Sony Ericsson K750i review

If you're tired of taking grainy images on your camera phone, if you like to listen to radio on the way to work, or you want a phone that won't make your pockets bulge in an inelegant fashion, then you might consider the K750i.

If all of these things matter to you, then you should consider it, because, with a real no-nonsense look and feel, the K750i offers this triptych of features plus nearly 100MB of memory right out of the box -- at some very attractive prices. The K750i is available from several operators in the UK and you can find it for as little as free with a £20-a-month contract, or around £250 SIM-free.

Design
First impressions: it's black and very, very small. And it looks just like a camera from the back. The camera-on-one-side-phone-on-the-other idea is not new for Sony Ericsson, but this time it has done the concept proud and squeezed in plenty of good camera features.

For example, to start the camera software you simply slide its large lens cover aside. To shoot an image you use the shutter button, which, when you've swivelled the handset onto its side so images are framed in landscape format, sits where a shutter button should: under your right index finger. You use the 4x digital zoom with a rocker on the upper left of the casing when it's held in this orientation.

The opposite edge of the handset has a slot for a Memory Stick Duo, which is protected by a rubber cover. On this edge you'll also find another button with play and pause markers on it. When the stereo headset is plugged in, this button starts and stops music playing. The handset remembers where you stopped listening to take an incoming call, so you can plunge straight back into your music.

Because of its small overall size, the K750i's screen is comparatively squeezed, but that does not stop it offering 262K colours, and it's pin-sharp. Nowhere is this more apparent when using the camera, but games benefit too.

There's a mini joystick beneath the screen. It's physically well separated from the back and delete keys that flank it -- though if you have stubby fingers you may find it inconveniently small. Calls are started and ended with softkeys rather than dedicated buttons, which means green and red coloured keys don't interfere with the black-and-white hardware design.

The joystick has four programmed functions that kick in as you push it up, down, left and right. Out of the box, three are set up to start the messaging software, open your contacts and run the media player, with the fourth ready to be programmed by you. In addition, there is a button between the two softkeys providing more comprehensive access to shortcuts. You don't have to use all these features, but you can really go to town personalising this handset.

As the back of the handset is a camera, the battery lives under a small cover on the back of the casing. Once the cover is removed, the battery slides out easily. Your SIM lives under this cover too.