Sony Ericsson K800 CyberShot mobile phone

Whereas other cameraphones are a mobile phone first with a camera added on, a Sony Ericsson CyberShot phone is more a camera with mobile phone features. Steve Walker, head of product marketing at Sony Ericsson, confirmed that “the proposition is to establish one phone as a credible digital still camera … You use it exactly like you would any other digital camera.” Sony wouldn’t risk the CyberShot name unless it was confident the K800’s pictures were of a high enough high quality.

Better still, the new CyberShot cameraphones represent a new marketing initiative by Sony Ericsson. According to a Sony Ericsson spokesman, the company is aiming to replicate its Walkman branding success with the new camera range, and so will be bringing out a range of CyberShot cameraphones. The spokesman said: “We needed to establish in the consumer’s mind that the phone is a great place to listen to music… We looked at the same opportunity we took with music and we want to apply that to imaging.”

Both the Sony Ericsson K800 and K790 are highly capable mobile phones with integrated 3.2 Megapixel digital cameras with Autofocus, Xenon flash and BestPic™ – Sony Ericsson’s unique imaging technology that allows you to capture exactly the moment you desire. K800 and K790 combine advanced image capture capabilities with high speed data transfer, making them perfect tools for shooting and sharing high quality pictures and videos. K800 is a dual-mode UMTS/GPRS phone and the K790 is a Tri Band EDGE phone. Both are available from Q2 2006.

“With the Cyber-shot™ phone we aim to create a new lifestyle of ‘imaging communication’ by combining Sony Ericsson’s unique mobile applications and Sony digital imaging technologies,” said Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President, Product and Application Planning, Sony Ericsson. “Our aim has always been to innovate and create new values for the mobile life, and with the Cyber-shot™ phone we will enable anyone to enjoy an entirely new level of communication –taking quality pictures of anything, anytime and anywhere, and sharing their precious moments with others.”

The handsets have a classic Sony Ericsson design, with a large screen and responsive, tactile keypad with a sleek and stylish dual front phone design. Turn the phones horizontally and there you have a digital still camera. Simply slide the active lens cover downwards and a user interface similar to that of a Cyber-shot™ camera automatically appears.

The k790 and k800, like any digital still cameras, have a xenon flash with red-eye reduction, which gives sharp and colourful images even in dark conditions. Other features include auto focus 3.2 megapixel resolution, and a stabilizer function, which compensates for small hand movements that can make the image blurred.

A completely new feature developed by Sony Ericsson is BestPic™, which ensures that you never ‘miss’ an important picture. Press the shutter button once and get 9 full quality 3.2 megapixel pictures to choose from in a time sequence – 4 pictures before and 4 pictures after the actual image you captured. All 9 pictures are displayed as icons on the display. Simply scroll backwards and forwards through the 9 images and save the ones you like best.

The K800 and K790 offer full support for a complete digital imaging lifestyle. Printing is possible without the need for a PC thanks to PictBridge™, a feature that transfers pictures directly to a printer by using a USB cable. Storing and managing image files on your PC are made easy with the supplied Adobe software, and the phones are among the first to feature fully integrated Picture Blogging Blogging is growing exponentially as a way of sharing personal experiences with words and images, and Picture Blogging in K800 and K790 allows users to create and update personal blogs directly from the phone in just a few clicks.

Business users will find the K800 and K790 valuable work tools while out of the office and the sleek Velvet Black casing fits neatly with the professional image. Full HTML browsing with RSS feeds and Google Search give you high-speed, graphic-rich Internet use. Support for standard push email and a connectivity suite comprising Bluetooth® 2.0, USB 2.0 and Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) means that keeping in touch is effortless. A complete entertainment package including music player, 3D gaming and an RDS FM radio are also provided for business downtime or relaxation.

The Sony Ericsson K800 is a dual-mode UMTS handset while K790 is a Tri Band EDGE handset. Both products will be commercially available in Velvet Black and start shipping globally during Q2 2006. The variants in the market will be:

K800i – Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) – GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz for Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa
K800c – Dual mode UMTS (2100MHz) – GPRS 900/1800/1900 MHz for Mainland China. (Launch dependent on availability of 3G services.)

K790i Tri Band EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz for Europe, Asia Pacific, Americas
K790a Tri Band EDGE 850/1800/1900 MHz for Americas
K790c Tri Band EDGE 900/1800/1900 MHz for Mainland China