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(More customer reviews)I've been using this phone for about a month now on T-Mobile (upgraded from a RAZR) without any issues. Just stick the SIM card in and you're good to go. When I shopped around for a phone, I had a few requirements: candy-bar body, good camera, and mostly no hassle features for everything else. I don't text message very much, nor do I use my phone as an MP3 player.
Firstly, the phone's look and feel are superb. It feels solid in the hand and unnoticeable in the pocket. As mentioned in the specs, it is one of the thinnest phones out there, and the construction feels solid, with metal back plate. The sliding mechanism that shields the camera's lens feel a bit wobbly and flimsy, but has so far not deteriorated with heavy use. The screen is a little small, but bright and crisp, with perfect visibility under direct sunlight. Directional pad, as well as call/cancel, and context buttons are all where you expect them to be and provide just the right amount of tactile feedback when pressed. Be aware that this is a SMALL phone, and you will have trouble hitting these small buttons if you have large fingers. That said, the keypad itself leaves much to be desired. The keys themselves are arrayed at an angle, making it somewhat confusing as to which button you're going to end up pressing. Your eyes tell you one thing, but your fingers tell you another. The only that helps seems to be either dialing slowly and carefully or simply trying to ignore your fingers telling you what button it's over.
The highlight of this phone is undoubtedly the 5.0 MP camera. The lens is at the top of the camera and is shielded by a sliding bar at the top that is honestly quite slick. When you pull it out to activate camera mode, a blue led strip lights up breifly and fades away. This serves no practical function, but is cool nonetheless. Once in camera mode, touch-sensitive buttons light up along either side of the screen. Taking pictures is best done turning the camera horizontally and using the dedicated camera trigger on the top (depress half way to focus and fully to snap). Since this is still a camera phone, shutter speed and shot-to-shot still leave much to be desired. However, it is FAR better than the iphone. The digital viewfinder is somewhat misleading as it will freeze the frame when you depress the trigger. However, this frame will be replaced by a preview of the actual picture taken (which will often be more clear). As a cyber-shot camera, it has the standard features such as face-detection, auto-focus, burst mode, etc. The flash is weak at times, but adequete (just be careful because it will drain your battery). Typical shot-to-shot time is long on this phone, but I find that most of the time, pictures are clear on the first shot. If you are really paranoid, the burst-mode will take 9 pictures in the span of a second, and you can pick which ones you want to keep or discard. Under low light conditions, pictures will turn out grainy unless you use flash. Pictures taken with this camera will not rival dedicated point-and-shoot digital cameras, but it is leaps and bounds better than other cameraphones I've used. As a point of reference, I enjoy taking pictures wherever I go, and this is the only device I bring. Considering how light it is, and the fact that it's a phone, it is honestly a perfect combo device for casual photographers. The phone is also capable of capturing 30 fps video, which I have not really had the opportunity to play around with. The initial samples I took turned out grainy, but maintained a consistent framerate.
The phone comes with standard sony-ericsson software loaded onto the ~160 MB of internal memory. The software is quite intuitive and mimics the media browsing experience on the PSP and Playstation. The PC suite includes the abiltiy to sync music, outlook contacts and calendars, and other files. While a bit bloated, the PC suite does its job. A few issues I should mention: the phone does not seem to be able to sync media files via bluetooth. This is really a shame because being able to sync pictures wirelessly is a very handy feature. The memory is expandable using sony's proprietary memory stick technology (the micro variant), which comes in sizes up to 8GB. The phone has a proprietary connection jack that is used to charge, sync, and adapt to regular headphones. The basic headphones included with the phone are low quality and become uncomfortable to wear after only a few minutes. If you intend to use this device as an MP3 player, definately have a better set of headphones handy. As I mentioned before, the keypad is terrible, making this phone unuseable for extended texting and/or browsing.
Call quality is great, and I notice no difference in reception from my RAZR. Speakerphone volume is loud and the device works seamlessly with my hands free bluetooth headset. The included PC Suite also provides settings for using the phone as an internet connection for your bluetooth enabled laptop.
Bottom line, this phone will turn heads with its sexy design. If are you looking for a very slick and stylish candy-bar phone with a great built-in camera, look no further. If you lean toward emphasizing picture quality from your phone, you may want to wait for the next generation of 8.0 MP phones such as the C905. Just do not expect to text or browse effectively.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony Ericsson C902i Cyber-shot Unlocked Cell Phone with 5 MP Camera, Media Player, International 3G, M2 Memory Slot--U.S. Version with No Warranty (Swift Black)
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