Sony Ericsson has taken the opportunity to plaster the HD logo all over the promotional material for the upcoming Vivaz and over the phone itself. This is because the Vivaz not only has the ability to capture high resolution still images thanks to the 8.1 megapixel censor, but it can also shoot video in the HD resolution of 720p. Whilst this is not quite full HD, it seems as if mobiles are quickly moving towards that ultimate goal. During development the Vivaz was known by the codename Kurara and there is little question that the rebranding has certainly made a good stab at expressing the impressive visual capabilities of this smartphone.

It is sensible to delve into the all-important photographic and video shooting credentials offered by the Vivaz first and foremost, as these are set to be the main draws for any potential buyers. First of all still images look excellent by most standards and although the megapixel count is not quite up there with the Sony Ericsson Satio, 8.1 is more than enough for the average mobile user. You can use smile and face detection to ensure that all of your subjects look their best and that the autofocus is tuned to perfection with each snap. There is also image stabilisation, which will be handy if you are used to snapping in a fairly free-form manner and cannot find a way to attach the Vivaz to a tripod. The built-in GPS can be used to Geotag your pictures so that you have a record of where you were when you took them, allowing you to create photographic maps and enhancing the functionality of pictures when you upload them to photo sharing sites.

Most people will be more intrigued by the addition of high definition video capture. The Vivaz is not the first smartphone of this kind to offer 720p video capture, but this feature is a long way from being a standard feature on mobiles. The high resolution means that it is hard to beat the Vivaz for clarity and the LED flash can double as a night light, making shooting clips in dingy environments much easier. Once you have stored up a healthy selection of video and photo files on your Vivaz, you will probably want to share them with the world. This can either be done by uploading them to your blog, YouTube account or social networking profile direct from the phone. However, if you want to instantly watch your videos on the big screen with those around you, there is a TV Out socket that allows for quick connection to your home entertainment system.

The Vivaz uses the same Symbian operating system that can be seen on the Satio, although Sony Ericsson has tweaked the software considerably, making it an excellent multimedia platform that is ideal for web surfing, video viewing, app downloading and music playing. The Vivaz is controlled almost entirely from the touch screen, although there is a built in accelerometer that allows for automatic rotation of the screen’s orientation depending on how you are holding the phone. With Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity on board you can get online and share your captured moments with everyone and of course the GPS can be used to navigate as well as Geotag.

The Sony Ericsson Vivaz will make it to the UK in March, where it is set to launch on Vodafone with a selection of pay monthly contracts allowing you to pick one up for free. The Vivaz could well replace standalone digital camcorders which offer HD recording aimed at the youth market, as it combines many more services into a single package.

Tags: sony ericsson, sony ericsson vivaz

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on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 11:50 am and is filed under Mobile Phones.
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