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Typing the word “zylo” into your search engine should produce numerous hits covering many different subject matters.  However, in this case, the only Zylo we are interested in is  that of a mobile phone from Sony Ericsson.  The Zylo is a quad-band handset that will work on any GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 network plus Class 10 GPRS and EDGE.

Available in a choice of Metal Black or Pearly Rose, this mobile phone is a slider handset.  It has measurements of 110 x 45 x 14mm and a weight of 90g.  While not the smallest or lightest handset on the market, the Zylo is compact  and will not weigh you down too much.  The handset’s curved corners and back help add a touch of style to the appearance of the Zylo.

Dominating the front of the handset is a 2.6-inch QVGA screen that is capable of displaying up to 256k colours at a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.  Located just below the screen is the main control array.  Based around a circular navigation control are the left and right selection buttons, call and end/on/off buttons plus activity menu and cancel mini buttons.  The familiar “W” Walkman logo sits between the screen and the control area.  As is standard, a 5 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom can be found on the rear of the handset.

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The left side of the handset holds the proprietary Sony Ericsson socket that is used for both recharging and connecting the supplied ear-bud style headset.  Fortunately the headset provides a reasonably level of audio output, as you will not be able to use your favourite headset with its 3.5mm jack socket.  On the right side of the unit are a dedicated Walkman button plus a volume rocker control.  Sliding the top of the handset forwards reveals a standard 3 x 4 alphanumeric keypad that glows in diminished lighting conditions to help when selecting the keys.

As would be expected with a mobile phone bearing the Walkman logo, music lovers are well catered for with the Zylo.  The Walkman 4.0 player supports KLAC, MP3, eAAC+ and WAV formats.  You also have access to features such as TrackID, SensMe and MegaBass to enhance the listening experience plus Shake Control to switch between and shuffle tracks.  Music can be downloaded using PlayNow and there is a built-in FM radio that requires the headset to act as the aerial.

The rear-mounted camera, mentioned earlier, can be used to capture still images and video clips.  Rather than give you a dedicated camera button, you will need to access the camera functionality from the handset’s menu system.  Included among the camera-based features are those of face and smile detection, auto-focus and geo-tagging.  Options are provided for linking to Facebook, Twitter, web-albums and sending images via email.

While you might be able to store some images in the available internal memory, which can be up to 260MB, you will probably need to insert a MicroSD card for video work.  The slot for inserting such a card is hidden away within the body of the handset.  In order to reach it you will need to remove the back of the unit which hardly facilitates a quick change over if the current card becomes full.  The handset will support a MicroSD card with a capacity of up 16GB.

With a choice of 2G and 3G networks, the Zylo gives you Internet access.  You can pan and zoom around web sites, arrange for web feeds to be sent to your handset and make use of Google search capabilities.  There is also a bookmark facility that allows you to tag your favourite web sites.

The usual range of telephonic voice and text options are available.  You have a phonebook with around 2000 entries, task list, notes, alarm, calendar, calculator and stop watch to mention just some.  There are options to use GPS location-based services, use a step-counter and track your route.  Both Bluetooth and USB connectivity is supported for linking to other devices.

The Zylo has an attractive appearance and a feature set that should appeal to many users.  Depending upon the type of contract you should be able to pick up this handset free of charge.  For Pay-as-you-go customers the handset should be available for approximately £70.

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/products/mobilephones/overview/zylo?cc=gb&lc=en#view=overview