Sony Ericsson C702 review: Allroad Cyber-shot

Features and applications

The Sony Ericsson C702 offers the traditional time-management features. There is an Organizer icon in the main menu and it contains several applications: File manager, Alarms, Applications, Video call, Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Synchronization, Timer, Stopwatch, Light, Calculator, and Code memo.

The Calendar offers monthly, weekly and daily views. When you enter a birth date in the phonebook, the phone prompts adding it to the calendar.

Tasks can be two types: simple Tasks and Phone calls. Notes are written similar to messages and can be displayed on the home screen, too.

Tasks and notes

There are five alarm slots available. Each one offers a lot of options - you can opt to repeat the alarm on chosen days of the week, as well as everyday. Text and a picture can be added to the alarm. Furthermore, the alarm's behavior can be defined in case the time it is due to go off comes while the phone is in silent mode.

The organizer menu • Calendar and Alarms

The Voice recorder has no limit to recording length, making the free memory available the only restriction. The Calculator is the regular Sony Ericsson application. It offers the basic functions, no bells and whistles. The stopwatch and countdown timer are also the well known basic applications.

Calculator • Timer • Stopwatch

The dual LED light on the back of the phone can also be used as a torch, thanks to the Light application. The LEDs can be on continually or for a period of one minute only. They can also send out an SOS signal.

Light application

As far as the additional applications are concerned, the Sony Ericsson C702 comes with AccuWeather Light preinstalled. You can get local weather forecasts but you have to download the needed data online.

AccuWeather: Choosing your region • Current weather for Antarctica, South Pole

The FaceWarp is a fool-around piece of software, used for adding silly faces to portrait shots.

Some of the available effects

Conclusion

A midrange cameraphone for the sports minded, the Sony Ericsson C702 sure brings excitement to the company’s Cyber-shot line. With HSDPA and a good media package keeping company to the capable 3-megapixel shooter, C702 has the entertainment sector duly covered. Add the sturdy casing and GPS-supported extras (the Tracker application is more than welcome), and you’ve got the right gadget for those who like their calls with a pinch of adventure.

Sony Ericsson C702 debuts along with C902, and the two handsets are worthy reinforcements to the Cyber-shot ranks. In both we see tweaks of the user interface, but it still feels like more than a refresh is needed. Another drawback is the video resolution limited to QVGA. But that’s only a fraction of the otherwise good camera performance. The C702 design is not all cheers. The solid feel in hand and the nice-to-touch surface are definite winners, but opinions were divided on looks.

Sony Ericsson C702 and C902 are a good example of diversifying the Cyber-shot portfolio by catering to different user needs. It’s a matter of priority to choose between the sleek full-metal 5-megapixel shooter C902 or the rough and sporty C702.