Mobile Phone Blog – Mobile phone reviews and news

“Structured forms, intricate corners, hidden depths and jewel accents are set to be some of the hottest fashion trends in 2010.”

Right. Read it again. Then try just once more. Now try and equate that tripe with a mobile phone. You heard us. A mobile phone. The Sony Ericsson Jalou, in case you were wondering.

Now, regardless of whether you think the above quote is actually in anyway true in relation to the fashion trends of 2010 (our guess is not even slightly, but then we’re a cynical lot), we’re more concerned about what that kind of language is doing in relation to a phone in the first place. Because a phone is a phone, not a piece of fashion.

A phone can be a fashion statement, yes. A phone can be an accessory, sure. A phone can even be something you buy more for how much people are going to be impressed by its looks as for what it can do to make your life better. But a phone is not, can not, never has been, never will be and never should be part of the fashion world. High fashion is over here (in London, let’s say), whereas mobile phone manufacturing is over here (in, say, a small industrial town in Korea). And we think most people know that. Most people aren’t looking for ‘jewel accents’ or ‘hidden depths’ in their phones. They’re looking for phones. For internet connectivity. For megapixels. For gigabytes.

Most people realise that. The chumps who’ve made the Sony Ericsson Jalou seem, however to have failed. Anyway, check out this Sony Ericsson Jalou review for more information, less cynicism. Or for the really brave, check out the video below.

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Seeing as how the time is nigh upon us for the start of the Premier League season, we’re going to be employing a football metaphor in our ramlings about the Sony Ericsson Xperia X3. Don’t like football? Touch luck. But this should still make sense.

So, the main thing that’s interesting about the Sony Ericsson xperia X3 is that it’s the first Sony Ericsson phone to use the Google Android operating platform. All previous SE smartphones have used the Windows Mobile platform. And the way we want you to picture this is by thinking of at team like Wolverhampton Wanderers stepping up to the Premier League. Because as good a team as they are, Wolves last season were in the Championship and had to go and play against teams like Barnsley and Plymouth. Now though, they get to play against Manchester United and Liverpool, in front of millions of people on TVs around the world. And so, if you’re following, you should think of Windows Mobile as the Championship, Android as the Premier League. The former’s not a bad league, has some good features, but overall it’s nothing compared to the Premier. And there really is nothing that comes close to Android for mobile phones. It’s slick yet simple, feature-packed yet intuitive, and in this version, Sony Ericsson have even re-skinned it to make it all the most stunning and fun to interact with (see the video below)

So there we have it. One shoddy metaphor for one very decent phone. Check out this metaphor-free Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 review for a full list of specs, or have a look at these Sony Ericsson Xperia X3 deals.

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Sometimes, just for fun (yeah, we know, we’re sad – deal with it), we like to identify lies and out them, as though they were witches and we were some kind of medieval witch hunters. So when the official press release for the Sony Ericsson T715 hit our inboxes, we donned our lie-outing caps, and scribbled some things down.

Lie number 1

“…the large 2.2” screen shows off websites in all their glory.”

Large? 2.2 inches? Large? Your girlfriend must have been really disappointed the first time you took your pants down buddy, because 2.2 inches is a long, long way from large.

Lies 2 and 3

“At the size of a credit card and with a high-class finish, the Sony Ericsson T715 adds a touch of sophistication to your life.”

Despite the healthy debts incurred on them, all of our credit card average about, say, 1mm in thickness. This thing is 14mm. 14. That’s thicker than most 3.5-inch-screen smartphones out there. And the t715 does not, in any way shape or chunky form add even an ounce of sophistication to our lives. It just adds a chunky phone.

Lie 4

“…this new mobile phone demonstrates the sophisticated design language consumers have come to expect from Sony Ericsson.”

THAT DOESN’T EVEN MEAN ANYTHING, YOU’RE JUST USING WORDS THAT HAVE NO MEANING YOU IDIOTS. IDIOTS!

Then we breath. Then we remember that the last time we did this lie-outing kind of thing we ended up on remand. So we close our inbox. Read this more considered Sony Ericsson T715 review instead. Watch the video below. Listen to some soft jazz. And breath. Just breath.

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Have a look at these stats and tell us how you think the Sony Ericsson Satio is marketing itself:

• 12.1 megapixel camera
• Up to 12x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• Face and smile detection
• Geo-tagging
• Image stabilizer
• Photo fix
• Send to web
• Red-eye reduction
• Touch focus
• Video recording
• Xenon flash

So… your answer would be: as a cameraphone, right? Well, actually not. Sony Ericsson actually seem – at these still pre-release times, at least – to have taken the decision to market this more as a high-end media-playing phone. Which makes us very happy. As recent posts here have shown, we’re not a fan at all of phones pretending to be cameras. No matter how many megapixels you have on a phone, you’ve still got a tiny light sensor, and tiny light sensors mean crappy images (in relation to real cameras) no matter how many megapixels you cram into them.

