Sony Ericsson K770 review: Cyber-shot in the middle

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Besides 3G and GPRS for fast data transfers, video calls and content-streaming support, the handset offers the usual connectivity capabilities such as USB, Bluetooth but there is no Infrared port.

As our test proved, the integrated HTML Access NetFront Internet browser is good enough and offers a passable performance. It has plenty of options - you can view the pages fullscreen with no menus showing and you can even browse your Web pages in landscape mode. It has WAP and picture modes. It supports content created for HTML 4.01, xHTML 1.0, CSS and Java script, WAP 2.0. The supported security protocols are SSL/TLS.

Generally, the Smart-fit function of the browser does well fitting the web content onto the screen. Scrolling is fast once the page has loaded completely.

Browsing GSMArena.com: Smart-Fit off • Smart-Fit on

You may also have a look at the available View modes of K770 with Smart-Fit off.

View modes with Smart-Fit off: fullscreen • zoom • landscape

The Sony Ericsson K770 supports Bluetooth 2.0 with the Human Interface Device (HID) profile, which allows the phone to be used as a remote control for PC and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Furthermore, the phone could be used as a Bluetooth modem for accessing the Internet on a PC or notebook computer.

Bluetooth support also includes the A2DP profile, allowing listening to music on a stereo Bluetooth headset.

The K770 supports local and remote synchronization of contacts and calendar events. The local one is with Outlook and a PC, while the remote synchronization works with remote servers. The USB connectivity of the phone has two modes - one for file transfers and one for USB Internet - to put it simply, the second one is for using the phone as a modem.

Applications: the usual suspects

The Sony Ericsson K770 offers many time-management features. There is an Organizer icon in the main menu and it contains several applications: Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Calculator, Synchronization, Timer, Stopwatch, and Light. The Calendar offers monthly, weekly and daily views. As mentioned before, when you add 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 as simple as messages; T9 dictionary can be used here as well. The Light application let's you control the LED flash and use it as a torch.

The Cyber-shot line is astir. Following the K810, the 5 megapixel monster K850 took a bow. Having recently given you the leader of the Cyber-shot pack, we had our hands on the sleek and thin 3 megapixel K770. We liked this Cyber-shot for its design and friendly handling.

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The Alarms are now part of the main menu. There are five alarm slots available. Each one offers a lot of options - you can choose to repeat the alarm on chosen days of the week or 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.

Organizer menu • calendar • alarms

The Voice recorder doesn't have any limit to the duration of the recordings, since all the free memory is available for the purposes of the application. The Calculator is the regular Sony Ericsson one, which you have probably already seen. It offers the basic functions, no bells and whistles. The stopwatch and countdown timer are also the well known basic applications.

Voice recorder • calculator • stopwatch • timer

Some other applications include the VideoDJ and MusicDJ. The former is for making video clips from scratch or for editing existing recordings using special transition effects and by adding background music. It can be quite entertaining. MusicDJ is a very simple application for creating custom polyphonic melodies.

Music DJ • VideoDJ - adding a clip and other media

As far as the additional applications are concerned, the Sony Ericsson K770 cameraphone comes equipped with the Photo Mate and FaceWarp applications.

The Photo Mate offers help and practical tips for getting the most out of your camera.

The Photo Mate application • pictures of people submenu • enhancing night pictures how-to

The FaceWarp is an interesting and funny piece of software, which is used for manipulating portrait shots by adding funny faces and grimaces.

Loading a picture in FaceWarp • Small Nose and Professor effects

Games on average

There are two games preinstalled in the Sony Ericsson K770: the FotoQuestFishing and Solitaire 4 Pack. The amusing FotoQuestFishing takes you underwater. A scuba photographer, you get assignments capturing rare and beautiful marine species on film. Unfortunately, the game is rather easy to complete. If you're fond of solitaire, you will certainly like the fixed-up version of the Solitaire 4 Pack game.

FotoQuestFishing game with catchy interface • the simple Solitaire 4 Pack game

Final words

The Cyber-shot line is astir. Following the K810, the 5 megapixel monster K850 took a bow. Having recently given you the leader of the Cyber-shot pack, we had our hands on the sleek and thin 3 megapixel K770. We liked this Cyber-shot for its design and friendly handling. A bit of a disappointment is the stale user interface. The other serious drawback is the low video capturing resolution. The photo quality couldn't impress us either, as it wasn't near the one of its Cyber-shot elder brothers. The camera performance was further beaten down by the lack of a xenon flash and the lack of the BestPic shooting mode. So in all honesty, the new Sony Ericsson K770 seems pretty much as a Cyber-shot-branded replica of the T650. Fair enough, there's nothing wrong with trying to build on a successful design. Without much effort, Sony Ericsson adds a stylish mid-range handset to its Cyber-shot lineup.