The latest addition to the burgeoning Cyber-Shot range may not be as high-spec as the Sony Ericsson flagship model K850i, but it's designed to be an update to the highly-popular K750i. This will undoubtedly mean that it will draw many parallels with the recent T650i due to the similarities in both features and design; although this can't be seen as a bad thing, considering how good that handset was. Let's introduce ourselves to the Sony Ericsson K770i Cyber-Shot phone.
As in the T650i, the emphasis in terms of design seems to be on improvements in ease of use rather than superior specs. With the K770i, the specs may not be headline-making but the quality construction and design seem close to deserving of that accolade. In Sony Ericsson's of old, movement through menus and the like were done via a navigation joystick, which for many was one of the more non-user friendly aspects of using a Sony Ericsson handset.
Thankfully, this has now been ditched in favour of a more conventional D-pad and this improves things no end. By doing this Sony Ericsson have made themselves more appealing to the masses and removed the 'Marmite Factor' from their navigation control design. Where the joystick was fiddly and cumbersome, the D-pad seen in the K770i is the complete opposite and makes a major difference to the way this device operates when compared to the earlier K750i.
Also worth mentioning is the quality of the keypad, which for some has also been a recent Sony Ericsson bug-bear. Each of the alphanumeric keys is perfectly sized and with enough elevation to make using the K770i a good experience. This coupled with the nicely-rounded design means that the K770i is a big improvement to the previous K750i, which despite being a very good phone wasn't always the most user-friendly of devices. We're all glad to see that Sony Ericsson have finally noticed this flaw and changed it accordingly. Let's hope they keep things this way.
As well as a much-improved keypad, the screen quality also has improved dramatically, which in the K810i was a major issue, but the display on the K770i brings it up in line with the current market leader on these terms; Nokia.
The camera has also been upgraded from the K750i's 2MP to a 3.2MP in the K770i, which is very similar to the T650, just with the Cyber-Shot functionality. Though it may not compare favourably to the other Cyber-Shot range such as the K810i or the earlier K800i, the quality is still very good and will meet most people's needs with a minimum of fuss.
There is also a wealth of connectivity options available, with standard 3G, Bluetooth 2.0 and USB 2.0 for easy PC synchronisation. It would have been nice to see HSDPA added as well, as it would have separated the K770i a bit more from the dubiously similar T650i and given consumers more reason to purchase this handset, but you can't have everything.
With the K770i, Sony Ericsson has a great upper-mid-range handset that offers a wide-range of features coupled with a very simple yet stylish and functional design. Though the similarities to the T650i can't be over-looked, the K770i has the edge thanks to a more intuitive design.
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