So, I decided to get mobile broadband on a whim for my holiday (I’m writing this on the broadband connection. Because I wanted it for the holiday, and I only decided the day before we left, I went into town to the 3 store to see what they had. It turns out that they had a special offer on the mobile broadband for “existing customers”. This meant that I could get the mobile broadband at half price with a new phone and contract.
I mulled this over, and decided to get a new phone and the mobile broadband for approx £25 per month. Once I cancel my vodafone contract, this will leave me out of pocket by £10/month ish. The phone I decided to get with this new contract is, as the post title says, the Sony Ericsson K770i.
I’m now in Wales on my holiday, and have had a chance to fiddle with the phone. I took a couple of photos on the journey up, and have been impressed with the 3.2MegaPixel camera. Unlike my old phone, this one has a cover for the lens, which helps to keep it clear of the bulk of the dust and grime of my jeans' pockets. Also, on opening the lens cover automatically switches to the CyberShot mode ready for photographic goodness. Available shoot modes are standard, panoramic, burst and “frames”.
- Panoramic mode allows you to take three photos which are then stiched together. After you’ve taken the first picture, the phone displays an “onion skin” to the left of the viewport, which you can then use to line up the second photo before you take it (and again for the third).
- Burst takes a series of photos in quick succession.
- and, Frame mode allows you to take a photo and overlay it with a “frame” such as a bunny suit, or a space suit.
The 3G internet access on the phone is nice and fast, and 3 automatically translate standard html pages into wml for the phone to be able to display. There is also a link, which I have not yet tried, at the bottom of every page converted from html to download the full original page. There is a button on the main menu screen for Windows Live Messenger. This works just like the full version on your desktop machine, but comes in at a mere 400KB.
The screen is very well defined and the colours are vibrant. Photos are displayed very well, and the icons are very crisp. The internet in supported 3G regions is fast, but degrades nicely in less well-covered areas. Messenger works well, and prompts you for new messages once you’ve minimised it. All-in-all it’s a decent enough phone, though I’m still craving either an openMoko or iPhone.