As we push the Sony Ericsson Yari phone through a review, we can’t help but recall how the company crash landed onto Indian soil bringing audiences its new ‘Communication Entertainment’ product series which comprised of three mobile phones namely the Satio, Aino and Yari. And what a landing it was! The handsets hit the country like a breath of fresh air, endowed with only one thing in mind, something that the masses are always on the lookout for, entertainment. From among the trendy trio, we shift our focus onto the Sony Ericsson Yari phone. Lights, Camera and gaming Action is what comes to mind when the Yari is involved. The device brings home all the features and specs that the company is known for through the past years. In this review we take a deeper look into the interesting and intriguing Yari mobile phone.
At a glance, the phone appears to be just another expected Sony Ericsson offering but little did we know that it was packed with more than what met the eye. You will be engulfed in intrigue to see just exactly what this product offers you. The model is set to entice gaming audiences with its specific and dedicated gaming features. But that’s not all it boasts about. The phone also includes other essential and entertaining options one looks for in a mobile that would suit their daily needs and requirements. A heap of excitement is contained within the 3.9 x 1.9 x 0.6 inch device drenched in Achromatic Black. If a dark shade is not your hue, it can also be found in Cranberry White. Weighing in at just 115.0gms, the phone sports a clear 262,144 color TFT QVGA screen.
Being an entertainment-centric phone, we first take you through all the entertainment material the phone has to offer. Gaming has captured the hearts and minds of many an audience. With the latest titles hitting a plethora of platforms, games on mobile phones have although experienced a slight sag. As it is noticed, iPhones get the cream of mobile games. The Yari may not match up to them but at least it gives users a great line-up of engaging titles and is a pretty sweet deal especially for a non-touchscreen phone. The handset boasts of gesture control and motion gaming elements that would entice not only the nimble of thumbs but also the average Joe who likes to kill time by indulging in a game or two on their mobiles.
It comes complete with 9 in-built games and a Game Carousel. The games include Bowling, Bubble Town, Fifa 10, Fitness, Guitar Rock Tour, LocoRoco, NitroStreet Racing, Quadrapop and Tennis. The titles take full advantage of the phone’s motion and gesture attributes. Titles like Tennis and Fitness use the Gesture feature where you have to stand in front of the screen and play the game by using hand and body gestures. Among the array, LocoRoco and Bowling exploits the motion sensors features integrated into the mobile. You have to jiggle and swish your way through the games’ various stages. Although, not all games rely on the motion or gesture gaming. For those who prefer the good old fashioned mobile games that require the use of just buttons, they can espy titles like NitroStreet Racing, Guitar Rock Tour, Fifa 10, Bubble Town and an old time favorite Quadrapop with a slight critter twist. There are even dedicated gaming buttons located right on top of the Yari phone.
The Game Carousel, once initialized, seamlessly merges with the home screen and sits comfortably in the background. The Carousel is made up of little jumpy icons which represent the games present in the cell phone. The desired icon can be selected by gently tilting the phone or via the navigation pad. There are also other great features that can be accessed from the Game Carousel. These include Music Quiz, PullFace 2, Voice Transformer, Walkmate, Wisepilot and Calendar Wallpaper. Among these, the Voice Transformer and Wisepilot were the most appealing. The former feature lets you record your voice and then play it back in a host of different hilarious ways including backwards, high and low pitch, drunk and robotic. Wisepilot offers turn-by-turn navigation which lets you fathom the weather, destination time and even other information of any place located on the map like restaurants and malls. Although a fresh inclusion, some of the titles like Tennis and Fitness are better played in the confines of your own home instead of a crowded mall or gathering.
The camera functionalities embedded in the phone are a sheer treat for snappy-happy individuals. To start with, there is a 5.0 megapixel camera complete with digital zoom of up to 4x. You need not worry anymore about your snaps bearing a weird pixilated look as this can be easily sorted through the Photo Fix option. This feature enhances the image quality and amends the contrast and light balance of that particular photo. Also provided are features such as Auto focus and video recording as well as Face and Smile detection.
The Sony Ericsson Yari phone also allows you to seamlessly access the Internet and browse through sites like YouTube and Facebook via their dedicated icons. Pictures and information can be uploaded onto your Facebook account directly through the handset. The phone comes complete with a 1GB microSD card which can store loads of content like music and pictures. While on the subject of music, the sound is pretty clear if heard through both the headphones as well as via the stereo speakers. Radio can also be accessed when the headphones are attached. The phone also comprises of all the standard Organizer features that one just cannot exclude in a mobile phone. These are namely alarm clock, calculator, flight mode, stopwatch, timer, notes and tasks. Another useful feature embedded into the mobile is the flashlight which comes in really handy.
The few highlights of the phone include the Auto rotate feature which has the ability to toggle between horizontal and vertical mode simply by rotating the phone. We also noticed that the interface espied on clicking the Media widget sported a striking resemblance to that of the PS3 interface. One down side to the phone was the placement of the buttons. The sleek white buttons situated just below the screen are very close to the call and disconnect buttons. So when trying to hit these buttons, the call and disconnect ones were often pressed accidentally. This also proved to be a bit of an inconvenience while gaming. It was however noticed that the navigation pad was smooth to handle. One more noteworthy mention is that the SIM sits snuggly in place and gets locked firmly when slid into the slot.
To conclude, the Sony Ericsson Yari exuberates with entertainment and definitely won’t let gamers down with its selection of 9 games and other fun applications. Simple-to-use features and great clarity completes the reasons why you should pick one up right away. And the price tag of Rs. 16,950 isn’t so bad for a gem such as this. Among its companions namely the Satio and Aino, this model is noted to be the cheaper option. The Yari gets 7.5 out of 10 with the gaming aspects contributing to majority of the rating.