The Sony Ericsson W980 is a slick 8 gig walkman flip phone with shake control. It features a 2.2 inch bright primary display at 320×240 pixels and a secondary 176 x 176 pixels external display, it also has a 3.15 MP camera. Connectivity wise the W980 sports 3G HSDPA 3.6 Mbps, Bluetooth and USB2 but lacks infrared and wireless lan.
With the high end walkman phones, Sony Ericsson are trying to get people to dump their Ipods and it makes a lot of sense to me to have one multifunction device instead of a bag full of electronics equipment. So does Sony Ericsson succeed? Well yes and no. The W980 doesn’t have a standard headphone jack, although you can use the cumbersome adapter cable. The phone has good format support but the interface takes a lot of getting used to, and I don’t think Ipod lovers will be impressed. The shake controlis a neat gimmick, but I’d be too conscious to use motion control to change songs in public; the buttons on the face are a nicer way to control the walkman function anyway. The audio quality is probably on par with an Ipod which is to say that it’s adequate. The 8 gigs will mean you can take a good selection of your music with you, although it may not be enough for audiophiles.
The 3.15 MP camera produces slightly disappointing image quality, but the real problem with the camera is not the quality, but the placement of the lens. Your fingers will naturally want to rest right over the lens, which means you must contort your fingers to take a photo. The video quality is very disappointing but it may by something Sony Ericsson can look into with a firmware update.
As a phone the W980 works extremely well. Navigation around the GUI is easy and the menu system is intuitive especially if you are accustomed to other Sony Ericsson products. Texting is easy and fast with the generous keypad The vibration feedback from the front mounted touchpad is very subtle and effective. The phone feels good, looks good and sounds pretty good. Good job Sony Ericsson!