Like its rival Nokia, Sony Ericsson established its reputation by designing sturdy and reliable candy bar-style cell phones. And like Nokia, Sony Ericsson's past experiments in flip phones weren't as successful. Though handsets such as the Sony Ericsson Z600a and Z500a were reliable performers, their designs missed the mark. But the company appears to have learned from some its past mistakes with the new Sony Ericsson Z520a for Cingular Wireless. Attractively designed and compact, the Z520a offers a solid set of features, including Bluetooth, a VGA camera, a media player, and a speakerphone.

With the Sony Ericsson Z520a, the company strikes new design territory. While many of the company's candy bar cell phones tend to resemble one another, you wouldn't confuse the Z520a with any of its flip-phone brethren. Unlike the Sony Ericsson Z600, the Z520a has a large external display that's front and center, and unlike the Sony Ericsson Z500a, the Z520a feels sturdy in our hands. Its compact size (3.2 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches) allows it to slip into almost any pocket, and its trim weight (3.3 ounces) means you won't get tired of holding it against your face during long conversations. The looped antenna--also present on the Sony Ericsson W600i--is a nice touch, and we like that the Z520a supports changeable faceplates.