Sony Ericsson K800i mobile phone review
If like us you’ve been looking for a mobile phone that takes decent photos we’re about to tell you something that will get as excited as a whippet with a rubber bone. Sony Ericsson has introduced the K800i, a stylish mobile, with a Cyber-shot digital camera. And the K800i’s talents don’t stop there. Sony are building toward the ultimate phone and having built on the success of the Sony Ericsson K750i, they’ve added more good points than the school swat. Design |
| We love the simple design of the K800i, which Sony Ericsson has kept minimalist. We have the general shape of the K750i (its predecessor) but this phone has a more angular feel and comes in a sombre slate grey colour scheme. The actual size of the phone has been kept small and compact still making it idea you’re your back pocket - with 105 x 47 x 22 mm dimensions and a weight of 115g. There’s a nice, decently sized colour TFT with 240x320 pixels. Just below that is the usual mini joystick for navigation associated with Sony Ericsson phones, This joystick is surrounded by six keys; two softmenu keys, delete, back, two tiny keys that take you to the Web browser, and the 'activity menu'. Now this camera comes with two cameras for the price of one. You get one video calling camera at the top front of the camera, hidden behind the speaker grille, and then you get the other 3.2 megapixel camera at the back hidden behind a lens cover. To give the K800i the feel of a proper camera, Sony Ericsson have added a camera button at the bottom right hand edge of the phone which means you can turn it around when taking photos. Next to this you’ll find two more buttons, one is a two-piece volume and camera zoom controller. Then on the other side you’ll find the play/stop button to control your MP3 player. And finally there is a covered slot for the Memory Stick Micro memory card. |
| Setup/Installation |
| If you’ve used any of the Sony Ericsson phones before you’ll have no problems with this one at all. If this is your first Sony Ericsson, then congratulations, and we suggest you spend some time playing around with it and getting a real grip – this should take around 15 minutes. |
| Features |
| Let’s start with the most outstanding feature and then work you down the list. 3.2 megapixel worth of camera – and if you’re sitting there thinking wow, so what, let us tell you. This is just the start of it to make this a close run for the cyber-shot camera. The K800i also has a proper flash that allows you to take photos of a higher quality. There’s also a huge 16x digital zoom which can get up close but will end up being a bit blurred and fuzzy. As well as that there’s also an autofocus button, and a BestPic button which allows you to take nine consecutive pictures quickly one after the other, and then lets you pick the best one and there’s even an image stabiliser which is fantastic after those e. Once you’ve taken your pictures you can use one of several ways to send the pictures. There’s an easy-to-use photo blog which lets you put pictures up straight away as well as being able to send it via Bluetooth. There’s also obviously music via the MP3 player. As well as MP3 there’s also an FM radio, a facility to play Music DJ, and lots of games. And there’s all sorts of organisers too including a calendar, contacts, notes, calculator, alarm, speakerphone, stopwatch, PIM Sync and file manager. |
| Performance |
This Sony Ericsson K800i is a lovely phone to use. An upgrade from the K750i, this is probably the best camera phone around at present, taking technology to new heights. Thanks to its 3.2MP camera Sony have bought us closer to the Cyber-shot digital camera attached to our phones. You not only get to shoot photos but do much more thanks to the auto focus function, Xenon flash and red eye reduction, as well as knowing that you won’t get the blur effect like other mobiles thanks to the image stabiliser. Once you’re photos been taken it’s handy being able to send your photos through so many formats including Bluetooth, infra red, and even directly to blogs. The only drawback to the photos is the 16x digital zoom which is massive but leaves your photos a bit blurry when you get too close. The VGA camera makes 3G video calling really easy and the image it relays is really good. Other than that the joystick which in the past has been a bit flimsy is much better and makes navigating easier and the other buttons that allow direct access to your music works a treat. The music quality on the K800i is really good and with all the different attachments coming out from Sony Ericsson will work as a great portable MP3 player. Finally battery life was good and it was kept going on standby for around five days and up to around seven hours of talk-time. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Sony Ericsson K800i mobile phone, charger, hands-free headphones, USB cable. |
| Overall Opinion |
| This is a fantastic all-round mobile phone. The K800i is the first step towards a phone that not only lets you ring and text but comes with something close to a proper digital camera thanks to its focus, image stabiliser etc as well as providing a storage for good sounds. If you’re thinking about getting a new phone this year, we’d highly recommend the Sony Ericsson K800i. |
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Pros + 3.2MP camera + Xenon flash + Image stabiliser + 3G video calls |
Cons - Joystick - better but still not brilliant - Battery life could be better |
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Overall Rating 
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9/10/2006 at 3:35:11pm
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