Sony Ericsson mobiles have doubled the maximum size of the M2 memory cards used in the phones 4GB to 8GB.

It means that the Sony Ericsson phones, which already have better audio quality than most phones and MP3 phones we have tested, will now rival an iPod nano in capacity. Buying a phone instead of an iPod will also mean that you are less likely to fall pray to pressure marketing from Apple to join its cult, and fewer people are likely to dub you as being smug. (If only Sony would do something about the flimsy headphone connector on its Walkman phones... sub.ed.)

In a press release Sony says an 8GB Memory Stick M2 card will hold over 5,000 fine quality five megapixel photos, over 2000 MP3 songs or over 88 hours of high quality MPEG 4 video.

The new cards will hit the shops later this summer and will come with the a free download of Gameloft’s top-selling Brain Challenge 2 game.