Sony Ericsson R306

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By Ella Morton, CNET.com.au
Nov 24, 2008

Ever been out and about and developed a sudden, desperate hankering to listen to talkback radio? Neither have we, but if your wireless predilections include stations in the AM frequency range, you have a new, compact option for listening on the go.

Sony Ericsson's R306 is a budget clamshell handset equipped with an AM/FM radio and not a whole lot else. With its large buttons, sedate colors and easy access to the talk on 2UE, it seems a perfect fit for the blue-rinse brigade, but it's not daggy enough to embarrass you when you pull it out of a pocket.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com.au. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products or telcos in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

With its squarish contours and bulky size, the R306 looks like a sixties designer's vision of future gadgetry. The silver and grey color scheme is no-nonsense, and the phone is free--some would say mercifully free--from jewelled embellishments and touch-sensitive surfaces.

When closed and held horizontally, the R306 resembles a radio. Speakers on the left and right are divided by a silver panel that incorporates a monochrome display. This LCD displays incoming calls, radio stations and the clock. Beneath it are three preset buttons for quick access to stations as well as up and down keys for scrolling through channels.

Flick the phone open--a slightly arduous task given the weight of the lid--and you're met with more silver and grey on the keypad. The circular number keys are refreshingly well-spaced, and their raised silver ridges make it easy to distinguish between each button by the way the keypad feels. The other keys are not so user-friendly--the selection key at the centre of the menu nav button is particularly troublesome due to its tiny size and the fact that it's flush with the surrounding surfaces. There are also two buttons hiding in plain sight beneath the send and end keys. Though they have tiny symbols on them, they are barely distinguishable as buttons because they are just sections of the surface.

Tags: Button, Silver, Keypad, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, LCD

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