MOBILITY
» Smartphones
» Cell Phones
» More...
PHOTOGRAPHY
» P&S Cameras
» HD Camcorders
» More...
GADGETS
» Tablets
» MP3 Players
» More...
DIGITAL HOME
» HDTVs
» HTS
» More...
» Archive » Product Guide
» Compare » Expert guides
» RSS & Alerts » Ask The Editors
Home / Mobility /
Review: Sony Ericsson T237By Larry Garfield, Friday 27 August 2004
GALLERY
Enlarge
 
 
Larry Garfield takes a look at Sony Ericsson's entry-level T237, and finds just that; an entry-level phone, but a decent one at that.

Exterior

The T237 follows in Sony Ericsson's recent style of small and simple candybar phones. Measuring 101 x 43.9 x 19 mm and weighing a comfortable 79 grams, it slips easily into a pocket. The sides are tapered back slightly, making it easier to pick up but a bit harder to hold in big hands. The front and back are dull silver plastic while the sides are a frosted black that gives the user just a bit of view inside the case, but not much.

The T237 is a decent entry-level phone
The screen on the T237 is a 101 x 80 pixel 12-bit color display, which while perfectly usable is not very bright and appears somewhat washed out compared to even the company's older mid-range phones. The buttons too have a low-end feel, as they are made out of hardened but slick rubber. The directional pad consists of a slick chromed select button surrounded by a non-slick rocker, flanked by plastic Yes/Dial/Left and No/Hang Up/Right buttons, as is typical for Sony Ericsson key layouts.

The left side of the phone includes a rubber rocker switch for volume control, while the bottom sports the standard Sony Ericsson charging and headset connectors.

Ergonomics

As mentioned, the tapered sides make the phone a bit hard for large-handed people to hold flat in the hand, although like the ridged edges of some other models it does make it easy to hold against the face. The rubber buttons do not feel good against the finger, although they are well-spaced and have good key travel making blind-dialing easy, despite the nub on the 5 key being rather unpronounced. The directional pad is usable, although the raised and slick select button can be annoying at times. Size-wise the phone is small enough to be easily portable but large enough to not get lost in the hand, which is good.

Features

The T237 is a dual-band 850/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS phone, making it compatible with American networks only. The basic PIM apps are included, although little else, including Sony Ericsson's overall well-designed phone book. The phone offers polyphonic ring tones, although they sound very tinny, as well as a voice recorder and downloadable themes. Input is via multi-tap, with no option for T9 or for voice dialing. Despite the lack of a camera the phone supports SMS, MMS, and a basic e-mail client, and as usual Java games are supported as well. There is no support for Bluetooth or infrared, though, making the T237 very much a phone-only phone.

Performance

In practice the phone performed adequately across the board. Audio quality was good, as was reception despite the internal antenna. There was also little interference in the reception from other devices or a hand or head, a problem with some older Sony Ericsson models.

The replaceable Lithium Ion battery is rated for 12 hours of talk time or 300 hours standby. That's a very long life for a conventional phone, but the T237 comes pretty close to it, making it good for casual users who keep forgetting where their power cable is.

Availability

The Sony Ericsson T237 is available through a number of carriers in the United States. It costs $69.99 USD retail, less with service agreement and possibly free, depending on the carrier.
TOP-RATED
Motorola Droid 3
95%
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide
95%
Motorola Droid X2
95%
HTC EVO 3D
95%
T-Mobile G2x
95%
Nexus S 4G
95%
HTC Thunderbolt
95%
Motorola ATRIX 4G
95%
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play
95%
HTC EVO 4G
95%
HTC Sensation 4G
90%
Motorola Cliq 2
90%
HTC Inspire 4G
90%
Samsung Infuse 4G
90%
HTC EVO Shift 4G
90%
Samsung Epic 4G
90%
Motorola Droid 2
90%
Samsung Droid Charge
87%
ADVANCED CHART »
 
RECENTLY RELEASED
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide
HTC Status
Motorola Droid 3
HTC EVO 3D
Samsung Exhibit 4G
Motorola Xprt
Samsung Gravity Smart
HTC Sensation 4G
MORE »
 
PHONES FOR...
» AT&T
» Verizon
» Sprint
» T-Mobile
» Unlocked
» Android
» BlackBerry
» iOS
» WP7
» WebOS
» Gamer
» Geek
» Mainstreamer
» Navigator
» Road warrior
» Texter
» Video chatter
» Specs search
» Compare phones
 
 
 
SUBSCRIBE
RSS   |   YouTube   |   Facebook   |   Twitter
SMARTPHONES
HOTTEST
 
TOP-RATED
 
COMING SOON
TOP STORIES
Droid 3 by Motorola Review
 
Top 5 Big Screen Phones
 
Top 5 4G Phones - Summer 2011
Hottest Upcoming Phones
 
Top 10 T-Mobile Phones
 
Top 10 Verizon Wireless Phones
NEW REVIEWS
Motorola Droid 3
T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide
Samsung Gravity Smart
Motorola Xprt
HTC HD7S
Samsung Exhibit 4G
HTC EVO 3D
Pantech Crossover
HTC Sensation 4G
RESOURCES
EXPERT GUIDES
 
PRODUCT GUIDE
 
SIDE-BY-SIDE
MOBILITY HEADLINES
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 6)
 
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 5)
 
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 4)
 
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 3)
 
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 2)
Android 4 Breaks New Ground (Part 1)
iPhone 4S Gets Official Release Date
iPhone 5 Predicted As Sprint Exclusive
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Offers Super AMOLED Plus Magic
MOBILITY EDITION
Check out infoSync Mobility, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the mobile world.
 
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITION
Check out infoSync Photography, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the photo world.
 
GADGETS EDITION
Check out infoSync Gadgets, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the world of gadgets.
 
DIGITAL HOME EDITION
Check out infoSync Digital Home, where you'll find in-depth coverage from the CE world.
About us | Site map | How to advertise | Feedback | RSS Feeds | | Archive
Copyright 1999-2011 © infoSync World