Sony Ericsson's K700i is Loaded

Sony Ericsson K700iEver since we had some quality time with a K700i prototype a few months back, I've been anxiously waiting for the final product to make it to market. There were some delays, as there nearly always are, but the K700i managed to make it into shops while interest was still high. And there is good reason for interest to be high in the K700i, as you will soon read.

Multimedia

Let's hit on the big points first. This phone is a multimedia powerhouse. If it involves images or sounds, chances are the K700i has it in spades. There is little that this phone isn't equipped to handle. It has a big display, a nice polyphonic sound system, the ability to play MP3 files, a built-in FM radio, and a camera that records both still and moving images. It even has a respectable 41MB of available memory to facilitate all of this.

Let's get into some details, shall we? First the display. Sony Ericsson has not been known for having superb displays on their GSM handsets. It is nice to see them attempting to shake that reputation. The K700i's new display is a good first step. Clear, colorful, and bright, the display is the perfect canvas for all of the K700i's multimedia features. The 176x220 resolution is the equal of the Nokia Series 60 devices, and it suffers none of the weaknesses of its predecessors, such as problems being viewed in harsh sunlight. There is a cost involved with this, though: power consumption. As best I can tell, the display sucks down battery energy like a thirsty man in a desert. This means that the addition of a "power saving mode" was required, a mode that totally turns off the display. This helps conserve battery power, but means that you can not see the clock screen saver. The lack of LED indicators also means that you won't know if a message has come in or if the Bluetooth system is on unless you press a key to reactivate the display. I think the addition of a brightness control on the display might be a good compromise for those times when you are actively using the device, too.

The sound system in the K700i is quite good. Ringtones are loud and clear, and there are 8 levels of volume available. I was a bit disappointed with the selection of ringtones included in the stock configuration, though. New ringers can be downloaded from Sony Ericsson, which is nice. The capable MusicDJ application is included for those that wish to create their own polyphonic tones, and you can always record your own voice memos for use as a ringer, which is nice.

The included MP3 player application is simple and straightforward. Excluding support for playlists, the MP3 player is fairly full featured. There are the typical random order modes, file info, and track control options, of course. The graphic equalizer is also quite good. The bass boost preset does quite a good job with the included stereo headset. A minimize command lets you leave the player running while you go on to doing other things with the phone. The audio can be played over the K700i's internal speaker, too, but only in mono mode. The limiting factor for most MP3 players is storage, and that is certainly true here. While 41MB of memory is a lot for a phone, it is very little for a MP3 player. If you strip out unneeded files from the phone, you might be able to squeeze in a full album of 128Kbps MP3 files. Maybe.

 

Featured products from the MobileBurn store