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Sony Ericsson Idou mini-preview

This is one of the key models for Sony Ericsson in 2009 that is set to land on most markets some time around 2010 at a price point similar to what the infamous XPERIA kicked off at (just shy of 1000 USD to be precise). It may sound strange, but almost nine months before its release date, the Idou has already become an idol, and the centerpiece of many rumors and gossips around the Web. I suppose the reason is pretty hard to overlook, since it’s their first Symbian S60 based device, plus it carriers a whopping 12 MPix camera along with a touch-sensitive display and all other good things. While it might seem to be the ultimate device and an insuperable barrier in the path of all imaging-savvy flagships that other phone markets have in their backrooms, the key factors here are software quality and price. But on the other hand, the Idou is the best Christmas present for all SE aficionados and Sony Style adepts (regardless of its price tag).

Starting things off, let’s talk about its casing and design in general – no picture can convey the charm of the Idou and I believe everyone bent on sizable and robust phones will know exactly what I’m getting it. The Idou is big. Period. Bigger than XPERIA, and if you still can’t wrap your mind around this fact, see how it looks when held against a woman’s ear. On the other hand, its materials and weight distribution are such that the smartphone is very easy to hold and work with. The lens cover is worth a special mention – it’s metallic, it’s huge and it slides out with a distinctive “click” sound that is even more satisfying than that of Sony’s CyberShot-branded cameras. Behind the cover is the camera lens along with a flash module. Housed on the right is the FastPort slot (unfortunately, no 3.5 mm audio jack here), microSD memory card socket and display lock switch, which is a very useful tool to have right under your fingertips. On the opposite side there are the dedicated camera button, volume rocker (doubles as the Zoom key while in the camera app), player key and camera mode switch (still images or video). The power button is mounted on the end end, whereas at the bottom there is a lanyard eyelet. Below the display are the Call, End and Menu keys – while they are relatively narrow, these buttons are prominent and stiff enough to ensure comfortable use.

The Idou’s display is based on resistive technology, and is tweaked for finger-based navigation, plus it comes packaged with a stylus that feels out of place here, since the same kind of styluses is employed by LG and Samsung. But if you really like it, you probably could use it for typing something on the Idou’s virtual keyboard, but the whole process becomes a real pain in this case.

So far, the conclusion I’ve come to is this: the Idou’s controls are fairly decent, thankfully it packs in all essential mechanical keys, which is really good news, and also there is the display lock switch. As for the smartphone’s touch-sensitive display, it’s still a bit too early to say something for sure, since new firmware versions keep coming out every day, and on top of that I managed to play around only with a handful of applications and menus, so I’d rather reserve my final judgment. The only thing I will say, however, is that they have refined the default interface very thoroughly, so that now the Idou boasts Sony Ericsson’s trademark multimedia menu, custom icons and a unique standby screen setup. All in all, it’s a nice break from Nokia’s standardized apparel, we’ll see how it will work out for Sony Ericsson.

As far as the Idou’s display quality is concerned, it’s almost as vibrant as it gets, plus it boasts juicy colors and decent brightness level. The video file I managed to play back on it looked very smooth and balanced overall. And, what’s more, with all the background noise that is pretty much unavoidable at a crowded exhibition, I was still able to hear something, which indicates that the Idou’s speakers are quite loud in deed. Music quality-wise, it’s on a par with the Sony Ericsson W995, and they are still working on its player software, however don’t expect any bells and whistles from the phone’s audio-related hardware.

The Idou’s build quality was superb too – in spite of the fact that I was allowed to twiddle only with a prototype device, it felt very sturdy in the hand and at the same time its matte velvety plastic lent it a very nice feel. While there are almost no metallic accents in its design, the Idou doesn’t creak when squeeze, the upside to having no metallic parts is that it’s pretty light, though. And while we are at it, there will be several color variations available for the Idou right from the start, apart from the standard black and silver. Furthermore, its color schemes are somewhat reminiscent of other Sony-branded gadgets, as if they wanted to allow the user to gather a whole collection of similarly styled devices.

When it comes to the Idou’s camera, there isn’t much to talk about as of now – it packs in a G900-esque autofocus feature, that allows you to point the area you want the phone to focus on right on its display. Also there are links to recently made photos on the standby screen, so that you can modify it, send it or use it as you please. But that’s about it – all other details are kept in secret.

You can never take the judgment of someone who’s emotionally involved with some brand seriously, but regardless, being a Sony Style adept, I can say that the Idou seemed like an interesting phone with a likable design (pictures do no justice to it) that takes some cues from both the C905 and XPERIA. But the main questions still remain without answers: what about its battery time, camera and price tag. I’d really like to know.