YOUKOSO!

In a shocking move (at least to me), Sony Ericsson announced yesterday that besides the marvellous K800 3.2 MegaPix phone that they were planning on bringing out, they would also unleash onto the world two more W series hand phones. The W850i and W710i (adding to the existing, what, 7 phones already?) To a guy desperately trying to find the monetary resources to fund his latest quest of waste (buying a new handphone), it feels a mortal combat uppercut to the jaw. I have spent almost 3 months already deciding that I would get myself the w810i by hook or by crook, these two new phones would only shake up the careful balance of reasoning that I had built to support my choice of the W810i. Let us review that long train of thought, why I decided on getting myself the W810i: W300i = Pros: Its a godforsaken SE flip phone (which I love to death, after my quick encounter with the z200), cheap (relatively), external memory expansion (even if it did use the exorbitantly expensive M2 card), available in black. Cons: No 2 MP cam (only half a MP), a crappy looking keypad (real personal opinion), low-er resolution UI, not out yet. W550i = Pros: Cheapest one out there right now, sexy swivel form factor, loud (as hell) speakers, adequate (256MB? barely) storage space. Cons: Is there any guarantee that the swivel mechanism won’t spring open in a few years (personal fear)? No external memory expension, crampy keypad, cam (1.3MP) lacks the autofocus of the W800i and 810i (but is better then the one on the W300i). Finally, my lil sis’ already using it ^_^. W700i = Pros: The long lost twin of the W800i. Everything on the W800i except the autofocus (what?!) and the colour scheme. Cons: Probably the same as the W800i. W800i = Pros: The original WalkmanPhone. Cheaper then the W810i by quite a long shot (RM200-400 here in Malaysia), autofocus 2MP cam, long batt life (in comparison with the w810i), camera cover, uses the cheap (cheap-er) MSPD rather then the M2. Cons: The infamous "joystick problems", the hissing issue with the media player (supposedly no more firmware is going to be released to fix that), not very droppable (a friend dropped a W800i a few months back and the external speaker stopped working). W810i = Pros: Everything the W810i is, but in black. BLACKKKKK!!! No joystick in sight (although some have argued that the button in the middle of the 5-way keypad is nothing more then a reduced movement joystick), probably the last W series hand phone with autofocus (now that the W700, W710 and W850 seem to have lost this ability) and therefore the last true offspring (or at least it seems so) borne out of the marriage of the Walkman brand and the SE K series imaging hand phones. Uses MSPDs. The brightest display this side of a Samsung (Loses to the ROKR E2 tho, just to be fair). Did I mention it was all black? Cons: My saving’s currently RM500 short of the list price of RM1 900++(Original Set), the hiss problem is still present (according to forums I’ve been through), shorter battery life in comparison with the W800i, no more drop-worthy then the W800i. W900i = Pros: Huge internal memory (470MB), sexy swivel form factor, available in black, 2MP cam with a combined autofocus macromode system, 3G ready, MSPD expension. Cons: Price (RM2500++ last I checked. I can get a brand new original Nokia N91 with that kind of money), not to mention it’s huge. The swivel mechanism is still worry inducing. W950i = Pros: 4GB of internal flash memory, UIQ Symbian interface, touch (not to mention huge) screen, A2DP (wireless bluetooth audio). Cons: Purely from the pictures I’ve seen, it huge-er then the W900i, which can’t be good; lack of autofocus, or for that matter, any form of imaging capabilities (no camera!!!!). One final addition: For all SE phones, there are no exchangable covers (ala Nokia’s Xpress-On system). Now for the non-SE WalkPhone alternatives: Nokia 3250 = Pros: Cheaper then the W810i, Symbian S60 interface, SDMicro expension (hugely cheaper then the members of the Sony Memory Stick family). Cons: 2MP cam without autofocus (or flashlight for that matter), most online reviews have expressed how the music player sounds crappier and the camera quality is worse then the SE WalkPhones (for the record, I haven’t tried it myself though. Maybe later). Dubious (at least to me) swing form factor, crappy phone to external (not the ones supplied) head phone connection system (again, no personal experience. It just looks like a Pop-port version of my N-Gage external headphone connectors, which is flimsy and fragile). Nokia N91 = Pros: Symbian S60 interface, 4GB hard drive, 3.5inch head phone jack built-in, music player interface and output quality, 3G, WiFi on a phone!!!. Cons: It’s a hard disk for god’s sake, imagine what would happen if I were to drop it (as I always do to every other phone I’ve ever used)? Online reviews have express some doubts about the quality of its 2MP cam, which (again) lacks autofocus. Besides, its almost as big as the W900i. Price (Last I checked, it went around at RM2500, better buy in my opinion rather then the W900i). Battery life’s a worry (it uses the BL-5C, the same battery I’m currently using on my N-Gage classic for God’s sake!) Nokia 5500 Sport = Pros: Symbian S60 interface. SDMicro expension. It looks sturdy as hell. Cons: Not really a dedicated music phone. 2MP lacks autofocus (yeah, yeah, I know that’s getting kinda old) Now, for the party crasher; the newly announced W710i (didn’t include the W850i because I’m a bit partial towards slider phones, in the sense that I hate them): W710i = Pros: A flip that is everything the W300i is not. Nicer keypad layout, external memory expension (M2), 2MP cam, new design head phones. I can’t stress enough that the keypad looks hugely better then the W300i’s. Probably cheaper then the W810i, A2DP. And one more time, ITS A FLIP! Cons: The cost of the M2, no autofocus for the camera, no flashlight either, not any more droppable then the W800i-810i, even if it is a sport-phone. Still miles and miles away from the market (I haven’t even seen the W300i yet). EDIT: I omitted another competitor by mistake. Here we go, Motorola’s lone representative: ROKR E2 = Pros: Mobile-Review.Com goes as far as calling it "the best phone of its class" (music phones), so it must amount to something? As it seems, it has wonderful music quality, A2DP, a 3.5inch jack built in, SD Card expension, THE BEST DISPLAY of its kind (beating even the Samsungs) and, get this, it runs a Linux derivative (JUIX) on an Intel Xscale processor rated at 208MHz. Besides that, it has the best UI I’ve ever seen on a Motorola yet and even has Opera Mobile 8 build in. Its expected to be affordable too, probably priced below the RM2000 bracket. Cons: The cam’s only 1.3MP without autofocus, and the cam pic quality is deplorable (hugely worse, it seems, even if compared to my sis’ W550i), personal problems with reliability of built in 3.5inch jacks (I busted all the jacks on my previous 3 MP3 players in around 4 months average, FastPort seems more reliable as in it disconnects easily) Besides, its a Motorola, and having used a Moto before (the first colour screen one, forgot the model), I’m a bit biased against them to be truthful. Now THAT’S a party crasher. A hugely capable hand phone from Motorola? Now I have TWO phones on KIV status: the W710i AND the ROKR E2. And the final verdict (once more): The W810i, basically because of the fact that it has autofocus, uses MSPDs and the screen. I don’t really need A2DP, although it’s still hard to let go of the W710i, which I’m going to keep close in view; and the music, interface and screen quality of the ROKR E2 also seems tempting, even if it is a Motorola. (Most of the info I compiled in writing this comes from Google and also my own demented mind, and represents my own personal opinions on the matter)