I am quite impressed with the built quality of Sony Ericsson clamshell cellphones in the past, I bought myself a T39 a few years back and it is still operational untill now. Unlike Motorola which always have problem with the hinges T39 are built sturdy and long lasting. Z520i are packed with feature and built for the budget concious in mind.

The designers are having an increasing influence in the world of cellular telephony and Sony Ericsson’s Z520i

comes to confirm that.

Aside from a stylish design, Z520i also incorporates the latest technological breakthroughs. The quad-band type band is Bluetooth compatible, has a VGA resolution digital camera, 4X digital zoom, 1.8 inch 65,000 colors and 128 x 165 pixel LCD, but also a secondary 1 inch display with 4,096 colors and STN technology.

The main advantage regarding customization is the collection of Style-Up cases which transform the phone in a perfectly matched accessory.

Z520i allows playing MP3/AAC audio files, MPEG4 video files, 3GPP and 3D games, which are stored on the 16MB internal memory which unfortunately cannot be increased through a memory card.

The phone is Bluetooth, USB, infrared connectable and supports PC synchronization. The commercial availability of this model was announced for the third quarter of this year.

Features
Quality and clarity
If a cool clamshell with every possible customising option is what you want, theSony Ericsson Z520i on O2 is for you. You can change the front and back covers, and have any combination of ringtones, images and light effects play when a call comes in. And you can have a unique combination for your favourite friends in your phone book.

JavaTM technology
Thanks to Java technology, you can further enhance your phone with interactive, vibrant games, which can be downloaded and stored in the handset. They are easy to delete, so you don’t have to worry about cluttering up your memory.

Almost everyone has downloaded screen savers and ring tones to their mobile phone at some time, and now with this added Java technology, this should proved hours of fun and entertainment for everyone.

Sounds amazing
The O2 Sony Ericsson Z520i uses the new hi-fi ring tone technology called “polyphonic”. Its obvious that a great deal of research has gone into making the most of the amazing sound quality, the clarity and loudness of the sound at full volume simply defies belief.

Mobile Internet
You can connect to the Internet for a whole range of information and services. You can surf the web to find out restaurant listings, sports results and news, the latest film reviews. All this and more at your very fingertips.

Quad-band
Operating on 4 different GSM frequencies (GSM850, GSM900, GSM1800 and GSM1900) means unrivalled coverage world-wide with roaming capability in over 120 countries. The addition of GSM850 means more widespread coverage in North America

Bluetooth
The Sony Ericsson Z520i supports Bluetooth wireless connectivity which allows the phone to communicate with other Bluetooth devices such as headsets, digital cameras and laptops without any wires and up to 10m away.
Discreet
Don’t want to make a fuss? You’ll just love the O2 Sony Ericsson Z520i silent vibrating alert then.

Colour and light
The Sony Z520i combines crisp and clear colour menus, animated wallpapers and content with unique and sophisticated light patterns that light up the phone when a call comes in and when you receive a message. Impressive colour and cool light.

Mobile Internet
Incorporating the latest technology for WAP 2.0 mobile internet, you can use WAP to access a range of information from the Internet, via your Z520i’s, high-resolution display, including news, travel and information.

GPRS…
As the Sony Ericsson Z520i supports GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), you will be able to take advantage of this virtually permanent connection to your network, and you will only be charged for the amount of data that you transfer, and not the amount of time that your online.

MMS…
The Ericsson Z520i supports MMS (Multimedia Message Service) for Multimedia text messaging. This new technology allows you to send sounds, pictures, animations and formatted text in your message. These messages can then be exchanged between friends and family with MMS enabled mobile phones.

Mobile email
The Sony Z520i allows you to send and receive emails from your handset, so you don’t have to go to the trouble of finding a pc and landline. You can email while you’re on the move, or when you’re sitting at home or at work. Mobile email has never been easier.

Quickshare
Quickshare is Sony Ericsson’s unique simple way to send a multimedia message, simply take a picture and then within a few clicks you have sent it. In independent tests it has been ranked the easiest way to share your pictures. Keep it simple with Quickshare.

Personalise
Why not personalise your phones display graphics? Download screensavers and wallpapers to completely transform your O2 Sony Ericsson Z520i mobile phone to suit your needs! But don’t stop there! You can also download your favourite ringing tones to make it truly yours.

Specs
Dimensions
93 x 46 x 24 mm

Weight
96 g

Memory
16 MB shared memory

Main Display
TFT
176 x 160 pixels
65K colour graphic

External Display
CSTN
101 x 80 pixels
4096 colour graphic

Digital Camera
VGA
640 x 480 pixels

Battery
up to 9 hr talktime
up to 400 hr standby

Features
VGA camera
Polyphonic sound
Ringtone composer
Downloadable games
Downloadable ringtones
Exchangeable covers
MP3/MPEG4 player
USB port
Video player
Bluetooth
Picture editor
Organiser
Voice memo
USB port
Built-in handsfree
Voice dial/mail
Email
Java
WAP 2.0
Quad band
SyncML
GPRS
EMS
MMS
T9

Although there are quite a few who disagrees that Z520i is a great phone but i beg to differs, I mean look at the price! At around USD240 what more could you ask for ? This phone is mainly targetted at those who are on a tight budget.

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