Sony Ericsson T650i (Sony Ericsson T650i)

Member Name: count_zero

Product:	Sony Ericsson T650i
Date:	22/01/08 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quality build and design

Disadvantages: None

The Sony Ericsson T650i is a relatively new 3G phone. It is a mid range product that offers a broad range of functionality without specialising in any particular area. It contains a good camera, but lacks the sophistication of the CyberShot range. Likewise it is a competent music player but falls short of the WalkMan phones.
Presented in a bar style it looks like a fashion phone but packs a lot more quality than you might expect, especially in comparison to inferior products from Samsung and Motorola.

How do you get one ~
The T650i is currently available on pay monthly contracts from O2 and Virgin. If you're mad you could buy one sim free and unlocked for anything between £200 - £300. I got mine through Carphone Warehouse who also threw in an in-car charger (normally £15) free, although this was sweetener as T-Mobile were giving me hassle for switching to O2 and I was beginning to lose the will to live in the shop.
In the box ~
The box is jam packed full of rubbish, I mean accessories. So much that I can't get it all back in the box now I've unpacked. Still, I used to be able to do the Rubik Cube in under a minute so I'm sure I'll figure it out.
You get: A charger, some ear phones and a 256MB M2 micro card. That's the important stuff, you also get an 'elegant' desk stand, pouch, manual, USB cable and CD for the computer.

Looking at these in more detail the ear phones are those annoying pointy ones that never stay in. The micro card is big enough for a couple of albums and some photos but will probably need upgrading before too long. The desk stand is probably meant for the video conference functions on the phone but in reality its primary function will to make the phone more visible to the rest of the office who can then admire how cool it is. The pouch is a nice idea but the fact that you'd need to take the phone out of the pouch to use it means I doubt I'll be using it.
Look and feel ~
With a depth of 12mm this qualifies as a slim phone, not the slimmest available but svelte nonetheless. Weighing in at 95g it is light, although again not the lightest around, but being built on a sturdy chassis with a stainless steel case it feels remarkably solid for the weight. There's no indication that you could break it through normal use that you get with inferior makes. You won't find many 3G phones this size.

The overall design is apparently inspired by the Nordic lights, which sounds like so much marketing nonsense but it looks great for all that. Its two tone with the upper half in brushed steel designed to catch the light (the result of an eight stage finishing process) and the bottom half in either a bright lime green or dark midnight blue. The green is quite loud but the blue is more subtle and either looks good. The phone has lots of straight lines and is very angular, the buttons are small and square and take some getting used to but the overall minimalist look is very satisfying.
The screen is large, clear and bright with good visibility even in bright sunlight; this is due to a scratchproof mineral glass coating which may sound mad but makes more sense than having an animal or vegetable one.

In use ~
This is my third Sony Ericsson on the trot now and much of the functionality remains familiar. The physical button layout has stayed constant and this continues with the software. The operating system and iconography is in the same style as before, albeit with richer graphics, and the bundled software has not changed since my last upgrade 18 months ago. This bundle includes picture and sound editors and a video conference facility. The in-built media player can handle video files as well as music. Navigating the phone is straightforward and new users should have no problems finding their way around.
The camera is 3.2 megapixel and has a decent lens, it also has a light rather than a flash (this can also be used as a torch which could prove useful for finding dropped keys). The pictures are very good and as good as those taken by digital cameras just a couple years ago. There is a second camera on the front for video calling, if you know anyone with comparable video calling technology that is.

Conclusion~
This is a great phone to look at and after a month or so of use has shown no technical shortcomings. It will be my phone for the remainder of my contract but I have no doubts that I will still have that joy of ownership when the next upgrade letter comes around.

Summary: More than just a fashion phone

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