Sony Ericsson W960i Walkman Review

21 December 2007 By: Cosmin Vasile, Communications News Editor
Sony Ericsson W960i Review
The best Walkman smartphone
Sony Ericsson, one of the most important handsets manufacturers, is also one of the fewest
that managed to educate its fans and teach them how to choose their future mobile phones.
From this point of view, things are much easier for the Japanese-Swedish company, who
made it clear for its consumers that it won't mix high quality music features with top-notch
camera modules and latest business applications into only one handset. Only a smart
marketing politic can sell 'incomplete' products like those branded Sony Ericsson. So, what
should you expect when buying a Walkman series handset? Well, there's one thing that you
can be sure of – it will blow your ears. It should be branded as "Most wanted" for music
freaks, because of the multimedia features that it offers. On the under hand, those that are
that are looking for devices that can take high-quality snapshots will be more attached to the
Cybershot series. An important segment of consumers – businessmen will also be able to
choose from a wide range of smartphones, especially created to improve functionality on
the go. The latter series of smartphones registered a little setback once the P1i has been
launched on the market. Even if it had all the features specific to a high-end device, the lack
of speed and strange flaws in the Wi-Fi chipset made it almost a total fiasco. How did Sony
Ericsson pull it out in the end? I guess the answer to this question is standing right in front
of me and it's called W960i. The next Walkman series handset that has been 'stuffed' with
Symbian UIQ and Wi-Fi, just to make it a (very) viable solution for businessmen.
Announced in June 2007, Sony Ericsson W960i has been made available on the market in
late November 2007. The smartphone can be acquired for no less than USD 600$, but the
price may rise to almost USD 800$, depending on the location. Both prices place it in the
same range as Sony Ericsson's P1i smartphone, which made me believe that W960i could
be the fortunate replacement for the less successful P1i.DesignUsually, Walkman series
handsets impress through their innovative designs and futuristic keypad layouts. The
standard block design that Sony Ericsson W960i features strengthens the idea that the
target of the smartphone is wider than its name (Walkman) may suggest. The standard look
that doesn't impress too much may be perfect for a businessman. I'm not saying that it looks
dull or ugly, on the contrary, I'm pretty sure that it will attract both sides through its
appealing look and rather stylish form.The bar handset measures 109 x 55 mm and weighs
around 119 grams (battery included). These numbers are not too much for a smartphone,
even if it lacks full QWERTY keyboard. Instead, Sony Ericsson W960i features a standard
keypad, which might seem a little bit crowded. Keys are wide but there's no space in
between them, which might cause a 'lag' when texting messages. Otherwise there's nothing
bad about it, as the compound used for manufacture has been skillfully chosen. This might
be one of the few smartphones that won't be a fingerprint magnet, even if used heavily. A
nice contrast between the glossy front and mat back cover adds to the glamorous look.
Right above keypad layout, you will notice three touch controls that will be enabled the
moment you start using the music player. The touch keys controlling the music player are
pretty responsive, mostly thanks to the huge touchscreen display. Above the screen, one
can see the benefits of the UMTS technology – a second camera used for videocalls. On
the mat back cover of the smartphone the 3.15 Megapixel camera module is the main
attraction. It features dual LED flash and autofocus. The big external speaker placed right
near the camera enables users to listen to music together with their friends. Sony Ericsson
'borrowed' the power up button from Nokia and placed it on top of the handset. Both sides
of the smartphone feature few buttons such as: dual volume keys and camera button on the
right side, and a jog wheel to ease the navigation through the menus. The bottom of the
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