Also known as Sony Ericsson Kurara
REVIEW
INTERFACE
VERDICT
| GENERAL | 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
|---|---|---|
| 3G Network | HSDPA 900 / 2100 | |
| HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100 | ||
| Announced | 2010, January | |
| Status | Available. Released 2010, March |
| SIZE | Dimensions | 107 x 51.7 x 12.5 mm |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 97 g |
| DISPLAY | Type | TFT resistive touchscreen, 16M colors |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 360 x 640 pixels, 3.2 inches | |
| - Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate - Scratch-resistant surface - Turn-to-mute and snoozing alarms - Handwriting recognition |
| SOUND | Alert types | Vibration; MP3 ringtones |
|---|---|---|
| Loudspeaker | Yes | |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes, check quality |
| MEMORY | Phonebook | Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall |
|---|---|---|
| Call records | Practically unlimited | |
| Internal | 75 MB storage | |
| Card slot | microSD, up to 32 GB, 8GB included |
| DATA | GPRS | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps |
|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Class 10, 236.8 kbps | |
| 3G | HSDPA, 10.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 2 Mbps | |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA | |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v2.1 with A2DP | |
| Infrared port | No | |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| CAMERA | Primary | 8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Video calling, touch focus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection | |
| Video | Yes, 720p@24fps, continuous autofocus, video light | |
| Secondary | No |
| FEATURES | OS | Symbian Series 60, 5th edition |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 720 MHz processor, PowerVR SGX GPU | |
| Messaging | SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email | |
| Browser | WAP 2.0 / xHTML (NetFront) | |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio | |
| Games | Yes | |
| Colors | Pink, Silver Moon, Cosmic Black, Galaxy Blue, Venus Ruby | |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support; Wisepilot navigation | |
| Java | Yes, MIDP 2.1 | |
| - Google maps - Facebook and Twitter apps - YouTube and Picasa integration - WMV/RV/MP4/3GP video player - MP3/WMA/WAV/RA/AAC/M4A music player - TrackID music recognition - TV out (VGA resolution) - Organizer - QuickOffice document reader - Gesture control - Voice memo - Predictive text input |
| BATTERY | Standard battery, Li-Po 1200 mAh | |
|---|---|---|
| Stand-by | Up to 430 h (2G) / Up to 440 h (3G) | |
| Talk time | Up to 13 h (2G) / Up to 5 h 20 min (3G) |
| MISC | SAR EU | 1.04 W/kg (head) |
|---|---|---|
| Price group |  |
REVIEW
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is the HD-video-shooting successor to the Swedish-Japanese firm's flagship Satio model.
With an 8.1MP camera that can also record 720p HD video, it is designed to thrill YouTube-rs with its easy video upload features as well as the bundled 8GB memory card for ample storage.
The touchscreen phone has been ergonomically designed to fit the contours of the hand and with social networking and multi-media features galore, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz is set to give the likes of the Nokia X6 and theLG InTouch Max GW620 a run for their money.
The handset itself has been ergonomically designed and does feel really nice to hold.
The curve of the back fits nicely into the palm and although it's a light handset, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz doesn't feel insubstantial. It has an abundance of very smooth surfaces, so we did find we dropped it quite a few times.
Aside from the LCD display, the handset is very plastic-heavy and does leave something to be desired in the design department.
Available in four different colour combinations, we tested the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Moon Silver with silver back panel with dark blue sides.
The touchscreen is resistive, unfortunately, but it's probably one of the best we've seen and gives the LG InTouch Max GW620 a run for its money.
Although it's not as smooth or accommodating as the capacitive screens found on handsets like the iPhone and HTC Legend, it is still quite responsive and swiping through menus doesn't require much pressure on the screen.
There is a sensible number of buttons on the Sony Ericsson Vivaz. The call, end and menu buttons are on the front of the handset, with volume/zoom and two camera buttons on the right side panel, and power/lock on the top.
However, the latter can be a little fiddly to hit when holding the Vivaz in one hand, with some juggling needed - this means you run the risk of dropping it ( I have dropped the phone myself many a times too..! but well this shows that the phone is durable too..! :p)
We're glad to see a 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB port, given Sony Ericsson's previous love for its proprietary Fast Port connector instead of a basic headphone socket.
In the box
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz comes with the basics – a plug, separate USB to microUSB cable to connect to the plug or to your PC, a pair of Sony Ericsson headphones and a standalone stylus.
