Sony Ericsson W995: Not just a Walkman phone

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My first phone was a Ericsson GF788 (what a stunning name for a phone !). Time and tech has moved on a fair bit since then as I found out with the new Sony Ericsson W995.

The new W995 is not just a Walkman phone but also a decent Cyber-shot type camera, portable GPS unit, internet browser and video player to name but a few. Ok so its not an iPhone killer but then again the battery lasts for more than a minute, you don’t need to sell your children to get one, and it does a great job of handling phone calls and keeping reception, which is after all what phones are for.

Sony Ericsson has done a grand job here, probably the best non-smart phone on the market in my mind. Have a look at the pictures above to see the phone and some of the photos I took with the 8.1mp camera, pretty stunning. The W995 also comes with a great set of headphones and a 3.5mm jack. Shortcut keys for media, camera and Walkman functions are all ergonomically placed. The battery lasts at least 3 days even with heavy call/music use (Tip: Turn the screen brightness to minimum if you have a SE phone and the battery lasts a lot longer).

From getting the phone out the box, to copying all my contacts across, took under 5 minutes with the software and cables provided with the phone. The software works with iSync for Mac and has a custom programme for PC users.(If you have an existing SE phone you can just copy all your contacts across via Bluetooth, from the contacts advanced options menu)

Loves: 8 Gig memory included, Camera, Phone size / durability, Walkman sound, Battery life, screen size and ease of use, Wi-Fi

Dislikes: Cant play more video file formats yet, camera lens not protected, I don’t own one yet.

Hot as: Hades

 
Key Features:
  • Brushed metal body parts
  • Quad-band GSM, dual-band HSDPA
  • 2.6" 256K-colour TFT display of QVGA resolution
  • 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection
  • WQVGA video recording at 30fps
  • Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality
  • Wi-Fi with DLNA support
  • Bluetooth (with A2DP) and USB v2.0
  • Accelerometer sensor
  • 118MB of internal memory and M2 memory expansion (8GB card included)
  • Stereo speakers
  • 3.5 mm audio jack
  • Kickstand
  • Walkman 4.0 music player with Shake control and SensMe
  • FM radio with RDS
  • Multi-tasking support
  • Smart dialling
  • Comfortable keypad, nice sliding mechanism

(Just a quick one, Sony Ericsson sent me the phone for review. This post is not paid for etc etc)

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Chris

Adman at Ogilvy

5 Comments

  1. Real disappointment with the 3.5mm jack for ear phones, they always have to involve a Sony device to interface with normal generic 3.5mm mini jack plugs, its stupid

    I wanted to ask if there is a hassle at all with the GPS?
    How easy is it , does it just work or do u need things to get it to work?

    • The W995 does have a 3.5mm jack for normal headphones, just plug in any normal headphones and it works.
      The GPS is V V V easy as it just uses Google maps and everything you need is built in.

  2. I already own this phone and only one word that i can use to describe about this phone.. G.R.E.A.T !!! I’ve used this phone since this July and until now i have no complain about it. Its the best handphone that i ever use. Before this i used the Nokia 5800 and i dont enjoy it. My next goal is having the Satio.. 🙂

  3. i had this phone sence november and it’s a beautiful phone i’m a big sony ericsson fan and i only buy sony erisson phones and i have owed seven sony ericsson phones the last one i had was the w610I and i’m telling the truth it’s the best sony phone i have ever used this thing does so must things its unbeliveable and note this it’s not a smart phone but it’s magnificent.

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