The Sony Ericsson Z710i is a quality phone with an excellent music player. The device offers a number of multimedia extras, including a 2-megapixel camera, but it is audiophiles that the mobile phone will please the most.

On the outside of the Z710i is a large external LCD that measures 1-1/2 inches diagonally. This ample size is quite welcome, and it makes for very pleasant navigation of playlists and songs when using the music player. On the edge of the screen are external music controls, which are comfortable to use, easy to find by feel, and you don't have to open the phone to navigate songs. Operation of the music player is intuitive, and should you receive a phone call while listening, your song is automatically paused. After you finish the call, a single press of a button resumes the music. Perhaps the best thing about this device is its music interface: Most mobile phones keep the features of the music player to a minimum, but on the Z710i you can shuffle files by album or song, and you can search through files by artist, album, track, or playlist. Song information is easy to read on the large external screen and the brightness and backlighting are excellent. Unfortunately, the screen is monochrome, so you don't get album art and the simplicity of this colorless LCD does give the phone a cut-rate feel. Additionally, the screen does not support Photo ID nor can the screen be used as a viewfinder for the camera.

The phone has an equalizer for customizing the bass and treble. Additionally, frequent flyers will appreciate the ability to turn the phone off and retain the ability to listen to music. Numerous audio formats are supported on the Z710i, including MP3, MP4, WAV, and AAC files. You can also use your MP3 files to double as ring tones.

When you open the phone, a stellar LCD is revealed. The screen supports up to 262K colors and pictures are vivid and bright. Beneath the screen is the keypad with buttons that are distinct, making it exceptionally easy to dial phone numbers by feel. On the back of the Z710i is the speakerphone, which also works with the music player. This positioning is bothersome, being that the external screen with the song information must face the other direction. The quality of sound output is solid and rich, but unfortunately, music is not delivered in stereo, which is somewhat surprising given the manufacturer of the device. However, some retailers include a stereo headset included with the phone, though it is not wireless. You can hook up your own stereo Bluetooth headset.

Built in to the Z710i is a 2-megapixel camera that offers good picture quality, even at the lesser resolutions (three options are available), and right beside the lens is a mirror for self-portraits. The camera also has a self-timer. If you're a fanatic about self-portraits, you'll appreciate the multi-shot mode, which allows for pictures to be taken in succession, so you can get that smile to be just the way you want it. Unfortunately, there is no flash, but there is a 2.5x zoom and quite a few other options such as a panorama mode, color effects, night mode, and fun frames. You can also adjust things such as white balance and brightness.

Meanwhile, there is also a video option that takes decent quality clips. Both videos and pictures can be used for Caller ID purposes (as can distinctive ringers), but the files show up on the internal LCD--somewhat defeating, considering the purpose. Video and picture files can be sent via MMS, but video must be limited to two minutes and the highest resolution for pictures cannot be sent. If you're simply saving files onto the phone, all you have to worry about is how much space is left on the phone. The internal memory is somewhat paltry at 10MB, but the Z710i has a slot for a Memory Stick Micro that can hold up to 2GB of files. The stick that comes with the phone is 64MB (which will fill up very fast if you're much of an audiophile).

The Z710i is not 3G enabled, so music is imported through an included USB cable. You can download things such as wallpaper, ring tones, and games though through the WAP 2.0 wireless browser, which is pretty sluggish given today's standards. Given this low-level internet connectivity, it is somewhat surprising that the Z710i offers push e-mail, meaning that you get your messages in real time without having to constantly check for new arrivals.

As for more ordinary features, the Z710i offers a 1000-contact phonebook with each entry capable of holding five phone numbers, and e-mail address, a web address, and quite a bit of other information including birthdates. And if you need even more space, the SIM card can accommodate an additional 250 contacts.

Call quality for the phone is quite good, with reception that was free from dropped packets or crackles. The microphone didn't have the best of noise-canceling properties and managed to pick up ambient noise and wind in outdoor locations. Still, the amount of interference wasn't enough to make the call terribly bothersome. If you're using this device primarily as a phone, you'll be very impressed with the talk time of nine hours and almost two weeks of standby. If you're using the music player quite a bit, however, these figures will suffer some. The phone comes in two colors: twilight black and metallic sand. Overall, the Sony Ericsson Z710i is a solid buy for people who want access to music but also want a quality phone.

Pros: External music controls, good reception, great music player interface, vivid internal LCD
Cons: Monochrome external LCD, no stereo speakers, sluggish network connection

Warranty
1 year