Sony Ericsson K610i review
September 26th, 2006 - Posted in Sony Ericsson
The K610 is a very functional, understated phone that sports most of the features of the higher end K800i, without the frills. Although it’s not intimidating as its bigger brother, the K610i is still a solid workhorse.
There are two cameras in the phone: a 2 megapixel one and a VGA one for video calls if you use it on a 3G network. There’s no flash or LED illumination for the high resolution camera, and it’s still a little disappointing that the torch functionality of the older models is gone. If you are desperate for a flash, an external clip on accessory available.
The joystick navigation has been replaced with a series of five buttons. It takes a bit of getting used to because the middle selection button is raised a little too high, which leaves you consciously trying to press the buttons you’re after, making navigation a little slow and cumbersome. You do get used to it, but it could have been designed better.
Unlike the K800i, the K610i does keep the old Ericsson trait of using a blinking green LED whenever it’s on. It uses Sony Ericsson’s excellent menu system which splits functions across subcategories. The only change we miss is that it doesn’t display the time on the screen when it enters standby, it just goes blank.
MP3 playback is built in, and uses the inbuilt loudspeaker or headset (not included). You can use AD2P enabled Bluetooth headphones to wirelessly stream the playback as well. If you need more storage space (which you probably will, as there’s only 19MB of internal memory and 64MB on an included card) you can add an M2 memory card, which you’ll have to remove the back facia to do.
It detects all your network settings automatically when you first boot up, and steps you through the basics of the OS in the process, which is a nice addition. Be aware that all of the default themes look like wallpaper from an early 70s nightclub. Luckily, all this can be sidestepped with personalised settings or any photo you take with the phone.
If you think packing a 3 megapixel camera and flash into a phone is a little nutty, and don’t mind the plain design of the K610i, but still want a fully featured phone, the K610i is worth a look. It may well be common sense, as well as your wallet, that convinces you to add it to your shortlist.
Source: pcauthority