Gadgets and Gizmos

Sony Ericsson W910i

The Sony Ericsson W910i is made for music. In Walkman mode, an elegant PlayStation 3-style menu interface lets you browse through media and create play lists, just as you would using a dedicated MP3 player. Further, the built-in FM radio tuner stands by to provide fresh tunes should you tire of your own collection.

The built-in motion sensor on the W910i has another, more useful application. The front of the mobile phone is dominated by a 2.4 inch TFT screen that can produce more than 262k colors across its 240 x 320 pixels.

The Walkman logo in iconic orange color affirms the handset’s affiliation to the Walkman family. The handset is endowed with an upgraded Walkman 3.0 media player with many integrated features that were not found in the earlier version, including the fabulous ’shake control’, allowing you to change song by jiggling the phone.

TrackID feature of the updated player is a great way to find out more about a song’s artist and other relevant information just by sending a part of its recording to the server.

Similarly, other features like play list support, equalizer, Mega Bass makes for a unique mobile music experience. The W910i is a surprisingly lightweight 86g, and with its tactile rubber-feel casing, feels comfortable in the hand. It comes in several color options – noble black, hearty red or Havana gold, depending on network – that thankfully go easy on the trademark Walkman phone orange.

The W910i has larger, flatter keys than most, but it still isn’t as easy to use as many rival phones. It’s high time that SE got their act together with the keypad issue. Anyway, the W910i doesn’t have the fastest keypad for texting, but it’s not the worst.

The W910i incorporates Sony Ericsson’s new “Shake Control” that lets you change to a new random track by giving the phone a flick. The motion sensor also lets you flip between portrait and landscape viewing of photos. The built-in 35MB of memory doesn’t allow for too many tracks, but included in the box is an expansive 1GB Memory Stick Micro card that can be upgraded down the track.

Furthermore, the built-in FM radio tuner stands by to provide fresh tunes should you tire of your own collection.

Included in the box is a Memory Stick Micro adapter for plugging the storage card straight into a regular computer USB port, bypassing the need for a special card reader. Tracks are then loaded on using Sony Ericsson’s intuitive new Media Manager software.
Overall Sony’s W910i is the gills with cracking new features.

It’s still true to the Walkman phone tradition but has more of a handle on the entire mobile multimedia landscape, and for that it garners the full five stars.