Sony Ericsson announces K550 and K810 Cyber-shot models
6 February 2007 by Olav Hellesø-Knutsen Sony Ericsson today announced the two K810 / K818 and K550 / K550im Cyber-shot mobile phones. Soon after announcing it has shipped 4.5 million of its Cyber-shot camera phones since the launch of the K790/K800 last summer, Sony Ericsson today introduces two new phones to the Cyber-shot phone family. Intended to deliver Cyber-shot phones to a broader audience, these phones help make sure you never miss a shot. The K810/K818 Cyber-shot phone is a sleek, high-performance device boasting a 3.2 megapixel camera including auto focus and Xenon flash. Innovative applications such as Photo fix help to further improve the quality of your pictures, even after you have taken them. Illuminated Camera Icons to the side of the main keypad, which light up when in camera mode, allow the user to access camera menu options at the touch of a button. As a compliment to this, the K550 Cyber-shot phone delivers the benefits of the Cyber-shot phone in a compact (14mm thin) form factor that places ease-of-use at its heart. Equipped with a 2.0 megapixel camera with auto focus plus LED photo light and active lens cover, the K550 helps ensure that you're always ready to shoot and share the best possible images. Add to this Bluetooth technology and Picture blogging and you have a camera phone that takes the complexity out of sharing quality images with friends and family. As a distinct variant of the K550, the K550im is the first Cyber-shot phone to support i-mode, the operator service that gives direct access to a huge range of multimedia content and email. "Worldwide, consumers are realising that the best digital camera is the one you have with you," says Steve Walker, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson. "The K800 established this and positioned the Cyber-shot phone as a credible fusion of phone and camera. Now the K810 and K550 move the market forward by introducing new applications that equate to real improvements in the customer experience, as well as introducing these phones to a whole new audience." The K810 will appeal to those using their mobile phone on a regular basis to capture quality shots while on the move. Its slender good looks belie its high specification; it's not only a UMTS device for high-speed Picture blogging, but also one of the most advanced camera phones available. When in camera mode, the Xenon flash with red eye reduction will help to achieve great picture results in low-light conditions. Equally, the new illuminated Camera Icons will allow the user to select advanced camera settings (such as picture size & self timer) by simply clicking on one of the hardkeys; so no need to navigate into the full camera menu and risk missing that special shot. No longer do poor light conditions and lack of contrast mean that the user has to delete that special picture. If a photo needs some improvement after it has been taken, then the new Photo fix solution can optimise brightness & picture contrast at the touch of a button. Meanwhile, if a user is shooting a moving object (perhaps at a sporting event), then the BestPic feature will let them take nine photos in quick succession and simply choose the best one. No point in missing the action. Sharing your pictures is easily done with the K810 Cyber-shot phone thanks to a host of connectivity options: Picture Blogging allows you to upload your shots to your own blog site, whilst Bluetooth technology and USB 2.0 make it straightforward to share photos with friends or connect to your PC. The K810 Cyber-shot phone is a UMTS 2100 (GSM 900/1800/1900) device available within Q2 2007. In addition, the K818 is a GSM variant intended specifically for China where 3G services are not established. Both will be available in two stylish colours: Noble Blue and Golden Ivory. Even if you are new to camera phone photography or the Cyber-shot phone menu, the new K550 is designed to be an intuitive integration of highly-specified digital camera with a mobile phone. Simply