Sony Ericsson's Vivaz is aimed at those who want high megapixel stills and HD ready video shooting alongside a whole host of other top-notch features. So, the list of what is built in includes an 8.1-megapixel stills camera, video shooting to 720p, Wi-Fi, HSDPA, GPS and some support for social networking apps too.

The physical design is slightly quirky in that there is a curvature to the back and to the top and bottom edges. It is subtle, but does make the handset look rather different to the norm. Considering the 8.1-megapixel camera this is a small and light handset at 107 x 52 x 12.5mm and 97g. We do have two complaints: the plastic build materials make the Vivaz feel like a less expensive phone than its asking price demands, and side-mounting the headset connector is impractical. At least it is 3.5mm and not Sony Ericsson proprietary this time.

The front has three buttons beneath the screen for Call, End and the main menu. The bulk of the front of the Vivaz is occupied by a 3.2-inch touchscreen which offers 360 x 640 vibrant pixels. Being resistive rather than capacitive means it is less responsive to the finger than we'd like, and it lacks multi-touch.

The Vivaz runs Symbian S60 5th Edition. We find the user interface far less slick than, say, Android. For example, sometimes you have to double-tap, sometimes single-tap to get things done. Sony Ericsson augments S60 with five main screens between which you can finger-sweep. By default four of these offer contacts, Twitter, gallery and app shortcuts, with the fifth blank.

It is the camera that will draw you to this handset, though. Data is automatically stored on a microSD card and the phone comes with an 8GB card to get you started. You have to remove the backplate to get to it but you can leave the battery in place, which is a helpful touch. The 720p video shooting is surprisingly good, especially if you choose conditions where there is good external lighting. The continuous focus mode works well unless you like to move the handset around quickly.

The stills camera does a fair job, too, but there are some issues. There is a lack of sharpness and the colour rendition isn't as good as it could be. And for a handset which is aimed at the photographer and video fan, a xenon flash instead of the supplied LED light might have been a good idea. Still, there are plenty of options including face and smile detection, geotagging, macro mode and a panorama option.

Sony Ericsson adds in clients for Facebook, Twitter and IM, a YouTube player, BBC iPlayer, Google Maps and some games, as well as a decent music player and FM radio.

Verdict
Neither video nor stills shooting are entirely without their problems, and we aren't bowled over by S60 either. But these things noted, the 720p video shooting could still be a lure for you.

Company: Sony Ericsson

Contact: 08705 237 237

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