Camera Phones Plaza

Sony Ericsson phones are like wine, more attractive with time. At the official launch, these phones really lack something, anything that might just make you buy them. If you are a Sony Ericsson fan, then your answer will be quite violent at least in vocabulary, but for the rest of the sane people out there with some brain activity the above mentioned will be understood. The main reason for why Sony Ericsson doesn't succeed in selling from the beginning its products is bad management and marketing.

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You see, their products are not all that great, let's say average (however average is good, a lot of people need and buy average products) but released on market for higher price ranges. Therefore, the obvious solution for the careful customers is to wait a few months (six months is the average time, and nine months will successfully bring you a bargain) before purchasing any Sony Ericsson phones. This is the case of Sony Ericsson Walkman W595.

Announced in July 2008, and released on September 2008, the W595 is currently offered for what it is really worth. This phone sports some key features like the 2.2 inches OVGA TFT display, the 3 megapixel digital camera, accelerometer sensor, multi tasking, stereo speakers, and the 3.5 mm audio jack. Unfortunately you can also find main disadvantages, such as the lack of auto focus, cheap plastic design, no office document view or edit, and a few more others.

Because the Sony Ericsson phones usually don't have a direct competitor, the W595 is hard to be included in a specific range. The most logic choice would be the middle audio orientated mobile phones. Even so, only Nokia has to offer a few middle range phones with audio features (with the Xpress Music), but overall the Xpress Music phones defeat by far the Walkman phones (as an overall result, while in the music department the walkman phones are with a step ahead the Xpress Music phones). With a height of 100 mm, wide of 47 mm, deep of 14 mm, the W595 weights about 104 grams.


Therefore, this phone is easy to carry around (not the smallest or lightest), featuring average dimensions and weight. For a phone made almost 70% out of plastic the W595 weights maybe a little too much. Even so, beside the plastic body, you still get a few nice finishes such as the side metallic finishes and the rubber feeling plastic on the back cover. The design is by far impressive or stylish. The phone looks normal, and the build quality is at best average.

The phone doesn't just look a little cheap but also feels so, when handled without patience. On the front cover, above the display you get beside the earpiece, an ambient light sensor, while below the display you can find the navigational pad and the dedicated music keys. Therefore, you get the four way directional keys (up, down, left, and right), centered by the okay button. The center button also has another function, the play or pause function, while the left key involves the rewind function and the right key the forward button.


You also get the call key, the end call key, the back key, two soft keys, and the menu key. Once you slide the phone you get the alphanumerical keys, which are easy to use and nice built. The keyboard is well sized and offers enough feedback for an average user. You should have no problems even if you are used to text more than call. On the right side the W595 sports the dedicated Walkman key, and the volume controls. On the other side you can find the branded connector port. On both top and bottom sides, Sony Ericsson included a stereo speaker. On the back cover you get, either opened or closed, on the upper left corner the 3 megapixel camera lens and that is about all you get, no LED flash, no Xenon flash whatsoever. This camera lacks even protective cover.

The operating system is not exactly full of business applications mostly because it is Walkman branded. Therefore, you have to expect of excellent music features and basic features in rest. This phone runs in both 2G network with GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and 3G network with HSDPA 2100. Sony Ericsson included in the W595a 2.2 inches TFT display with 240 x 320 pixels resolution with 256000 colors, and a built in accelerometer sensor in order to enable the auto rotate function.


Even if the W595 sports an ambient light sensor, its display will not offer sufficient brightness under direct sunlight. In terms of memory, the W595 has a small onboard memory of 40 MB, expandable with Memory Stick Micro memory cards up to 8 GB. The connectivity is ensured by the GPRS Class 10 (with the common by now 4+1 / 3+2 slots) with a varying speed between 32 Kb per second to 48 Kb per second, HSCSD, EDGE Class 10 with 236.8 Kb per second, 2.0 USB connectivity, Bluetooth version 2.0 with A2DP, and HSDPA with 3.6 MB per second. On board the W595 you can find a 3.15 megapixel camera with a maximum resolution possible of 2048 x 1536 pixels.

