If looks could kill, the first time I laid eyes on the Sony Ericsson K850i mobile phone, I would be pushing up daisies. At first sight, this phone reels you in with its design.

But does it have what it takes to outperform other camera phones in its category?

Let's take an in-depth look at what the Sony Ericsson K850i has to offer.

Show me what you've got

After you get over the manly exterior of this phone, you'll realise that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. The operating system is very user-friendly, especially if you are a regular Sony Ericsson user. Let's get down to business and see what this phone has to offer apart from raw beauty.

Sony Ericsson K850i feature list

40MB of internal memory

5 megapixels with auto focus and flash

Secondary camera for video calling

Accelerometer sensor for autorotate

Bluetooth with A2DP

FM radio

MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player

SMS, MMS, email, and instant messaging

To be honest, this is a very short list to get excited about, but at least it has the basic features.

What stands out about it?

The two most flashy features for this phone are its music player and five-megapixel camera. The music player is one of the best you'll find in a phone. It offers a full array of options like a music DJ and a customisable equaliser. Meanwhile, the camera takes great pics.

The major downfall, though, is that it falls short in the video-recording department. Videos are recorded in low resolution so the reproduction looks ugly when being played back on a computer monitor.

The lower half of the screen is touch sensitive. You'll be using this touch feature extensively to go in and out of menus and select items. Some persons find it a hassle but I think it's a cool design feature. What's more, the ability to video-record with the lights on the phone on is the greatest thing since slice bread. With this built-in feature, you'll be able to capture detailed videos in poor lighting.

That's a wrap

The Sony Ericsson K850i is an excellent camera phone that takes pictures swiftly with great detail. However, the appalling keypad design will no doubt hurt your fingers after long-term use.

The product mentioned in this article was provided by Royale Computers and Accessories, telephone#: 906-1067, 906-1068, and 754-5048.Email feedback on this review to saturdaylife@gleanerjm.com.