Sony Ericsson recently announced the release of a new line of camera phones which are designed specifically for those people who want to be able to use their phone as if it is a high-quality digital camera. The leading phone out of this set of new phones is the Sony Ericsson C905 which is one of the first phones ever to offer full 8 megapixel digital camera features on a device that also has full phone capabilities. People who are seeking to reduce the number of stand-alone devices that they carry in favor of having just one excellent all-in-one phone will likely find that the Sony Ericsson C905 captures their attention. This will be particularly true if the major device that they are seeking to replace is their high-quality digital camera.

Sony Ericsson C905 Overview

The Sony Ericsson C905 phone is a high-end camera phone that is intended for release before the end of 2008. This phone is of particular interest because of its impressive camera phone features; it is the first 8 megapixel camera phone to be released to the international market. Although the advanced camera features of the phone are what make it of interest, it also has GPS and other phone features that may further interest the consumer.

Sony Ericsson C905 as Part of the Sony Line-Up

The Sony Ericsson C905 camera phone is intended to be the flagship model of Sony Ericsson’s range of phones for 2008. It is part of the “C range” or “Cybershot range” of the Sony Ericsson line-up – the high-end mobile camera phone range for this brand. This is a line of phones that is specifically designed to offer advanced digital camera features. Rather than being a phone that includes a camera, this could be considered a great camera that happens to also be a phone. In addition to the “Cybershot Range”, Sony has launched an “S range”; together these two lines of phones are designed to replace the older “K range” that Sony had been known for. Sony phones are reputable as camera phones and this line takes that reputation to the next level with the Sony Ericsson C905 as its headlining model.

Camera Phone Features of Sony Ericsson C905

The main reason that someone is going to be interested in purchasing the Sony Ericsson C905 is because of the advanced camera phone features of this mobile phone. When released later this year, the Sony Ericsson C905 is going to be the first mobile phone outside of Korea to offer the functionality of an 8 megapixel camera. This advanced quality of camera phone means that there is no reason to also carry a stand-alone camera device because the phone is capable of taking pictures at a quality equal to or better than the average digital camera. It works as the solo camera for the average individual and can even be used as a secondary camera by more professional photographers.

In addition to the high quality of the pictures that can be taken with the Sony Ericsson C905, the camera on this phone has a number of advanced features that are desired by those people who want to regularly use the phone’s camera to photograph a range of different types of images. For example, the camera has an autofocus lens with face detection auto focus for one to three faces. The camera also has an image stabilizer, 16x digital zoom and an advanced flash system with a focus assist lamp and a self-portrait mirror. All of this means that you’ll be able to take outstanding high-quality photos of everything from landscapes to your own face just by using the camera phone. People who are skilled at using cameras will find this phone’s camera impressive but it is also a simple camera to learn to use for those people who do not have advanced photo skills but who want to be able to take great photos.

Furthermore, the camera on the Sony Ericsson C905 mobile phone is capable of high quality video recording. There is a second flash on this camera phone that is specifically designed to make it easy to record videos even in darkened locations. The 2.4” screen on the phone makes it possible to easily review the playback of these videos. Playback of both video and still images are facilitated by advanced functions on the camera phone such as a dedicated still/record/review key for the camera. As with most advanced camera phones today, the Sony Ericsson C905 has a built-in photo album and Wi-Fi connectivity that allows for easy transfer to online photo sharing sites.

GPS Features of Sony Ericsson C905

The photo sharing features of the Sony Ericsson C905 are enhanced by the fact that the phone has advanced GPS features. This allows for geotagging of photos so that the user will always know the location of where the photos were taken. However, the GPS features of the phone are not limited to their use in improving the camera features of the phone. The system is an Assisted GPS (A-GPS) system which allows for easier tracking of the cell phone in cases of emergency and serves as a great safety feature for the phone. This phone is not useful in place of a stand-alone GPS device but would be useful for the average person who wants to be able to add GPS / geotagging features to the camera functions of the phone while also allowing for enhanced safety because the phone’s location can be recognized by emergency response systems.

