Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a 8.1 MP Camera Phone, Silver (AT&T)

The Sony Ericsson C905a is an excellent multimedia companion with a 8.1-megapixel camera, easy links to your blog and Facebook, a digital audio player with Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and more.

The C905a is packed with advanced camera functionality, such as auto focus, face detection, and a Xenon flash with red-eye reduction.

AT&T Services
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA), which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) While using Video Share with family and friends is a fun way to communicate, it's also very useful for business. For example, a majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so.

Other features include Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion to 8 GB, and access to email and instant messaging.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal.

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

Phone Features
The Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a has a unique 2.4-inch display (240 x 320 pixels, 262K color depth) made of mineral glass--the same material used in watch crystals--which offers excellent scratch resistance and is great for showcasing your photos and videos. It sits above a square navigation area that features icons around the toggle that are illuminated when the C905a is held horizontally in camera mode--so you know it's ready to take pictures even in low-light conditions. The navigation area is surrounded by two soft navigation keys, send/end keys, a shortcut key, and a clear key. To dial a number, just slide the handset's face upwards to reveal the alpha-numeric keypad.

The C905a has a 160 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards up to 8 GB in size. The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contacts, and it features multiple numbers per contact (as well as up to three email addresses), support for caller groups, and picture/ringer ID capabilities.

Sliding open the camera lens cover automatically engages the camera application on the phone. The still camera can capture images up to 8.1 megapixels (with your choice of four resolution options and two quality settings), and it also features a 16x digital zoom, Xenon flash, and auto rotate. The Face Detection and Auto Focus capability enables the camera to detect and focus on the face of your subject rather than the background, so that you can take sharp and high quality pictures of your friends. The phone also incorporates the latest in lighting technology--Photo Flash--giving you better quality pictures even in low-light conditions.

An image stabilizer compensates for those small movements, reducing the chance that your photo comes out blurred. The Smart Contrast function automatically compensates for shadows or unnaturally bright light in a shot. The BestPic function gives you nine chances to capture the precise moment you want. As well as your shot, the phone takes four images as you press the button, and another four afterwards. Pick the one you want, trash the rest. Select the Photo Fix function to improve pictures that you think can be better. In a one-click operation, brightness, light and contrast are adjusted to give you the best possible picture.

If you want the people in your pictures to be happy, just activate Smile Shutter. The camera waits until your subject beams that broad grin--then it automatically snaps the picture. Finally, take advantage of your C905a's GPS location-based service capabilities by geo-tagging your photos with precise information about where they were taken.

In addition to still photos, the phone can also capture video clips, with videos for messaging capped at approximately 20 seconds and those meant for saving to your PC running for as long as you have available space. It can record as a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) at 30 frames per second (fps).

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable).

The digital audio player is compatible with a wide variety of formats, including MP3 and AAC/AAC+. Additionally, you can play MPEG4 and 3GPP videos. With the TrackID service, you can identify any song that you can hear by just recording a snippet of sound using the microphone. After sending the file for recognition, you'll have the name, artist and album sent to your phone. It also includes a built-in FM radio with RDS, which displays the name of the currently playing song (when tuned to compatible radio stations).

Other features include:

• Upload photos and video straight to your Blogger account or Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube pages.
• Accelerometer auto-rotation--Enjoy your pictures in portrait or landscape mode. To move between modes, simply rotate the phone and the picture follows.
• Photo feeds--Use Photo feeds to check your own and your friends' blogs. Access them all from one place: your phone's Media photo album.
• Flight mode allows you to safely use the non-wireless functions of this phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight
• Mobile Email and Instant Messenger for quick and easy access on the go (instant messaging via AOL, Windows Live, Yahoo!)
• USB mass storage capabilities
• Access to YouTube streaming videos
• Video Player with support for MPEG4, AMR, H.263, WMV file formats
• Organizer tools: calendar, calculator, alarm clock, tasks, timer, notes, stopwatch
• Personalize with downloadable games, graphic, ringtones and applications

Vital Statistics
The Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.09 x 1.93 x 0.71 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.6 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G frequencies (UMTS/HSDPA).