Upstaging Apple's iPod nano, Sony Ericsson's new music phone merges 3G connectivity with a slim form factor, smart operating system, Walkman audio player and 4 GB of storage.
Sony Ericsson W950i hands-on impression
Retaining the first-class audio quality of previous Walkman phones, the W950i slaps an improved music interface with visual album cover navigation atop a hardware design nearly identical to the M600i, save for its use of a keypad as opposed to a thumbboard - thus negating use as a business phone. Although bested by the 8 GB Samsung SGH-i310, its 4 GB of flash memory should allow for considerably longer battery life - and despite its spacious storage and superb screen, the handset remains ultra-slim at 15 mm thick.
Specifications
- 4 GB of flash memory
- 'Mystic Purple' colour scheme
- 3G connectivity
- 2.6-inch, high-resolution touch screen with handwriting recognition
- Thumbboard
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- Bluetooth 1.2 with streaming audio support
- USB 2.0 with charging
- Internet browsing via Opera 8.0
- RSS reader
- Supporting MP3 and AAC formats
- Up to 10 hours of music playback
- New Walkman interface enables browsing through album covers
Price and availability
Slated for availability throughout Europe during the third quarter of 2006, no information was disclosed concerning the pricing of the Sony Ericsson W950i.
Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970
Introduced alongside the W950i, Sony Ericsson today also showed the company's first Bluetooth headset capable of streaming audio in stereo. Dubbed the HBH-DS970, the headset relies on Bluetooth 2.0 and support for the A2DP profile to enable up to 6 hours of music playback or talk time, and up to 300 hours of standby time. Weighing in at 27 g, the headset also supports multi-point functionality, letting it stay connected to several devices at one time - such as an MP3 player and a mobile phone - to enable rapid switching.
Also equipped with an integrated LCD display for showing caller ID and music information, the HBH-DS970 is scheduled for arrival in the second quarter of 2006. Its price has yet to be announced.
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|