Sony Ericsson W910 review: Walkman in style

Browsing and applications

Besides HSDPA (3.6 Mbps), EDGE and GPRS for fast data transfers, video calls and content-streaming, the handset offers the usual connectivity capabilities such as USB and Bluetooth with A2DP support. Sony Ericsson lacks WiFi and infrared connectivity.

Sony Ericsson uses the traditional Access NetFront HTML browser. It does more than an all-right job and has plenty of options - you can view the pages fullscreen with no menus showing and you can even browse your Web pages in landscape mode. It has WAP and picture modes. It supports content created for HTML 4.01, xHTML 1.0, CSS and Java script, WAP 2.0. The supported security protocols are SSL/TLS. You can also browse sites in pan & zoom view mode, and it works much like zooming photos. There's a connectivity sub-menu added, where you can set the preferred connection, default page, or local connection. The NetFront web browser offers an RSS-feed reader, accessible through the Messaging menu. Still the NetFront 3.4 web browser of the Samsung G600 is better and features more options such as a virtual mouse pointer.

Browsing GSMArena.com • some of the browser options • browsing in landscape mode

Generally, the Smart-fit function of the browser does well fitting the web content onto the screen, but you may not find it so cool if you prefer to browse sites in a standard way. Scrolling is fast once the page has loaded completely.

Normal screen mode with Smart-Fit on and off • browsing in pan-and-zoom mode

The Sony Ericsson W910 supports Bluetooth 2.0 with the Human Interface Device (HID) profile, which allows the phone to be used as a remote control for PC and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. Furthermore, the phone could be used as a Bluetooth modem for accessing the Internet on a PC or notebook computer. Bluetooth support also includes the A2DP profile, allowing listening to music on a stereo Bluetooth headset. The W910 supports local and remote synchronization of contacts and calendar events. The local one is with Outlook and a PC, while the remote synchronization works with remote servers. The USB connectivity of the phone has three modes - one for file transfers and one for USB Internet - to put it simply, the second one is for using the phone as a modem. The media transfer profile is present too, which directly connects to the Windows media player, and gives full access to tracks placed on your phone for synchronization, play or sorting in playlists.

USB modes and remote control list of options

Tasks & more

The Sony Ericsson W910 offers many time-management features. There is an Organizer icon in the main menu and it contains several applications: File manager, Alarms, Applications, Video call, Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Synchronization, Timer, Stopwatch, Calculator, and Code memo. The Calendar offers monthly, weekly and daily views. When you add a birth date in the phonebook, the phone prompts adding it to the calendar. Tasks can be two types: simple Tasks and Phone calls. Notes are written similar to messages; T9 dictionary can be used here as well. The Alarms are part of the main menu. There are five alarm slots available. Each one offers a lot of options - you can choose to repeat the alarm on chosen days of the week or everyday. Text and a picture can be added to the alarm. Furthermore, the alarm's behavior can be defined in case the time it is due to go off comes while the phone is in silent mode.

Calendar and Alarms

Too much compromise to put up with in this price range and the tag on W910 is likely to get even the brand loyals a bit reserved. Nokia and Samsung seem to prepare a handful of cool music offerings in this price range too.

<#AdRectangle#>

The Voice recorder has no limit to recording length, making the free memory available the only restriction. The Calculator is the regular Sony Ericsson application. It offers the basic functions, no bells and whistles. The stopwatch and countdown timer are also the well known basic applications.

Voice recorder • Calculator • Timer • Stopwatch

Some other applications in the Entertainment menu include the MusicDJ, VideoDJ, TrackID and voice recorder. VideoDJ is for making your own video clips by mixing already existing ones with still pictures, text and a variety of effects or for making basic cuts using special transitions and adding background music. This can be a very entertaining, indeed. MusicDJ is a very simple application for creating custom polyphonic melodies.

TrackID • VideoDJ • MusicDJ

As for additional applications, the Sony Ericsson W910 comes with Audible and Music Mate 4 preinstalled. Audible player allows for playback of content transferred from a PC or downloaded via AudibleAir. The Audible site offers paid audio content, recorded in the download-optimized .aa format. The second application is the Music Mate 4, a musician helper application which makes good use of the motion sensor. The Shake control lets you manage and play on the instruments.

Audible player and Music mate 4 preinstalled in the W910

Gaming

There are three games preinstalled in Sony Ericsson W910 - Lumines, Marble Madness 3D and V-Rally 3D. Lumines is a Tetris inspired game, the Marble Madness 3D is a motion sensor based game with a ball and the V-Rally 3D is probably the most interesting one, a classic car racing game, though far behind the N-gage racers.

Games in W910: Lumines, Marble Madness 3D and V-Rally 3D

Conclusion

Sony Ericsson W910 is the top dog in the Walkman series when it comes to feature phones, the smarty W960 being a class of its own in the company's music portfolio. Some of W910 features are true high-end stuff: the quality display, elaborate music features, exquisite design, fast performance and 3G capabilities. Those however coexist with painfully familiar features and applications we've been getting in downright midrange handsets. Too much compromise to put up with in this price range and the tag on W910 is likely to get even the brand loyals a bit reserved. Nokia and Samsung seem to prepare a handful of cool music offerings in this price range too, while their non-music oriented handsets too have good music players. Despite the rich sales package, including a 1GB M2 card and the cool M2 USB reader, the W910 will be under pressure, as price is the ultimate decisive factor in this increasingly competitive market.