Sony Ericsson February 2006 launch - on site report

The new star in the sky is called K800. The successor of K750 has all one can desire – UMTS (3G), 3.2 mega pixel camera with auto focus, Xenon flash and image stabilization.
The phone is designated for the European/Asian market, but a US version without UMTS called K790 will be available. It lacks the 3G and the video calling camera on the front, but has 850 MHz support and EDGE.

The first impression of the device is somewhat mixed – it thicker and bulkier compared to the K750 or W800. The main reason for that is the 3.2 mega pixel camera and the lens cover which is active (the camera is activated by sliding it downwards, hence the name active). Most of today's sub 2 mega pixel cameras are with fixed focus (focus-free), most pictures shot will with acceptable focus but not absolutely sharp.

Sony Ericsson was of the first phone manufactures to bring auto focus feature to the mobile phones. It comprises of a system that actually moves the lenses to reach exact focus. K790 not only sports auto focus, but it also features digital image stabilization feature which is usually used when taking very zoomed shots. Since the K790 lacks optical zoom, the image stabilization come handy only when shooting videos.

New to the K790 is also the BestPic system – a multi-shot system which when enabled takes 9 pictures with a single press of the shutter button. The fifth picture is saved by default, but if someone blinked for example, the user can simply save one of the other 8 shots (or all).

Taking pictures in dark environments or at night is really a challenge for most cell phone cameras. The main reason (but not the only one) is the lack of true flash in such devices. For several years now phone manufacturers claim their phones have flashes. In reality though, using such “flash” on objects more than 5-10 inches away is pointless. Regular cameras use Xenon filled tube with electronic circuit which of course takes more space and has larger battery drain than the LED lights used in Phone cameras. Needless to say, the K790 comes equipped with true Xenon light!

All the improvements and camera features must have made Sony confident enough to allow K790 and K800 to bear the Cyber-shot brand.
Used in Sony's stand-alone digital cameras, Cyber-shot branding will not only express outstanding camera features, but familiar user interface as well. Just like the Walkman phones have software similar to the original Walkman players, Cyber-shot phones' camera interface will be very much like the on of their big brothers.

Let's don't forget that the K790 is not just a 3.2 mega pixel camera. The phone also sports just brilliant QVGA 262k color display which compared to K750 is definitely brighter. Coupled with the full HTML browser, browsing the web on your phone should be just a bit more pleasant. The built-in memory is 64 MB, with the new Sony's Memory Stick Micro expansion slot on the side.