Sony Ericsson Product Launch 2004
The S700 is the (blinding) star of today's announcements. This high-end phone is essentially the GSM version of Sony Ericsson's incredibly popular and successful SO505i for Japan. (50,000 were sold on the first day, and 1.5 million were sold in the first four months.)
The really impressive part is the nearly 1:1 carryover of features from the SO505i - the S700 is not some stripped-down version of a Japanese model - it's the real deal. The S700 sports the same QVGA display and megapixel camera as its cousin, and even adds a few upgrades, such as Bluetooth, an internal antenna, and a sleeker design.
On the camera side of things, the star attraction is the 1.3 megapixel camera. According to Sony Ericsson, they've been working closely with Sony's digital camera division to deliver industry-leading camera quality on these new models.
Opening the integrated lens cover automatically activates camera mode, and an integrated flash aids low-light shots. Video recording is supported, at QCIF resolution.
The trendy swivel design appears well-implemented. Virtually all of the features of the phone can be accessed with the phone either open or closed. The phone really only needs to be opened for entering numbers or text.
Unfortunately, a working model wasn't available at the New York press conference, but the mock-up on hand had a great feel to it. It's one damn sexy phone.
The S700i (international) and S700c (for China) will be released toward the end of the year. Although T-Mobile users may be able to import a S700i, AT&T and Cingular users will have to cross their fingers and pray Sony Ericsson decides to release an S700a (with GSM 850) for the Americas.
iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less
Asus Zenfone 8 is a Compact Flagship
Sony Pushes Xperia Pro Imaging Farther with the PRO-I
Nokia Phones Coming to New US Carriers in 2022
Sony's New $1,600 Flagship Sports Seamless True Optical Zoom