Even more this camera is capable of video recording but only in QVGA mode with only 15 frames per second. as any other phone camera the 3.15 megapixel camera sports some nice features such as geo tagging, or editing settings, like effects, white balance and others. Sony Ericsson ships the W595 with a BST 33 Lithium Polymer battery with 950 mAh power. This battery should be enough for about 385 hours of standby time in 2G network and 365 hours of standby time in 3G network. This battery should also offer about 9 hours of talk time in 2G networks, and about 4 hours and 30 minutes in 3G networks.


Because this is a music orientated phone you should know that this battery will allow you to listen to almost 26 hours of music playback. Sony Ericsson provides the W595 with a good balanced retail package, including the USB cable, mandatory charger, a two ear piece headset with remote and two 3.5 mm audio jacks, and a 2 GB Memory Stick Micro card. Overall, after the current price drop, the Sony Ericsson W595 is more attractive than ever in terms of music. If you are looking for a music phone in the first place, then the W595 might just be what you are looking for. However, if you also want some business features or a good camera then you should keep on looking to other mobile phones because W595 is not the phone for you.

Constantly changing and updating the portfolio is a necessary step for each and every manufacturer once every two years. We can easily see this process in the Nokia 2009 - 2010 plans, in Samsung's rebranding process, or even in the LG family. It is not necessary to change specs. The most important is to change the design making it more new and including the new brand's design. It is very likely to find average tech phones with new design, which are at its core older high tech phones.
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By doing so, the manufacturers not only save important money (which in normal marketing strategy a completely redesigned core tech would cost extremely much in development), but they are also capable of releasing phones in a smaller time frame. The same goes for the Sony Ericsson, which is always releasing new phones in smaller lines with the seam specs found on higher model lines. A true example of this process is the Sony Ericsson C901. Believe it or not this C9xx phone delivers only a 5 megapixel digital camera.

Even so, the C901 still has some key features, beside the new upgraded Sony Ericsson design, to offer. Some of the key features included in the C901 are the LED and Xenon flash; cover lenses, extremely high connectivity, and Quad band GSM support. On the other extreme, in the main disadvantages department you will discover that C901 lacks document viewer, that its retail box content is somewhat disappointing, memory card slot under the back cover, and a small video recording resolution. If you don't mind this few disadvantages, and you are looking for a 5 megapixel camera phone then you should take a closer look at the Sony Ericsson C901. Because this phone is branded "C" you have to expect excellent image quality.

In rest, you might find the old looking Sony Ericsson mobile phones. With a height of 105 mm, wide of 45 mm, deep of 13 mm, the C901 weights about 107 grams. These values prove once again that Sony Ericsson always tries to deliver small factor phones, easy to carry around. As a Sony Ericsson phone, the C901 obviously sports a black matte plastic. As you can imagine this doesn't exactly improves the C901 design. Even more, you will probably be disappointed since the C901 is a fingerprint magnet, and is also very easy to scratch. In rest the design could have been better build. Sure, you get no flex, but you do get weird noises when you press the phone to much (the all plastic body cause such of disadvantage).


You can choose from three different available colors, Silver, Black, and Precious Peach. On the front side, above the screen you get the earpiece with the ambient light sensor right next to it. Below the display you can find the navigations keys. Sony Ericsson added about six control keys (with two soft keys, clear button, call key, end call key, and activity menu). Even more, you can find the four way directional keys (up, down, left, and right) with the Ok centered button. Unfortunately, all these keys have small sizes, making the usability not too great at all. If you get a sense of how to use them, then you will find good feedback buttons. Under the navigational keys, you get the alphanumerical buttons. Some off this buttons have at least two functions (used for special features in camera mode). The keypad is made out of plastic.


Even so, it is easy to use and the typing will not be a problem at all. On the left side of the C901, you can find the Sony Ericsson port (uncovered), while on the right side you get the dedicated camera keys, the volume controls, and the shutter key. On the top of the C901, Sony Ericsson included the battery cover lock. The back cover of the C901, sports the cover for the 5 megapixel camera with Cyber Shot logo. This cover is located on the upper top of the C901. Once slide it open you get the 5 megapixel camera lenses and the LED flash, and even more, the Xenon flash.

