Cool…I am addicted to Sony Ericsson W980i with its brilliant outlook. The design is totally different from the previous walkman phone. How flashy the phone looked when it arrived amazed the whole room. Let’s take a look at what is behind this beautiful creation.
Standard stuff: a battery, a charger, a USB cable, a handsfree, CD and Manual.
W980i reflects light like crystal. The glossiness makes the phone a showstopper. However, like all mirror-surfaced phones, it is very vulnerable to fingerprints and stains. It could be troublesome to keep it shiny and new.
The back, when put together with the front seems to be overshadowed by its front. Its plain black plastic case looks like a design two years ago. And there’s 3.2 megapixel camera at the top left hand side.
When you unfold the cover, its lower part overlaps with the phone body and makes the phone looks smaller. Its rotation axis seems to be very strong and durable to stand the frequent flipping of a busy chatter like me.
The keyboard has a retro look of circular shape and they are surrounded by white lights.
The screen of W980i is 2.2 inch TFT with 256K Colors. To be frank, although it is usually the standard size for SE phones, I do think the screen could be a little bit bigger, given that being a foldable phone gives it more space. There is also a camera for video call.
As a luxury Walkman phone, W980i does not let you down. It has inherited its ancestors’ senseMe and trackID functions. It is FM transmitter also enables you to share music with others through your car stereo. The new Clear Audio can project the penetration of the music very well and Clear Bass enhance the performance of the Bass to give music more strength. There are 8 equalizers to choose from to suit the mood of the music. With the stereo speakers on each side of the phone, music quality is a guarantee. The gimmicky Shake Control function is something interesting but it is not really useful when you have already WALKMAN ON TOP.
The upper part of the body is the circular control panel and orange lights will be on if music is playing. Circles and posh lighting seem to be the big idea of the design which is quite unique. And there's a nifty transparent part of the case that shows the "W" logo on the inside.
When the phone is folded, it’s time for WALKMAN ON TOP to shine. And the Hard-pressed Acrylic also gives the phone a special touch.
W980i is an eye-candy and will give you nice acoustic experience no doubt. However, the 3.2 megapixel camera without auto focus and flash would be the downside. If you are a lover of music and not so enthusiastic at snapping around, W980i might be the phone you are looking for.
Posted: 2008-07-28 10:58
or . . . GOOD-bye 
