REVIEWS / SMARTPHONES / SONY ERICSSON

Sony Ericsson M600i

15 Sep, 2006, 4:12 pm IST | Aalaap Ghag | Smartphones Smartphones



Apart from the QWERTY keypad, the M600i also features the wheel on the side, but only a 3-way (up, down, click) one as opposed to the 5-way one on the P910i. If you're extremely used to the 5-way wheel, this will again take a bit of time getting used to, but eventually you may realise that 3-way just works as effectively. The back button is now on the side under the wheel and away from the keyboard. Another little bit of concern is the fact that there are no hard OK, Cancel and 'properties' keys, so you will have to rely on the soft keys on the touch screen to make or end calls and do other operations. The C key was an easy way to delete items and its absense may seem a problem, but the Backspace key works as an exact replacement for that. There's no exact equivalent of the 'properties' key, though.

The UIQ interface never went down too well with me and I had the same set of problems with the M600i UI. Some trivial operations take longer with the neverending chain of commands required. Take, for example, changing the ringtone of your phone. From the standby screen, you need to go to the Main menu -> Tools -> Control Panel -> Device -> Sounds and Alerts -> Ringtones -> Call or Voice -> Find Sound and THEN browse around the file system for the MP3 that you want to put as your ringtone. Hell-oo? Productivity? But this pays off when you actually hear music on the phone which sounds FABULOUS. All the MP3s I loaded on it sound SO much better and sharper than the older P-series phones, it's unbelievable. Like I always say - true Sony Ericsson sound quality. I do have a complaint about the placement of the speaker, though. It's almost in the center on the rear side, which almost becomes inaudible when the phone is kept face up. On flat surfaces, the sound is cut into half and comes out muffled. On soft surfaces, you can barely hear it.

The verdict? I feel the Nokia E61 wins over this because its got a wider keyboard that's easier to get used to than the M600i, a widescreen which works better for both email and the web and finally, WiFi. Because they cost roughly the same (around Rs. 17,000 to Rs. 18,000), the M600i is not recommendable over the E61. Some find the UIQ OS easier to work with than the Nokia Series 60, so you should go ahead and use the M600i for some time and then the E61 to get a feel of what works better for you.

Tags: Sony Ericsson , M600i , UIQ , QWERTY , touch screen

Would you buy it?




RELATED STORIES

Sony toys with the idea of Vita OS-based smartphones and tablets

We know about Sony’s plans to convert their entire line-up of phones to smartphones and till now, Android ...

SE Xperia Active Billabong Edition announced

Upcoming smartphones to look for

Cellphone makers can expect poor reception in 2012

Sony Ericsson officially launches Live with Walkman droid in India

Images from Sony Ericsson 13MP camera phone spotted

Sony to rebrand smartphone line-up by mid of next year

 

How We Test

What do the ratings mean?

Ratings are simple - higher the score, the better the product. A brief listing of the features and what they mean are given below.

1 - 3

The product is bad in almost every aspect. We strongly advise against purchasing this product.

4 - 6

An average product that isn't the best you can buy, but isn't the worst either.

7 - 8

Product with this rating is highly recommended because it's priced sensibly, has a good set of features and performs well.

9 - 10

Exceptionally excellent product with features and performance unlike any we've seen in the past. A must-have for everyone!

What is the Average User Rating?

We at Tech2 take product reviewing very seriously and every product is tested with the utmost care and level of objectivity. The end user who buys a particular product and uses it over an extended period of time has his own take on a product and there might be nuances that he or she can shed light on. The Average User Rating is present to help readers get the complete picture of how good or bad a product is. The Average User Rating is calculated by averaging the ratings by the thousands of readers visiting Tech2.com every single day. To record your own rating of a product, simply click on the user rating bar. If you disagree with our ratings or our community's product rating, please don't hesitate from voicing your opinion in the comments section below the review.

OPINIONS

Shayne Rana

In the mobile game it pays to experiment with technology especially when it comes to design form. In...

MORE OPINIONS

Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order

Photos

LG Optimus Black P970

LG Optimus Black P970

24 Jan, 2012, 06:11 PM

3.9

Motorola Defy+ Review

Motorola Defy+ Review

20 Dec, 2011, 05:39 PM

3.5

Motorola RAZR XT910

Motorola RAZR XT910

19 Dec, 2011, 09:27 AM

4.7

MORE PHOTOS

Close

More from this Author

Sony Ericsson W880i