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Sony Ericsson S500i mobile phone

All flash and no features?

The S500i's remaining features are run of the mill. They include a music player; two-megapixel camera for stills and video; web browser with RSS support; and a Memory Stick Micro (M2) memory card slot. It's limited to quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge.

Sony Ericsson S500i mobile phone
Laura Ashley, actually

Thankfully, the keypad has regular spaced, normal-sized pads that are well suited to swift texting. Much of the S500i's functionality can be accessed when closed, using the circular navigation pad and accompanying soft-menu keys and shortcuts. In addition, the navigation pad is programmed for one-button access to the camera, and three other feature shortcuts can be assigned to your most used functions.

Using the navigation pad is more awkward than it is on most Sony Ericsson phones, particularly for those with without nails or delicate digits. The raised outer ring encircling the navigation pad doesn't press in as might be intuitively expected. You actually have to press inside this - while avoiding hitting the central select button.

Once you've mastered this process, menu navigation is straightforward. One-button press takes you into the main menu, which is displayed as either a grid or carousel of icons, depending on which theme you select. The S500i offers a changing Day and Night theme that cycles the look over a 24-hours period, and a nature-based Everchanging theme which changes subtly over time. Others can be downloaded if you're more city stylist than country cousin.

The user interface enables you to tab through various menu options and sub-menus fairly rapidly without losing your bearings. The Back button comes to the rescue if you're not sure where you are.

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