|
Sony Ericsson S500i Review |
|
|
|
Sony Ericsson refreshes its mobile phone’s lineup every 2 or 3 months launching new devices on different markets and for different targets. This time, the S500i handset seems to be intended for fashionistas and is available in 2 colors: "Mysterious Green" and "Spring Yellow".
There's no telling if one is for men and another for women because the phone looks good in both colors and can be bought by either of the sexes.
The slider seems to be a nice surprise from Sony Ericsson, at least in terms of design. From time to time, we're "blessed" to be able to buy a Sony Ericsson handset that looks stylish and elegant, different from the usual design that made Sony Ericsson so well-known.
This is a little bit different from any of the Walkman series mobiles, so you should not expect too much from its multimedia features.
Announced at the beginning of May 2007, both color versions of the slider have been made available on the market at the end of June for about USD 300-350$.
Design
The phone expresses itself from the moment you pull it out of the sales box. Both colors have polished finishes and fit perfectly in your hand. The sliding mechanism is a little bit hard to move at first, but you'll get used to it after 1-2 days of use.
I can't blame SE for that as you have to choose between a too easy to slide mechanism that will make your phone open in your pocket, or a more firm one that will only make you push it harder.
The slider has a curious form at its base where you'll notice that it's a little bit curved. This creates big problems when you try to open the back slid to get your SIM card in. The phone is surprisingly light (94 grams including battery) and slim for its size (99 x 47 x 14mm).
There's no flower motives visible this time as we might've expected from a fashionistas phone, but just slide up the phone and look on the back just under the camera and you'll notice that in fact it's still there.
There are no external buttons included on the sides of the phone except the volume keys placed on the left side. Curiously, the M2 memory slot card has been integrated on top of the phone and it's covered by a plastic stripe.
You can find the universal port used for charger, USB synchronization and headsets on the right side of the phone. Right under the display, there's a big 5-way navigation key which has a yellow backlight that lights every time you slide up the phone.
There are also 2 sleek soft keys which are very hard to use, the "Back" and "Delete" keys and 2 dedicated buttons for Internet browser and My Shortcuts menu.
|