W910i

Good Gear Guide

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Where to Buy (2)

The latest in Sony Ericsson's ever expanding range of Walkman phones, the W910i introduces a couple of nifty music features. SensME technology and 'Shake it!' should keep music lovers busy, while other features certainly haven't been overlooked -- the W910i boasts HSDPA connectivity, a large 2.4in display and an all-new multimedia menu.

Pros

  • HSDPA capable, design and build quality, large display, new multimedia interface, SensME and Shake it! technology

Cons

  • Expensive, in-call volume could be louder, below average camera

Bottom Line

The W910i is another excellent addition to the Walkman range, combining a well-crafted design with some new music features. It doesn't come cheap, but provided you don't require an exceptional camera, this handset is definitely another winner.

Would you buy this?

  • Where to buy

    Priced from: $ 74.21
    Selling at 2 stores
See all prices

The slider W910i is thin and smooth, and its construction feels very solid. A handy battery cover lock makes it easy to remove and despite the flat buttons, operation is intuitive and comfortable. A five-way navigation pad and selection buttons do the grunt of the work, while the keypad has small, soft buttons. They are a little close together, but despite this, messaging is comfortable and most should be able to generate decent speeds. The matte finish (available in either red or black) handles fingerprints surprisingly well.

For calls, the W910i has a reasonable voice quality, but volume could have been louder -- it is sometimes difficult to hear when there is background noise.

The Walkman and general media interface of this handset has been completely redesigned and is similar to the K850i. Conveniently, an accelerometer auto-rotates between portrait or landscape modes. You can access and edit photos, music, videos and adjust settings, and it uses a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, while the relatively large display is crisp and clear for watching video. For photos, X-Pict Story, an automatic slideshow created based on four moods, adds music and transitional effects with a single button press.

SensME technology, exclusive to the W910i, uses track metadata to create a playlist based on mood and tempo. Tracks are plotted on a visual graph and matched to sad and happy emotions and fast and slow tempos. SensME allows you to create playlists based on these choices, though to use these functions you'll have to upload your music using the included Walkman software. The W910i also allows you to skip tracks with the flick of your wrist using 'Shake it!'; simply hold down the Walkman button and flick your wrist left for the previous track and right for the next track. The location and small size of the Walkman button doesn't help in this regard though.

The W910i also offers access to PlayNow, a music download service, and Track ID. PlayNow lets you listen to samples and then download tracks to your phone or PC, while TrackID allows you to record a few seconds of any song you wish and the title, album and artist name are sent back to you. It then allows you to download the full track if it is available.

A 2-megapixel camera with 2.5x digital zoom is included, but it quality is poor with no auto focus or flash. There is also video recording, but this suffers from the same issues as still photography. If you're looking for a great camera phone, we'd advise to look elsewhere.

SMS, MMS and e-mail messaging -- all with T9 predictive text input, an FM radio, voice recorder, Java games as well as Bluetooth with A2DP and USB connectivity are all included. 35MB of internal memory comes standard, but a 1GB M2 card is included.

Battery life is very reasonable, rated at up to three and a half hours and of talk time up to 350 hours standby time on a 3G network.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
The most disturbing YouTube videos of all time

Best Deals on PCWorld

Mobile PhonesView all »
TabletsView all »
Broadband View all »
Powered by
HeadphonesView all »
GamesView all »

Resources

Mobile Phones Product Finder
Find the product you're looking for with our Mobile Phones search tool.

Latest User Reviews