by sliding open the lens cover, the camera is activated and the Cyber-shot menu appears in the phone's screen, which at 1.9" serves as a clear viewfinder. And, once an image has been captured, sharing it can be done in a number of ways, each one a simple process; Picture blogging again makes it simple to send images to a blog site; support for Memory Stick Micro (M2) allows the user to transfer images easily between compatible devices and Bluetooth 2.0 provides for simple sharing with other phones and Bluetooth-equipped devices. If a user wishes to print out their latest holiday pictures, PictBridge makes it possible to print directly via USB (provided in-box) from the K550 to a compatible printer; cutting out the computer and the complexity. As the first Cyber-shot phone to support i-mode, the K550im (distinct from the standard K550) gives the user access to a world of Internet content and email at the touch of a button. Following on from the popular K610im model, the K550im delivers a rich experience for handling imail, browsing the Internet and viewing content; all with the superior imaging capabilities synonymous with Cyber-shot phones. Available in Jet Black or Pearl White, the K550 Cyber-shot phone is guaranteed to stand out from the crowd. A Quad-Band EDGE device launching in selected markets from Q1 2007. Add more to your memories Announcing at the same time as these latest Cyber-shot phones are two new optional accessories, designed to let the user manage their calls and their photos with ease. The Desk Stand CDS-65 allows the user to speedily transfer photographs between phone and PC via USB, or simply to synchronise data between the two while charging the phone. Attach a portable handsfree and the user can enjoy voice conversations while transferring images and music. Ideal for a home or office environment and available from Q2 2007. For those who are regularly using their Cyber-shot phone (or compatible Bluetooth phone, Sony Ericsson or otherwise) on the move, the Bluetooth Car Speakerphone HCB-120 attaches effortlessly to a car's sun visor and provides for safer handsfree calling. With a digital display to show who is calling, and leading talk/stand-by times (up to 24 and 450 hours respectively), this speakerphone is a perfect compliment for the Bluetooth functionality in K550 & K810, and is compact enough for regular use in the car, office or home. A built-in tilt sensor ensures that the display reads the right way up. The HCB-120 will be available from Q2 2007. The K810/K818 & K550/K550im at a glance:
Comments On 19 Feb 15:59 Diana wrote Is the video recording in the same resolution (176*144), because it's really sad and bad ........please answer soooooon if anyones know! love you all SONY FANS Diana! On 14 Feb 19:51 Shyam wrote k810.... it has a bluetooth stereo capability which enables listening to music on BT handsfree. Other than this, the new features like image/video stabilizer, taking 9 shots at the touch of a button to select the best one later (BestPic), red-eye reduction, xenon flash are mouth-watering features, which even enables one to take night-pictures. Also looks like this phone is designed for some multi-tasking like playing a game while on conversation, sending msg while browsing etc., Now the -ve one...with all these nice things, wont the battery life go down drastically..that to while using BT?? :( adding to this, this phone supports only till 1GB :( which may not be enough considering the loads of features. i should say WooooooWWW for the features. can anyone tell the indicative price of this phone? On 14 Feb 13:38 Bybird wrote I think its beautiful On 13 Feb 21:20 Shyam wrote k810.... it has a bluetooth stereo capability which enables listening to music on BT handsfree. Other than this, the new features like image/video stabilizer, taking 9 shots at the touch of a button to select the best one later (BestPic), red-eye reduction, xenon flash are mouth-watering features, which even enables one to take night-pictures. Also looks like this phone is designed for some