However there are too many logos on the back cover of C901, the Sony Ericsson logo, the Cyber Shot logo, and the 5.0 megapixel camera logo. The design lacks nice features because of the logo "traffic". Overall, Sony Ericsson delivers an average looking phone, for some a jewelry, and for others something rather boring. The design is, however, a matter of taste, while the build concerns anyone. The build quality is average, and you might need to accept some compromises if you are going to purchase this phone.


In terms of software, you are not going to find anything new, within the C901. Even so, the organizer, music player, calendar and web browsing are included and work just fine offering a good user experience. Sony Ericsson included in the C901 a 2.2 inches TFT display with a QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels). This TFT display will render about 256000 colors. Even more, the C901 includes an accelerometer sensor, for a better photo experience. The display offers sufficient brightness even under direct sunlight. You should have no problems with this display in any light conditions. The C901 runs in 2G network with GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 and in 3G network with HSDPA 900 / 2100.


The onboard memory value is about 110 MB, expandable with Micro Stick Micro memory card up to 8 GB value. The connectivity is well ensured in the C901. However, it lacks Wi-Fi. Even so, you get GPRS Class 10 (4+1 / 3+2 slots) with a vary speed form 32 Kb per second to 45 Kb per second, HSCSD, EDGE Class 10 with a maximum speed of 236.8 Kb per second, 2.0 USB connectivity, 2.0 Bluetooth with A2DP, and HSDPA with 3.6 MB per second. Also featured in the C901 is the 5 megapixel digital camera with 2592 x 1944 pixels, with auto focus, xenon flash and LED flash.

Because this is a Cyber Shot camera, you can easily find features like face and smile detection and geo tagging. The quality photos taken are remarkable. Even with only 5 megapixels the C901 can easily compete with other 8 megapixel phone thanks to the excellent lenses. This camera can also record videos.


However the quality of these videos is not high, with only QVGA resolution at 30 frames per second. Sony Ericsson included in the C901 a BST 33 Lithium Polymer battery with 950 mAh. This value battery will only provide about 430 hours of standby time, and about 9.5 hours of talk time in 2G network. For an average user all these values mean about three days of autonomy (however, depending on the usage you can even get five days of autonomy). In the shipping retail box, Sony Ericsson included beside the C901 unit and battery pack, a mandatory charger, one pair of headphones, user guide, and that is about all you will get. No CD software, no memory card included, no cable, no nothing (sad but true).


Overall, the C901 is not better than C902, not in design or specs. If you are looking for a Cyber Shot phone, then chose C902 (now even more because you can certainly find it with a smaller price tag). However, if you are interested in comparing the C901 with other manufacturer phones, then you should keep on moving. The C901 is the best 5 megapixel digital camera without touch screen, with an asking price of $350 - $400, on the market with no direct competitor, because Nokia 6700 classic and Nokia 6720 classic are not camera orientated phones.

The Sony Ericsson G705 is the reinterpretation of the old C905. The G705 is marketed as the perfect balance between business and fashion, while the C905 is considered to be one of the Sony Ericsson flagships. You should aspect great Internet solutions, because of the "G" line in which the G705 stands. However, in terms of style the G705 loses to its sibling, the W705. Even more, neither "G" line nor "W" line offer fashion phones. So why is Sony Ericsson so eager to sell the G705 as a style phone? The answer is not a mystery, once you have seen the specs list. The G705 is not a high tech phone, and it is not a business model either. Therefore, in order for Sony Ericsson to actually sell the G705, they had to bring the style as marketing solution.

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The G705 is the second phone in the new Generation Web line. G705 doesn't really have direct competitors, because most of the middle range Samsung models sport touch screens and 5 megapixel cameras. While in comparison with Nokia, Sony Ericsson G705 stands alone. No Nokia model can actually be considered a competitor to G705. The E series from Nokia includes business smart phones while the N series includes multimedia pocket computers. Although G705 is considered to be an Internet oriented phone, other manufacturers offer the same kind of connectivity in their devices without creating a special series.

