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Review Sony Ericsson T610. Part 3

SonyEricsson T610, live pictures

Part 1

Part 2

First, we would like to answer the most frequently asked questions, concerning first two parts. So, menu speed of T610 is rather high as you can see it in the video file, which was presented in the part 2. The slowest process is themes downloading, it takes about 15-20 seconds to set a new theme.

As we’ve already written, all menus and submenus are really numbered to simplify the navigation, but this numbers are not displayed on the screen. You can view them in the user’s guide, remember and use shortcut number navigation.

A phone number type (office, home, etc.) is displayed as an icon. Photos taken by the integrated camera can be used as these icons. In spite of dynamical memory, totally one can save not more than 510 entries. The same number of records can be stored in other applications.

All SMS-tones are quite simple, but due to polyphony they have a nice sound. To the right of camera one can find a socket for external antenna, which is covered by a rubber tap. A small mirror, which can cover this tap, is included in the standard kit.

Now, let’s turn to the main part of the review and describe other functions.

Memory. There are 2Mb memory in the phone, it’s not much, but T68i has halved memory. In reality it is quite sufficient memory size for most of customers. A user has about 1.5 Mb, which can be shared between data, applications and photos. As the memory is dynamical, you can choose those applications which are the most important for you. Don’t forger that it is a phone, not computer, which should have a large memory pool. It’s even not a smartphone, so, it’s obvious why the phone doesn’t have extension slot for memory cards. By the way, 1 Mb is enough to save information about more than 1000 meetings, 100 of phone numbers and 10 photos of average resolution. T610 has halved memory of Nokia 7650, which is considered to be a real smartphone.

Organizer. There are several functions in the organizer, first one is a calendar. It has three view types: weekly view, monthly view and a view for today. In the latter case you can see a list of all memos, in first two cases only a time (weekly view) of events or date (monthly view) are indicated. One can quickly go to desired date (year, month, day). The calendar, as well as the schedule can be filled traditionally. For example, you can select one of the six events type, indicate the place, duration and set a reminder (either beforehand or in time). Unfortunately, in my sample, I couldn’t find such feature as recurrent events. Only another time/date can be set for some of the events in editing menu. A peculiarity of the phone is that profile is automatically changed when the event takes place, then it is changed back after the event. It is similar to Time Profile in the Nokia’s handsets.

The phone has a scant to-do list, only two events types, ringer and reminder in particular. On the other hand, simplicity also has advantages.

A full search for calendar is realized in the phone. You can input a word or its part and all events, which match it are displayed on the screen. The feature works quick and correctly even if you have more than 100 records. You can quickly go to any event from the final list of search results.

For the first time, you can send a schedule to the other devices (through IrDA and bluetooth) from the mobile phone. Select an interval (day, week or month) and send all notes. A device, which receives your data should have PIM-function to read all data and display them. For example, you can send your schedule to TV via IrDa but it can’t display it. This feature gives user a freedom, now you don’t need to select computers and waste time to change settings in the synchronization programs. In the near future almost all PIM will enable to send data like T610, which one more time overrun the time.

Notes. One can write short text notes in the phone. A first word from the note is displayed in the total lost. It’s not very convininet. Because you should begin your note with a special (main) word to remember the text after period of time.

Alarm-clocks. There are both once and recurrent alarm-clocks in the phone. The latter one can alert in special days of the week. Both alarm-clocks operate when the phone is switched off.

Besides the phone has a standard countdown timer and stopwatch, which can keep intermediate results. The phone has codes reminder and more convenient calculator.

Connectivity. One can set all communication capabilities of the phone, for example WAP, GPRS, bluetooth and synchronization. We are not going tell about standard possibilities. All features operate correctly. However, platform of this phone enables to make interesting combinations, for instance, it is possible not only synchronize data with a help of bluetooth but transmit picture between an integrated camera and other device.

Settings of the remote and local synchronization are also available in this menu.

WAP. Browser has a special menu item. T610 has wap-browser in 2.0 version. It supports secure connections, what is very important for electronic transactions. It is possible to download new wallpapers, themes, melodies to the phone. A good set is available on the original site of the manufacturer. You can easily fill in the memory during 1-2 hours. Animated GIF files are not showed by the browser, it’s a shortcoming of the phone.

Partly engineers overcame 2Mb barrier and offered to keep images and e-mails on their server. You can register there and then you’ll have an opportunity to download and upload pictures. Now we don’t know how much space the company will give you free.

Links to original pages are put in all menus, where there is a possibility to download a content. Besides, you can add your own ones. It’s very comfortable to use these links because you can save time on navigation.

Entertainment. There are two menu items in this submenu: games and applications. The phone has 3 pre-installed games. They are DeepAbyss, FiveStones, Minigolf. Your mission in the first game is to collect all crystals, which are in the maze. The last game is similar to one which was in T300, it’s a version of golf. You can play with a second player or computer in the last two games. A possibility to play games via IrDa or bluetooth is more interesting. It’s very captivating…

The phone supports Mophun. So, there are no problems with downloading new games. Today a list of available games is really impressive, it includes more than 100 titles. It won’t be too difficult to revise them for the display’s resolution of T610. All these games and new ones and they will be available when the phone goes on sale.

