Sony Ericsson K770i

Sony Ericsson's latest 3G Cyber-shot phone, the K770i, offers a compact and lightweight design, Bluetooth with stereo A2DP and a 3.2-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom.

The highlight of the K770i is definitely its sleek design. Finished in a "truffle brown" colour, but also available in "ultra violet", it looks quite professional and business-like, but should also appeal to the budding fashionista thanks to subtle curves and edging. Chrome highlights add a touch of class and the rear cover is easy to remove thanks to a slide at the top.

The keypad and controls in particular are excellent, each spaced out and comfortable to press, making them ideal for long text messages and general navigation. A five-way pad bears the grunt of the work and it is responsive and intuitive. Like most Sony Ericsson handsets, the K770i's user interface is superb. Bright, slick icons that are clearly labelled in the main menu and submenus featuring a simple list format means the handset is easy to pick up and use. A range of themes can change the entire look of the UI if you wish.

A Cyber-shot 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash is included, but don't expect brilliant photos. Although it's definitely a reasonable camera phone, the K770i doesn't quite reach the standard of previous 3.2-megapixel models, particularly the K800i. The included flash isn't strong enough for night-time photography and we were slightly disappointed with the speed of the auto focus -- at times it takes a few seconds to function. Although the lens cover is flush with the phone, it still sometimes opens when you slide the handset out of your pocket.

The K770i offers access to PlayNow, a music download service, and Track ID. PlayNow lets you listen to samples and then download tracks to your phone or PC in MP3 or AAC format, while TrackID allows you to record a few seconds of any song you wish and the title, album and artist name are sent back to you. It then allows you to download the full track if it is available.

A basic music player features shuffle and loop play modes, a manual five-band equaliser and presets, as well as a stereo widening setting. There is no standard 3.5mm headphone jack though, and the included headphones aren't great. Thankfully, Bluetooth stereo with A2DP means you can wirelessly stream your music to a set of Bluetooth headphones.

The K770i also includes SMS, MMS and e-mail messaging -- all with T9 predictive text input, an FM radio, voice recorder, handsfree speakerphone, Java games as well as Bluetooth and USB connectivity. Multimedia applications include Music DJ, Photo DJ and Video DJ, allowing you to edit any multimedia captured through the handset itself. The K770i includes just 16MB of internal memory but a 256MB M2 card is included in the sales package.

Battery life is average, rated at up to two hours and 35 minutes of talk time and up for 400 hours standby time on a 3G network.