If you are also looking to get a great music player in your G705 forget it, redirect your attention to W705, with the same specs, almost the same look but better audio quality. Before diving in the advantages and features list, lets present the main disadvantages: the quality materials used in G705 construction, no office document viewer, memory card slot featured under the battery cover, and bad quality video recording. The Sony Ericsson G705 comes in two colors, majestic black and silky gold. G705 is made entirely out of plastic. Then again what Sony Ericsson slider doesn't? Unfortunately, even with the glossy plastic front panel, the phone still looks entry level, and by far middle range.

The four way keys, under the display, are surrounded by the usual Sony Ericsson keys. On the left, you get the activity menu key and a soft key, and the call button. On the other side you will find another soft key, a clear function key and the end call button. The four way pad is good in terms of usability. You can easily use them and they provide good feedback.

This phone only slides down. By doing so, you will get the keypad. The G705's keypad doesn't just look extraordinary, but you can also feel at touch the good design and materials used. You can easily use the keys. The keypad is large enough, providing good distance between the keys. As an overall look, the only quality element in the design and construction of the G705 is the keypad. Although in a direct confrontation between W705 and G705, the winner will probably be the W705, in the keyboard department the G705 would be the winner by far.

The keys are lid with the same white light found on the W705. Because G705 is a slider, the keypad locks automatically when you slide the phone to close position. This feature is not customizable. Just like the W705 construction, on the left side of G705 you can find the interface connector (with no covering material), while on the right side the G705 sports the dedicated camera button and the volume controls.

On the back, the G705 includes, beside the 3.15 megapixel camera lens, a LED flash. Don't look for the memory card slot, because you are not going to find it. The memory card slot is located under the battery cover. On the top of the phone, you will get the play / stop tiny key. This key is not dependent on the locked / unlocked feature of the keypad. Above the display, the G705 features a forward facing video camera and an ambient light sensor.

The phones dimensions are very good, making the G705 portable in any pocket. It has a height of 95 mm, wide of 47 mm, deep of 14.3 mm, the G705 weight almost 98 g. The Sony Ericsson G705 runs in 2G networks (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), but also in 3G networks (HSDPA 2100, HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100). Sony Ericsson ships the G705 with a 2.4 inches TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 230 pixels, which sports up to 256.000 colors. Really good is the integrated accelerometer sensor for auto rotate. The G705 accommodates up to nine text lines and four service lines. In some applications, this service and text lines may vary (the display could accommodate up to 12 text lines). Even with the ambient light sensor, the G705 display still gets washed out in bright light. Therefore don't expect to write any emails and texts in broad day light. The G705 is equipped with a standard battery, Lithium Polymer 950 mAh BST 33.

The same battery can be found on the W705. Sony Ericsson claims that in 2G network, this battery will last up to 400 hours; while in the 3G network the battery will go up to 380 hours in standby. In the 2G network the 950 mAh battery will allow up to 10 hours of talk time. For an average user, and depending on the Wi-Fi and GPS usage, the G705 should last between 2 and half days to almost 4 days. The W705 has an inbuilt memory of 120 MB, while the G705 sports a 160 MB unit. Just like the walkman brother, the G705 supports expandable memory cards, Memory Stick Micro (M2), up to 16 GB. The connectivity is ensured by GPRS (Class 10 with 4 + 1 / 3 + 2 slots, 32 - 48 kbps), EDGE (Class 10, 236.8 kbps), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, HSCSD, HSUPA with 2 Mbps, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, and 2.0 high speed USB port. You can use the USB connection of the G705 with three modes.

The most important one, the Media Transfer mode will allow you to disconnect the phone function and transfer at high speed files between your computer and your G705. For a midrange phone, you get a middle range digital camera. G705 comes equipped with a 3.15 megapixel camera (CMOS matrix without autofocus).

