by : susan hargreaves

Sony Ericsson have today released their latest clamshell phone - the Sony Ericsson Z555i in diamond Black.

The Sony Z555i looks very different to previous models and almost takes a leaf out of Nokia's design book with the Nokia Prism series featuring diamond / triangular patterns on the exterior casing.

The Sony Ericsson Z555i has been initially launched as a SIM free handset, this means that consumers can simply buy the outright and insert their existing SIM card containing their current mobile number and account details to carry on using their service provider.

Although mobile phones cost more when purchased this way compared to the subsidies offered with contract deals, the customer gets complete freedom with no extra ongoing charges for line rental and the like.

Having got a little more creative in their design, Sony Ericsson have released the Z555i fashion phone.

A clamshell that combines an innovative diamond design, much like that on the Nokia Prism, with superb features, the Sony Ericsson Z555 is all about impact and making a good impression.

Equipped with a 1.3 mega pixel camera and video recording capabilities, 4x digital zoom and picture blogging, the Sony Ericsson Z555i sports a Media Player and FM Radio but that's not all it has up its sleeve.

With 'Gesture Control', functions can be managed by waving your hand, so if the alarm goes off a little to earlier simply wave it away and set the snooze control or mute incoming calls to continue a peaceful and serene ambience.

And if you get bored of the same old theme, the Dynamic Themes feature will automatically change colours and designs within the phone's menu sets and home page inline with the changing of the seasons with an added unique offering on special holidays like New Year.

Sony Ericsson have also been very clever not to ruin the design of the phone using a hidden OLED monochrome external display to show incoming calls which remains otherwise invisible.

Available in Dusted Rose or Diamond Black, the Sony Ericsson Z555i comes with optional memory expansion, EDGE Technology, Bluetooth Wireless with A2DP Stereo support, USB connectivity, web browsing, email, instant messaging and a 1000 entry phonebook.

Although initially launched as SIM free mobile phones, the Sony Ericsson Z555i model will soon be available from the UK network operators with contract and pay as you go deals.