Sony Ericsson Phones Reviews

WHEN my six-year-old nephew finally owned up to taking my ­beloved Sony Ericsson T100 to school in his lunch box and losing it, I could barely control the red rage that reverberated through my body. His adorable, lopsided, gap-toothed smile and the apologetic tilt of his head were the only things that saved him from his mortal fate.

When I was asked if I wanted to review the new Sony Ericsson T650 a few days later, I took it as a celestial reward for the saintly restraint I exhibited.

Most people display an astonishing level of loyalty to cellphone brands. If they start with one, they usually continue with it. I am an Ericsson person because my first cellphone was a T10 and I loved it.

Naturally, I salivated at the prospect of getting my hands on the T650. Would it be Glowing Green, Midnight Blue, or Eclipse Black, I wondered? Would it have the same fabulous ringtones as my now-lost phone?

The geometric design of the T650 is extremely eye-catching and many people were drawn to its neat, square shape.

It also has quite a unique way of lighting up in waves of light from the bottom of the keypad ­towards the screen when it rings or a message or appointment ­reminder goes off.

Its 3.2 megapixel camera with a 3x digital zoom makes it a handy accessory for a shutter-bug like me who loves to whip out her phone and snap pictures of zany fashion, fabulous sunsets and cute babies.

The 1.9 inch colour screen has a 240 x 320 pixel resolution which makes using your own snaps as screensavers a breeze, and the image is so clear people don’t have to scrunch the phone up to their noses to see it.

The built-in media player was a bit lost on me, I’m afraid, as I have my entire song collection on one device and so didn’t really get the full benefit of it. But on the rare occasions I used it, the sound quality was impressive. The phone came with a corded headset, which I enjoyed the least of the whole package and I’d definitely swap it for a cordless Bluetooth option.

My nephew, repentant but still plucky enough to ask if he could play games, had wild fun when he finally found them. The downside is that he had to get onto the browser and the Ericsson site to download them first. I’m not too wild about that.

The phone also comes with a radio and video camera.

My only serious criticism is that the keypad and button design make it difficult to operate with long nails, which can’t find purchase on the smooth, slightly raised metallic ­design. I found myself accidentally hitting the web-browser button ­every time I wanted to hit the return key. Sadly, phones for reviews are a bit like nephews – just when you are getting used to them and thinking “Mmm, I could have one of these”, it’s time to go home.

I remain optimistic that a Grade 2 teacher somewhere in Alberton will find a lunch box marked “Smith” with a T100 covered in mould.