The camera can take pictures in four different resolutions, 640 x 480 pixels, 1280 x 960 pixels, 1632 x 1224 pixels and 2048 x 1536 pixels. Just like the W705, the G705's camera takes photos in two quality compression: normal and fine. However take in notice that at the highest resolution (2048 x 1536) with fine quality, pictures will have an average size of 1 MB. Beside the LED flash, the camera also sports features like, self timer, white balance, effects and other settings you can find in the camera menu. Because of all the connectivity packed in the G705, you will not encounter any problem in web browsing.

The offered web browser from the Sony Ericsson branded operating system is quick and stable.  GPS is a powerful feature in the G705. The device also comes with Google Maps for Mobile preinstalled. You also get Location services to help find your way, view information about your current location, or any other locations. Everything works smoothly. The Satellite view and the Map view are excellent rendered on the 24. Inches display. The only possible drawback would be the small autonomy of the battery if you use the GPS continuously. However, you can always choose for a car charger when cross a bigger distance. You should be aware that this phone will not deliver high quality audio, because it would challenge on the market its brother, W705.

Sony Ericsson ships in the containing box, beside the G705 handset, the 950 mAh battery, mandatory charger, 1 GB M2 memory card, user guide, wired stereo headset, USB data cable, and the Software CD. Overall, the Sony Ericsson G705 is a good balance phone. It doesn't have direct competitors. Therefore it is impossible to say if G705 is a good purchase or not. However, if you are interested in great connectivity phones under $350, and you like the slide form, you should take into consideration G705 as a possible purchase choice.

If you are familiar with the Sony Ericsson G705, then you already know what is all about the new Sony Ericsson W705. Both phones have the same design, both of them have alternative versions with UMA (for Orange), Sony Ericsson G705u respectively Sony Ericsson W705u, and both phones come with almost the same features. "Almost" the same features because G705 and W705 come from different ranges. The G705 is a lite business orientated model, while the W705 is marketed under the Walkman logo. The W705 is more appealing, because it targets a younger audience, primarily 16 to 25 year olds. As most of the Walk man branded phones, W705 will not be a market success from the launch point. First the price will go done with 15 to 25 percent, in the next six to eight months, and then it will become a good purchase.

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The Sony Ericsson Walkman buyers are people (even if young) more calculated, than the customers of Apple iPhone or the latest Nokia gadgets. Walkman brand is for people who are looking for a great balance between prices and features. This doesn't necessarily happen to Nokia customers, or Apple customers. Remember the huge line up in the summer of 2007 for the first iPhone? Or maybe the recently 2 million units sold of N97. Unfortunately 70 percent of nowadays customers jump into a purchase without planning ahead. Good for the manufacturers, bad for their clients finances. The Sony Ericsson W705 doesn't even have a direct competitor. It is a nice looking, slide form, music oriented phone. The Sony Ericsson W705 comes in two color choices (like most of the Walkman branded phones): passionate red and luxury silver.

Don't expect to a black finish, because Sony Ericsson is offering that color on the G705. If it would be offered on the W705, it would probably make confusion for the potential buyers. The back cover hinges on a side latch. Therefore it might seem not that solid in the matter of build. On the left side you will find the interface connector, while on the right side you will find the volume keys and camera trigger. On the top of the W705 you will find the music key, while on the back W705 sports the 3.15 megapixel camera lens and a LED flash. The walkman phone has a height of 95 mm, wide of 47.5 mm, deep of 14.3 mm with an estimated weight of 98 g. judging from this values you will get a pocket friendly phone.

The Sony Ericsson W705 runs in 2G networks (GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900), but also in 3G networks (HSDPA 900 / 2100). W705 is equipped with an average range display. Therefore you get a nice 2.4 inches TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, capable of rendering up to 256.000 colors. Beside the entry level wallpapers and screensavers you also get the excellent accelerometer sensor for auto rotate. The W705 screen can accommodate up to 9 text and 4 service lines (in some sub menus you might be able to accommodate even more). Unfortunately, in the sun the display gets washed. Therefore the legibility is at mediocre at best. The keypad is easy to use.