So, what of the Sony Ericsson Satio as an all round media player? Well, it’s a bit of a cracker. With a really neat set of panels floating around the homescreen that gives you instant access to all your media playing/recording functions, this is clearly a phone that’s been designed with you in mind. Add to that the Sony Ericsson Satio’s 16:9 format, super bright screen, the ability to dual-download media and games to both your PC and phone, and a whole host of other funky features and you’ve got something that’s going to push a lot of buttons for a lot of people. More so for sure than the PSP-focused Aino, and certainly more so than the I’m-a-camera-honest-I-am Samsung Pixon 12. Seems like that’s an easy choice for you to make then… Have a read of this Sony Ericsson Satio review here, or just peruse this video instead

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We always try and bring you more opinionated rantings than lists here, as we hope you appreciate, but sometimes these phone chumps just bombard us with too too much information and all we can do is line things up, reel off descriptions, and hope you’ll forgive us. Oh, and you’ll also have to forgive us not blabbering on about the 3G/WiFi/8MP camera/battery time/stereo headset/etc/etc/etc/ because, well, just because we haven’t got time. So, today’s list is media-playying-apps-focused, but what a list it is…

1. PlayTVservice – If you own a Playstation3 you’ll know that you can watch certain free TV channels on it using the TV service function. Fair enough. What’s exciting with the Aino, though, is that you can now watch those same channels on the phone, just by linking up to the PS3 via the internet. So, sat on a beach in India? Want to watch Eastenders? Now you can… you sad individual you.
2. Remote Play – Initially a piece of kit that was intended quite rightly for the PSP, Sony Ericsson have now realised that it would work just as well on a phone. Basically, Remote Play lets you access all the PS3’s media content on your Sony Ericsson Aino. Whether you’re at home and hooked up via local network, or on that beach in Goa, you can access all your stuff in a jiffy.
3. Media Go – Simple but effective method of controlling and watching all the media on your home computer using the Sony Ericsson Aino itself. Again done via Wi-Fi. Nice.
4. Media Home – Synchronises your PC with your phone and makes sure they’re sharing all your fun files.

So there we have it. The Aino is one nifty little slider indeed. Have a squizz at this Sony Ericsson Aino review if you want a non-breakneck-speed run through of all those specs, or just pass some time in the company of this video if you’re feeling lazy:

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The newly announced Sony Ericsson Aino is the perfect accompaniment to any PS3 lover. With the release of the Aino you can now control your PS3 remotely, instructing your PS3 to do things when you are not even in the room. So far I have only figured out that you can switch your machine on and off, but I’m sure that in time the Aino will offer far more than that.
The Aino looks great as well, if not a little similar to the newly named Sony Ericsson Satio (previously the Idou). It seems that touch screens are most definitely the way to go in 2009, although I am yet to be totally convinced as to their effectiveness. Call me old fashioned, but I still like pushing buttons.
If you are like me and still like the old style keypad, then check out some of the Sony Ericsson W995 deals that are out there. I really love this phone and the great bonus is that this one is for the here and now, it is available to buy on contract today, so although the other 2 phones look pretty special, if you are looking to change your handset today, then the W995 has to be the way to go! The 8.1 megapixel camera and walkman features finally swung it for me.

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It seems that megapixels are becoming as important on phones these days as they are on digital cameras. What started out as a nice addition to your handset, has now become an essential addition to any serious camphone user. So now ladies and gentlemen the megapixel war is well and truly in full flow. Samsung has just announced the Samsung Pixon 12, which is essentially an upgraded version of the original Samsung pixon, but with an improved camera, upgraded from 8 to 12 megapixels. This comes hot on the heels of the Sony Ericsson Satio, originally named the Idou, which was announced at the Mobile World Congress back in February. It seems that these devices come in 4’s so we are sure that Nokia and LG will not be far behind in announcing new handsets that offer 12 megapixel handsets in the near future, so watch this space for further developments.
But what does the megapixel war really mean for consumers? Any digital camera expert will tell you that the number of megapixels a camera has is just a starting point when looking at picture quality. Others would go further in saying that once you reach a certain resolution, the number of megapixels becomes even less important. Other factors that need to be considered are the quality of the lens and the level of zoom, both optical and digital. The problem is that people like slim mobile phones and trying to fit an optical zoom mechanism into a mobile phone means it becomes considerably bulkier. The Samsung G800 is a perfect example of this. It seems that manufacturers would sooner stick to digital zoom over optical in an attempt to keep the phone as slim and light weight as possible. The best thing to do is check out some actual pictures that are taken by either of these phones to see which one truly takes the best photographs, do not go on megapixels alone!

