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The best Sony Ericsson Walkman Phone
Pros
- Compact, sharp styling
- Feature-rich
- Excellent music player and applications
- Very good camera
- Works globally
Cons
- Cheap-feeling plastic keys
- Unreliable 3G network access
- Some keys feel crowded
- Proprietary headphone jack
The Sony Ericsson W760a was creating buzz even before it launched. When it was finally released, the majority of experts applauded what they hail as an outstanding Sony Walkman that also happens to be a high-speed 3G-network-capable phone that works abroad. Oh, and not to mention an outstanding onboard camera, enough applications to make a smartphone green with envy, zippy web browser and good call quality. Only one expert stands away from his contemporaries as a critic of the W760a, and even that is on the basis of the W760a having too many add-ons and features; PhoneScoop's Stewart Wolpin doesn't dislike the phone but decides it's too "gimmicky." Some owner-contributors to CNET complain that the W760a isn't enough of an upgrade from Sony Ericsson's W580i. Even so, most reviewers and owners rave about the W760a, and it's named an Editors' Choice at CNET.
Available in black, red or silver, the Sony Ericsson W760a is a slim slider phone that measures 4.1 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.6 inches and weighs 3.5 ounces. (The W760a is designed specifically for use with AT&T and is optimized to take advantage of that network's multimedia options; also available is the Sony Ericsson W760i, an unlocked phone that does not have the same support for music and video applications.) The front is dominated by a 2.25-inch TFT display screen that is universally lauded as bright, with crisp, clear images and outstanding color resolution. The slider, when opened, causes a troublesome issue with the top row of keys on the keypad, which abut the bottom of the slider, a situation that is described as cramped. Mobiledia.com's Hillary Borrud optimistically writes that users probably will get used to it, but that's not the only keypad issue noted in reviews. CNET's Kent German raises questions about the durability of the plastic keys, a concern that is borne out by a small number of CNET contributors who write that their keys did, in fact, fail. This issue clearly falls among a minority of users, however, and isn't echoed by other experts.
The W760a's navigation is praised as simple and easy to use, providing access to a myriad of applications including games, a tip calculator, unit converter, world clocks, text and multimedia messaging, voice memo recorder and GPS applications, plus a host of music-centric options. An accelerometer allows users to interact with games by moving the phone, an ability that's echoed in the music application's "shake control," by which users can control volume and advancement to the next track by shaking the W760a. The majority of reviewers love this feature, but Stewart Wolpin thoroughly dismisses it as "stupid and unnecessary," preferring to work a simple controller than "go through these goofy gyrations." When it comes to the rest of the music player, though, Wolpin is in agreement with other critics: The W760a's music player is excellent. Drag-and-drop navigation makes it easy to transfer music files from PC to phone, and the W760a includes plenty of options for organizing and optimizing those files. Like all Sony Ericsson Walkman phones, the W760a features a proprietary headphone jack. Third-party headphones can still be used, with an adapter, but experts are disappointed in the continued practice.
With a 3.2-megapixel onboard camera, reviews indicate that the W760a is an admirable shooter. Lack of a flash hurts low-light images, but the rest are described as bright and sharp. Call quality also does well in tests, especially in areas with 3G network access. Voices sound natural, and reception is excellent. High performance continues in the web browser, with fast loading times and no trouble rendering even large pages. Battery life falls short of Sony Ericsson's claims, with tested results varying from four to seven hours of talk time, disappointing by nearly any standard. Music playing fares somewhat better, at 13 continuous hours, although this is still short of Sony Ericsson's claim of 20 hours.
CNET's Kent German is the most enthusiastic of the W760a reviewers we found, but he also finds the most significant point of criticism in potentially flimsy key construction. Despite his overwhelming like of the phone, German's review is surprisingly critical, providing an in-depth analysis of the W760a's features and performance. Hillary Borrud, for Mobiledia, is similarly smitten with the Sony Ericsson phone in an extended evaluation that covers every aspect of the phone's construction and performance in detail. On the other end of the spectrum, PhoneScoop's Stewart Wolpin almost seems determined to not like the W760. Even while praising some of the phone's innovations, he dismisses their value as unnecessary. InfoSyncWorld.com's article is short but balanced, although Philip Berne's write-up seems out of step with the phone's score. The field of reviews is rounded out by more than two dozen contributors by CNET readers. The majority adore their phones, while a handful are deeply dissatisfied with broken keys, lack of camera flash and flat keypad.
Our Sources
1. CNET
The Sony Ericsson W760a Walkman phone is named a CNET Editors' Choice in this review, and expert Kent German is enthusiastic in his endorsement. Calling the W760a "the best Sony Ericsson Walkman phone we've seen, by far," he waxes poetic about the attractive styling, intuitive navigation controls, smartphone-like features, very good call quality, 3.2-megapixel camera and, of course, an excellent music player.
Review: Sony Ericsson W760a -- Black (AT&T), Kent German, Aug. 6, 2008
Hillary Borrud pens a lengthy, detailed analysis of the Sony Ericsson W760a for Mobiledia. Lavish praise is granted to the phone's design, TFT display screen, photos and features. She is less thrilled with the placement of some keys, which feel cramped against the bottom of the slider, and the sound quality, which is merely "pretty decent." In spite of these few minor shortfalls, Borrud recommends the W760a as a "functional and fun phone."
Review: Sony Ericsson W760a Review, Hillary Borrud, Nov. 10, 2008
PhoneScoop's take on the Sony Ericsson W760 is refreshing for being a solitary example of an expert who is not entirely smitten with the phone. Stewart Wolpin's skeptical approach to the W760 has a more function-oriented perspective that prizes ease of use and performance quality over novelty. Lavishly illustrated with photographic samples, this evaluation finds that the W760's features trend toward "gimmicky" rather than really useful.
Review: Review: Sony Ericsson W760, Stewart Wolpin, Oct. 21, 2008
Concisely evaluating the W760's performance on factors ranging from design to call quality to music quality to extras, Philip Berne's article contains enough glowing praise to make the fairly low score of 72 percent (out of 100) a bit of a head-scratcher. This W760 is an earlier model, prior to the W760's exclusive move to the AT&T network (a move that resulted in a subtle name change, to the W760a). Some of Berne's criticisms are addressed with this subsequent change, which resulted in optimized multimedia options.
Review: Sony Ericsson W760 Review, Philip Berne, Aug. 12, 2008
5. CNET
The Sony Ericsson W760a earns three out of five stars from owners who write into CNET's user reviews page, a score that reflects a large number of very high scores and a few of the lowest possible rating. The majority are thrilled with the W760a. Those who are unhappy list complaints including poor reception, low-quality keys, short battery life, sluggish applications and the ubiquitous lack of a bundled USB cable.
Review: Sony Ericsson W760a -- Black (AT&T), Contributors to CNET