DubLi Presents the Sony Ericsson K850i: A Prince, Not a Pauper

The Sony Ericsson K850i is a quad band GSM unlocked phone with US 3G, and that's a big deal: with Sony Ericsson imports, we've been lucky to get the US 850MHz band for GSM, let alone US 3G. The phone is sold by online retailers and importers, but currently isn't offered by a US carrier (there are rumors that AT&T might carry it sometime in the future). The K850i has triband UMTS/HSDPA 3G that will work anywhere in the world 3G service is available, and GSM/EDGE/GPRS that will work anywhere in the world GSM is available. The phone will work with AT&T and T-Mobile in the US, though the 3G makes it particularly attractive to AT&T customers.

As a K-series cybershot phone, the camera is one of the phone's centrepieces: a 5MP camera with an autofocus lense (with 16x digital zoom), automatic lens cover and xenon flash has been packed into the miniscule phone. But that's not all. Sony Ericsson have also included a raft of related specials that we would never have dreamt of seeing in a camera only a few years ago, such as

* BestPic
* Image and Video stablization
* Red eye reductions

With so many fancy features, this phone is a real threat to your point-and-shoot - why carry around two gadgets when you've got one that will do the whole deal for you?

Though it's not a Walkman phone, the K850i boasts strong music playback, including stereo output via an earbud headset and A2DP Bluetooth headphones. Want Megabass? You got it. DRM support? No problemo. FM radio? Sure, listen away. Want to listen to your own MP3 collection - the K850i has 40MB of internal memory, and if that's not enough for you, you can boost your memory using a Memory Stick Micro M2 or MicroSD card - up to 4GB, in fact.

If you're considering an upgrade from other models in the range, such as the K790, K800 or K810, the K850i is an excellent choice, offering a brighter and larger QVGA display with a significant camera bump and 3G. There's also three touch-sensitive keys which are a brand new feature with the K850i

To be sure, the phone packs a big phat one.

The K850i has the same candybar design that all the phones in this range has, and the size remains the same. The piano black finish is a thing of beauty, with slightly rubbery keys to aid dialing traction.

The phone is a joy to operate, with a clear and concise, logical menu system. The d-pad has changed from the more traditional one-piece d-pad to an oblong ring surrounding the 2 and 5 keys: there are some context sensitive buttons just below the display which act as action buttons: you navigate using the d-pad whilst sliding your finger on the correct soft key, a seductive brush on your gadget's hot little body.

All in all, the latest in a long line of Sony Ericsson phones doesn't disappoint, offering a massive 5MP phone, excellent storage options and a funky look and highly usable keyboard.

You can buy this baby at DubLi right now - it may only cost you a few cents. Try us! http://us.dubli.com

Network Technology
Quad Band: Yes
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900
Compatible with: T-Mobile, AT&T-Cingular (1900 areas), Fido, Rogers and other GSM Carriers Worldwide
Size
Dimensions: 4.0 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches (102 x 48 x 17 mm)
Weight: 4.2 oz (118 g)
Main Display
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
Type: 262 144 colors, Color, TFT
Features: Yes, 2.2 inches
Music & Audio
Music: Yes, MP4 (AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+), MP3, M4A, 3GPP (AAC, AMR), WAV, RealAudio 8, WMA formats support
Radio: Yes, FM radio with RDS
Notifications
Polyphonic Rings: Yes, MP3
Vibration Alert: Yes
Memory
Memory: Yes, 40 MB
Memory Expansion: Yes, microSD/Memory Stick Micro (M2)
Connectivity
Internet: Yes, WAP 2.0/HTML (NetFront), RSS reader
3G: Yes, HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps,
Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Wifi: No
GPS: No
GPRS: Yes, Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
HSCSD: No
EDGE: Yes
Infrared port: No
USB: Yes, v2.0
Operating System
OS: No
Design
Swivel:
Clamshell:
Flip: No
Slider: No
Design: Yes, Candybar
Battery
Capacity: 930 mAh
Talk: 9 hours
Standby: 400 hours
Camera and Video
Camera: Yes, Built-in - Immobile
Video: Yes
Resolution: 5 megapixels
Features: Yes, Auto Focus, 16x Digital zoom, Additional camera for video calling, Flash
Organizer
Alarm: Yes
Calendar: Yes
Calculator: Yes
TO-DO: Yes
Stopwatch: Yes plus Timer
Other: Yes, Notes
Phone Book
Features: YEs, Caller groups supported
Multiple Numbers Per Contact: Yes
Picture ID: Yes
Ring ID: Yes
Software
JAVA: Yes, Midp 2.0
Features
Messaging: Yes, SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
Games: Yes
Video Playback: Yes, 3GPP (H.263, H.264), MP4, RealVideo 8, WMV formats supported , Media Player
Streaming: Yes
Video Calling: Yes
Voice
Speaker: Yes
Dialing: Yes
Recording: Yes