MOBILE WORLD: February 2007

Sony Ericsson K550

Already a magic word in the world of mobile phones, the Cyber-shot brand, has now received a new member. The Sony Ericsson K550 is a feature-rich cameraphone with an enjoyable 2 megapixel camera, nice imaging applications, FM radio and a memory card slot. And all that at a reasonable price that may attract your attention. Anyways, if we’ve managed to grab it, feel free to join us on a tour with the K800’s little brother.

Key features:

* 2 megapixel camera with auto focus
* Active lens cover
* M2 memory card slot (comes with a 512MB card)
* FM radio with RDS
* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
* Bluetooth support
* Multi-tasking
* Small sizeMain
disadvantages:

* Low resolution display
* Camera not as good as the Cyber-shot brand suggests
* Records video in ancient QCIF resolution only

The Cyber-shot revolution has done only good to the Sony Ericsson sales. It proved rather successful and that is the reason why the manufacturer naturally releases a more affordable cameraphone to the masses. Sony Ericsson continue their long line of bar phones which are either camera or music-oriented with the K550. The midrange K-series continuation comes again in a small shell with a tight fit waist. At only 14 mm thickness, it surely packs in some nice features. So let’s continue with our review, but bear in mind that in the case of Sony Ericsson the Cyber-shot logo does not necessarily mean great camera performance but enhanced imaging capabilities.

The Sony Ericsson K550 is going to be produced in two distinct versions. The first one is the K550i and the second one the K550im which is an i-mode version of the mobile and is the first i-mode phone by the manufacturer bearing that Cyber-shot logo. The test handset we received is in fact namely that i-mode version. It carries certain differences and as such those will be duly noted. Nevertheless, it gives us pretty much the full picture about the more widely-distributed would-be version – K550i.
An impressive start

Sony Ericsson K550 leaves nice impression at first sight. It measures 102 x 46 x 14 mm and weighs only 85 g. The handset design is styled with the new Sony Ericsson style – circular navigation keys and thin metallic alphanumeric keys. This is obviously the design that is going to reign in the Sony Ericsson camp this year as we see it on almost all their latest bar-shaped mobiles.

Above the 262K colors TFD display with a 176 x 220 pixels resolution there is only an in-call speaker grill and the Sony Ericsson brand name. The display itself has a silver rim all over which adds a certain stylishness to the design. Below the display there are the navigation keys which have a silver finish.
The left side of the device features a dual volume key and the regular Fast Port used for connecting the headset, the charger and the data cable. The port is indeed the regular one use by Sony Ericsson but is unusually positioned on the left side. In fact we saw that same solution in the Sony Ericsson W880. That is the same reason why the bottom side of the device is pretty bare.
The top side on the other hand accommodates an On/Off key and the Infrared port.
The right side of the device features a camera shutter key and a dual volume key which serves the double purpose of zooming in and out when taking pictures or shooting video. There are also two small sliders which in fact lock the battery cover.
Flipping the phone over reveals the active lens cover. Sliding it down activates the camera interface automatically. The active cover in fact covers not only the lens but also a self portrait mirror. Just beside the cover there are two powerful LEDs which serve the purpose of a photo flash as well as a flashlight when used with the Light application that is preinstalled in the phone.
Once you slide open the two sliders which lock the battery cover it is removed with an ease. This type of locking mechanism seems rather stable and secure.
Once the cover is removed, the battery and the memory card slot are revealed. The battery is a standard Sony Ericsson BST-33 Li-Polymer with a capacity of 950mAh. There is no official information about how long the battery is supposed to endure, but our impression is that Sony Ericsson K550 does nice in that department. With a moderate use the fully charged battery was capable of enduring at least 4 days. The same battery in fact is used in Sony Ericsson W850 and W880.
The SIM card bed is under the battery. It’s a regular Sony Ericsson one meaning that the SIM card is easy to slide in and hard to slide out.
Generally we are pretty pleased with the design and construction of the Sony Ericsson K550. It feels nice to touch and fits perfectly in your hand.

Apple iPhone

A day after Steve Jobs unveiled the Apple iPhone during his MacWorld keynote on Tuesday morning, I actually got my hands on one. For all of ten minutes. Ten minutes isn't much, but I can safely say that the iPhone is even more impressive than it appeared during the Jobs keyote. And that's saying something. On Wednesday afternoon, I had a brief meeting scheduled with Apple executives, and as I walked in, I expected no more than a quick Q&A session. I would ask a few pointed questions—and get a few vague answers. But, much to my surprise, as I sat down, they actually handed me a working iPhone and let me use it.

For the most, it was an absolute revelation. Seeing the device in action is one thing—but actually using it is another. Each application is impressive in its own right, from photo-management software to the Safari Web browser, but it's the overall touch-screen interface that takes the breath away. The only thing I had trouble using was the onscreen keyboard—it's obviously the sort of thing that takes some practice—but it was impressive nonetheless.

