It’s no secret that QWERTY keyboard based chat phones are an instant hit with the youth. Off late, we had a slew of social networking based phones hitting the market, which includes the likes of Vodafone Blue, Motorola’s Motokey Social and also the likes of higher end devices like the HTC Chacha.
Sony Ericsson not wanting to be counted as another one in the crowd has avoided the temptation of branding their new social phone as the Facebook phone. Called the Sony Ericsson Txt, the feature phone comes with a QWERTY keyboard and is targeted at the youth.
So let us go ahead and check out if it indeed stands out from the rest of the pack.
In the box:
- Sony Ericsson Txt handset
- In-line Earphones
- Micro USB charger
- User Guide
Let us go ahead and take a look at the specifications of the device:
- 2.55” WVGA screen
- 3.2 MP Camera
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- 1000mAh battery
Build & Design:
The Sony Ericsson Txt has an interesting design. The front of the phone looks very crowded whereas the other sides have hardly any interactive features. The top front of the device has a speaker and a noise cancellation mike. Right below it you have the 2.5” WVGA screen. Now the bottom half of the front looks very congested with four function buttons cramped around the five way D-pad. The QWERTY keypad forms the rest with a small mike at the bottom right.
The left hand side hosts the micro USB port used for charging and you have the volume control keys on the right of the device.
On the top of the device you have a 3.5 mm jack for the headphones.
The back of the device hosts a 3.2 MP camera long with the speaker which is placed right next to it on the left side. The bottom center holds the cute the Sony Ericsson logo.
Overall the phone feels pretty light at 95 gms. which can be contributed to the fact that its body is all plastic. Owing to the plastic and cluttered design in the front as well the phone doesn’t really look very pleasing to the eye.
Performance:
The screen on the Sony Ericsson Txt is bright enough and allows for comfortable reading under the sun. Coming to the keypad on the Txt, it looks much cluttered.
At first look the five way D-pad felt as though it wouldn’t be easy to operate but to our surprise it functions smoothly.
The inward curve on the QWERTY keypad is interesting. Though the typing on the keypad is comfortable, it will take a little getting used to in order to type at regular speeds.
The call speaker and mike are loud and clear enough for comfortable calls. Also we did not notice any network issues while on calls inside buildings as well.
The build quality of the earphones provided with the Sony Ericsson Txt is of cheap plastic which looks very fragile as well. Though they lack in bass and treble, the ear phones are loud and clear enough for one to enjoy music on them. Though, I the audiophiles are better advised to stay away from it.
The 3.2 MP camera on the Sony Ericsson is nothing great to write home about. It takes ordinary pictures which is comparable to other feature phones of lesser brands. You have the option to email or upload images to Picasa directly from the gallery. We think that other uploading options like Facebook and Twitter would also have been welcome.
Videos on the phone are again disappointing considering the fact that there are other branded phones in the same price tag which will give you better results.
The Txt boasts of some inbuilt applications like Yahoo mail, Gmail, Facebook, twitter, Youtube and the Opera Mini browser.
Besides there is an innovative friends application which allows you to feed five of your best friends and brings tools like calling, SMS, Facebook and Twitter in one place, thus making it very easy to communicate with and keep track of your friends.
The UI on the phone is simple and easy to operate, navigating through the menu is a breeze.
Video review:
Verdict:
The Sony Ericsson Txt is a basic phone that would not impress you in case you are looking for music or multimedia consumption on the device. But yes it delivers on its chat promise with a smooth UI and convenient QWERTY keypad.
The social integration on the phone could have been better to say the least. The Sony Ericsson is not a bad deal priced at Rs. 6890. But in case you are looking for a QWERTY based feature phone in this price range we would recommend the Motorola Ex 119, a dual SIM phone priced at Rs. 5700.
