Sony Ericsson today introduced its latest 3G phone, pitching the "seductive" clamshell handset's tactile qualities. "Run your fingers across the soft and distinct shapes, feel the high-quality surface against your skin," the company cooed.

The Z610i claim to styling fame is its shiny, mirror-like carapace through which the external 128 x 36 OLED screen shines - an effect exactly like the one Sony's MP3 players provide. The handset also sports a two megapixel camera with 2.5x digital zoom.

Opening the device reveals its 176 x 220, 262,144-colour main display and a secondary camera for video calling. Sony Ericsson said the Z610i contains 16MB of memory and a Memory Stick Micro - aka M2 - card slot for more.

The handset supports MP3 and AAC ringtones, and ships with the usual music, video and gaming software. It has Bluetooth on board and supports stereo audio across wireless connections. It provides all the expected messaging features plus the ability to download and display RSS newsfeeds.

The 110g handset measures 94.5 x 4.9 x 2cm and packs in a tri-band GSM/GPRS radio in addition to the UMTS 3G transceiver.

Sony Ericsson did not reveal pricing or say when then Z610i will ship. The company did say the handset will ship in "lustre black", "airy blue" and "rose pink" colour schemes. ®

Related reviews

Nokia E61
Sony Ericsson M600i
Nokia E70
Sony Ericsson Cyber-Shot K800i
Nokia N70
Nokia N80