As Jobs showed off the iPhone on Tuesday morning, there was a collective gasp from the hundreds of Mac heads crammed into San Francisco's Moscone West convention hall. And then another. And then another. Yes, the Mac faithful are inclined to this sort of reverential behavior, but if you were in the room, you could tell how many people were genuinely amazed.

They were most amazed by the device's MultiTouch technology, which lets the user navigate the on-screen controls with nothing more than bare fingers. As Jobs demonstrated, it lets the user launch applications with a soft touch, scroll through Web pages, resize photos, even type via an onscreen keyboard. It's the sort thing that, once you've see it in action, you can't wait to try for yourself. Unfortunately, the iPhone won't ship until June, and even if you're on the floor at MacWorld, you can't actually handle the device. The best you can do is stare at one through glass case while a surly security guard looks on. Well, that's the best you can do unless you can swing a private meeting with Apple.

Though I only used the device for ten minutes, it was obvious that MultiTouch works pretty much as Jobs said it would. With a tap of the finger, I opened the photo management tool. With another, I opened a photo. With a swipe of the finger, I moved the photo back and forth. And by placing two fingers on the screen and moving them back and forth, I could zoom in and out. It was just as easily to scroll through a full size Web page—and zoom in or out. In much the same way, I could instantly browse and access songs, videos, contacts, and more (photos and videos looked good, but I didn't have ear phones, so I couldn't actually listen to songs). I could also switch the screen from portrait to landscape mode simply by turning the device on its side (though this only works if you swivel it the right way, and on the first try, I went the wrong way).

To test the on-screen keyboard, I tried typing an e-mail. At first, I typed with two hands—gripping the device on each side and taping a thumb on each end of the keyboard—but I was only about 50 percent accurate. Then I switched to hunting and pecking with a single index finger, and though this was (slightly) more accurate, it was much slower. My guess is that after some practice, you could get pretty efficient with two thumbs. But the keyboard is obviously something that takes some time to get used to. The rest of the interface requires no practice whatsoever.

With the last minute or so of my allotted time, I actually made a call. I phoned my editor, Sean Carroll, in our New York office. The sound quality was poor—"kinda fuzzy," Sean said, "not as good as a normal cell phone"—but it should be said that I was in an area of the Moscone Center when reception is less than ideal. The iPhone's exclusive wireless carrier is Cingular.

And then they took it away from me. I didn't have a chance to try Google Maps or the Apple Widgets or the visual voice mail. But it's the new interface that really caught the attention this week—and it's everything Jobs says it is.

LG VX8600

Craving a taste of Chocolate but waiting for a phone you could really flip over? Well, the LG VX8600 delivers Chocolate style in a flip-phone form factor, though its performance won't satisfy the most demanding mobile users. The VX8600 is a seriously good-looking phone, ready for business or a night out on the town. In fact, I'd say it looks as good as the lovely KRZR K1m, though its all-plastic body doesn't feel as expensive as the KRZR's metal-accented case. At a wider 3.9 by 1.9 by 0.6 inch and weighing 3.3 ounces, the phone has a bigger 2.2-inch screen and larger (if completely flat) keys that will appeal to people who think the K1m is too small and narrow.

Made of smooth black plastic with silver trim, the VX8600 looks lacquered. It attracts fingerprints, but so do many shiny objects. The outside of the phone has an unusually big, bright color screen and light-up, touch-sensitive music buttons that you activate by hitting one of the volume keys on the side. Maybe: Inside, the keys are a decent size. Their flat, black look is beautiful (though not so convenient for dialing without looking), and the 176-by-220 screen is large and bright. I also found the user interface quick and responsive. No doubt most people will be using the VX8600 primarily as a voice phone. Voice reception is good; the phone connected in our home basement. That puts it on a par with my Motorola E815 test unit. Sound quality was fine, too, much like that of the LG VX8300 and the Chocolate (LG VX8500). The phone was good at handling wind noise; transmissions sounded clear; and it connected without a problem to Plantronics Bluetooth headsets. Voice dialing is the excellent no-training VoiceSignal system, though initial prompts can get can sometimes get cut off? when transferring calls over to Bluetooth. The speakerphone was extremely quiet. Battery life, at 3 hours 44 minutes, was decent but not outstanding.

I kept running into one major annoyance: a firmware bug that sometimes cut off EV-DO data reception. Though it happened only in one location, it was repeatable; it didn't occur on a Motorola E815 in the same location; and it caused seemingly random numbers to pop up on my test screens. The bug frequently locked me out of V Cast Music, too, since that requires EV-DO service. Nobody else on the Internet seems to be reporting this bug, soperhapsit's restricted to a small batch of VX8600s.

