11th July 2006 - Vodafone’s new, exclusive 3G-powered Sony Ericsson V630i may look new on the outside but inside it harbours a very familiar secret. What could it be? Let’s find out...

-Two-megapixel camera -Video calling and streaming -Expandable memory -Vodafone Radio DJ -Size 102x46x17mm -Weight 91g -Display 256,000 colours -Display resolution 176x220 pixels -Camera Two megapixels -Video recording / playback Yes/Yes -Audio playback MP3, AAC -Connectivity Bluetooth, USB -Internal memory 10MB -Memory card slot MemoryStick Micro M2 (256MB card supplied) -Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, IM -Email client POP3, SMTP, IMAP4 -Ringtones Polyphonic, MP3, AAC -Internet browser WAP, HTML -Frequency Tri-band + 3G -Java Yes -Games TBC -Talktime 420 minutes -Standby 350 hours

Certain handset manufacturers become synonymous with certain mobile forms. Samsung, for example, has made the slider form its own and from the success has spawned an army of skaters. With Sony Ericsson it’s the candybar format.

From the T610 through to the K700i and onto today’s W810i and K800i, a Sony Ericsson candybar phone is instantly recognisable. It may have recently experimented with the slider action on the new Walkman W850i, flirted with the swivel technology on the S700i and peddled numerous clamshells, but the candybar has indelibly marked itself on Sony Ericcson’s design psyche. It’s inescapable.

So it’s no surprise to see that the latest 3G candybar to appear at 3G.co.uk has a familiar feel to it. Exclusive to Vodafone, the V630i is essentially the K610i but retooled with a musical bent. In fact, it’s like Frankenstein’s Monster – a composite of other existing Sony candybars.

As we’ve mentioned, the innards and features are pure K610i; the keypad and soft/call key area is reminiscent of the K800i Cyber-shot camera phone and the five-way navigation pad, complete with music controls, is an identical transplant from the W810i. Acolytes of Sony Ericsson’s recent run of winning candybars will find nothing new here. The only major difference is that the V630i uses Vodafone’s proprietary interface, but this closely mirrors Sony Ericsson’s own system anyway so it shouldn’t be difficult to master.

Those of you who regularly read 3G.co.uk will know how much we rate Sony Ericsson’s Disc2phone music software. With the V630i, it works in the same intuitive way as the Walkman range, letting you rip your CD tracks or transfer your existing library to your phone via USB. If you want to just drag’n’drop your music files then the V630i is also recognised as a mass storage device on your computer. Disappointingly, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack adapter for plugging in your quality cans, and the supplied in-ear headphones are inferior to the normal Walkman fare. Despite this setback, the audio quality was still very listenable, with sound settings on hand to enhance the fidelity. The V630i also supports the A2DP Bluetooth profile for wireless audio streaming to compatible stereo headphones.

3G Streaming Radio DJ

As expected for a phone customised for Vodafone, the V630i is geared towards accessing the network’s entertainment services like Radio DJ and Mobile TV. Although not unique to the worldwide web (check out www.pandora.com for a taste of tailored radio), Radio DJ is the first convergence radio technology to hit the mobile space. This exclusive Vodafone service is trained to play songs according to your tastes.

Streamed over a 3G network, you nominate which of the songs playing you like or dislike and Sony’s NetServices technology will analyse the beats, harmonies and rhythms using special sound recognition trickery. It will then skip to the next song similar to your musical inclination. Of course, if your tastes are eclectic you can customise a number of radio stations to cater for different genres or listen to Vodafone’s preset radio stations. With hundreds of thousands of songs at your disposal, the net is cast wide. Vodafone also charges a flat monthly subscription instead of data rates, and you can also access Radio DJ on your PC.

All your multimedia content will be stored on Sony Ericsson’s answer to the TransFlash card, the MemoryStick Micro M2. A 256MB card is supplied, enough to stockpile around 60 songs encoded in AAC format at 128Kbps, and assuming you don’t stock up on other multimedia content. However, Sony Ericsson has 1GB capacity M2 cards available should 256MB be insufficient.

Compared to the photos delivered by its fellow two-megapixel camphones like the K750i, W810i and W900i, the V630i suffers a little in quality. Picture resolution is 1600x1200 pixels, compared with the 1632x1224 of its aforementioned compadres, and tricks like autofocus and macro are missing. Alongside identical photos taken by a W810i, those by the V630i look washed out and display a greenish tint. It won’t spoil your enjoyment too much but that little extra capability does make a difference. Also integrated with the camera is the eBlogger service, which lets you automatically send in and post your photos online to your blog.
We can’t deny that the V630i is cracking compact 3G multimedia phone, but unless you’re really desperate to experience Vodafone’s entertainment services or need to easily control your mobile music, then we recommend you wait until the K610i hits the shops. It’s a classier and sexier looking phone.

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