Sony Ericsson Z300a

At first glance you may not be overwhelmed by the Sony Ericsson Z300a, but on further investigation it is a very subtle while fashionable offering from the Sony Ericsson stable. The phone is encased in a clamshell design, which is a different style to recent Sony Ericsson phones, none the less it has been very well manufactured. Available in granite grey and amethyst purple, the outer display really sets the tone for the phone with a traditional clock face displaying the time. Unfortunately the external screen is fairly small and only offers 2 color variations, with 64 x 64 pixel resolution. The Sony Ericsson Z300a also comes with a variety of small stick on crystals, which can be used at the user's request - something which may appeal more to the ladies market, although because it is optional, the phone does still hold mass market appeal for both men and woman. The phone comes with some 650Kb of memory capacity, with the option for additional memory via the connection port.

The phone can be flipped open with one finger, using what is a very smooth and polished action - while firm when closed; the opening mechanism is surprisingly well designed. The phone itself is a rather impressive 86 mm x 45 mm x23 mm and weighs in at a light weight 91 grams - making it easy to slip into a pocket or bag for storage. The phone covers the GSM 850 and GSM 1800 networks, allowing uninterrupted usage across most of the globe (the antenna is internal, in line with the current trend). The Li-Ion battery supply offers a slightly modest 250 hour standby time and 5 1/2 hours talk time - nothing too major into today's mobile phone market.

Upon flipping open the clam, you will be attracted to the display screen, which dominates the inner working of the phone. The large screen offers an improved 128 x 128 pixel resolution, and a combination of some 65,000 colors, ensuring that the display is both crisp and bright, with little reduction in quality in bright sunlight. The navigation system is fairly straight forward and as normal, is menu driven. The now traditional joystick / rollbar key are located under the display screen, with additional navigation buttons located to either side of the joystick. While the joystick may take a little while to get used to, it is very simple to use, if sometimes a little over sensitive. Of the messaging services available, you will have access to the standard SMS as well as MMS (picture and file messaging) and EMS messaging. Unfortunately this particular model does not support email or instant messaging services, which are a little disappointing bearing in mind these two options, are now fairly common place in the market. The internal memory allows limited access to save your messages for later perusal. The T9 predictive text messaging option can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help,

Turning now to the multimedia functionality of the Sony Ericsson Z300a, which is very disappointing. While offering access to various themes for the menu display, there are no inbuilt gaming services or streaming media (although this is usually only available on top of the range mobile phones). The Sony Ericsson Z300a does however offer interchangeable wallpaper and screen saver displays, which you can choose to compliment the navigation themes. The ring tone facility is a 32 chord option, which does not compare well with the now common place 64 chord polyphonic facilities available. There is however a useful conference facility allowing more than one party to join in your conversations. A melody composer and an array of ring alarms add a little more functionality back to the phone.

With regards to connectivity, again this is a fairly poor offering ith no Bluetooth, no Infra Red, no Wi-Fi, no GPS and no PC Sync. The only service covered is GPRS (class 8) which allows the high speed transfer of data. While the "missing" functionality may not be required regularly, it always offered a quick and efficient way to exchange data between other third parties - surely this will appear in the next generation of the Sony Ericsson Z300a.

As you would expect after considering the reduced functionality highlighted above, the Sony Ericsson Z300a offers a rather small 200 contact phone book, allowing you to store only the most basic of information. It does however retain the old organizer functions of calendar, to do list, stop watch and calculator together with a WAP version 1.2.1 Internet option, which allows you to keep up to date with worldwide events. While the application offering could be much better, it is still possible to stay in contact with just the SMS and MMS facilities as well as the WAP Internet connection - giving that reduced mobile office feel.

While not all Sony Ericsson accessories will be relevant to the Z300a model, there are still various portable hands free products available, desk top speaker, advanced car-hands free kit and novelty cigarette lighter attachment. This is only a fraction of what is available throughout the Sony Ericsson range, but maybe again highlights the limited functionality and services available from the Sony Ericsson Z300a.

While initially the Sony Ericsson Z300a may look somewhat plain, on closer inspection it is a nice compact, colorful and fashionable design. The added touch of the crystal stickers gives you the opportunity to further personalize the product at no extra cost. The clamshell design is very effective and easy to use, and will appeal too many. Overall the phone has been targeted at the more basic of the mass market phone users, nothing great to talk about, but offering sufficient services to be useful. This will have limited appeal to the business market, and will most likely prove more popular in the personal use market. Interesting in its own right, the Sony Ericsson Z300a does not quite do enough to push itself to the forefront of the phone market, it will however prove popular with people looking for a second phone, or upgrading from a very basic product.