Sony Ericsson's "Victoria" gets official as the Cyber-shot K770
Filed under: Handsets, Sony Ericsson, GSM, GPRS, UMTS
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cash @ Aug 14th 2007 6:18AM
... and if we lived in Europe, this might mean something :-p
Sucks being teased with cool phones we'll never see on this side of the world. What is so hard about making the phone quad band instead of triband, and releasing it globally? When does having more customers buying your product become a *bad* thing?
soulbabel @ Aug 14th 2007 9:24AM
If you have a US GSM cellular provider (T-mobile/AT&T), you can just buy these phones unlocked.
Geoff @ Aug 14th 2007 10:01AM
The point Cash is making is that the phone doesn't support US 3G, and only supports 1 of the US GSM bands (1900).
With 3G growing more popular, handset manufacturers need to start providing the consumer with more options for US 3G services.
derX @ Aug 14th 2007 10:23AM
Forget the 3G support (*this time*). They don't even have GSM support (for AT&T customers, at least)!
Cash @ Aug 14th 2007 4:05PM
Honestly, 3G isn't that big of a deal to most people at this point. A very select few markets actually support it, and that isn't going to change in the next 2-3 years, which is the expected lifespan of phones coming out today. And as others have pointed out, 3G just decimates your battery life making it pretty impractical for the average user. That will change once the tech developes and new energy management chips are designed for it, and networks begin upgrading their towers as they reach the end of their operating life, but both of these are at least a few years away. Lack of 3G just isn't a dealbreaker for 90 percent of the market here.
derX @ Aug 14th 2007 10:28AM
If you have AT&T, this phone is near useless for calls (or any other means of communication) because it primarily uses the 850 band (in certain areas, at least, NYC being one) and this only packs 1900, meaning little to no signal. I should be ranting over no US 3G coverage--not to say that doesn't grind my gears--not crappy US *GSM* coverage.
We live in such a global world, why do they still make phones like this triband? It'd be understandable if this were just an entry level phone and they were just trying to cut costs, but this is an installment on their highly sucessful CyberShot line. What is a CyberShot phone without a signal? A camera. For that just buy a damn CyberShot camera. But then again, this comes from a person who bought a Nokia 6170 for looks.
MasterCKO @ Aug 14th 2007 2:49PM
Hey, look at that, Brown is the new Black. Way to be prophetic Microsoft (*coughzunezough*)...heh, had to say it.
Anyway, impending modding-down aside, it is a really nice phone and I hope that they bring a similar one out for the US networks.
Brian Prows @ Jan 20th 2008 11:07PM
The 770I, as with other unlocked phones, is available from several sources. Try PhoneSourceUSA, a Hong Kong company with offices in Nevada. The company ships extremely fast and offers some of the best high-end mobile phones I've purchased from overseas. (They sell direct and on eBay.)
http://www.phonesource-usa.com/product_listing.php?keyword=770i&x=0&y=0
Another good source for all EuroAsia phones is GSMArena.com and, on eBay, Integron Technologiies.
U.S. phone buyers should know that if you purchase a Nokia, Sony Ericsson or other phone intended for use in another part of the world, there is NO warranty service in the U.S. Nokia is rapidly expanding retail stores in the U.S.--and other manufacturers may do the same--but, until then, Tri-Band and Quad-band mobile phones, usually with an "i" after the main model number--lack warranties.
Tri-band phones operate at 1900Mhz, the predominant U.S. frequency used by AT&T, T-Mobile and a few smaller cellular carriers. There are few areas of the country only offering 850Mhz analog coverage, because carriers, through their roaming agreements with other carriers, blanket the country.
Generally speaking, if you stick to to major brand names and buy from a reputable source, you'll have few problems with unlocked GSM phones. (Nokia and Sony Ericsson are the easiest to configure for WAP, SMS, MMS and email over the Web.) T-Mobile also has an unsupported phone division with an automated setting service.
All major U.S. carriers--AT&T, Verizon and Sprint--now offer 3G services on selected handsets, and T-Mobile will introduce its 3G service in 2008. 4G is the hot technology currently under development overseas, offering download speeds of over 100Mbps.
Brian Prows @ Jan 20th 2008 11:32PM
Slight update. I see that Phonesource-USA sells two year warranties for around $27 but service is handled through a third party (details below). While this is a good price, I have no experience attempting to get warranty service from this third party. Since the phone you purchase must be returned to the correct service station (for example, Hong Kong, for Sony Ericsson phones), your repaired phone might take weeks to fix and return to you. It's a risk you take purchasing a phone intended for the U.K., Europe or Asia.
From Phonesource-USA FAQ's:
The phone does NOT come with any warranty as the phones are imported from Europe or Asia. However, we offer a 24 month warranty through www.cpscentral.com . If you do not purchase the warranty, then you need to contact the manufacturer in the phone's country of origin for service. If you do purchase the warranty, then you need to contact CPS for service. Please do not contact us regarding the warranty as we have no access to any warranty information, nor do we have any relationships with the phone manufacturers to facilitate the repair.