When people brag about how crisp and clear the images they churn from their mobile phones, I tend to find the claim rather blarney.  How can one take great pictures with a mobile device? Especially when the lens capacity is as small as a pin hole. So tell me, why would people take pictures with their mobile phone rather than a proper camera? I shall do some enlightenment right this instance.

First, a Sony with an Ericsson attached to it, that naturally makes it a good mobile phone + a very good media kit. With that said, most manufacturers do offer products of the same calibre, note the Nokia N82.

The C901 comes in a form of a candy bar, and it fits perfectly well in my pocket, really slim and sleek. The LCD screen works great under heavy sunlight and the keys are large enough (on a rather petite body) for large fingers. With it’s 5 mega-pixel camera located on the rear encase, it comes with a slide protector which is a rather good feature. The C901 is also equipped with an accelerometer, works really well with the Walkman. Disappointment comes in a form of “No Wi-Fi”. Well, all in all, it is very much a phone, one that is good enough to slip into many pockets on the street.

Function buttons are located on the right side of the phone and the charger and data connection port is located on the left side of the phone.

That said, there are a few problems with it. It might be software, once or twice a day, the phone randomly shuts down when sitting nicely in my pocket (key-pad locked), any idea with this one? Next, the battery life on this is certainly mediocre. Sony Ericsson boast this as an entertainment device with its awesome photography capability, well Mr Sony Ericsson, the battery can’t take anymore than a few phone calls and some text messages to the darling.

I have to say, after a few shots in the night with it’s built in Xenon flash, yes you heard it right, great flash, the low battery warning started to flicker. Hold it, not just flicker, at low battery, the warning sent out by the C901 is appalling, first it flashes the big low battery sign, and then it vibrates. I only got 3 warnings before the phone went into coma.

I have here a few sample pictures of the Sony Ericsson C901 camera capabilities:

Well, the pictures turn out rather grainy. But don’t forget it is still a camera phone, for quick and instant shoots, it works like a magic, but to replace a camera, that won’t happen. That said, the load time of the camera is slow, I recorded a full 8 second for its startup. Slow, very slow.

The C901 is a great looking phone, perfect functionality for everyday use. But with its Cyber-Shot genes, I can’t seem to find any closely related DNA. Yes, a phone that Sony Ericsson certainly positioned it in a wrong market all together. I wouldn’t spend my money on this, but this might turn out to be a great spare.