Sony Ericsson and T-Mobile launches Equinox TM717

Thursday, November 12, 2009, 3:57
Cell Phones
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After a long time, the T-Mobile and Sony Ericsson has come together to launch a new handset Equinox. Like its predecessor, the Sony Ericsson TM506, the new Equinox is a slim flip phone and comes with support for T-Mobile’s 3G network. The Equinox, aka the TM717, comes for $49 with an “Even More” plan from T-Mobile or for $149 with an “Even More Plus” plan.

Measuring 3.7x2.0x0.6 inches, the Equinox is a slim flip phone with attractive design. But the handset’s glossy black casing is fingerprint prone and is very reflective. However, the back panel is made of soft touch material which provides good grip.

As the reviews, the handset boasts of large 2.25-inch internal display, which supports 262,144 colors and offers native resolution of 320x240 pixels. The display looks very attractive with sharp color hues and sharp graphics. The users can change the clock size, display brightness, and activate a light, which glows to indicate the incoming call.

On the contrary, the external display is very small and totally useless due to its dim backlight. The external display shows the numeric caller ID, signal strength, time but it doesn’t show the date and photo caller ID. I won’t work as viewfinder for the camera either. There are a number of features, where Equinox will definitely disappoint the potential users. Both the navigation array and keypad buttons are very slippery. The volume rocker is smaller than usual. Moreover, the handset features single proprietary port for charger and headset. It means you can’t use both the peripherals together and you will need an adapter if you want to use standard 3.5mm headset. Another disappointing feature is the inclusion of Memory Stick Micro card in place of microSD, which has become a standard now a day.

The primary features offered by the Equinox include a 1,000-contact phone book, IM, text messaging, vibrate mode, multimedia messaging, stopwatch, timer, speakerphone, to-do list, notepad, alarm clock, calendar, and calculator, and an alarm clock. The handset also offers a number of advanced features such as gesture control, Bluetooth, FM Radio, code memo, Wi-Fi, voice recording, integrated GPS with geotagging capabilities, USB mass storage, file manager, PC syncing, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities, and music player, which is similar to the one you will find on Sony Ericsson Walkman phones.