CES 2009

The W508 has a flip phone design.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Sony Ericsson's new C510 Cyber-shot and W508 Walkman phone don't break a lot of new ground, but they're certainly worthy of attention. In many ways they resemble other Sony Ericssons that came before them--the W508 looks a bit like the W980 and the C510 reminds us vaguely of the C902.

The W508 is shiny inside.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The W508, of course, is a flip phone with circular music controls on the front flap. It's also thin and light, and you can change between gray and white removable covers. Just above are the external display and the camera lens. The display is small and monochrome so its usability with the camera will be limited. Also, we'd prefer to see a flash on a megapixel camera phone.

The interior display lives up to the Sony Ericsson standards with bright colors and vibrant graphics. The menu interface and Walkman player are also similar to other Sony Ericsson phones, which is to say they're easy to use. We're a little apprehensive about the flat and shiny keypad. The circular keys could be a bit more tactile, but we suppose we'd get used to them over time. Fortunately, the navigation controls are a tad better.

The C510 has a large display but cramped controls.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The C510, on the other hand, is a slim candy bar phone in shiny silver. The huge display takes up almost half of the phone, and its vivid resolution is easy on the eyes. Below are the navigation controls, which are plentiful but also a tad crowded. There's a square toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, a menu control, and a clear button. The keypad buttons appear to be somewhat cramped as well. We'll wait for a full review to give a final verdict.

The camera lens sits on the rear of the phone behind a sliding cover. The design is a lot simpler than the C902, and that's a good thing. Instead of splitting apart in the middle to show the camera lens and flash, which we always found too complicated, you only need to slide the cover to the right. Unfortunately, there's no self-portrait mirror. The charger port sits on the left spine, and on the right spine you'll find the camera shutter and volume rocker. You'll have to remove the battery cover to use the memory card slot.

The C510 has a sliding lens cover.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

On the whole, both phones look promising and their feature sets offer a lot to explore. We'll give them a full shakedown just as soon as we can.

The C905 has a bright display.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

Though we've known about the Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot for a few months, CES gave us our first opportunity to see it up close and personal. With an 8.1-megapixel camera, it is Sony Ericsson's highest resolution camera phone to date. What's more, it also has many of the same features you'd find on a standalone camera and it offers several ways to get your photos off the phone.

With such a packed feature set we were expecting a rather bulky design. And in that respect the C905 delivered. It's not as big as the Samsung Innov8, but at 4.1 by 1.9 by 1.7 inches and 4.8 ounces it's hardly as slim as the 5-megapixel Sony Ericsson C902. That trade-off is a solid feel in the hand and a sturdy slider mechanism. We also like that tapered ends that give the C905 a streamlined feel. The handset comes in sliver, black, and gold, and the company added a tender rose (aka pink) version at the show.

We like the C905's tapered ends. The camera shutter is on the right spine.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

The display is bright and beautiful with sharp colors and graphics. Sony Ericsson typically succeeds with its displays, and the C905 is no exception. The company also has a history of over-designing its navigation controls, but we were glad to see that the C905 breaks that mold. The square navigation toggle and central OK button are spacious and tactile, as are the other navigation controls that surround it.

Like many camera phones, the C905 resembles a regular camera when viewed from behind. A sliding lens cover hides the camera lens, bright Xenon flash, and a self-portrait mirror. Sliding the cover opens starts the camera automatically. You'll also find comfortable camera ergonomics. When holding the phone horizontally, the side-mounted camera shutter and volume rocker/zoom control are right at your fingertips. We haven't seen the photo quality yet, so we'll have to save that for our full review.

The keypad buttons are relatively flush, which is not a surprise on a slider phone. Yet, the keys are pretty tactile and spacious, with large numbers and a bright backlighting. Fortunately, the memory stick micro slot rests conveniently on the left spine below the memory card slot.

A sliding cover hides the camera lens.

(Credit: Kent German/CBS Interactive)

As we mentioned earlier, the C905 is all about its camera. Besides the 8.1-megapixel resolution you'll also find a solid set of offerings that includes autofocus, geotagging, smile detection, face detection, a self timer, and a digital zoom. Wi-Fi is integrated as well; you can use it to upload videos directly to YouTube. Outside of the camera there's a music player, a speakerphone, stereo Bluetooth, messaging and e-mail, personal organizer applications, mass USB storage, an FM radio, and PC syncing.

At the time of this writing the C905 is available only in Europe for 499 euros or about $682. Sony Ericsson says it will bring an unlocked version of the C905 to the United States in the second quarter of this year. It is quad-band GSM and it supports both Europe and North American 3G bands. We hope to get it in soon for a full review.

The C510 has a well-stocked 3.2-megapixel camera.

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

In 2008, Sony Ericsson spent a lot of time focusing on its Cyber-shot series of camera phones. It started the year at the GSMA World Congress by unveiling the C902 and C702 and later in the summer it released the 8.1-megapixel C905. Now at CES 2009, it offers the C510.

Positioned as the low-end member of the Cyber-shot line, the C510 nonetheless offers an impressive array of features. The camera takes center stage, of course. The 3.2-megapixel shooter offers a flash, a 3.2x digital zoom, face detection, smile shutter (the camera will snap a photo automatically when it detects a smile) auto-rotation, image editing, a lens cover, and editing features.

Outside of the camera you'll find integration with Snapfish and YouTube, personal organizer options, a 262,144-color display, an audio recorder, video recording, a speakerphone, video calling, polyphonic ringtones, messaging and e-mail, a music player, USB mass storage, 3G support, PC syncing, modem support, and geotagging for photos.

The C510 should be available in the first quarter of this year in silver and black. Exact U.S. availability hasn't been announced, but one version of the phone, the C510a, will be quad-band GSM with support for both North American and European 3G bands.

Get the C905 in pink

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

In addition to unwrapping its new C510 Cyber-shot on Tuesday, Sony Ericsson also announced an upgrade to its existing 8.1-megapixel C905 Cyber-shot model.

Starting in mid-February, C905 owners can download a software update from Sony Ericsson's Web site that will bring new features to the camera phone. They include smile shutter, a feature that will automatically shoot a picture when the camera detects a smile, and direct integration with YouTube and Snapfish for faster and more convenient uploading of photos and videos. The upgrade also will add WayFinder 8 for GPS navigation and that will let you see an entire text conversation.

Sony Ericsson also announced a new version of the C905 in tender rose (aka pink). It will be available in the first quarter of this year.