Sony Ericsson has taken another a step forward into the multimedia phone technology with the K850i. The 5 megapixel camera of the phone is what makes it stand out from other offerings by SE. In addition to the superior shooting capabilities, the phone also has fantastic styling and comes at a much more reasonable price as compared to the Nokia N95 that seems to be its competition.

Features:
The phone is designed to be sleek and easy to use. It rides on the GSM 850/900/1800/1900 bands and also supports HSPDA network. Any phone with support for GPRS, EDGE and 3G HSPDA has great global acceptance.

The display screen has a generous 2.2-inch of viewable area but the 256K color support is a bit of a let down. However, the excellent GUI makes up for the lost grace in graphics. Adding some interesting wallpapers and screensavers can cancel out the ‘inferiority’ of the display. The camera can capture images at resolutions of 2592x1944 pixel, with auto-focus. The camera is blessed with a cool xenon flash and a 3 LED light for video recording. In spite of all these features, the captured images are a bit of a disappointment when clicked indoors.

It comes with 40 MB internal memory and a 512 MB card for data storage. This can be scaled up with the Memory Stick Micro (M2). For a change, we have a Sony Ericsson offering that comes with microSD support as well. As far as connectivity specs are concerned, there is support for Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 but no infrared. You can also enjoy crystal clear FM radio transmission and pray that someday we can use the RDS support that comes with the phone. There are three touch sensitive points on the base of the screen and a cool, illuminated four way navigation key. It also supports many languages and also has pre-created user profiles like ‘in-car’, ‘flight’, ‘meeting’ and ‘home’. Another cool feature is the capability of the screen to switch from portrait to landscape mode every time the screen is tilted thanks to the in-built accelerometer.

The music playback is simply stunning; especially the Mega Bass equalizer setting that was featured only in the Walkman series so far.

Build Quality and Performance:
The first time you grip this phone, you will notice its smooth and lustrous texture. It simply seems to shine back on you. However, with the lustre comes the disadvantage of the phone’s tendency to get stained with finger prints.

Sony Ericsson has done well to emulate a digital camera. The SIM card, memory card and battery are housed in a compartment at the base of the phone that reminds one a lot of a digital camera. The battery simply doesn’t seem to run out of juice as it boasts a stunning 400 hours of standby time. There have
been testimonials of people using the phone for three days straight without having to charge the phone! However, a major letdown in the design of the phone is the proximity of one of the touch points to the direction ‘up’ button of the navigation key.

A user needs to train himself to keep his finger away from the touch sensitive area while pressing the ‘up’ directional key. The efficiency of the camera and the smooth flowing interface surely earn the K850i some extra brownie points.

Verdict: A perfect shooter and multimedia phone that will not need a replacement for some time to come.
img by [www.sonyericsson.com]
source [www.itvoir.com]