Sony Ericsson T290i Review

When Sony Ericsson decided to put out a new version of the T230, they did not pull out all the stops in terms of revolutionizing the series. The T290i is more or less the same phone as the T230, warts and all.

A low quality digital camera tops the list of features that this camera offers. The camera attaches to the bottom of the phone, but it is not the best camera on the market, by a long shot. Its problems are numerous, from a low pixel count and often dark and murky pictures, to the lack of a flash.

With the more recent advent of 2 Megapixel digital cameras that take crystal clear pics in all types of light, it can be highly frustrating to work with this particular device, which I found inadequate even when it first came out.

Once you have taken your pics, the 4096-color screen is barely adequate to view them, although the display works fine for navigating the phone’s other features.

With 400KB of memory, it is laughable that the phone has a camera at all. Once you have downloaded a polyphonic ringtone and a game or two, there is barely enough room for your pics.

Adding insult to injury, the keypad on the T290i is awkward to manipulate, and the programs in the phone can take up to 30 seconds to load. Truly, this phone should only be used as a phone. All the other features are not worth using.

The T290i adds a Handsfree device to the items included with the phone, and this comes in handy for talking while driving and doing other activities, although it hardly puts the phone into a different league.

All in all, the T290i is a good enough phone for making and receiving calls, and although the keypad can make texting difficult, it is not impossible. The colorful screen is attractive and simple, and this phone was a hot seller when it first appeared. For those uninterested in extra features such as MP3 players or high-pixel digital cameras, this could be the perfect phone.

The main features of the Sony Ericsson T290i:

Dual Band: GSM 900/1800
Predictive Text
Speaker Phone
Polyphonic Ringtones
E-mail
SMS
MMS
Handsfree Device
Digital Camera (Attachable)

Technical Specifications of the Sony Ericsson T290i:

Weight: 80 g.
Talktime: 12 h.
Standby time: 300 h.
4096 color display
Height: 102 mm.
Width: 44 mm.
Depth: 19 mm.
Display Width: 101 pixels
Display Height: 80 pixels

The features that the Sony Ericsson T290i is missing:

MP3 Player
Bluetooth
Infrared Link
Video Recording
Organizer
FM Radio

Accessories available for the Sony Ericsson T290i:

Extra Batteries
Car Cigarette Lighter Charger
Desk Speaker Stand