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.
< Prev Next
>
This article is Copyright 2002-2008 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in
part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed
medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on
reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please
contact us. |
