Sony Ericsson K300i

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 5 Aug 2005

Mobile equivalent of sensible shoes.

Sony Ericsson has been getting a bit excitable lately, with a slew of megapixel camera phones on the way, as well as the long-awaited Walkman phone, the W800i. But it hasn't forgotten the lower end of the market, and this sober-suited little tri-bander aims to cover all the basics in a very user-friendly package.

First impressions are good, as it's pretty compact and feels sturdy and secure - like a quality phone, in other words. Screen-wise, you get 65,000 colours - decent enough, but already beginning to look a bit dated.

The VGA camera with 4x digital zoom is designed to be used with the phone on its side, which enables you to take a snap by pressing a button on the top, just as you would with a real camera. The quality isn't bad, considering this is supposed to be a cheap phone, and the 12MB memory can store up to 120 ten-second video clips or 500 snaps.

Transferring pics is easy using Sony Ericsson's QuickShare method - if you're doing it by infrared, that is. If you need a connecting cable, however, you'll have to buy it separately, as one is not supplied.

The joystick is perhaps just a touch too recessed, meaning that chunkier thumbs are just as likely to press it as direct it. The interface is easy to navigate, though, and assignable shortcuts are incorporated into the joystick - left for messages, up for Internet, and so on. Add in the quoted 420 minutes of talk time (and 300 hours' standby) and you have a solid, if unspectacular, little workhorse.