CES 2006

SE's booth

During CES 2006, Sony Ericsson had only one new phone announcement for us. As expected, it was time for SE to introduce a US version of the highly acclaimed w800 Walkman phone. The w810 features very similar design to the w800, but different coloring – black with orange trim. The size and weight are kept the same. The w810's screen is the same resolution as the w800, but it is larger and looks brighter. Different is the keypad as well. While the w800 featured no space between the keys, the w810 has few millimeters between them. Gone is the joystick control and SE put a directional pad instead of it. The benefits of the d-pad are questionable and it all depends on your personal preferences.
The original Walkman phone – the K750, featured a lens cover which as we found out during our review testing is easy to open accidentally while carrying the phone in your pocket. The w800 lens also had similar cover, but it was a far more difficult to press accidentally and required a deliberate action before it will open. The new w810 completely lacks lens cover and the camera is activated by pressing the dedicated camera key.

Functionality wise, the w810 has added EDGE and 850 MHz support for the N. America's networks. The rest of the features are the same and include 2.0 mega pixels camera with autofocus, Bluetooth and Java.

Even though W900 is not a new release, it was #4 in the SE's lineup of Walkman phones (w800, w550, w600) so here is some info on it. It is the first 3G (EU only) Walkman phone and features swiveling design, which Sony Ericsson has already used in S700, S600, W600 and other phones from the brand, and can be operated closed. On the front, the W900 features 2.2” 262k color QVGA display, which is used as a viewfinder for the 2 mega pixels camera. The addition of UMTS capabilities has taken its toll in the size - 4.3" x 0.9" x 1.9" with 5.2oz weight.