multi-tasking like playing a game while on conversation, sending msg while browsing etc., Now the -ve one...with all these nice things, wont the battery life go down drastically..that to while using BT?? :( adding to this, this phone supports only till 1GB :( which may not be enough considering the loads of features. i should say WooooooWWW for the features. can anyone tell the indicative price of this phone? On 12 Feb 14:38 valant wrote the quality of video??? is it qcif like k800 ! On 11 Feb 22:27 rembrandt wrote Does anyone know anything about k800/k810 differences apart from external? It seems so far the only difference is in image-processing software... On 11 Feb 17:11 Mehedi wrote SE K810 is cool On 9 Feb 18:12 mark wrote k810 is a filler phone, minimal upgrades, reduced size (ie: ps2 - ps2 slim) wait for K850i, 5mp cam better video and if se are clever enough, offer a phone, software and compact bluetooth gps receiver bundle. By the way gps is possible with k800i using wayfinder and gps bluetooth receiver On 9 Feb 11:33 httpabbdcla wrote en realité ché pas quelle est la vrais difference, pour sonyericsoon ils changent que de la coque et ils le vendent a des prix incroyable,moi je disais que le K800i,K810i tous pareil On 9 Feb 03:52 mario wrote I think I must get me the N95 (gps, 5mp auto-focus cam, very nice video cam, 3.5G and EDGE !, etc, etc) and I will erase the Nokia and N95 logo and put a nice SE one over it. :) On 8 Feb 22:01 JohnM wrote Well I hope the K810 is more reliable than the K800, I had 4 and all have died on me, very poor quality. K810 design is not for me, K550 looks better IMO. 3.2MP camera? Why not 4 or 5MP? Just minor upgrade to K800 really. On 8 Feb 10:15 val wrote k810 beautiful so first world. On 8 Feb 09:14 ampha wrote I think SE adopt Nokia policy same shape & bit different function. LOL SE On 8 Feb 05:39 Kuwaiti wrote whats the difference between k800i and k810i ? loooooooool please SE dont be stupid like NOKIA On 8 Feb 02:53 kahmeelo wrote I think the key on the k810 are impressive. the k550 keys are too small. Its my next phone On 7 Feb 20:30 govigov wrote oh yeah , the keypad is definitely hideous on the k810i . the k550i os fine. On 7 Feb 20:09 DarK wrote at first I desided to buy the K800 but I did't like it shape but k810 waaw ,,,, just waitting for the new 5MB camera phone - sofia - if no news about it sO I'll take the K810 ^_^ On 7 Feb 18:50 Ranjith wrote where the hell is the 5 mp and optical zoom????? worthless upgrade from k800 to k810!!! On 7 Feb 14:24 maczz wrote go SE!!!!!!! On 7 Feb 11:17 nismo91 wrote but K550 just similar to W610i, camera 1:3.2 while K800 is 1:2.8... wonder id there;s one like S700 1:4.0 though its on 2004 On 7 Feb 10:49 nismo91 wrote K810i rocks, though it looks weird, but thats the case make it looks different from all.... I;m goin to get it instead of K800 Just if there's such walkman phone having these features... On 7 Feb 10:34 seman wrote just like sony released the ps1 then the ps1slimline.and ps2 than the ps2slimline...ps3....? On 7 Feb 08:26 troy wrote K810 a little bit stranger with the keypad.is it comfort with that design?i don't think so.but it's nice,well i just don't like the pads.that's all for now On 7 Feb 06:49 Nick wrote Well looks like another great year for SE with the latest models. KOOL On 7 Feb 06:42 xrat3d wrote Maccer !! Okay. I should resume [I was in a hurry to job] *_ I want a 5 MP with optical Carl Zeiss x3 zoom *_ CMOS image sensor, the S5K2E1FX, with 5 Megapixel (2,608 x 1,952 pixels) QSXGA resolution *_ GPS *_ can read .pdf files *_ possibility to move/transfere maps, a really OS All these are tehnically possibly but, SE like others mobile makers don't want to release them yet. I'll go for that phone who will provide all these. On 7 Feb 06:40 readfurther wrote you guys are idiots! phone has same features, yes. but is more compact and has a much better battery life. good improvement! On 7 Feb 04:40 safari wrote the keypads are so hideous! On 7 Feb 03:18 deepu wrote K810 have elevator-like buttons... yuck. On 