The headphones don't come with sponge ear buds, nor in-ear fittings to accommodate different sized ears, but do double as a handsfree kit thanks to the built-in microphone.
Given the HD recording function of the handset, Sony Ericsson has also seen fit to include an 8GB microSD card - we would have preferred some inbuilt storage too, but at least this is a generous addition.INTERFACE
The Symbian S60/S^1 operating system is traditionally associated with Nokia handsets, found on devices like the Nokia 5800, N97 and X6.
Despite this, the look and feel of the Vivaz interface is still very 'Sony Ericsson.'
The menus are well laid out and easy to navigate, but because the Vivaz is limited to just one menu screen, some sub-menus are packed with options.
You can avoid venturing into the menus too often if you invest some time customising the home screen.
The default set up offers a row of five widget tabs across the top of the screen. These can be assigned different functions depending on your preferences.
For example, we had tabs housing our favourite contacts, social networking apps, menu shortcuts and a favourite image acting as wallpaper.
Scrolling between the tabs is easy and satisfying, but is slightly less elegant than the traditional Android home screen set up.
The tabulated layout of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz is much tidier than the more crowded approach taken by the X6 and N97 Mini, although there is less information available at a glance.
For those craving a simpler life, fewer home screen options can be set using the Standby Themes in the settings menu.
There's a nice level of customisation on the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, but it's more constrained than some of its contemporaries, particularly the Android-totingHTC Tattoo and LG InTouch Max GW620, where a plethora of widgets are on offer.
Making and taking calls is very straightforward thanks to the dedicated call and end buttons, but we wish we could say the same for locking and unlocking the screen and keys.
Locking the keys should be a one-button affair, but not so with the Sony Ericsson Vivaz.
After hitting the power/lock button you have to either select the lock option on the screen, or hit the power/lock button again.
This might not sound like a chore, but the power/lock button is not particularly easy to press as it's almost flush with the panel it sits in.
When you're not sure if your press has been registered, it's all too easy to press the power button too hard and switch the handset off.
What makes that even more annoying is that the Sony Ericsson Vivaz takes its time closing down, and starting up again isn't exactly lightning fast.
The other danger was forgetting to choose any option from the menu and leaving the keys and screen active in your pocket or bag, from which anything can be tapped and accessed thanks to a resistive screen.Even after several days of use, this was still grating on us.
Speed of use is an area where the Vivaz also lets itself down. Aside from being slow to start up, the temperamental auto-rotate takes a second or two too long to kick in.
We also had issues with the handset's multi-tasking – although we definitely welcome it as a feature and had no problem switching between applications, it's a little too tricky to close things down entirely.
Simply using the menu or end buttons keeps them open in the background, so you end up with several unnecessary things running, slowing the handset right down and taking away all the advantages of the Vivaz's fast processor.
It is possible to download new apps for the home screen via the PlayNow app store.
This provides music, game and wallpaper downloads as well as apps, but they're generally not cheap and there are very few free options, unlike the wildly successful Apple App Store and Android Market.
Searching through the store is a bit of a chore as it isn't hugely intuitive, but downloading is fairly straightforward direct to the handset - perhaps we're just spoilt by the plethora of much better portals on offer.
Sony Ericsson states that the Vivaz can delivery up to 5 hours 20 minutes of 3G talktime, 2hours 30 minutes video call time and up to 430 hours of standby life.
We reckon that talktime estimation is probably a little optimistic but not way out. After an intensive day of use, including watching and filming HD videos, the Vivaz was about ready to give up the ghost.
But we also managed to get a good two to three days of more casual everyday use out of it before it needed recharging.
Organiser
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz has a whole folder dedicated to organisational apps and functions, but don't look for the calendar here – that has its own menu option.
It's nothing to write home about, but allows you to set reminders and tasks with alerts and deadlines as you'd expect.
In the organiser folder you'll find the clock and alarms function where you can set recurring alarms, like a weekday alarm that doesn't go off at weekends.
There's also a fairly standard note-writing app, calculator, file manager and document readers – although the document readers require licences and therefore payment.
Other handy features to keep you ticking over are the converter app which can tell you plenty about how many kilocalories are in a kilojoule, but only has 'Home' and 'Foreign' options when it comes to currency.
This means you have to set your own rates – we'd have liked this to sync with current conversion rates online, but you can't have everything.