Java is hidden in the menu item Applications. It’s not known which applications will be included in commercial phone. We could test only few ones. Generally speaking, we have only positive impressions after using Java on this phone. Applications of average size are loaded slower than in phones from Nokia, but much quicker than in phones from Siemens. Probably it depends on the integrated processor power. We couldn’t study Java in details, because we didn’t have applications, which are suitable for this model. Those 6 pre-default programs were rather simple, they couldn’t reveal the problems even if they were. It’s better to test Java, loading large applications, which have many graphics, for example on the game Prince of Persia.

Settings. All settings, connected with the phone and displays, are located in this menu. They are typical to other models and we won’t talk about them.

Camera. We’ve already said that camera is just a feature of entertainment in the phone. It can’t be comparable with usual digital cameras. The aim of the phone’s camera is to display a picture in decent quality on the small screen of the phone. From this point of view, T610 has a good camera and pictures taken by it are rather nice. Images can be taken in two resolutions (288х352, 120х160); night mode is also available, in this case matrix has better photosensitivity, but more artifacts appear.

There are three integrated effects: image can be transformed to negative while shooting or black-and-white picture; also there is Sepia effect. An average file size of the highest resolution is about 12-14 Kb. Pay attention that you can’t take more than 25 shots of high resolution. It’s impossible to select a compression level or its format.

A phone display serves as a viewfinder. It’s very comfortable in artificial lighting conditions, but in sunny day you’ll have to take pictures at random as the information is not visible. A flash, which is connected to a system connector, is available as accessory. It was done to take pictures in the dark. In my opinion it’s just a toy, nothing else.

You can estimate quality of images taken by this camera comparing the photos below. In part 2 you could also view a picture on the phone screen and the same one on PC.

Impressions

Reception quality of the phone is compatible to the other modern phones. The handset has a loud 32-tones ringer, its volume is louder than one of the Nokia’s phones, but lower than volume of most phones from Samsung (for example, A800 loses to T610 by this feature). Here and here you can listen to the ringing tones of the phone. The phone is heard in the street, but you will miss calls in a noisy bar or disco. Vibrating alert is weak and you should keep the phone as close as possible to fill it.

It’s disappointing that software for synchronization with PC isn’t included in standard kit. Most likely commercial samples won’t have it too. However, the phone enables to transmit data to other devices, besides, it SyncML support is included.

A shortcoming of the phone is that phone still has STN display and it’s very difficult to work with it under the sun. It’s pleasant that mail client supports sending attached images, but you can’t receive such files.

In the end we would like to say that T610 has almost all features, which a modern business user demands, except speakerphone-function. The phone is aimed namely to these group of users. Also the company partly aimed this phone to those who prefer fashion phones. Surely, th phone has shortcomings, but all models have them. In our opnion T610 has more advantages than disadvantages. The main shortcoming is the screen. All other shortcomings are not so important. By the way, we have leaking of memory in our sample. For example, when we delete photos, memory pool wasn’t increased, though photos disappeared from the list. It was necessary to reboot the phone and all data were deleted.

A question of the menu speed is very interesting. When the sounds are off, you can quickly move through the menu (quicker than in T68), but when sounds are on, this process is slower. Taking into account that T610 has the same platform as T68, we couldn’t expect considerable increase of productivity. Probably programmers could optimize the code in this phone.

Few words about rival models. They are absent now and won’t launch in the near future. Nokia 7250 has lesser technologies and larger dimensions, though the price is comparable. Other devices also lose to T610. This phone is ideal for those who decide to change T68i or another phone from Sony Ericsson and don’t know what to choose. This handset will appeal to many of new users, because probably till October it will be the most advanced phone on the market.

It is expected that the phone will be available in the end of May, but we think that it will go on sale in the end of May – beginning of June. An expected price will be 450-500 Euro, later in would be 420-440. This phone will be the a good Christmas present, at that time it would cost about 300 Euro in most of European countries.

Such a low price will be real if there is a revised version T610i or Christmas Edition. It would cost 50 dollars more than a based phone version, but it would have a TFT color screen and Instant Messaging support.Pay attention that it’s not an official information, but only our presumption.

T610 sets new standards in response to functionality and form-factor for mobile phones; within the year it would be an up-to-date phone. We are quite sure that other manufacturers will license this platform to show new models, but it would be not in the near future. At last we would like to say that Sony Ericsson introduces a new strategy, now it will show new products more dynamically, in particularly in the third quarter of this year we could see new products on the shelves of the shops. But T610 will be the leader approximately till the end of the summer of next year.

Eldar Murtazin ([email protected])
Translated by Maria Sennikova ([email protected])

Published — 7 March 2003

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