Sony Ericsson K810i lets you call the shots

Sony Ericsson has done well in delivering solid camera phones that make it easy for consumers to no longer carry a digital camera.

The amazing improvements in the picture-taking capabilities of Sony Ericsson’s range of camera phones have even won converts among some of the country’s top photographers who have changed their opinions and given their stamp of approval over the quality of pictures they can get.

Getting the best of the camera and mobile phone worlds in one device is certainly a major attraction, especially for digital connoisseurs. That is why the Sony Ericsson K800i was a runaway success with its 3.2-megapixel digital camera and 3G phone features. Now, the Sony Ericsson K810i builds on that success.

Aesthetically, the K810i is an improvement over its predecessor. It’s slimmer and has trimmed its camera cover at the back. Its new smaller stamp-sized lens cover also stays in place better as it no longer juts out as it did with the older model.

The candybar K810i has a shinier front face and a large color screen. What immediately grabs one’s attention is its keypad which uses attractive silver buttons that are well spaced out, solving the problems some users have with tight keypads that make them accidentally press adjacent keys when texting or dialing a number.

In technical features, the K810i sticks closely to its predecessor’s both phone and camera functions, with only little add-ons. The camera specs — 3.2 megapixels, xenon flash, autofocus, and BestPic mode — that made shutterbug demons out of many K800i users will continue to serve those who buy the K810i.

The latest Sony Ericsson camera phone, however, makes it even easier to produce the best picture quality with its new Photo Fix feature, which is on top of the usual tools for editing or adjusting the different aspects of a photo before the user decides to send it off directly from the K810i to a blog or simply e-mail or MMS it to others.

Unlike the K8001, the K810i also uses the 1, 4, 7 and asterisk keys as camera function keys that give user faster access to camera menus. Upon switching to camera mode, these special keys glow in blue light and stay that way during the process so users can easily see what camera icons they need to hit.

Like all high-end camera phones in the market today, the K810i can also multitask as an MP3 player, FM radio, game console and video camera. Connectivity and mobility are also addressed by its support for Bluetooth and infrared, plus e-mail and Web browser software.

All these work well and are easy to use. Selling for about P20,000, the K810i is an excellent camera phone that will really allow users to call the shots.