THE WALKMAN
W800i(Sony Ericson)
THE W800i may be the world's first Walkman phone but it is far off from being an iPod killer. However, it is still feature-packed enough that it is in a class of its own compared to other MP3-enabled phones.
First off, when the phone is switched on, it gives users the option to use the music player without turning on the phone functions and without requiring a SIM card.
This is great because most phones will not let you get far without a SIM card.
A dedicated button launches the music player, which has a user-friendly but barebones interface. The main menu allows songs to be sorted by track, artist or playlist, and is mainly navigated using the five-way joystick on the phone.
While playing music, pressing the dedicated button again minimises the player so that the phone can be used while the music continues to play in the background.
The player does not display any visuals while playing music – while this is not a major setback, it would have been cool if it did display something.
The player has an equaliser and Sony's Mega Bass to improve music playback.
When a call is received, the music player automatically pauses, allowing you to answer the phone. To resume playback, you have to press the dedicated button again.
Another cool feature is that any of the songs can be set as a ringtone. Also, I did not have any difficulty sending the songs to other devices, like a handheld computer, using Bluetooth or infrared.
The integrated 34MB storage is not enough for storing MP3 files which is why the phone comes bundled with a 512MB Memory Stick Pro Duo card. In case you're wondering, the phone supports up to 2GB Memory Stick cards.
Although it is understandable that Sony Ericsson would opt for the Memory Stick format because of Sony but media is not cheap when compared to say, SD (Secure Digital) or MMC (Multimedia Card).
The stereo earbud that comes with the W800i was good and listening to music on it was satisfying.
The earbud plugs to the back of the phone, which makes handling the phone a bit clumsy – IMHO, it would have been more intuitive if it the jack was located at the top.
The W800i is bundled with the Disc2Phone application, which allows users to rip songs from a CD and transfer them to the phone via the supplied data cable.
The phone also has an FM radio that can have up to 20 preset stations.
The camera function on the phone resembles a standalone camera (with the same orientation and all) so it was very intuitive to use.
To switch the camera on or off, you just have to open or close the lens cover.
The W800i's 2-megapixel camera produced good pictures with rather good contrast and accurate white balance in most lighting conditions.
The pictures tuned out sharp and clear thanks to the camera's autofocus, a feature you will not find in most camera phones.
However, pictures can only be taken in three sizes – 1,632 x 1,224, 640 x 480, and 160 x 120pixels – which is rather limiting.
There are four shooting modes: Normal, panoramic, frames, and burst, as well as four picture effects: Black and white, negative, sepia, and solarise.
Other features include a 4x digital zoom, macro for close-up shots, night mode and self-timer.
The W800i can also record videos at resolutions of 176 x 144pixels and 128 x 96pixels but due to the low resolution, the videos didn't turn up too good.
In terms of design, the W800i strikes more than a passing resemblance to the K750i as both phones share almost the same features.
Essentially, the W800i is superior to the K750i in that it packs a bigger memory card and has better MP3 functions.
But while the K750i looks elegant in black, the W800i looks a little too funky in orange and white – for me at least.
On the bright side, it is great that Sony Ericsson has managed to maintain the size of the keep the size and weight of the W800i down, considering how feature-packed it is.
The candy bar-shaped phone has a 1.8in 262,000-colour screen which is bright and sharp thanks to is 176 x 220pixel resolution.
Among my few gripes with the phone is that the keys are too flat and small, which makes typing SMS texts rather tedious.
The five-way joystick is also a little too small to my liking, and most often than not, it did interpret my directions correctly.
If you are prepared to pay the price, the W800i is definitely a worthwhile buy as it packs an excellent digital camera and is a good MP3 player.
The talktime on the phone is also excellent as I used it for almost a week without recharging.
Overall, the W800i shines in almost all departments and it is one of the best phones that I have used in a long time – even though it lacks 3G (third-generation) network support.
Pros: Good MP3 player; excellent camera; good overall perfomance.
Cons: No 3G support; buttons are too small, design may not appeal to everyone; pricey.
Source:http://star-techcentral.com
posted by Syahmi @ 1:37 PM
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