The Sony Ericsson Jalou is a fashion phone through and through. It demands attention and it deserves longing looks. But unlike some fashion phones it also has not been created with its form privileged over its functionality. There are many useful features to be found within the Jalou, but it is the built-in digital camera that we shall be dissecting in detail in order to assess just how hot this phone really is.
The Sony Ericsson Jalou camera unit has a 3.2 megapixel sensor and is found mounted on the top of the phone above the secondary screen. There is no flash, although the camera itself is a good little performer and can usually adjust the brightness automatically to make sure that pictures in dim areas are not too dull. The camera has a built-in digital zoom function which can magnify your subjects up to 3.2 times, so whether you are looking for better framing or trying to snap a celeb who has just strolled by in the distance you can easily do so whilst screaming ‘enhance’ like you are in a Hollywood film.
Despite the fairly average image capture resolution of the Jalou, it does sport some useful software apps which can help to enhance the capabilities of the camera. For example, once you have taken a picture, if you are not particularly pleased with the results you can apply the Photo Fix filter. This quickly analyses your picture and applies tweaks and improvements to make it look its best. If the light levels are a little low the brightness will get turned up and if there is a little distortion or camera shake the Photo Fix will attempt to clean the picture up to the best of its abilities.
The Sony Ericsson Jalou camera can work in tandem with the built-in GPS function for some geo-tagging. This means that when you take a picture, the image file will be tagged with information of where you where in the world. With your precise location added you can upload the picture to your PC and store it in geographical order. You can also use the 3G network connection to upload your pictures directly to your blog or photo storage service. Many are compatible with geo-tagged images and you can combine your photos with those taken by others to create panoramas, or compare your shots side by side.
As well as using the Sony Ericsson Jalou camera to make your own website or add photos to your social networking profile, you can subscribe to the photo blog of a friend or family member and have the Jalou automatically download newly added pictures to the phone’s memory. You could then get your mates to subscribe to your own visual blog and follow the goings on in your life through the pictures that you snap with the Sony Ericsson Jalou camera and upload to the internet.
The Jalou can also be used to record video and the quality is again rather impressive in this area. With a solid frame rate, a decent capture resolution and high quality audio all thrown in, you can make miniature movies in moments and then transfer them to your PC for some serious editing.
Most critics have responded with mild surprise to the Jalou. But this surprise has not been levelled at the design, but rather at the wealth of useful features which would not typically be associated with a stylish flip phone such as this. The Sony Ericsson Jalou camera is frequently referred to as being one of the most impressive of its not inconsiderable talents and given that its potential customers will be interested in images as much as with image, this will help to broaden its appeal.
