Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot

Sony Ericsson’s Cyber-shot range of mobile handsets come in some trendy designs. As they carry the name of Sony’s digital camera range, the expectation of similar performance is unavoidable. Then again, we have to take into account that we’re not talking about a dedicated device but a multipurpose gadget designed for various needs and requirements. We put the Cyber-shot C902 through some rigorous tests over the last ten days, and here’s our take on it.

Form Factor
The C902 is definitely a good-looking handset. It’s sleek and slim, and the lines running along its edges make it even more eye-catching. The 'hidden' camera is a unique feature. All you need to do to activate or reveal the camera is slide up the upper portion of the handset (just above the display) and voila, out pops a 5MP camera with a flash and a sexy blue neon light. The secondary camera for video calling is located in the front and doesn’t need to be activated by sliding, it’ll work as is. That is if we ever get to use it for its primary feature. Hullo! No 3G yet!

The 2-inch display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors. When the camera is activated, a set of touch-sensitive shortcuts (for camera options) appears all around the display. What I had a problem with is the keypad. Although it’s quite large, the keys are a bit hard and took some getting used to.

This 10.5mm thick handset has SE’s proprietary connector port for USB and a handsfree kit located on one side. Thankfully, like the Walkman series, the C902’s handsfree kit comes with a 3.5mm adapter. On the other side are the volume/zoom keys and the shutter release for the camera. It doesn’t have a hot swap slot for the M2 card (2GB provided) on the outside but you’ll find it under the rear panel. The rear panel is a bit tricky to open, so avoid fiddling with it unless necessary.

Features and Performance
The C902 offers all the basic applications: a Calendar, a Task option, Notes, Timer Stopwatch, Calculator and a Code Memo feature. Like all SE handsets that are 3G capable and have a secondary camera, the C902 also has a dedicated application for video calling. The menus can also be customized – from a simple grid to rotating icons and single icon views –  to make it look a bit more interactive.