Calling 007
In the twenty first century we all have the ultimate Bond gadget in our pockets – the humble mobile phone. Any laser wristwatch or jetpack looks old fashioned compared to the capabilities of a smartphone.
It can track where you are, contact anyone you want and has access to the greatest database of information on the planet. So it's no surprise Bond has a top of the line smartphone in the new film Spectre, but this isn't the first time.
We're going to go through and list all the phones Bond has owned in the past and rate them in order of awesomeness. Sadly he's restricted to just Sony in recent years as the Japanese firm reserves the right to keep its phones as one of the main product placements within the films.
But this isn't just about the hardware, we've also taken into account how it was used in the film. Where does your favourite rank?
Sony Xperia T – Skyfall
Critically acclaimed for strong acting, a complex script and fantastic direction – but Skyfall has the worst appearance of a phone in Bond history.
The Sony Xperia T was featured in the 2012 film. It features a 4.6-inch HD Reality screen and a stunning 13MP Fast Capture Camera. It had NFC support as well, but Bond didn't find any exact use for that.
Bond is found in a bar in Shanghai, after a quick dip in the rooftop pool, where he receives a text to his new Xperia T phone. It includes the flight number and schedule for Patrice, that mercenary he drops off the skyscraper, but that's all we see from the phone.
Truly the least utilised smartphone in Bond history – it just gave him a text and looked pretty on screen.
Sony Ericsson M600i – Casino Royale
Technically, this isn't Bond's own phone. Vesper Lynd uses the Sony Ericsson M600i throughout Casino Royale and Bond picks it up right at the end to find out Vesper's real final thoughts.
She was trying to give Bond details on how to find Mr White – it then leads on into Quantum of Solace.
He just uses the phone to read a text message again, but at least here it further adds to the plot rather than the Skyfall version.
The M600i had a 2.6-inch TFT resistive touchscreen with 256K colours. There was even handwriting support for both English and Chinese, plus this is a good looking white version.
Sony Xperia Z5 – Spectre
The Sony Xperia Z5 is a great phone, but Spectre once again underutilises it. In the new film Bond uses the Xperia Z5 during a car chase through Rome.
It's a tense action scene where Craig's Bond is chased through the winding streets of Italy's capital. He phones up Moneypenny for a little comic relief and some much needed plot detail..
We don't want to give anything away for those who haven't seen the film yet, but the Xperia Z5's main features are criminally underused. We hoped for Bond to use it to take a few photos at least with its 23MP camera being a big focus of the phone.
Sony Ericsson C902 – Quantum of Solace
The Sony Ericsson C902 was a fantastic little phone but Quantum took it a little far claiming the 5MP camera could take photos of all the members of Quantum at that Bregenz opera.
Bond climbs up onto the set and takes photos using the phone from quite some distance – it's unbelievable, but it was still a strong little phone. It was 3G capable and had a 2-inch QVGA display.
The biggest focus was on that camera though. It was one of the first to feature Face Detection and that proved useful for Bond in tracking down Dominic Greene and his Quantum buddies.
Mathis managed to use the photo to find out who Greene was and then send the details directly to his phone over that super-fast 3G internet.
Sony Ericsson K800i – Casino Royale
Not only is the Sony Ericsson K800i one of the best phones of all time, it's also used to great effect within Casino Royale.
Bond uses the phone on multiple occasions throughout the film but the best example is to call Carlos the terrorist he loses in the airport. Then Carlos gets the real use of the phone by using another version of K800i to detonate the bomb he put on the back of the fuel truck.
Turns out Bond has attached it to Carlos' belt instead and then, boom.
The phone itself was fantastic as well – it included a 2MP camera with autofocus that for 2006 was an incredible set up. You got fast 3G data transfer as well as the introduction of GPS technology to a smartphone. A true Bond gadget.
Ericsson JB988 – Tomorrow Never Dies
Who can forget this one? It had to be number one, and it's the first on the list not to be brandished by Craig's version of 007.
The Ericsson JB988 is used by Pierce Brosnan's Bond in his second outing, Tomorrow Never Dies, released in1997. But this is a true Bond gadget unlike the modern phones.
Q has modified the JB988 quite some way by including a fingerprint scanner within the phone and a 20,000 volt electric discharge on the bottom so Bond can stun his enemies.
But the phone included one of the best gadgets we've ever seen in the franchise – the ability to control the BMW 750IL. With a camera on the car and a control pad when you flip the phone open, Brosnan was able to jump in the BMW and be a true back seat driver.
He also managed to control all the weapons from the back of the car including tyre spikes, rocket launchers and smoke bombs. It ends in him jumping out and crashing the car off a multi-story car park and into a shop. A truly memorable Bond gadget.
