Sony Ericsson W995

Editor's Review of the W995

Operating on slide opening mechanism, the Sony Ericsson W995 exudes sophistication in three colours of cosmic silver, elegant red, or mystifying black with a hint of faux wood finish on its chassis. It measures 97 x 49 x 15 millimetres and weighs 113 g. This handset is a member of Sony Ericsson's Walkman handset range which consists of the Sony Ericsson W395, the Sony Ericsson W302 and the Sony Ericsson W508. This line-up boasts of top music-focused functionalities. Giving this handset a more personalised appeal is its set of ringtones in MP3, AAC and polyphonic formats.

The front area of this mobile phone is filled with a TFT display screen that measures 66.04 millimetres. It brings out the vibrance of picture wallpapers and wallpaper animations in 262,000 colours on resolution of 240 x 320 pixels. This wide screen comes with an auto rotate option for viewing of images in horizontal and vertical modes. Users will be able to use this slide-operating handset even in its closed position through external navigation control and feature buttons.

This quad band mobile phone operates on GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800 and GSM 1900, as well as UMTS 2100 network bands. It is ideal for global roaming, with a network reach that is dependent on its network provider. The World Wide Web is within users' reach through the handset's built-in Access NetFront WAP Web browser. As this handset comes with Wi-Fi support, on-the-go users can access the Internet in various hotspot areas. Additionally, users are able to transfer or share data with compatible devices such as a computer, a laptop or a printer through this mobile phone's USB or wireless Bluetooth support. This handset is powered by EDGE technology, which assures faster transfer and Internet connectivity rates.

This handset offers the traditional communication features of SMS or text with Predictive Input support, as well as MMS or multimedia messaging services. It also offers users with e-mail service that comes with Exchange ActiveSync support. Users may also send and receive instant messages through the handset.

This mobile phone has the organiser features of a phone book, a calendar, a calculator, a task option, an alarm clock, a stopwatch and timer and vibrating alert. It can also pass for a good companion for frequently traveling users with its Flight Mode option. For ease in making or taking calls, the Sony Ericsson W995 comes with a built-in speaker phone. This mobile phone is also equipped with A-GPS navigation technology that supports Google Maps and Wayfinder Navigator, which serve as users' direction guide in applicable areas.

A top entertainment feature of this mobile phone is a host of advanced imaging features. It comes with an integrated 8.1-Megapixel camera complete with image-enhancing capabilities such as a 16x digital zoom, auto focus and face detection for precise photo captures, a photo flash for suitable lighting, and an image stabiliser that minimizes blurs in photos caused by hand movements. The built-in camera also comes with the Photo Fix option to enhance the captured images. Besides freezing picture--perfect moments, this handset also records footages. This mobile phone is also equipped with video-enhancing features of video light and video stabiliser for quality footages. Users may also view their recorded clips in popular formats right on the handset's large display screen. This mobile phone is powered by 3G HSDPA technology that supports video calls.

Distinct of a Sony Ericsson Walkman handset, the Sony Ericsson W995 offers near-perfect sound clarity. It comes with a built-in stereo speaker system complete with a wide array of music control and management features. The audio quality-enhancing features include clear bass and clear stereo options, shake control that instantly turns up the volume, TrackID music recognition feature, SensMe selector feature and PlayNow audio download feature. This handset also comes with an integrated FM radio feature complete with RDS that allows users to listen to their preferred radio stations, while gaining access to information relating to current events, music news and weather reports.

Moreover, gaming is definitely fun on this handset, as it lets users enjoy 3D and Java gaming experience.

The Sony Ericsson W995 allows users to store data in 118 Megabytes of internal memory, which can be expanded through a Micro M2 memory card. When functioning on fully charged battery, this mobile phone offers users 9 hours of talk time and 370 hours of standby time.

Dissatisfied users of the Sony Ericsson W995 find this handset's display screen considerably smaller than most handsets that come with similar features. On the other hand, happy owners of this mobile phone appreciate the colourful and sharp display that the large screen exhibits.