Beam me up, Sony

Sony Ericsson has rolled out its second attempt at a touch screeen smartphone in the shape of the new, futuristic-looking Vivaz. The company has always focused on the music and photo capabilities of its phones, and the Vivaz is no exception, flaunting HD video capability.

But can a mobile phone match the quality of a dedicated imaging device while packing the functions of a smartphone?

FIRST IMPRESSION

Out of the box, the Vivaz feels like a futuristic concept phone, void of internal components. A close relation to its predecessor, the Satio, it is ultra-light at 97g and goes almost unnoticed in the pocket.

Closer inspection reveals some sleek contoured curves to match the Star Trek feel, and some well-concealed buttons around the plasticky perimeter.

HARDWARE

The Vivaz features a 3.2-inch LCD screen with 640x360 resolution that displays adequate colours, but is difficult to see in direct sunlight. The 720MHz processor handles the much-hyped HD video capability of the phone well and might be at home on the USS Enterprise, but lags with its archaic Symbian S60 operating system.

The 8.1-megapixel camera also offers impressive results in daylight, similar to a low-end compact camera, but much better than most smartphones. And the camera also captures 720p HD video, offering impressive output more similar to a camera or low-end camcorder than a mobile phone. The bundled 8GB microSD card is needed for HD footage. And the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome step up from the Satio, as is the universal micro USB charger port. There is no excuse for manufacturer-specific ports on smartphones these days.

FUNCTIONALITY

The overall experience of the phone is hampered by the sluggish response time of the touch screen.

Another important aspect is the method of text input, which is offered in a variety of ways on the Vivaz, none of which is satisfying. The iPhone still reigns supreme in this regard, with its virtual keyboard used in landscape orientation.

The web-browsing experience with the Vivaz also leaves something to be desired as, while Wi-Fi speed is snappy, the touch screen again just isn't responsive enough.

Many activities require the use of the bundled stylus, which is an annoying dependence on more (easily lost) equipment.

The button positioning is questionable as the hold button (probably the most used) is housed on the top edge, and annoyingly needs to be pressed twice to be activated.

Battery life is above average for such a light device, offering more than a day's worth of charge with heavy use, and more than a weekend with moderate usage.

SOFTWARE

The inclusion of the Symbian S60 operating system is probably the phone's biggest downfall. It is a step backward for Sony Ericsson, which has made a soiree into the Android arena - now the future of phone operating systems - and is a missed opportunity to go ahead of the Vivaz's main competitor, the Nokia X6, which also carries the Symbian OS.

The home screen and menu layout are intuitive enough, but many options are hidden away in hard-to-access sub-menus.

The multi-tasking feature is also annoying as it leaves unwanted apps running, sapping precious resources.

Also, with the average sensitivity of the touch screen, scrolling is difficult and social network integration fails to rival that of the BlackBerrry software.

PlayNow, the app store of the phone, is simple enough to use, but a little expensive and archaic, and lags behind the Apple App Store and Android Market.

And, while the messaging function is okay, its lacks conversation layout, and the auto rotation of the screen from portrait to landscape is a little slow - an indicator of a laggy system.

CONCLUSION

The space age-looking Vivaz brags lightness and impressive camera and video capabilities, which will lure many users with a preference for such features.

But the poor app access, average responsive touch screen and many minor flaws of the Symbian S60 operating system hold it back.

To move forward in the touch screen smartphone race, Sony Ericsson must switch operating systems, and bring all specs up to speed, or it will continue to follow the big players.