I have a new handphone!

I had been looking around for a new handphone. My old Sony Ericsson T610 that faithfully accompanied me since Feb 2004 was declared dead in September and I received a temporary replacement of Motorola M1. However there were 1001 reasons that I didn’t like M1 phone and so I started my hunt again.


Initially I was intended to get myself an Iphone, well nobody can just resist that cutting edge gadget right? But that idea was abandoned soon after I saw the price at 900 Euro in a Brussels store!

Several considerations for my new phone search are:

• Not necessary the latest model, as it tends to be 2 times more expensive, and after a few months the value will drop anyway with more new models to come out…
  
• although not latest model, it should not come with old technology either.
• Either Stick phone or Slider phone
• Has speaker and can play music
• Camera

So after some intensive studies on the internet review sites and some magazines, my initial favourite was Sony Ericsson W610i. Several reasons are:

• It is both mp3 and radio player
• Can take picture and video
• Great features
• Impressive experience with the simulator on Sony Ericsson website
• Nice look
• And most of all, it’s Sony Ericsson!
• Reasonable price at 269 euro

I was also attracted by Nokia 5300. It also has mp3 and radio player, bigger screen resolution than W610i and most of all, it only comes at a cheap 169 euro! However I dislike the bulky size and weight of the phone. Besides, the review mentioned that the music quality is less good than S.E. phones. It is slightly older phone since it was already out in 2006. Furthermore, I am always impressed by the phone software in S.E., it’s richer and more complicated than Nokia but you receive lots of functions and goodies in return.

Just when I was rather indecisive between these 2 models, I came across Sony Ericsson K550i on a review website. To my amazement, it has EXACTLY the same features as W610i, slightly different look but the same size with lighter weight! Above all, I found it at 159 euro in a big shop nearby! (other shops that I have visited tagged it at 179 euro)


Without hesitation, I tested the simulation on S.E. website and it is just too enticing! So my decision was confirmed and since last week I am a proud owner of K550i phone! Oh boy, it really worth every penny spent. The music quality is just so good, no wonder S.E. is always the leader on music phone! I am also captured by many new functions in the phone, and the navigation too! The picture quality is acceptable at 2Mb, and it comes with many useful features!

An example of a night picture I took in a Christmas market without much light (and it still yielded good result!):


Another picture taken in the next morning when I was doing ice-skating:


I have been listening to radio day and night, and whenever I went out on the street, to do shopping or cut my hair today… always with my earphone plugged to my previous K550i. I don't need to transfer many songs into the phone (besides I have an ipod for that), with radio channels I have basically access to endless songs!

If I have to point out some defects, it would be the default built-in memory. It comes only at 64mb. Well, that wouldn't fit many pictures, videos and mp3 in for sure. The second thing would be the auto internet connection. I just have to be so careful to avoid any connection to internet with a wrong click on a button, especially when I put the phone in my pocket and forget to activate the keylock!

Oh yes, Luc offered it to me as my Christmas present!