Sony Ericsson W760 review: Walkman meets GPS

Sony Ericsson W760 measures 103 x 48 x 15 mm, which certainly doesn't make it the smallest phone around. It's bigger than the latest Sony Ericsson W910, and quite comparable to Sony Ericsson W850. The size and weight though do give it the solid feel, which you can't get in an ultra thin, ultra light handset. We guess there are pros and cons either way.

Sony Ericsson W760 360-degree spin

Design and construction

As we already mentioned, we're dealing with a Sony Ericsson W760 of the Rocky Silver variety. Obviously, Rocky Silver is supposed to mean uniform silver paint with several not-so-silver dark grey elements. The design of the front panel is ergonomic and quite upbeat.

The 2.2" 262K color TFT display is the centerpiece here. It sports QVGA resolution, but it's a tad smaller than the one fitted on the more compact Sony Ericsson W910. Nevertheless, 2.2 inch is still good enough for a feature phone.

Above the display there are two shortcut knobs Sony Ericsson proudly call "game keys". For the time being however they have nothing to do with gaming - in Standby mode the left one brings up the latest camera photo, while the right one starts the Camera album. The Sony Ericsson developers' section however promises landscape gaming with the help of these keys.

Below the display you would probably also spot the ambient light detector used for optimizing the screen backlighting to the current environment.

The screen is relatively well sized • two shortcut keys above the display • ambient light sensor below

The control and navigation keypad below the display is quite hip and hosts the stereo speakers of the W760. They are stylishly etched around the green and red receiver keys.

Beside those, you also have two context keys plus a C correction key and the Activity menu key. All those four controls are simply marked in the four corners of the control pad, flatbed keyboard style. While the bulging knobs of the soft keys offer adequate tactility, the C key and the Activity menu button have very low stroke and zero touch orientation. That sometimes can play tricks when you are typing a message.

The convenient D-pad is your main navigation tool , but it also doubles as a music player control, while the Up key launches the Location services menu.

Above the keypad there's a thumb rest, which should help you slide the W760 up and down. However, it's hardly possible to open the slider without either touching the display or pressing Up on the D-pad.

Navigation keys, stereo speakers are beneath the call keys, the thumb rest is inadequate

Speaking of sliding, it's time to reveal the alphanumeric keypad. Keys are large and comfortable with enough press feedback. You won't have problems with accessing the keys on the first row either - an otherwise common flaw with sliders.

Keypad looks good and types great

The right side of the Sony Ericsson W760 hosts only the volume rocker, there are no other controls here. Particularly, the camera key we initially expected is missing. The simple reason for that is that the camera shoots in portrait orientation only - a rather lame solution for a seemingly high-end Walkman phone.

The right-hand side features the volume rocker only, no camera key here

The left side of the W760 is also pretty plain - you will find the Fast Port for connecting your headset, data cable or charger, and the Walkman key. You can use the Walkman key to access the music player directly. You also need it for the Shake control - it only works when the Walkman key is pressed.

The left side features the Fast port, the wrist strap eyelet and the Walkman key

On the top of the W760 is the M2 memory card slot, hidden under a nice rubber cap. The bottom of the handset is bare except for the microphone pinhole.

The memory stick slot is on the top • bottom houses the mic pinhole only

The centerpiece at the back is the Walkman logo, which lights up when the slider is open, and blinks to the rhythm of the music being played.

The camera lens is well hidden and is only accessible when the slider is open.

The back is pretty bare: the central Walkman element lights up • sliding the phone open reveals the camera

The battery cover is consistent with most recent Sony Ericsson handsets that we've lately reviewed. It's the new pry-to-open type, as the desk slang goes, and is quite hard to remove without breaking a nail or two . And nails are essential if you want to gain access to the battery compartment. The only good thing about that type of cover is that it's much more stable and is unlikely to start clattering as time goes by.

"...Sony Ericsson W760 feels great in hand. But it's a thin line - a few millimeters more than that, and it would've been uncomfortable. The W760 manages to strike that balance with an unexpected ease..."

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The battery hidden there is a standard Sony Ericsson BST-38 Li-Pol unit with a capacity of 930 mAh. It's quoted at up to 400 hours of standby time and up to 9 hours of talk time. Those are some serious numbers stated by the manufacturer. All we can say that the GPS receiver certainly drains it rather fast. If you are not going to use it, the battery will most probably keep you going for at least 3 or 4 days of moderate use.

Removing the battery cover is hard enough

As we already told you, the Sony Ericsson W760 feels great in hand. But it's a thin line - a few millimeters more than that, and it would've been uncomfortable. The W760 manages to strike that balance with an unexpected ease.

Sony Ericsson W760 held in hand

Backlighting is nice

As you will see, the Sony Ericsson display looks great in the dark - but so do all other similar displays by all manufacturers. TFT displays are widely common now and there's probably only one thing that sets them apart - and it's that elusive sunlight legibility. Well, at least it's been eluding most Sony Ericsson handsets . Trans-reflective TFT displays by Nokia are still unmatched.

Display looks great but only in the dark

The keypad backlighting of the W760 is all white and almost even. We did like the way stereo speaker grills on the front lit up.

Keypad backlighting is cool