It is made out of too much plastic. Even so the middle size buttons feel nice at touch and provide good feedback. Unlike the W905, W705 offers a more comfortable keypad. All keys are lit in white, making them friendly to look at. Compared to the G705 keypad, the one found on W705 is not as good. Sony Ericsson didn't provide with specifications regarding the processor used or the random access memory included in the W705. The internal memory has a small value of 120 MB. You can improve this value by adding a memory stick micro M2 card. The W705 is already shipped with 1 GB M2 card, however you can easily go up to 8 GB values. Even so, this is a music oriented phone, and in doesn't have an x GB built in memory. Well Sony Ericsson understood that less is more, at list in the storage department.

The connectivity is ensured by Class 10 (4 + 1 / 3 + 2 slots) GPRS with 32 to 48 kbps, HSCSD, EDGE with Class 10 and 236.8 kbps, HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps and HSUPA with 2 Mbps, Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g support, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and 2.0 USB (used with Media Transfer, when the phone goes off and extends the data transfer speed up to 2 MB per second). You can also use the W705 as a modem; by connecting it to your laptop it will provide you sufficient speed for browsing. Sony Ericsson ships the W705 with a small 930 mAh Li - Pol battery (BST 38). The official standby time in the 2G network is about 400 hours, while in the 3G network is about 350 hours. In the 2G network the W705 battery will last for 10 hours of talk time, and up to 4 hours of talk tome in the 3G network. For an average consumer, these values mean around 2.5 days to 3 days.

The phone takes around 2 hours to charge its battery full. If you will use the Wi-Fi connection, then you should know that the W705's battery will last about 2 hours and 30 minutes. Because W705 plays in the middle range, Sony Ericsson equipped it with a 3.15 megapixel camera. You can use this camera to take pictures with three possible resolutions, 2048 x 1536 pixels, 1632 x 1224 pixels, 1280 x 960 pixels. You can chose to take pictures using the "fine" data compression or "normal" data compression. The camera comes with a full set of setting features: shutter sound, white balance, timer, night mode, effects, and shooting mode.

The user interface was not changed; you get the same Sony Ericsson operating system. However, this phone is walkman braded, making the music player from the W705 a good feature (even more with the Sens Me feature). Because of the accelerometer sensor, you can use the Shake Control on your W705. You just have to shake your W705 when listening to a playlist as you will turn the shuffle mode on.

The phone offers a good quality music playback as long as you use a pair of headphones, or stereo speakers. The sound offered is loud and by using the equalizer feature you can listen to music with any effect you would like. The Sony Ericsson W705 doesn't try to be an ultimate multimedia phone. It was created for the middle range, and sports a perfect balance between price and performances. However, as a nice surprise in this class, you get a full connectivity package, a relatively good battery and an excellent music player. If you are looking for a normal music phone, then the Sony Ericsson W705 is a safe choice.

If you are looking for a midrange music oriented music phone you should probably read this article. When you say music phone, and it is not iPhone, then you say Sony Ericsson Walkman. The Sony Ericsson W508 is a great music minded folder type phone. Sony claims that this phone is not for the youth who normally go for models such as Sony Ericsson W380. However the W508 is here to replace the W380.

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The Sony Ericsson W508 offers the full Walkman package at a bargain price. In terms of specs the Sony Ericsson W508 is similar with other Sony Ericsson slider phones, W910 and W595. Unfortunately all this three devices compete with each other; therefore in terms of sales this means disaster for the W508. In fact the only appealing features (in comparison with the other Walkman models) are its form factor and a 3.2 MP digital camera (way better than the old 2 MP camera on the W910). Also potential buyers might like the Style Up covers.

The Sony Ericsson W508 is shipped with a spare one. So why did the W508 arrived in the Sony Ericsson portfolio? Believe it or not, the W508 was created to save the W980 reputation. Sony Ericsson believed that their music player flagship, W980, will generate significant sales. Unfortunately they marketed with a high price list, therefore poor sales is the word of choice for the W980 sales success. But Sony Ericsson did not learn from the lack of success of the w980. They have positioned the new W508 at a price point higher than that of its two slider type predecessors with almost identical list specs. So we have a not flagship, music oriented slider, with a no nonsense design for middle aged men, with an asking price of an unsuccessful flagship music phone.

