Sony Ericsson Launches S700

Sony Ericsson S700Sony Ericsson today unveiled the S700 camera phone, something many of us have been lusting after for some time now. The S700 is very similar to the SO505I phone released in Japan last year. The S700 features a 1.3 megapixel camera, 2.3" 262K color TFT display, and a Memory Stick Duo expansion slot.

The swivel design enables users to use the S700 in 3 different ways. With the phone closed, it's possible to view messages, browse menus, and make calls via 5-way navigation, or to use the soft keys under the LCD screen. Then, turn the phone over to use the digital camera which enables photos to be taken with a steady, two-handed grip just like an ordinary camera. Finally, users can open the phone in a swivel motion to access the key pad.

It looks like 2004 is going to be the year of the megapixel camera phone, and Sony Ericsson has become one of the first to join in the fun. The S700's 1.3 megapixel camera allows for photos of 1280 x 960 pixels. To switch the S700 to "camera mode", the user opens the camera shutter lens, and the phone automatically goes into viewfinder mode. To further enhance the imaging experience, the S700 comes with photo light to enable photography in dark environments, 8x digital zoom and a huge 2.3" 262K TFT colour screen with (240x320 pixels resolution). It is also possible to stream and capture video clips.

Compatibility with MemoryStick Duo, Bluetooth, and infrared means the S700 offers a wide range of connectivity options for sharing your data. We aren't too happy about the use of Memory Stick Duo since the maximum size is 128MB, and it is generally more expensive than other competing memory formats.

The S700 has very advanced multimedia capabilities, such as a 3D game engine from Hi Corp (as featured in many Japanese phones), so you'll be able to play some of the Java games featured here. Audio functionalities haven't been ignored either with an integrated MP3 music player, mobile music service, Music DJ ring tone composer, and 40 polyphonic ringtones.

According to Hiroshi Yoshioka, Head of GMS/UMTS for Sony Ericsson, �The S700 will revolutionize the phone market by introducing cutting edge mobile phone technology from Japan to a new group of users. The phone�s superior features such as mega-pixel imaging, high density 262K TFT screen and 3D gaming engine shows that Sony Ericsson is committed to driving the market forward by utilizing the unique strength of its Japanese business divisions�

So there you have it. The phone many of us have been waiting almost a full year to see if finally here. Well, not quite. Surprisingly, Sony Ericsson claims a release date of Q4 2004, which is still at least 6 months away. We'll just have to wait a little bit more.

Full specifications aren't available at the moment, but we have been provided with the following:

• GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz GPRS Class 10 (4 +2)
• Dimensions: 107.5mm x 49 mm x 24.5mm
• Weight: 137g
• 262K colour TFT display (240 x320 pixel)
• 1.3 megapixel CCD(1280 x 960 image size) with photo light and 8x digital zoom
• Memory Stick Duo
• Bluetooth and Infrared
• Talktime: Up to 7 hours
• Standby: Up to 12.5 days (300 hours)

More high resolution photos can be found on the following pages.

 

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