Cell phones these days have almost run out of wow factors. From turning your iPhone into a set of golf clubs, to being able to race Crash Bandicoot through another poorly thought out storyline, there seems to be nothing new under the sun. Unfortunately, the Sony Ericsson G705 does not break this trend. But to be honest with you, it is one of the better phones I have reviewed all year, simply because it is just a really good phone.
It does not have a touch screen, nor does it have an accelerometer, but what it does have are the straightforward tools that make using it a pleasure. It has a simple slide design with keys that make it easy to type, a task made simpler by its amazing predictive text features. One issue with the design is that unlike most slide phones, calls are not ended when the top is slid down. Apart from that, the design conveys elegance and sleekness.
The software is really easy to navigate. The G705 has enough internal memory, around 120MB, to keep all of your contacts and email addresses, along with some songs that your friend “Blue toothed” to you. Its web browser is easy to use, and its Wi-Fi and 3G capability allows for some seriously fast browsing. It also has a great 3.3MP camera which in today’s +5 Megapixel world is not amazing, but it is more than good enough for the odd picture of a passed out drunken mate on a flight of stairs. The screen display picture of said drunken mate is, you guessed it, not amazing, but its resolution is far better than most Nokia N-Series.
Like many new cell phones it has a GPS receiver that partners Wayfinder and Google Maps. Though dependant on an internet connection, it still does a rather good job in showing you the best way to get around town. It has built in “Places of Interest” that will direct you to the nearest restaurant or bar to chill with your mates.
For the price it’s not the most interesting cell phone out there. It may be difficult to rationalize spending R3000 on a phone with few specifically remarkable features. But cutting edge features are not what this phone is about; Sony Ericsson has other models for that. What is marvellous about this phone is it focuses on performing all the tasks of a normal cell phone, really well. As SMS can be composed with the elegance of writing a haiku, and its ability to help organise every aspect of your life, social, studying and even family (occasionally) is phenomenal.
So even though it does not make coffee, or allow me to virtually blow up Bernie Maddoff, it remains one of the best cell phones that I have used in a long time.
Arieh Esra
Staff Writer
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