The 1.3-megapixel camera takes shots quickly, with a 0.3-second delay. But I wasn't thrilled with the picture quality: I saw pink or blue casts on some pictures, and indoor photos tended to be blurry. The phone records 176-by-144, 15-frame-per-second videos of average quality. You can store pictures and music in the 24MB of onboard memory or on a microSD card. My phone had trouble seeing a SanDisk 2GB microSD card I used, so you're probably better off sticking to 1GB cards.

The VX8600 has the same V Cast Video, VZ Navigator GPS, and V Cast Music capabilities as most midrange and high-end Verizon phones nowadays. Video plays in full screen, though it looks rather blocky. Music syncs with Windows Media Player using a $30 accessory kit, and you can play music over wired or Bluetooth headphones. The phone comes with a 2.5mm headset adapter for its oddball headset jack, but you'll need to buy an additional third-party adapter for $15 if you want to use 3.5mm music player headphones. Sadly, you can't play music in the background while you're doing other things with the phone. Music is decently loud, however, through the single speaker on the outside of the flip, though it sounds a bit like an old AM radio.

Verizon seems to have lifted its former policy of locking down Bluetooth; like the VX9900, the VX8600 lets you send and receive files over Bluetooth and use the phone as a modem on Verizon's EV-DO network. I managed to connect the VX8600 to both a Mac and a PC for file transfer and modem use.

To some extent, the VX8600 suffers from the same flaws as the Motorola KRZR K1m: a great design, but lukewarm performance when you go beyond simple voice calling. The VX8600 costs $70 less, though, so I recommend this phone over Motorola's model if you're looking for the sleekest thing on Verizon today. Less-fashion-oriented voice callers may want to look into the LG VX8300 instead, which has very similar features at a much lower price.

Theming Software

Bee Icons Software
Description: Apply Bee Icons on Windows XP/2000/ME/98. You can apply StyleXP iconsets also on it. It is trail version of Beeicons 4.0
Version: Filesize: 177.73 Kb

Resource Tuner
Description: Customize your favorite programs by modifying the executable file resources with this feature-rich visual resource editor. Tweak the text, icons, pictures, buttons, and colors in any Windows EXE or DLL. Now supports viewing and replacing large (256x256) Vista icons stored as PNGs.
Version: 1.97 Filesize: 2 bytes

Shell Aston
Description: This Aston Shell software to apply aston themes on WindowsXP,Windows2000,WindowsME and Windows 98.These themes with startmenu,icons,wallpapers and very differents things and techniuqe.
This is 30 days trial version you can buy it from their website.

Version: Filesize: 1.94 MB

StyleXP3.06
Description: To apply Themes,Visual Styles,Boot screens,Login Screens,Icon Sets,Explorer Bar and wallpaper for XP. This Software works in Windows XP. New Released of StyleXP is trail of 30 days.
Version: Filesize: 1.30 MB

Weather Alarm Clock - Add power to Windows clock
Description: This streamlined, feature-packed clock utility offers lots of useful information at a glance. Though it gives the standard digital display, a handful of skins give this application a bit of flair. Weather Alarm Clock presents you with an enlarged digital display clock along with the date, current temperature, and weather conditions of a user-specified location. Fortunately, you can select what is displayed in case you don't want to give up tray space.

A calendar is easily accessible with a quick right-click of the program's display in the system tray.

Alarms accompanied by pop-up messages and your favorite audio files can be set to launch files, applications, or to shut down operations.

In addition, a snooze feature and synchronization with atomic clock servers are a definite plus. With so many customizations, anyone can appreciate this software's generous output.

Screenshot: of Weather Alarm Clock
Download: Weather Alarm Clock 1.3 MB (zipped setup)
Download: Weather Alarm Clock 1.3 MB (exe setup)
Link: Weather Alarm Clock web site
Version: Filesize: 0 bytes

Window Blinds 4.51
Description: Apply Window Blind themes, visual styles and change icons,explorer bar icons and more with New version of WindowBlinds.
Version: 4.51 Filesize: 8.05 MB

Sony Ericsson W880 Finally Announced

After releasing teaser images at CES last month, Sony Ericsson has today officially announced the new W880 Walkman phone from an event in London. We now know the full specifications of this ultra-thin device, and the W880 certainly does not disappoint.

Measuring up at just 9.4mm (0.37") thin, the Sony Ericsson W880 packs a punch in its brushed stainless steel finish, available in either Steel Silver or Flame Black color schemes. With UMTS 2100MHz and GSM 900/1800/1900MHz compatibility, along with Bluetooth v2.0 (with A2DP) and USB Mass Storage support, the W880 is very capable on the data front. A full HTML compliant browser with support for RSS feeds works a treat over the high-speed data options.Of course, the true attraction for the Sony Ericsson W880 is the media capability it hides in its attractive shell. Coming packaged with a 1GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) memory card and including the Walkman Player 2.0, the W880 is ready for music.

