I purchased the C905 after having a Sony Ericsson Xperia. Depending on how well you know your Sony Ericssons, you will know that they are two completely different phones. I found the Xperia cumbersom and didn't meet my needs in terms of imaging. So, I decided to purchase a C905.
The handset itself looks good. There are a lot of phones out there that I think are quite functional, but lack the looks. Whilst it's not the most mind-blowing phone looks-wise, I do think it's above average in that area. It doesn't look cheap, that's for certain. The materials used are comfortable, and pleasant to hold. The sliding mechanism is spring assisted, and slides smoothly. The phone, whilst it looks a bit bulky, is actually a good size, and fits comfortably
in your pocket.
In terms of input, this can be done via the soft keys, the D-pad and the main number keys. These aren't actually separate buttons like on most models, but appear as one large surface. The phone is easy to type with, but people with large fingers may find they catch other keys by mistake.
The operating system is the standard Sony Ericsson firmware, as you would find on most other non-Symbian Sony Ericsson models. Therefore, any previous user will know their way around the menus and settings quite easily. There are a few settings that first time users may find a bit daunting, however these are rarely functions that are used by people who simply want a phone to do calls, messaging and imaging.
The screen, whilst it's not the biggest at 2.4 inches, is big enough to view pictures and videos in good detail. It remains clear, even in sunlight. There is also a light sensor on the front of the handset, which automatically adjusts the brightness of the screen depending on the surrounding light.
In terms of features, the C905 has a lot more than a lot of other handsets on the market. It has the usual in terms of picture messaging, expandable memory through an M2 card, and 3G. The handset has video calling, built in aGPS (Assisted GPS - this uses your internet to quickly lock onto your position, then disconnects and uses the built in GPS receiver), WiFi, and an 8.1 Megapixel camera.
The battery life is one of the best I've had on any mobile. At full charge, I can leave my Wifi enabled, send and receive texts, picture messages and calls, and browse the internet. Even with all of this usage, I still normally get 2-2.5 days of use before the battery is dead.
In terms of the camera, the photos come out great. Obviously on a small screen, you can't really see the quality that well, however on a PC they come out really well. The camera has lots of features, such as 'Smile-Shutter' which automatically takes a photo when the subject smiles. The video recording, whilst good enough for most occassions, still comes no where near other phone models that are able to record in VGA (the C905 only records in QVGA at 30fps 320x240).
It has the basics you would expect, phonebook, calendar, media player, etc. The media player, when playing MP3s has good audio quality, especially with stereo widening and 'Megabass' enabled.
Unfortunately, there are some downsides. Whilst the handset supports video calling, there is no separate camera. This means that during a video call, the other person will only be able to see what the main camera (on the back of the phone) is aimed at. I have also noticed that the main keys have started to squeek slightly on occassion. I have, also, unfortunately encountered a few more serious issues. Although I would like to point out that these only seem to affect the earlier handsets. These include the phone not picking up the memory card, making you have to remove and reinsert it. Wifi, if left on, can sometimes become unresponsive, leaving you unable to use it to download emails or access the internet. Some also suffer from earpiece failure (such as mine), in which you literally are left unable to hear the other person unless you use the speakerphone feature.
Despite the above, this is a brilliant phone, and like I said, the above issues only appear to affect the earlier handsets.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Superb camera, wide ralnge of features, good for calls and texting. Disadvantages: Still the age old slide phone issue. Battery life varies with use.
Advantages: Superb camera, wide ralnge of features, good for calls and texting. Disadvantages: Still the age old slide phone issue. Battery life varies with use.
Jun 9th, 2009
very helpful by (100%):
