Probably just to show people they can do better things than lower-end handsets, Sagem have unveiled their new multimedia mobile phone, the my501x, a triband GSM/GPRS, working on 900/1800/1900 Mhz networks. This device, unlike many of its predecessors, has a very nice stylish design, with an iPod-like center command button and a sleek keypad that achieves the goal to offer the users the feeling of a high-end cell phone.

The most important quality of the my501x proves to be its multimedia capability, the fact that it has a music player with support for the full range of music file types, and side buttons that control the music playback, a must for the multimedia enabled handsets these days.

Besides this, the Sagem handset also offers a 1.3 megapixel camera and a 262k colors TFT LCD display, with a size of 176x220 pixels, and 32 MB of on-board memory that can be expanded, if the multimedia needs require it, with the help of a miniSD memory card slot.

The device measures 100mm x 46 mm x 16,5 mm and has a weight of only 90 grams, proving the fact that Sagem has done its homework good, and has the knowledge to apply it in real life, if they want to that is.

In my opinion, Sagem could be a possible competitor for the big players on the mobile market, if they would want to and would put their minds to it, but it seems they just want to stay on the low-end sector, and cash-in from the customers that want simple handsets, with not so many built-in features. This state of facts is fine for them at the moment, but looking at their newest releases one would just wonder: "why don't they make this kind of phones if they can?".

The my501x is available in mobile phone stores across Europe, at a price of 195 euros with no carrier contract, and can be purchased at a price between 1 to 155 euros with service agreement.