Sony Ericsson Yari

If you are looking for a cell phone that doesn`t necessarily have to fit a category or another, trying the Sony Ericsson U100, codenamed Yari would be a good idea. This new device is one of the few handsets not belonging to a certain class without being a low-budget phone either. Yari is a slider form cell, but the common look does not put it in the appealing class phones in terms of design. But once you tried it you will realize that this is only the first impression, as the slider exposes his potential after few minute of usage.

With this new device, it seems that Sony Ericsson did a good job, as in terms of ergonomics and the components used in the manufacturing process have been carefully chosen. Yari features everything an advanced user could need, including the entertainment parts.

The Sony Ericsson Yari was launched in September 2009 and is available for the price of 240 USD, varying with the location and the plan. The item is available in there color variants: Achromatic black, Cranberry White, and Metal Rose.

The design of Yari is not something to clearly differentiate it from the crowd. It could easily pass as an ordinary handset, but at a closer look users could observe the care invested in it when it was built, as it have been featured with some cool tweaks in order to target the entertainment side of the device.  This is visible starting with the dedicated game keys and the big rounded D-pad easy to use and to gain quick access to the music player. These features are a nice addition in terms of look but the most important aspect is their functionality.

The device in itself is a bit larger than a business card, measuring 100x48x15.7 mm and weighing around 115 g with battery in. It features a 2.4 inch display, protected by a thin plastic layer. Above the screen, users can find a secondary video call camera together with two white plastic keys that are meant to be used in games. When clicking on the recently mentioned keys, the Game folder will open. This can be found deep in the menu tree. It also features another two keys, looking exactly like game ones only longer, placed below the screen that can be used as soft keys.

The front part of the phone seems to have been made from two parts, split by two plastic soft keys. The lower part includes the usual Accept and Reject call keys, the delete (C), and also a shortcut menu key. The round D-pad is also made from white plastic and has a music note imprinted, indicating its use. The compound covering of the front part of the phone look quite stylish and shiny, without being a fingerprint magnet.

The right side of the slider includes a long dual volume key, a dedicated camera key, and a small micro SD memory card. The keypad of Sony Ericsson Yari is very well spaced and it feels nice to touch, but it has been covered with a rubber-like material which makes it the worse part of the slider. It looks nice but it`s hard to use. Simple operations such as typing a message can be quite difficult, giving the impression of not having been enough tested. A five megapixel camera with LED flash can be found on the back side of the slider, together with two stereo speakerphones.