The latest from Sony Ericsson’s Walkman branded mobile handsets is the uber-cool slider, the W995 that’s also loaded with an 8MP shooter. So from music to pictures, how does the W995 fare? Allow me to give you my opinion.
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Form Factor
I won’t say it’s sexy because I think that would feminize the handset just a little bit and although I have seen a girl use it, I’m of the strong opinion, and I say this without a hint of a sexist syllable, that this looks and feels like a guys handset. It’s slick with a super smooth pop slider, has a 2.6-inch TFT LCD with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 256Kcolors with an accelerometer for specific screens. The keys are well laid out under the display around the large five way nav-pad. The same goes for the main keypad. The keys are properly spaced and most conducive to speedy typing. A VGA camera is located above the display for video calls and a rather responsive light sensor is just a little to its side.
On one side is Sony Ericsson’s ‘infamous’ all-in one port, but wait, this time around, they’ve also included a secondary 3.5mm earphone socket on the top of the handset. This way you can listen to music while charging the phone. The handsfree connector also has a 3.5mm socket. A Walkman key that takes you straight to the music player is also located on the same side. The M2 card hot-swap slot is just under the rear panel on the same side. On the opposite side is where you’ll find a dedicated camera key, volume/zoom keys and dedicated music keys for playing/pausing and skipping tracks.
Media
Sound quality is fantastic. The tones are clear and the dynamic range of frequencies is well balanced out. With the new Walkman 4.0 player the EQ presets with an adjustable 5 band graphic EQ and Clear Bass along with Stereo Widening give you plenty of wiggle room to customize the audio to your preference. It’s worth it. Using the PC suite you can also opt to use the SenseMe feature that categorizes music via the tone, or you could just create your own playlists. It's also equipped with the Shake control for changing tracks.
The FM radio took less than 10 seconds to find and preset all nine radio stations and the reception was pretty damn good even while commuting. I have no idea what kind of receptors they’ve used in this handset but it’s the best FM radio app so far in my book. TrackID is also present for the radio and as a stand alone feature. A separate voice recorder for keeping voice memos is another media option.
Video playback is pretty good once you’ve converted videos to the appropriate formats viz. MPEG4 or 3GP. A native YouTube application is also provided with easy access to the site's content.
The W995 is loaded with goodies including SE’s VideoDJ, PhotoDJ and Music DJ apps. Music Mate 5 that has features to be used with the sensor for drumming etc. also enhances the handset’s entertainment value. A couple of new apps, that I haven’t come across so far in SE handsets are the Sound Sensor app that detects ambient sounds and does nothing else and the Voice Transformer that has quite a few voice modulators to play around with. It’s fun but doesn’t serve any specific purpose. The WalkMate application (which I never use) is also available. Comeks Strips is an app that allows you to take pictures via the camera and make comic book strips out of the same by inserting bubbles etc. SE has also included quite a few free games with the handset. All of them aren’t motion-based but they are all quite entertaining.
The PlayNow feature didn’t seem to allow me to connect, so presumably, it isn’t quite up and running for the Indian audience just yet.
Connectivity
Another good thing about the W995 is its very full connectivity basket. It’s Wi-Fi ready, supports 3G with HSDPA as well as normal EDGE and GPRS/WAP connectivity. Bluetooth with A2DP is a given along with full remote control connectivity for your PC if it’s equipped with Bluetoothas well. The browser hasn’t changed at all so nothing new here. It’s still as fast or as slow as before, depending on your perspective. A Network Sharing option allows you to connect to a PC via Wi-Fi and exchange data. One still very annoying function that Sony Ericsson hasn’t managed to fix is its USB options. If the handset is used in Mass Storage mode, it switches off the handset. Sure I get that it’s a security feature for file transfer not to be interrupted, but almost all other handsets allow you to take calls while connected to USB.
GPS
Google Maps is on board for A-GPS usage and it’s quick and simple to use. For a more systematic voice guided option SE has loaded the W995 with WayFinder Navigator with Map my India. It allows you to search for locations and mark Points of Interest as favorites. Other GPS associated apps include Tracker which can be used for those who jog regularly or train. Geotagging is also present via Google Maps.
