Screen

Displaying a 4K-color, the 80 x 101 px external LCD offers convenient status and access to carrier, time and date, and signal and better levels. However it's a bit disappointing. Built on CSTN (Color Super-Twist Nematic) technology, the contrast is dull, rendering it virtually unusable in direct sunlight.

The internal 65K-color internal screen is a bit better. Having a resolution of 128 x 160 px, the LCD is more vivid, albeit average. Built on TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, the contrast is better than the external LCD, however even in direct sunlight, the screen is barely usable.

TFT, rather than STN, has circuit transistors are placed directly on the glass; technology allowing for faster refresh rates resulting from not having to scan each pixel location. Additionally, colors are brighter and more vivid. However as a drawback, TFT LCDs require more power than STN, so external screens typically use STN technology to prolong battery life.

Overall, the Z520a's LCDs are average. Not keeping up with advancing technology, the 4K-color and 65K-color screens were present in last year's models. Being difficult to use outdoors, consumers may need to shield the sunlight to see who's calling.

Audio

Supporting up to 40 simultaneous chords, the Sony Ericsson Z520a plays polyphonic ringtones beautifully. Through the MIDI format, polyphonic ringtones can be composed, edited, and sent using the built-in MusicDJ sound synthesizer program.

Also capable of MP3 ringtones, consumers can record ringtones from an audio source. Rather than polyphonic ringtones which plays "sheet music" through a local synthesizer, MP3s are an exact duplicate of the recorded source. So real music with lyrics or recorded voice can be turned into a ringtone.

Consumers can also listen to music using the Z520a as a portable MP3 player. Through the Media Player software, MP3s up to 192 kbps can be stored for local playback. Even an Equalizer is included for adjustments to Bass, Voice, and Treble levels. The folder system allows users to organize their favorite songs into groups and create simple playlists. Other audio file formats supported include MP4, M4A, 3GP, audio encoded in AAC or AMR, and WAV (PCM).

The MP3 player is actually quite nice. However it wasn't a major concern to Sony Ericsson. Limited memory and lack of expansion slot, at about 16 MB, less than 10 songs will be able to be put on the Z520a, making it almost useless.

A unique feature on the Z520a is light effects. A customization option for users, blue lights lining the outer rim of the Z520a illuminate alerting the user of incoming calls or new messages. In addition to setting light effect patterns for specific events, consumers can set different patterns to various contacts.

The Z520a comes with several preinstalled light effects, with some that are synchronized to audio ringtones to respond to the rhythms and beats of the music. Cool and innovative, the Z520a us just plain fun, and will surely turn heads and attract attention wherever it's taken.

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