Sony Ericsson T610 Review

When the Sony Ericsson was first unveiled in 2003 there were a number of reasons to be excited. First of all was the new look, with a half/half plastic aluminum finish and dual colors as well, it was a bold departure from the mobile phone norm of mono color with accents. Sony Ericsson made sure that customizability was possible on many levels, and alternated covers in many colors are available.

More importantly than the cover, however, is the integration of a digital camera into the device itself. This may not sound like big news today, but previous Sony Ericsson T-series models had and external camera that had to be attached to the bottom of the phone. By seamlessly incorporating the two devices, Sony Ericsson began their trend of high levels of feature integration that continues to this day.

Although the camera is not up to today’s standard, the pictures that it takes can be sent via BluetoothÔ, Infrared, SMS, MMS, and E-mail, just like today’s phones. The display screen shows the images in a bright setting, but the camera is not capable of taking clear, vibrant pictures in all levels of light.

They also upped the ante with 65,536 colors, a startling increase from, say, the T310’s 256 colors. Other phone companies, such as Nokia and Panasonic, also released similar phones that year, with integrated digital cameras etc., but the T610 was the one that every gadget freak had to have and with good reason.

With Java games and the ability to download lots more, the T610 represented a step forward for mobile gamers. Unfortunately, the memory level on the phone should present a red alert to both gamers and ordinary users alike.

At only 2MB, the T610 has trouble holding more than a few pictures, and when you throw in the space taken up by games, polyphonic ringtones, and items that may be in your inbox, things can get a bit hairy memory wise. Sony Ericsson hadn’t gotten around to incorporating Memory Stick DuosÔ into their phones yet, so there is no way to upgrade the poor memory level.

When the chips are all in, this phone was great for its time, but not so incredible by today’s standards. The added memory of a more current phone, added to the increased quality of a Megapixel digital camera, combines to make the T610 only a good buy for those looking for a rather basic phone.

The main features of the Sony Ericsson T610:

Tri Band: GSM 900/1800/1900
Predictive Text
Speaker Phone
32-Voice Polyphonic Ringtones
E-mail
SMS
MMS
Bluetooth
Infrared Link
65,536 Color Display
Digital Camera

Technical Specifications of the Sony Ericsson T610:

Weight: 95 g.
Talktime: 13 h.
Standby time: 315 h.
Battery: 700 mAh
Memory: 2 MB
Height: 102 mm.
Width: 44 mm.
Depth: 19 mm.
Display Width: 128 pixels
Display Height: 160 pixels

The features that the Sony Ericsson T610 is missing:

MP3 Player
Video Recording
Organizer
FM Radio
Touchscreen

Accessories available for the Sony Ericsson T610:

Extra Batteries
Handsfree Device
Car Cigarette Lighter Charger
Desk Speaker Stand
Alternate Covers