Misc Features
All the other necessary apps for daily usage are present. From a Calculator, to Stopwatch and timer, Calendar, Tasks, Alarm, Notes etc. and even a dedicated Torchlight to use the LED flash of the camera to ‘light the way’. What’s usually missing from most SE handsets is a document viewer/editor. This function would surely have upped the appeal to a wider audience.
Aside from the 8 megapixel camera lens and LED flash (that doubles as a torch) that can be found at the back, Sony Ericsson has also included a prop up stand. This will allow you to prop the handset up and enjoy your videos or music via the handset’s stereo speakers at the bottom and top a little bit more comfortably.
Also included in the packaging is Sony Ericsson’s Pocket Home Theater portable speaker, It’s very light weight and provides kick-ass sound that really enhances the whole W995 bundle. Of course you can use it with any other SE handset but it’s bundled with this one along with an 8GB M2 card. BRILLIANT!
Interface
There’s still absolutely nothing new with the Sony Ericsson UI. It’s exactly the same with animations galore as part of almost all preloaded themes. The Accelerometer still only works with specific features like the browser and media options. So like I said, nothing new, but I’m not really complaining. Sure I’d like to so something different, but the W995 is smooth and relatively quick when it comes to activating functions etc. so no worries. Messaging via the conversations feature is a lot easier than simple 'Reply to'.
Camera
The W995’s 8 megapixel autofocus camera is great. It’s preloaded with features like Smile Detection, Face Detection, SE’s BestPic, Scene modes, and even an Image Stabilizer. The camera is quick to load up so you won’t miss out on too many of those spontaneous ‘Kodak’ moments.
Image reproduction is great with colors looking quite decent. Of course there isn't too much of bright sunlight available so I wasn't able to get bright sunlight shots. Nevertheless with White Balance set to Cloudy, this is what you'll get.
Night mode is also quite good and so is Macro.
Battery
I can’t say that the W995 can provide you with great battery life, however, it’s not bad at all. Talk time alone can easily go up to 4 hours and more. On a single charge with a little video, camera usage and a few calls and messages, I used it for almost two full days before the battery was thoroughly drained.
The Bottom Line
The W995 has a price tag of Rs. 26,786, which includes the portablespeaker all the other relevant accessories and an 8GB M2 memory card. That makes it a great deal in my opinion. It’s a well designed handset with tons of features for those looking for a top notch multimedia handset. Although I can’t say for certain, but with the market being how it is, the W995’s price just might fall a bit in due course and that will only strengthen the appeal it will have for multimedia handset consumers, but as is, it’s still a handset that’s worth its price.
The W995’s 8 megapixel autofocus camera is great. It’s preloaded with features like Smile Detection, Face Detection, SE’s BestPic, Scene modes, and even an Image Stabilizer. The camera is quick to load up so you won’t miss out on too many of those spontaneous ‘Kodak’ moments.
Image reproduction is great with colors looking quite decent. Of course there isn't too much of bright sunlight available so I wasn't able to get bright sunlight shots. Nevertheless with White Balance set to Cloudy, this is what you'll get.
Night mode is also quite good and so is Macro.
Battery
I can’t say that the W995 can provide you with great battery life, however, it’s not bad at all. Talk time alone can easily go up to 4 hours and more. On a single charge with a little video, camera usage and a few calls and messages, I used it for almost two full days before the battery was thoroughly drained.
The Bottom Line
The W995 has a price tag of Rs. 26,786, which includes the portablespeaker all the other relevant accessories and an 8GB M2 memory card. That makes it a great deal in my opinion. It’s a well designed handset with tons of features for those looking for a top notch multimedia handset. Although I can’t say for certain, but with the market being how it is, the W995’s price just might fall a bit in due course and that will only strengthen the appeal it will have for multimedia handset consumers, but as is, it’s still a handset that’s worth its price.
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