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The Sony Ericsson Page
All about T610, T630 and Z600
and latest models K700, K500, Z500

12 Aug 2005 – Now that Sony Ericsson has gained so much popularity and that people have finally come to realize the amazing features, I shall no longer update this page with the latest-generation models like K750i or S700i. And with the recent launch of Walkman Phone W800i, Sony Ericsson is poised to take over the mobile market lead once more.

20 July 2004 - Welcome to the world of Sony Ericsson. For those who just switched to T610/T630/Z600/K700 from the likes of Nokia and Samsung, I can't wait to tell you what you have been missing for 3 years since T68. And if you're still one of the 'others', I hope this page will make you consider getting the K700.

First, allow me to refer you to the following newsletters I wrote about T68 in July 2002. These articles are good indications of some capabilities of T610, T630 and Z600 (which has identical features plus more).
Images
Ringtones
Themes, Screensavers and Voice Recorder

Check out Sony Ericsson recent Japanese Advertisement Media Files (optimised for T610, T630 and Z600, compatible with all SE models)
MIDI Ringtone
Theme
Lyrics translation

The links below are unofficial sites created by T610 fans like me. Some of them contains rich resources on the features of T610, some contains loads of content like ringtones, images, themes, games.

Unofficial Sony Ericsson Club - http://www.clubsonyericsson.com/
Esato forums, ringtones, images - http://www.esato.com/
Ringtones, images , games - http://www.myt610.net/
Singapore SE site - http://www.secentral.net/
T610 "Free Your Mind" article - Visit here

In 2004, Sony Ericsson released several new models with brand-new interface: K700, K500, Z500. Check out the brief review of these models.

Comparison of features among phones

Features	K700/K500/Z500 2004 models	T610/T630/Z600 2003 models	Nokia	Samsung
Ringtones	40-polyphony MIDI. MP3 ringtones - BEST	32-polyphony MIDI - GOOD	4-to-24 polyphony SP-MIDI, MP3 ringtones (some models) AVERAGE	40-polyphony MMF - GOOD
LCD Display of Wallpaper/ Screensaver	65K supports JPG, Animation GIF, 128x160 BEST	65K supports JPG, GIF, 128x128 (up to 128x160) GOOD	4-65K supports JPG, GIF, 128x128 POOR	65K supports JPG, GIF, 128x128 (up to 128x160), file-size limitation BEST
Camera	VGA 640x480, extrapolates up to 1280x960, built-in flash (K700), 4x digital zoom	352x288, fixed digital zoom at low-res	352x288 (7250) 640x480 (3650, 7650, 6600, 6230)	352x288 (V200) 640x480 (E700, D410), multi-level zoom
File transfer (ringtone, image, contacts, themes, notes, calendar)	QuickShare - IR to PC/PDA. No software required. BEST	QuickShare - IR to PC/PDA. No software required. BEST	User-unfriendly proprietary software required. Transfer available only for ringtone, image, calendar, contacts. NA for the rest. POOR	User-unfriendly proprietary software required for ringtone, image, calendar, contacts. Calendar and contacts do not support universal format (e.g. vCard) POOR
Games and install method	Java. QuickShare OTA (IR), WAP installation. GOOD	Java, Mophun. OTA (IR), WAP installation. GOOD	Java. Cable, WAP installation. POOR	Java (some models). Cable, WAP installation. POOR
Other features (only some models apply)	K700: Bluetooth, MP3 player, FM radio, built-in remote control function, speakerphone	All: Bluetooth, clip-on accessories (camera flash, radio, MP3, torch, laser, speakerphone)	FM radio, speakerphone, changeable covers	Dual-screen

Common Features of T610/T630/Z600/K700/K500/Z500:
Camera - nothing fantastic, includes zoom, night mode, auto file-naming, self-timer, effects, brightness control. New models allow digital zoom and extrapolation up to 1280x960

Images - supports JPG and animated GIF pictures. Simply beam your pics from your PC/PDA to your phone via IR. No frills. The ani-GIFs (as screensaver) are real fast and smooth, faster than on a Samsung! New models support animated wallpaper

Phonebook - supports standard vCard format (so does Nokia). To back up, simply go to Phonebook -> Advanced -> Send all to your PC via IR (Nokia and Samsung can't do that). To restore, just send from your PC to your Sony Ericsson phone. No conversion required.

Ringtones - supports standard MIDI, 32-polyphony ringtones. Simply transfer files via IR like images. Simple. It really sounds crisp and loud compared to Nokia. Of course, Samsung still has the best ringtone generator. Polyphonic ringtones can never be heard in loud places - not unless you use the shrill tones like the 'Old Phone'. New models support MP3 ringtones.

Music DJ - Hey, create your own music using some predefined groove templates! But I still prefer the old Melody Composer on T68.

Themes - THM format, no other manufacturer has this customised feature. Download them, beam them, send them to your friends OTA. Have fun, but too bad it takes ages to load them. Not my favourite feature to play with, but I change them once in a while to add a fresh look to your phone. You can try doing it yourself. New models have improved themes that supports large-file design, takes faster to load, supports animated wallpaper,

Bluetooth - ever heard of 'bluejack' (as opposed to hijack)? What you do next time is to do a search for New Devices in crowded areas. You'll never believe what your T610 picks up over the air. Try sending a contact to the other party, and imagine their surprise when they receives a 'business card' from nowhere.
Besides, Sony Ericsson still has the best-implemented bluetooth interface against the competition. With appropriate software (like float's Mobile Agent), you can install VBScripts on your phone to make it run like a remote control to run your PC!

Infra Red - Without it, you'll never be able to get those files out of your T610. Don't be fooled by the other brands who claimed to have IR. These IRs are useless because the phone cannot use it to interface with other devices. Sony Ericsson's file interface is open, meaning you can move the files to different devices without any special software. (note: Z500 does not have IR)

Save Money with SE!
Every day, people spend money downloading ringtones, wallpapers, games from the pay-per-download vendors. With Sony Ericsson phones, you don't have to do that at all. Just search over the Internet, save it in your PC, then IR it to your phone. No software, no cables. You can say that Sony Ericsson phones are "non-content-provider-friendly" ;)

What Can You NOT Send From Your Sony Ericsson?
Nothing! Almost nothing... except for games, messages and profiles. Whatever content you created or downloaded can be sent out of your phone to another device for backup. Let's see... ringtones, images, notes, calendar, tasks, phone contacts, photos, themes, screensavers, voice recordings, WAP bookmarks, Music DJ. Did I miss anything?

For updated mobile news, don't forget to visit http://fun.musicsg.com/ once in a while - perhaps like... every day. :P

If SE is so good, why ain't everyone switching?
Simple. There is no way that a device can be good with everything. The fact is that SE's SMS speed is not as fast as Nokia, nor is the interface as responsive as Samsung (almost instantaneous with every button press). This is because SE's interface loads a lot of cache to present the customisable themes, while the other brands simply hardcode their look-and-feel. The slow predictive text provides preview to the words you can select. Finally, for every option you select, there are background processes required to bring the user-friendly information on the screen. For example, with the new K700, you can preview text messages when you scroll the messages. Also, when you are about to send a message, the phone auto-populates recently-sent numbers for your selection.

Not everyone appreciates such advanced features like PIM. Most users only need a phone that responds fast to text messaging, take photos and do not care for the customisability. Obviously, SE does not work well for them. SE is the equivalent of Mac in the computer world: they are the best in the eyes of tech-advanced users but a bane to the lay people.