say that everybody can choose for themselves. Conclusion Beauty is scary power... And Sony Ericsson Z610i is very beautiful. It is also very easy to use and has a great quality. You hold it in your hands and realize that it is solid and reliable. A great camera as well (without auto focus, but for me it is rather an advantage as it is impossible to shoot with auto focus, the delays are to big). There is also a player that you can't do without. Also, there is... appearance. I suppose that new Z610i will have a lot of fans. It is the first Swiss - Japanese model oriented for the sector of "trendy" phones (notice that I haven't used the word "style" as I think it to be very stupid and utterly senseless). The first experience should be very positive. We are waiting for the new phone to appear on market. And - gathering money. © Nikolay Nadezhdin, Mobiset.ru reviews Translated by Olga Mexina (info@mobiset.ru) Published — 28 September 2006 |
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