7 Feb 03:07 hanugro wrote Agree 3.2mp is more than enough. I'd rather have optical zoom or thinner phone and hsdpa+qvga video. More mp only usefull in ideal condition (outdoor sunshine) On 7 Feb 02:58 andre wrote i dont like that k810 design......the i like the smooth curve egdes like that of the k800i...no difference on the features ...id still recommend k800i compared to k810i........the k550 is butt ugly On 7 Feb 02:13 djsaad1 wrote there was no real difference between the w800 and w810 either. This isn't the "next" phone, this is just a phone to bring up sales. On 7 Feb 00:47 Maccer wrote I don't understand why some people (Senna and xrat3d) want even more megapixels in their phone camera. What's the use of more megapixels if they are not "good" megapixels? The difference between a 2MP and 3MP sensor is almost un-noticable, simply because the rest of the camera is so bad that it can't handle the extra MP. The images take up more space but don't gain much in quality. In fact, the more megapixels you try to cram to a small sensor, the noisier the images get! I'd instead like better optics/lenses and optical zoom. On 7 Feb 00:15 DUDE wrote recyling old designs,yawn, nice one SE On 6 Feb 23:55 Bellringer wrote The K810's keypad is disgusting. It looks like little joysticks all over the phone. i think they are also not easy to use. The same as to the keypad in k550, except they don't look like joysticks On 6 Feb 23:43 strizlow800 wrote The k810 deserves a lot of respect :). It is a VERY nice phone in deed! On 6 Feb 23:16 antichrist wrote se has k750=w800=w810=w700=k610 (with insignificant diferences,except design) now it time for k800=k810=.... On 6 Feb 22:55 Renat wrote K550 best buy IMHO On 6 Feb 22:36 Senna wrote Uhm the K810 is ugly, it's exactly the same as the K800 so not much of an upgrade. Come SE make a better Cyber-Shot phone don't stick with 3.2 MP! On 6 Feb 22:18 Renat wrote K550 best by IMHO On 6 Feb 22:18 badback2 wrote seems like SE have taken on the VW stance tweek here tweek there I just dont know why they even bothered On 6 Feb 21:47 mozes wrote Nice features,but ugly as hell On 6 Feb 21:33 Hameed wrote I have said this several times,SE seems to have taken on some old 'Nocare' hands.I can't seem to see the difference between the K810 and the K800,what gives.. On 6 Feb 20:33 Prom1 wrote I TOLD YOU ALL that all these rumored phones - no dis to Sharilon & his hard work - that SE is resting on their laurels and NOT giving us the kind of innovation that we're used to. On 6 Feb 20:26 xrat3d wrote K810?? What's the difference to K800i ? No tnx. I'll stick with my old K800i and waiting for a 5 MPixel cam and GPS On 6 Feb 20:16 Ibinco wrote Oh my lord....Ugly update for the k800i. On 6 Feb 20:11 t3ex wrote A k800 in diffirent shell.. imo an ugly shell with mobiano keypad. haha still QCIF video LAWL!! On 6 Feb 20:09 TheIT wrote I wouldnt be surprised if they were photoshopped, but they are definitely official ^_^ Great phones SE, I just wish you would stop bringing out new phones with old technology :( On 6 Feb 19:57 kulorex wrote Yes! Yes! Yes! Sweet design! FOTA sounds cool! This is from SE! Lets face it. SE is top on Mobile Imaging and Music. What do u think...if we keep up with this trend...Well...GO SE! On 6 Feb 19:32 Man wrote These are official pictures the K810i buttons look really wkd and the smoothed look on the handsets are sweet On 6 Feb 19:31 Xugaa wrote Nice, but not enough to make me upgrade from my K800 On 6 Feb 19:27 daviep wrote k810 is a nice update to the k800.i wonder if the k800 will be discontinued? On 6 Feb 19:16 pce54 wrote the k550 is same as teh w610 but with a different case, (k750, w800!), i must say i'm starting to like the look of the k810 buttons, now i just gotta decied to get the k810 or w880!! On 6 Feb 17:43 WhiteEye wrote Are those official pics?? Looks photoshopped... On 6 Feb 17:43 Faseeh wrote K810 is Kool to look and it has good features On 6 Feb 17:33 bored wrote whats the difference between k800 and k810? On 6 Feb 17:28 kooki wrote k810 is SWEEEEET |