With all lustful eyes inevitably on Sony Ericsson’s stellar Walkman and Cyber-shot handsets, it’s easy for the phone manufacturer’s other blowers to slip unassumingly under the mobile radar.
The new Z770i is a fine example. This mid-ranger won’t razzle-dazzle you with features galore but it harbours a few sweet mods to gently garner your attention.
The Z770i also won’t woo you with its smart but ultimately pedestrian design - it resembles a rather workaday compact clamshell with a mirrored front mono LCD display to break the spell. It’s not until you flip open the phone to reveal its striking keypad motif that the Z700i springs to life. It’s wavy and curved pattern is definitely eye-catching but is also agreeable to thumb.
This flipper’s other boon is the rapido HSDPA speeds for downloading content and Internet dabbling. As you’d expect web pages hit the handset rather briskly and you’re afforded some neat web flourishes like Google search, easy RSS feed set-up and a mouse-style pointer for accurate navigation.
Surprisingly, the music player has an almost Walkman-esque sheen, sporting a Mega Bass-toting equaliser, support for album artwork and Stereo Bluetooth should you wish to dabble in some wireless music streaming to compatible headphones or speakers. A hotswappable Memory Stick Micro will hoard you music collection, audio books, podcasts, photos and vids.
The reserved two-megapixel snapper is our one gripe with the Z770i. A lack of autofocus and flash hamstrings photo quality and its really only geared for MMS, blogging and a spot of wallpapering. It video capturing skills are also pretty duff, barely even suitable for YouTube.
Still, the Z770i has a canny eye for extras and detail. All your multimedia content is highly accessible, gathered under Sony Ericsson’s new under-one-roof menu system. The outfit’s proprietary TrackID music recognition wizardry also gets a look-in while Google Maps, complete with satellite view and zooming function, is on hand with directions for getting you out of a tight spot. A built-in FM radio finishes of the Z770i’s nice line in mobile trimmings.
Verdict
The Z770i may look like your average Jo clamshell but it fancies it chances with a slick web browsing experience, turbo HSDPA download speeds and a tidy range of mobile trappings.
Best features
Speedy HSDPA download speeds
Easy-to-thumb and striking keypad design
Great for web browsing
Not so good
Pedestrian design
Average camera with no autofocus
Poor video capture performance
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