Walkman with GPS and 3G (Sony Ericsson W760i)

Member Name: Roldo

Product:	Sony Ericsson W760i
Date:	26/12/08 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Its a SE, has the shake feature, 3.2mp camera, GPS, 3G...

Disadvantages: Poor Camera with no flash, software bugs when purchased (although now fixed)...

With my contract upgrade looming, I was all set to go with the W910i, until research brought me too soon to be released W760. Coming in a choice of three different colours (Fancy Red, Intense Black, Rocky Silver); I went for the Rocky Silver colour mainly because my provider only supplied this phone in that colour.

On paper, this phone includes an impressive list of features, including GPS, 3.2mp Camera, an accelerometer (allowing SE Walkman shake feature), 1G memory card, 3G HSDPA connectivity, and music Recognition. Measuring 103 x 48 x 15 mm and weighing around 103 grams; I feel this is the perfect size for comfort without making it too big/heavy in your pocket, but big/heavy enough that it's easy to lose.

Looking into the phones hardware includes a 3.2 mp camera, which is 'ok' for a mobile camera, but given the features on phones released at a similar time (5mp+), leads me to think why SE couldn't have done better in this department. A flash is also missing from the phone, which is again a disappointment, but easily forgivable since it is a feature I have never really used.

Music is where this phone becomes more superior in comparison with other phones of its kind. Using SE walkman software, music playback is made very easy, with a dedicated walkman button on the phone, and the shake feature (which I find to be a pretty 'cool' feature, although I find it much easier to use the phones directional buttons instead). Other features include an FM radio - which stood still keeps a goon signal, but once you start moving around, interference can sometimes come about; megabass is another feature this walkman provides improving music playback quality through the phones internal speakers or external headphones. Next is the SensMe feature, which allows you to create playlists, based upon your mood; it works by analysing all your music tracks and putting them into categories including slow or fast, and happy or sad; I find this to be a good feature provided by SE, and can be rather useful when wanting to play specific genres of tracks much more easily and quickly. Finally there is TrackID, which records a few seconds of a song, and then tells you the song name, artist, and album; this feature has been of use several times, although it uses the internet to analyse the song, and can therefore get costly.

GPS was a nice inclusion in this phone, and isn't very common in new phones. Although a GPS receiver is included in the phone, it uses the internet to download the maps of your area, never mind the Wayfinder Navigator which uses a subscription fee to use (although for me did come free for the first 3 months); a GPS signal is also hard to come by, and has therefore not come of much use.

My favourite feature on this phone is the motion sensors, which can be used in music playback for changing track/volume, or in some flash files - such as clocks which always stay horizontal no matter which way round your phone is - and finally it can be used in gaming. One game included with the phone is Need for Speed Pro Street, as it allows you to tilt the phone in the direction you want to steer; this gave me fun for months in playing and showing off to my friends. 

Along with the music player and shake features, I love this phone - mainly because its SE. Its logical menu screens are much more of a pleasure to move around in comparison with some other phones I have used in the past. One problem I should state is the bugs the software had when I first purchased the phone; random shutdowns and/or freezes would be quite common, although a software update by Sony soon fixed this and now everything works fine; I therefore suggest you try updating your handset through a computer if these problems ever occur after purchase.

Given the price this phone can be purchased for now, I would say it is very much worth it, given the features it provide In comparison with other phones of its kind, which cost much more.

Summary: Very good phone for the amount it costs...

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