Push email is an option, as is instant messaging, and there are options to use a full-screen Qwerty keyboard, mini Qwerty – so tiny you'll need the stylus to use it – or predictive text on the alphanumeric keypad.

The merging of photography with telephony continues apace

There's a trial version of QuickOffice, allowing you create and view Word, Excel and PowerPoint docs, as well as a PDF viewer. You'll need to pay extra for the full QuickOffice app though. Using RoadSync, you can sync your important info while you're on the move using your phone network or Wi-Fi Internet connection. Other apps include the WorldMate travel advisor and a spirit level.

The A-GPS functionality is supported by Google Maps and WisePilot satnav. This has all the usual sat nav features including voice guidance, route planning, 3D map views, POI and speed camera alerts but it won't allow you to store maps – you have to download them as you need them. Battery life proved to be reasonable rather than spectacular, granting us around a day and a half of fairly heavy use, so pretty much on a par with most modern smart phones.

Verdict

The Vivaz is a beautifully finished style phone that's backed up by a wealth of smart phone functionality and a genuinely marvellous camera. The HD 720p recording is quite possibly the best we've seen and the still camera is no slouch either, though we missed Cybershot goodies like the BestPic option.

Symbian, which has been suffering recently in comparison with Android and even Windows Mobile, is far from the lame duck it once was, and Sony Ericsson has done a good job of sexing it up with an attractive UI and easy usability. We'd have liked a capacitive screen, but otherwise, it's a terrific mix of style and function. ®

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