Mobile Phones

The Sony Ericsson Multimedia Flagship: W960i

When it comes to marketing its wares, Sony Ericsson uses a very straightforward approach--Cyber-shot for camera-phones and Walkman for music-phones. In a way, that is great because it helps consumers to narrow down their choices. In reality, that's not always the case.

For example, someone who is buying a camera-phone may not use only the camera features. He probably might want to listen to music, too. That's where the line begins to blur and the average consumer's options start to expand.

The newer range of Cyber-shots is now fitted with a more elaborate music player and the Walkmans with a better camera module. The W960i is one example of the latter.

Two years ago, Sony Ericsson launched the M600i and the W950i. Last year, it refreshed the lineup with the P1i and the W960i. Although the W960i succeeds the W950i by addressing the lack of a camera module and Wi-Fi, it is in fact more closely modeled after the P1i. That said, the differences are obvious--the P1i comes with a QWERTY. The W960i has dedicated Walkman buttons.

Coincidental or not, the W960i was announced at a time when there was a great deal of hype and controversy over the Apple iPhone. Many people compared the W960i with the iPhone because of their similarities: Onboard memory of 8GB, touchscreen LCD, and both marketed as strong multimedia devices.

So if one were to look at the legacy of the W960i, it's not difficult to see that the flagship music handset has big boots to fill. From being an all-rounded device to improving on what its predecessor lacked, to competing against a giant like Apple. While it's never built a phone before, the Apple community is rabidly loyal.

THE GOOD

8GB onboard memory; great Walkman player; autofocus camera with dual-LED lights; Wi-Fi.

THE BAD

Uneven keypad lighting; poorly located Back button; no built-in 3.5mm audio port; dismal battery life; laggy performance.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The W960i Walkman may be the company's flagship music-phone, but its various shortcomings take away most of the hype on the handset.