Why You Can Trust CNET Sony Ericsson TXT review: Sony Ericsson Txt
If texting is the main activity on your mobile phone, then the Sony Ericsson Txt is worth looking at, thanks to its hardware keyboard. Otherwise, there are loads of better alternatives.
Design
When we first saw the Sony Ericsson Txt — yes, this phone was launched before Sony Ericsson turned into Sony Mobile — we thought it looked pretty cool, with its playful blue colouring and small hardware keyboard. Our overall expectations for the Txt weren't high, considering it's marketed as being primarily for — you guessed it — texting.
Sony Ericsson TXT
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Txt has a cheap-ish feel to it, due to the plastic construction. It's lightweight, and we found it quite nice to hold in the hand. The back cover can be a real pain to get off; at one point, the battery came flying out as we struggled to get the back open.
Although there's no touchscreen on the display, the Txt's hardware buttons make it easy to move around the simplistic UI. There are call and end-call buttons, two menu/select buttons and a four-way navigation button below the 2.55-inch QVGA display.
During our use of the Txt's keyboard, we found the keys (four rows, 10 columns) to be too small for large fingers, so it's clearly meant for the younger audience.
User experience
The Txt doesn't run an OS like Android, which has a heap of apps that you can install, so we found that you're limited to the apps that are pre-installed on the device: Opera, Facebook, Twitter, Google Talk, Picasa, Orkut, Gmail, YouTube and Yahoo mail.
Web browsing is edging towards completely useless. There aren't enough pixels in the display to render a site, so if there's no mobile version of your desired website, then you're going to be pretty upset.
What we did find is that if you're after a cheap device to simply text people on, this is a great device for you. But then again, when there are other options out there for a tad more cash, they'll be the better option.
Camera
The camera on the Txt is a 3.2MP shooter with no flash. So, if you're planning on taking photos in low light, you're bang out of luck. Devices such as the HTC Wildfire S offer a flash for around the same price.
(Credit: Buzz Moody/CBSi)
(Credit: Buzz Moody/CBSi)
Should you buy one?
In all honesty, we didn't find the Sony Ericsson Txt to be a compelling device, even for its price point and target market. The keyboard is too small for any normal-sized fingers, and there's no easy access to more apps — not that the processor would handle them, anyway.
The only real place we see this device fitting into your daily life is if it's a first phone for a youngster. Their small fingers will fit the keys nicely, and the chances of racking up a large data bill is near impossible — data can be accessed via Wi-Fi, if you really need it.
The Txt isn't available through the major Aussie telcos, but, if you're interested, it can't be bought through online stores, like MobiCity.