Sony Ericsson K790i Cyber-shot

A year ago, we saw Sony Ericsson make happy tunes with its Walkman series of phones. Encouraged by the success, parent company Sony is doing it again. The second brand transfer to its mobile phone partnership sees the adoption of its Cyber-shot marque in a new lineup of 3.2-megapixel photo phones.

At a glance, you could almost be seeing double with the triband K790i and K800i. That's not far wrong since both sport similar velvety-black candy-bar dimensions at 105 x 47 x 22mm. Both weigh 115g, and even offer the same functions. Only the presence of a tiny secondary lens in the top grille quickly identifies the K800i as a 3G phone.

Upside: Even non Sony cameras fans are gonna love the Cyber-shot features beautifully implemented on this phone. Sony Ericsson has ensured that the phone not only looks like a proper camera, it feels and handles like one, too. Aside from the by now expected positioning of the shutter button on the top right and the lookalike camera façade from the back, the photolight has given way to a proper Xenon flash unit of the kind you find on standalone digital cameras. Even the lens cover feels like a mini version of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9's sliding lid which also doubles as a power switch.

Other imaging functions are 16x digital zoom, autofocus, image stabilizer, photo editor, time line view of pictures, Bluetooth printing, and a rather nifty feature Sony Ericsson calls BestPic. Think of the latter as Multi-Shots on steroids. It's being touted as a feature that ensures you never "miss" a crucial Kodak moment. When activated, it captures nine pictures within a second of pressing the shutter button; four images before and four after the actual photo you've snapped. You then get to surf and save the ones you like best from this gallery.

As this is a preproduction set, we were unable to test the BestPic, but should do so when the commercial unit is here. Nor were we able to evaluate the Picture Blogging feature which is among the first in phones, allowing users to create and update personal blogs directly from their handset with a few simple clicks.

Ah yes, did we mention that the 2-inch 262K-color QVGA display is startlingly sharp and vibrant, more so than with the Walkman phones? We had no issues reading the screen under sunlight, which is worth noting since the display also doubles as your viewer when the camera is activated.

Beyond the digital imaging goodies, this is clearly a high-end camera-phone with all the bells and whistles you can expect, from FM radio to email client, MP3 player, speakers on both sides of the mobile, speakerphone, QuickShare plus, 3G connectivity, 3D games, voice control, etc., to keep those who demand more out of their handsets happy campers.

Downside: Surprisingly, it was the keypad that let the K790i down. Compared with the W800i's solidly entrenched keys, the K790i's felt like someone took a rubber piece and cut it three across and two down. The keys would shift within their grooves and it wasn't so easy texting fast when there was insufficient tactile feel to differentiate between numbers.

Now that the photolight has been replaced by a proper flash unit, you can't use the LED as emergency illumination since the flashlight doesn't stay on. So for those accustomed to using their camera-phone as a torchlight, this will be sorely missed.

Those with multiple SIM cards should also be prepared to grapple with the slot which is tighter than sardines in a can. You might want to make friends with that uncle with the long fingernail on his pinkie, or grow one yourself.

With the K790i and K800i phones, the company has opted to use Sony's new Memory Stick Micro (a.k.a. M2) card. Measuring 15 x 12.5 x 1.2mm, about 1/4 the size of the Memory Stick Duo, the former is a lot easier to lose. You're also left with no choice but to retire your other Memory Stick media and go with the likelier to be pricier M2 if you want to add storage. Which is such a bummer.

Outlook: There's much to like about the K790i. We've seen 3.2-megapixel prototypes before, but Sony Ericsson appears to have done it better in a sleek package, right down to the brand adoption idea which should prove a strong magnet for Sony loyalists and camera enthusiasts. What we don't know is what this will translate into for the consumer's wallet or whether Sony Ericsson will generously bundle an M2 card with the phone like it did with its Walkman W800i.