Sony Ericsson says its celebrating the Walkman phone’s third birthday with three new GSM handsets. Upstage owners getting tired of their aging, UI-challenged handsets are gonna love these.
The W902 is a sharp-looking candybar, thinner than a pinky. It has a 5-megapixel camera, a free 8GB memory stick for your songs and stuff and a 240×320 pixel 2.2″ display. It comes in black, red and green. Fat capabilities in an ultra-thin case pitch this as a model for smartphone-hating minimalists who still want nice toys.
Specwise, the W595 is a step down from the W902, with only a 2GB memory card and a 3.2MP camera, but some trim gives it distinction. It has dual stereo jacks for friends to listen together, and “shake control,” which lets you move from song to song by flicking it just so. Sony Ericsson’s ad only had girls in it, so take this as the Mazda Miata of the new lineup.
The W302 is touted as an affordable unit that “doesn’t compromise.” It has a 2MP camera and a 512MB memory stick included. Though the same size as the W902, it’s only 78 grams, and the crisp design speaks for itself. Unlike the other models, it doesn’t have HSDPA, or even EDGE – but it does have an FM radio!
Coming soon, Sony Ericsson says, is the W980.
They do make some nice looking hardware, but I’m not buying Memory Sticks ever again.
#1 – don’t you have any left over? I’ve got at least two spares.
They also use proprietary headphones – the HPM-77 it comes with /has/ a 3mm headphone jack, but it goes into the handsfree cable, so you need to have that on you at all times.
This might explain why teenagers about here walk about with their tinny music blaring on their mobiles instead of sticking headphones on. Kids these days, eh.
In other news, get off my lawn.
The only thing I don’t like about the SE Walkman phones is that HUGE adapter you have to use for the earphones, as shown in the second pic. I don’t see why they don’t implement a built-in 3.5mm jack, like a regular Walkman.
I know — that’s what stops me from getting something like this. The upstage did the same thing.
They simply don’t realize how much of a problem it is. With Sony, there will always be another ATRAC.
I use a nokia 5310 xpress music at the moment, it’s the same size or smaller as these sony walkman phones and does have a normal headphone jack. memory is on a replaceable micro sd. I’m not sure whether it’s available in the US as i live in the EU
I have to say I’m quite taken with the round edged ingot look of the last one; but grief would you look at how small those buttons are, I can’t imagine pressing less than three at any one go.
So wait, are these GSM, or 3G? The top two have HSDPA?
*goes off to look*
Oooh, only UMTS 2100. Damn you Telstra and your 850MHz 3G.