I am starting to wonder if Sony Ericsson actually has a marketing plan, or if they just change the draft depending how the wind blows. Beside itself, the main disadvantage of this phone are: the camera who lacks autofocus or for that matter LED flash, low grade video recording at only QVGA with 15 frames per second, no web browser screen auto rotate and no document reader (shocking). However the W508 tries to be a user friendly phone, by having ways to interact to you (like Track ID - to find certain tracks, Sense Me - so you can pick songs based on your mood, Shake Control and Even Gesture Control).

The W508 design is somewhat close to the design of the Sony Ericsson W980; the same layout of touch sensitive controls, two color choices (Poetic White and Metal Grey), approach this phone device to the flagship's design. A unique feature is the removable extra front cover. You can now choose whatever color or pattern you like (sunny orange, architectural purple, forest green, midnight summer, splashed art, radial blue and others). The phone's case is made entirely out of plastic. The front cover is a rather light glossy plastic; the back cover is made out of rough plastic.

The opening mechanism is not a high luxury feature. The opening is done only manually (can anyone say back to 2004). Even more cheaply is the sound of the plastic case when you open or close the phone. The dimensions of the Sony Ericsson W508 are average for a flip phone. It has a height of 93.5 mm, wide of 50 mm, deep of 14 mm with a weight of 98 g. On the left side of the phone we have the dock connector, while on the right side we have the volume control keys and with a switch for the touch sensitive controls. The three keys of the music player are a play / pause key and skip coward and backward keys that also work for seeking. The Sony Ericsson W508 has a TFT display with up to 256 K colors. It sports a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels wide of 2.2 inches.

The screen size allows it to accommodate up to 9 text and 4 service lines. Overall, the main display boasts vibrant colors, it has a good color reproduction and it performs decent under sunlight. The secondary display is monochrome with a diagonal of 1.1 inches and a resolution of 36 x 128 pixels. It offers information such as: time, battery charge, and signal strength and network type as well as song information during playback. However its legibility under sunlight is bad. When it is not lighted it even blends in with the plastic case. The Sony Ericsson W508 is shipped with Li Ion battery (BST 39) with 920 mAh. In the 2G network the standby time goes up to 400 hours, while in the 3G network it has the same standby value. In the 2G network the talk time is up to 10 hours, while in the 3G network the value lowers to 4 hours. If you will listen to music continuously, then the battery will get drained in 22 hours. The W508's battery needs two and a half hours to charge itself up. The W508 is equipped with a 3.15 MP digital camera, with a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels.

The camera also sports 1632 x 1536 pixels, 1280 x 960 pixels and 640 x 480 pixels resolutions. You have a few settings available in the camera interface: shutter sound, white balance, effects (negative, solarize, sepia and black and white), timer, night mode and shooting mode. The W508 can record video at 320 x 240 pixel resolution with 30 frames per second. The videos taken with the W508 are average quality. The Sony Ericsson device sports a not hot swappable card slot, memory stick micro M2 up to 16 GB. The new walkman 3.0 software sports DRM 2 support as well as support for MTP, which makes for direct music transfers with Windows Media Player. The player supports a big collection of file formats and has several equalizer presets.

The Sony Ericsson W508 runs in the 2G network (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900) and in the 3G network (HSDPA 2100 and HSDPA 850 / 1900 / 2100). The connectivity is ensured by the GPRS Class 10 (4+1 / 3+2 slots, 32 - 48 kbps), EDGE Class 10 (236.8 Kbps), HSDPA, Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP and USB. However the Wi-Fi is missing from the connectivity package. The Sony Ericsson W508 doesn't offer any significant upgrades than the already released slider models. The success of this phone is purely fictional. This device is for a small category of people. They will like it and buy it, but at the end of the day this phone will not be a market success. At bests it will have the same faith of the Sony Ericsson W980.