Sony Ericsson K530 review: Evolved 3G bar

Telephony: copy-paste, no tweak

No novelties are to be expected in telephony. The phonebook capacity is 1000 contacts and up to 2500 phone numbers. Contacts can be assigned different details: up to five phone numbers, three emails, a web address, postal address, a note, birthday, ringtone, thumbnail or a video recording, which is played during an incoming call.

 
Phonebook • editing a contact • searching • phonebook menu

Contacts are listed by first or last name. Using phone memory or SIM is user-configurable. Displaying contacts from both memory locations simultaneously continues to be impossible. Contacts are gradual-typing searchable. The built-in handsfree, call recorder and voice dialing are sure to be appreciated. Sony Ericsson K530 is tri-band enabled (900/1800/1900 MHz). Following in the footsteps of its forerunner K610, it also features UMTS support (2100 MHz) and video calling.

Call log

Ringing profiles let you set ringing volume and filter incoming calls. Choosing the incoming call and SMS alerts is traditionally outside the ringing profiles. Apart from the preinstalled 40-tone polyphonic ringtones, any MP3, WMA, AAC or AMR file can be set as an incoming call alert. The same applies to message alerts. Ringing profiles are quick to access and switched between using the On/Off button.

Messaging: all walks of life

No news can be good news. All-round messaging functionality is on hand: text and multimedia messages, an email client, RSS feed reader.

    
Messages menu • SMS and MMS editor

Text messages you compose or read display in 8 lines on the display. Regretfully, the SMS editor gives no options regarding font size. The T9 dictionary is there too. A long SMS you typed can break down to up to 10 parts. Chunks of text can be easily inserted in a multimedia message. Character counter displays only when you're 10 characters from the maximum character count. EMS support is also there, small images can be embedded in the text. All the user-available memory is at hand for storing received messages. The user can opt between all new events displaying in the Activity menu or in a separate window. The MMS editor, as seen here, first appeared in the Sony Ericsson K800. Underneath the compose window there's a taskbar, which is used for inserting images, photos, videos or sounds. It also allows you to directly launch the camera or voice recorder. Inserted objects are viewed on the display, the MMS preview mode provides a very convenient control. Maximum MMS size is 300 KB.

Email client and RSS-feed reader

The email client allows setting up several accounts, but sadly can't handle them simultaneously. Choice of email alerts, automatic mail check and downloading message headers only are all available for the user to set. No worries sending full-res photos as attachments.

The RSS reader is also part of the Messages menu. There are several bookmarked channels, but the list is fully user-configurable. Getting them organized in groups is however impossible. Updates can be manual or automatic at a preset time. Viewing feeds is quick and friendly, clicking on a message launches the internet browser.

Tells the weather, reads a book

Before we get to the organizing functions, let us mention now preinstalled applications. AccuWeather provides weather updates and up to 3-day forecasts for specific locations. The service is free, but charges for the data transfers may apply with your carrier.

 
AccuWeather provides reliable weather forecasts for locations around the world

The Sony Ericsson K530 features the Audible application, allowing downloads of digital audiobooks. You may choose between over 35,000 titles from the Audible.com database. The service requires registration and membership fee.

 
Audible application for buying and listening to audio books

Back to the basics, the calendar offers a monthly, weekly and daily view. There's only one type of entry: appointment. Each appointment can be assigned a subject, start time, end time, location, description, reminder at a preset time, as well as a daily, weekly or monthly repeat option. The week can be set to start on any day. The downer here is that custom sound alerts are impossible to set. The preinstalled reminder sounds are very short and dull.

 
Organizer menu • calendar and alarm clock

A Tasks and a Notes function are also present in the organizer. Tasks can be assigned reminders but can't be assigned priority. You can also make and save notes. Both notes and tasks can be sent. The alarm clock is quite elaborate. It is easy to set up to 5 alarms with independent repeat patterns. Additionally, each alarm can be assigned a description to be displayed at a selected time. Under organizer you'll also find a stopwatch, timer and calculator. In the Entertainment section is where the voice recorder can be found, along with an application allowing you to use your handset as a remote control via Bluetooth.