The Sony Ericsson Z780i is a smart looking clamshell design phone. Pocket friendly, the Z780i measures in at 92mm x 49mm x 16mm and weighs in at a very acceptable 100g. Clamshell design handsets seem to have fallen out of favour recently with manufacturers, which is a shame as there is still a demand for this style phone with consumers. As manufacturers look to include so many features on a phone, the small pocket friendly clamshell design seems to have been forgotten about, forsaken for the slide or candybar design instead.
With the Z780i, Sony Ericsson seems to have achieved a good balance of functionality, size and design. The inside screen is QVGA, 240 x 320 pixels, supporting up to 256,000 colours and measuring 2.2 inches point to point. As is common for a fold phone, the handset also has an outside screen, so calls can be screened without opening the phone. The outside screen is a monochrome affair, 36 x 128 pixels. Enough to see the name or number that is calling you, at least.
The Z780i is well connected – supporting quad band GSM frequencies, 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 the Z780i is also a 3G handset, with tri band HSDPA supporting frequencies 850, 1900 and 2100. Mobile Broadband transfer rates are available up to 3.6Mbps. If you happen to be outside 3G coverage, then there is back up support in the shape of class 10 GPRS and EDGE.
Sony Ericsson has also included support for Bluetooth 2.0. The main benefit of this is that it allows you to use a stereo Bluetooth headset for listening to your music. No more messy tangled wires. Although onboard memory is only 36MB, this can be expanded with M2 micro memory cards, with the handset supporting up to 2GB, which offers plenty of room for music tracks and photos.
The camera on the device is more than adequate for the average mobile user. If imagery is important to you, then the Z780i isn’t your device, but if what you want is a simple to use point ‘n’ shoot camera, then the Z780i is ideal. Picture quality is good enough to use as MMS, or kept on the device for remembering the good times on that last night out.
As well as having an MP3 player, the Z780i comes with a built in FM radio, so you can listen to your favourite stations on the move. There is room for 20 preset stations, which you can list to your own preference. Surprisingly, the handset also offers aGPS functionality, which can be used with mapping software such as the popular Google Maps, which can be downloaded free from m.google.com. The Z780i has full java support, so alongside Google Maps you can download other popular java programs, such as Yell.com mobile, Opera Mini, Google Mail and Yahoo Go. Java support also allows you to download and install many popular mobile games, from Tetris to Chess to Solitaire, and so on. There is a good selection of games, themes and wallpapers available from the Sony Ericsson mobile website.
The Sony Ericsson Z780i is a very solid performer, well built and well designed. Stated battery times are up to 350 hours on standby and 9 and a half hours talktime, enough for even the most demanding mobile user.
Expected to be available in the 2nd quarter of 2009, let’s hope the Z780i helps breathe new life into the neglected clamshell handset market.
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