Additional Features of Sony Ericsson C905

The camera phone features of the Sony Ericsson C905, particularly when enhanced by the GPS features of the phone, are the primary reason that someone would be interested in purchasing this mobile phone when it is released at the end of the year. However, there are other features of the Sony Ericsson C905 camera phone which make it an appealing purchase. This is a fully-functional phone with some of the advanced features of a smartphone. Here is a look at a few of those features:

• Wi-Fi connectivity. The Sony Ericsson C905 is fully capable of connecting to the Internet using standard WLAN technology. It is capable of wirelessly transferring your photos from the phone for viewing on your television or PC. And it has blog link features that make it simple to upload photos from the device directly to your personal or professional blog. When looked at closely, the Sony Ericsson stands up to scrutiny in terms of the advanced Wi-Fi capability that it offers. This is something that is increasingly in demand from even average consumers and something that is rare to find in a fully-functional camera phone. The majority of high-speed Wi-Fi phones have only adequate camera phone features so the Sony Ericsson C905 stands out as a leader in this area. This phone also supports DLNA which is essentially a high-speed media-sharing platform that runs on top of Wi-Fi; this makes it much easier to share photos via this phone than you might be used to from other camera phones that you have used in the past.
• Advanced media player. People interested in listening to their music libraries on their cell phones will have no problem doing so on this device. It is also compatible with Apple iSync software which means that the phone can be synced with an iPod device.
• FM radio. For people who want to supplement their media libraries, the phone offers FM radio with RDS and GraceNote Track ID services. This means that new music can be found and identified through the use of the phone as a radio.
• Great memory. The Sony Ericsson C905 has 160 MB of internal memory and comes with a 2 GB Memory Stick Micro Card. Additional memory can be added to this phone (up to 32 GB possible). This is particularly important for a phone that is designed to be a camera since you’re going to want to be able to store all of the photos that you take on the phone’s photo album for easy viewing and sharing. A high level of memory allows for this without taking away from the other functions of the phone.
• Long-lasting battery. The Sony Ericsson C905 is designed to haev a long-lasting battery. This makes sense since you wouldn’t want to risk running out of battery power in the middle of nowhere where you might want to have the camera out for a lot of picture-taking. The Sony Ericsson C905 should be able to last up to 380 hours in standby mode or up to nine hours of continuous talk time when operating on GSM networks. The 3G models of the phone last a slightly shorter period of time but are still long-lasting batteries.

Design of the Sony Ericsson C905

Everyone knows that it’s important to buy a mobile phone because of the features and functionality that it will offer to the user. However, people also want their phone to be stylish. The design of the Sony Ericsson C905 camera phone is intended to meet that consumer desire. Based on the design of a digital camera, rather than that of a phone, it has a distinct look which is considered edgy. It has a 2.4” high-quality, scratch-resistant screen that is great for viewing the photos taken on the device. This camera design is combined with a slider-phone design for a look that’s truly unique. For those people seeking a phone that looks different in a good way, the Sony Ericsson C905 is certainly an attention-getter.

Some have complained that the camera-design of the phone makes it hefty in comparison to other phones. However, it’s lighter than some of the smartphone models out there and isn’t considered to be prohibitively clunky considering the camera features that it offers. The unique styling of the phone is trend-setting and offers something catchy for the eye to latch on to. In addition to the edgy design of the phone, it comes in three different colors (copper gold, ice silver and night black) to offer styling choices to the consumer who is interested in purchasing the phone.

Sony Ericsson C905 Release Date

The official release date for the Sony Ericsson C905 was October 7th 2008 but there has been some speculation that this is going to be brought forward to the end August/start September in response to recent releases from Nokia and Samsung.

Summary of Sony Ericsson C905

The Sony Ericsson C905 is a leading example of a new type of phone that is designed to offer consumers the ability to reduce the number of stand-alone devices that they carry to just a single device that can do it all. The main feature of this phone is the advanced camera phone capability that it offers but it also serves well as a cell phone with mp3 player functions and A-GPS abilities. The Sony Ericsson C905 is not a smartphone in the true sense of the word but it offers many of the things that people are seeking from smartphones (such as Wi-Fi connectivity) along with the advanced camera features that serve as its core appeal. The one drawback of the phone seems to be its weight and size in comparison with other camera phones but many say this is a small price to pay for the features available with the phone – and it’s better than carrying around a phone and a second device for your digital camera needs. In terms of something new and different that improves upon what’s already in the market, this is certainly a phone to be watched carefully as it begins to hit shelves later this year.

We have no doubt that the C905 will be impressive but it is going to have some very stiff competition from likes of the 8 megapixel Samsung Pixon as well as the similar spec LG Renoir KC910. The upcoming Blackberry Storm will also have a stake in this market, so it looks like things are definitely set to hot up in this area of the mobile phone market.