Up to 18 hours of music listening time can be achieved with a single charge of the battery, and a flight mode is included to allow you to use the phone's Walkman capabilities in areas where phone use is prohibited. A 2.0 megapixel camera also somehow finds its way into the handset, as does a front-facing camera for video calling. A QVGA (240x320 pixel) resolution 1.8" display, capable of showing up to 262k colors, provides a window to the handset's functionality.

Both color variations of the thin Sony Ericsson W880 will be available in select markets before the end of Q1 2007.

Sony Ericsson Launches J110 and J120 Entry-Level Handsets

Today Sony Ericsson announced two additions to their entry-level J series of handsets. The new J110 and J120 are virtually identical except for the slightly more upscale J120 having a built-in FM radio and support for only 900/1800MHz GSM networks, while the less expensive J110 is available in both 900/1800MHz and 850/1900MHz GSM versions.Both devices have capacity for up to 200 contacts and 100 SMS messages in their built-in memory, and sport 16 voice polyphonic sound systems. Inorder to keep things simple for novices, the J110 and J120 both make use of a very simple user interface where one menu option icon appears on the screen at a time, similar to the way old Nokia Series 40 devices used to work. The system is somewhat necessary since the J110 and J120 handsets use a fairly low resolution 96x64 pixel, 65k color CSTN display.

Other features include an alarm, a calculator, and a simple reminder system. Both devices measure up at just under 17mm thick and should be good for up to 9 hours of talk time or up to 16 days of standby time, according to Sony Ericsson.

The J120 will be available in a night black color scheme, and the J110 will be available in precious purple, smooth grey, and soft cream color schemes when the devices ship in Q2 of this year. Sony Ericsson did not reveal any pricing information.

Sony Ericsson W810

Sony calls on its Walkman roots to create this impressive cell phone/music player hybrid.

While it's no iPod, Sony Ericsson's W810 does a more-than-adequate job as both a cell phone and a multimedia player.

The W810 is a candy bar-style standard cell phone, and at first glance its dimensions of 3.9 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches make it look somewhat boxy. It works well in light use, offering adequate voice quality and volume, but it can be uncomfortable during long conversations. It offers impressive talk-time battery life, as it lasted 10 hours in our lab tests (the maximum amount of time we test).The W810 is the latest addition to Sony Ericsson's Walkman line of phones, and its impressive roots are on display--its music and multimedia features, including an FM radio, really set it apart. When you start up the phone, you're given the choice between launching just the Walkman functions or all of the phone's features. The W810 also automatically pauses songs when you receive an incoming call, and resumes them when you hang up.

The W810 comes with its own PC software for transferring songs onto the included 512MB Memory Stick Duo card. The software is simple to use, though unfortunately it does not let you create playlists on your PC--you can do that on the phone, but it isn't as easy as it could be. A 2-megapixel camera and Memory Stick Duo slot round out the features.

I have one minor complaint about the W810, regarding its navigation controls. Sony packs a lot of features--including the music player controls--into a small space. The controls are tiny, and the limited real estate leaves no room for dedicated send and end phone buttons. I adjusted to the controls quickly, and I was able to scroll through my music collection in no time, but the device's layout left me longing for the minimalist look of my iPod.

The W810 doesn't come cheap; an unlocked handset will cost you $500. (We tested a handset from Cingular; the carrier is expected to offer the phone by September for the same price.) But if you're in the market for a cell phone that doubles as a digital music player, the W810 is worth a look.

-- Liane Cassavoy

Details About Sony Ericsson W810 :

General

Network

GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900

Size

Dimensions

100 x 46 x 19.5 mm

Weight

99 g

Display

Type

TFT, 256K colors

Size

176 x 220 pixels, 28 x 35 mm

- Wallpapers, screensavers

Ringtones

Type

Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3

Customization

Composer, download

Vibration

Yes

Memory

Phonebook

1000 x 24 fields, Photo call

Call records

30 received, dialed and missed calls

Card slot

Memory Stick Duo Pro (up to 2GB), 512 MB card included

- 20 MB shared memory

Data

GPRS

Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

HSCSD

No

EDGE

Class 10, 236.8 kbps

3G

No

WLAN

No

Bluetooth

Yes, v2.0

Infrared port

Yes

USB

Yes, v2.0

Features

Messaging

SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging

Browser

WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (NetFront)

Games

Yes + downloadable

Colors

Satin Black

Camera

2 MP, 1632x1224 pixels, autofocus, video, flash

- MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player
- Video player
- Java
- T9
- FM radio with RDS
- Image viewer
- Picture editor
- Organiser
- Voice memo
- SyncML
- Built-in handsfree

Battery

Standard battery, Li-Ion

Stand-by

Up to 350 h

Talk time

Up to 8 h

MOBILE WORLD