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One of Sony Ericsson’s most successful labels is adding another new member to its family. W395 is one of the two latest models to be launched under Sony Ericsson’s Walkman collection. Walkman range was successful because it touched the young crowds with its amazing music experience.
W395 too is packed with media features which are bound to keep you entertained. The famous Walkman music player is pumped with high quality speaker system and also a HPM-64 headset if you want to listen to your favorite music by yourself. And the dedicated music player keys make it all the easier to control the player. And now you’re just a button away to getting to know that lovely song of which you don’t know the name thanks to the TrackID application. If you don’t like listening to your playlist of songs for a while, you can switch to the FM radio and listen to the local stations.
Absolutely lightweight with only 96g and 14.9mm thick, this sliding factor handset comes in 2 different colors; Blush Titanium and Dusky Gray. You can upload the pictures you take from the 2megapixel camera straightaway to your blogs and also view them on your 2.0” scratch-resistant 256k touchscreen or easily share them with your friends through 2.0 Bluetooth.
You can store your data in 10MB internal memory with the possibility of increasing data storage with the 1GB memory card that’s given with the phone. The networks supported are GPRS, EDGE and HSCSD. The battery is a standard Li-Ion one allowing 8hrs talk time, 48hrs standby time and 12hrs music playback. If you want more information, please refer to the The official press release.
If you are finding it difficult to afford a new mobile phone in these times of financial difficulties, you can expect a little help from W395 Walkman contracts. These give you the option to buy the phone by paying in installments. You can also get low tariffs if you choose a Sony Ericsson W395 Walkman deal. W395 Walkman deals compares a lot of deals offered from a wide range of network providers for UK so you have a lot of choices available. Want more? Check out some of the cheap contract phones offered by T-mobile here.

For network specific deals, follow the links below:

Sony Ericsson W395 on Orange
Sony Ericsson W395 on O2
Sony Ericsson W395 on T-Mobile
Sony Ericsson W395 on Vodafone
Sony Ericsson W395 on 3 Mobile
Sony Ericsson W395 on Virgin

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The Samsung OmniaHD may seem to have taken the mobile world by storm with an unprecedented specifications sheet, but the Sony Ericsson Idou isn’t set to lie low.

With a monstrous 12 megapixel snapper which, according to The Telegraph, is sounding the death knells for the digital camera, the Idou is sure to rock mobile fans with some exquisite features.

The software platform on which the Idou is set to run is the 5th edition touchscreen version of the Symbian S60 platform which just shows Sony Ericsson’s trust on the Nokia system.

The Sony Ericsson Idou also has a Xenon flash, an LED flash to enable clear recording of videos, auto focus, recording of videos, geo – tagging, Smile Shutter technology and face detection (most of the usual for high – end Sony Ericsson camera phones). As far as connectivity goes, the Idou has HSDPA and HSUPA onboard, as well as DLNA-certified Wi-Fi, USB 2.0 connectivity and the popular A-GPS receiver, which will mean that you’ll never get lost wherever you go.

A microSD slot is available for expanding the memory, and an accelerometer is present to detect when the phone is moved sideways and react accordingly.

The Sony Ericsson Idou has a 3.5 inch touchscreen with a resolution of 360×640 pixels. The other features of the phone include auto rotation and touch focus. The touch focus features basically involves you touching a part of a screen when it is in camera mode for the phone to focus on that area.

The user interface has a really slick look with black & transparent transitions and blending in the center. However, at 15mm, the Idou does feel a fair bit bulky.
As the official name has not come out yet, the pricing or release date haven’t been announced as yet.

For network specific deals, follow the links below:
Sony Ericsson Idou on Orange
Sony Ericsson Idou on O2
Sony Ericsson Idou on T-Mobile
Sony Ericsson Idou on Vodafone
Sony Ericsson Idou on 3 Mobile
Sony Ericsson Idou on Virgin

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The Sony Ericsson Filippa Cybershot is now officially known as the Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot after the Mobile World Conference 2009. It’s going to be available after April this year in 3 different colors; Noble Black, Sincere Silver and Precious Peach. Obviously the C901 appears to be equipped with better features than the C510 which was the previous Cybershot model introduced by Sony Ericsson.
The main upgrade from its predecessor is the camera. C510 has only a 3.2megapixel camera where the C901 has a 5megapixel one with an active lens protector. This is also accompanied by many miscellaneous accessories such as autofocus, smile & face detection, photo editing, Best Pic, Smart Contrast, the Xenon flash and the geo tagging feature. The C901 is only 13mm thick and 107g of weight.
The display is 2.2 inches WQVGA screen giving 256k color visibility has an accelerometer sensor and can record videos with a resolution of 2592×1944pixels. You also have the option to use facilities such as Red Eye Reduction, video stabilizer, links to video and picture blogs, etc. Internal memory space of 110MB is available while M2 Memory Stick slot can be used for further capacity. You can experience GSM connectivity of 850/900/1800/1900MHz and 3G HSDPA on 900/2100MHz. There’s GPRS, EDGE, HSCSD and 2.0 Bluetooth & USB. Java enables Google Maps, Youtube music application and music recognition. Talk for 9 ½hrs continuously and have your phone on standby mode for 430hrs at a stretch.
Sony Ericsson has not yet published any information on pricing. However you can get a head start by checking out Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot contract phones and selecting your deal online. All you have to do is select a Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot deal which is suitable for your financial ability. With C901 Filippa Cybershot you’re guaranteed to get the best deals in UK as these include the most competitive offers by various network providers. You can obtain smart deals for any Sony Ericsson mobile phone this way.

For network specific deals, follow the links below:
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Orange
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on O2
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on T-Mobile
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Vodafone
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on 3 mobile
Sony Ericsson C901 Filippa Cybershot on Virgin

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