You can, of course, download more apps from the PlayNow store, offering apps from web-publishing through to weather forecasting, although as we said earlier there's not a huge amount of choice there.
Location-based services include Google Maps and GPS positioning. Symbian-based Google Maps is pretty good (although not up to the speed and feature-base of the Android range) and the GPS found us fairly quickly.
Directionally it wasn't too bad either - we navigated between tube stops in the outer reaches of London without getting lost, which is something that still happens far too often due to our rather addled brains.
Media-wise there is an onboard music identification programme called TrackID which works in a similar way to Shazam, as well as a sound recording app for vocal notes-to-self or for recording interviews and so on.
Finally, for the DIY enthusiast, there is an onboard spirit level - good luck getting an accurate reading using either edge of the phone though, there are too many protruding buttons on each.
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz connects to a computer via USB cable. Installing drivers onto a PC is very easy as the necessary software is stored on the handset.
This means no messing about with CDs or going to websites to download executable files. The PC companion suite lets you move files quickly and easily between your phone and computer, but it's not essential.
The software doesn't work on Mac computers, but transferring files between the phone and computer is still possible using the handset as a mass storage device and if you know your way around a computer file then you shouldn't find it too taxing.
Setting up the Wi-Fi connection was easy enough, but assigning a default connection proved difficult. In the end we were forced to select a connection option manually each time we connected.
We also had trouble maintaining a data connection while out and about, even around central London. We often had to just abandon attempts and seek out Wi-Fi.
The phone's GPS fared a little better on-the-go, with the onboard compass proving handy when our feeble sense of direction let us down.
Comparison
Like the Sony Ericsson Satio, this phone puts all its eggs in the camera basket; but the Vivaz manages to keep its other functions up to scratch somewhat better than the Satio, thanks in part to its faster processor.
We were sorely disappointed that the Satio didn't have a 3.5mm headphone socket, so it's a very welcome addition on the Vivaz, and the touchscreen has certainly improved.
It's a shame Sony Ericsson didn't opt for a capacitive screen, but it does keep the costs down.
The ergonomic design of the Vivaz also puts it ahead of the Satio and will feature on all of Sony Ericsson's upcoming handsets.
Given the Vivaz's superior camera, sleek design, ergonomic build and user-friendly music player, it wipes the floor with Nokia's X6, despite the X6's capacitive screen.
The resistive screens of the HTC Tattoo and LG InTouch Max GW620 don't quite measure up to the Vivaz's screen which is surprisingly responsive.
Despite this we'd have welcomed a physical QWERTY keyboard in the style of the GW620, although we can cope without. It's the range and quality of apps we miss most though, with the Tattoo and GW620 both privy to Android's superior marketplace.
VERDICT
This is Sony Ericsson's second effort at a touchscreen phone after the disappointment of the Sony Ericsson Satio, so there's a lot of pressure riding on it.
HD video recording is the headline grabber, but the rest of the phone needs to impress as well in this smartphone-heavy age.
I liked:
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz is lovely to hold – that ergonomic design really does pay off and the near-HD screen also plays a part in making it look and feel like a quality phone.
The touchscreen does a great job considering it is resistive, and the camera quality is high – not solely for recording HD video; still shots using the 8.1-megapixel camera come out very nicely too.
The clean and tidy home screen pleased us, and the tabbed functions were handy for quick access to our favourite apps and media.
I disliked
For all its nice design and screen, we couldn't help but feel the chassis was still a bit too plastic, particularly the back panel which gives it a slightly cheap feel.
The Sony Ericsson Vivaz also has quite a few little glitches and niggles – not least the frustrating screen and key lock mechanism.
Also having to constantly reassure the handset that yes, we do want to connect using the default internet connection made our techno-hackles rise.
The Android-esque interface lends itself to apps, so we'd have liked to have seen more good quality, low-cost apps in the PlayNow app store, but these may come with time.
And, although it may have been one of the best resistive touchscreens we've seen, it's still not a patch on a capacitive screen.
Verdict:
For a mid-to-high range feature phone, we were pleasantly surprised by how much we liked the Sony Ericsson Vivaz.
As a phone it performed well and we were impressed with the music player and camera functions – the main features of the phone.
Such a shame, then, that little things let it down; we were constantly annoyed by the key lock function, the temperamental auto-rotate and the schizophrenic internet settings.
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