Best Musicphone

IF YOU LIKE to take your music in your pocket, then your mobile phone wish list should include the Sony Ericsson W800i. In my experience, the Walkman phone runs with easily managed removeable media sticks. After using the phone for a month, it started to feel easier to drag and drop music tracks through Windows Explorer rather than use Sony’s music management program. In fact, it’s faster to transfer tracks to the Walkman phone than to use iTunes to manage the iPod’s music collection. This is a big deal because it means you’re not trapped using a company’s media format when playing back content on a Walkman phone. All you have to know is how to rip your tracks to MP3 and then how to select them and drop them onto a memory stick.

The Walkman application relies on tag data to let users browse music by Artist and Tracks, as well as the ability to create playlists. This means users can drag and drop their audio files onto the phone’s 512 MB Memory Stick Duo card, using Windows Explorer instead of Sony’s sound management software. The phone can also connect to a computer with a USB cable. Both methods allow for easy transfer of MP3 files to the phone.

Sony’s Memory Stick Duo cards slot into many card readers as well as into a slot in the back of Sony USB keys.

The prominent Walkman branding on the W800i's smooth casing reveals the handset's strong focus on music playback capabilities. In fact, when powering on the handset, users must choose whether to use the W800i as a combination of mobile phone and music player, or as a stand-alone music player. The W800i has a dongle that accepts a standard 3.5 mm jack. This means it can connect through line-in connections to standard sound systems. When used it at Tipperary Institute, the phone hooks directly into auditorium sound systems from a mixing desk or from the microphone stand. Sound quality is superb. This hookup does not require a computer.

Dedicated hardware buttons for play/pause and volume control give precise control to audio playback.

Besides its impressive performance as a music playback device, telephone reception and voice quality for the Sony Ericsson W800i both prove excellent. In actual hard usage, its battery gives approximately six hours of talktime and nine days of standby time. When using the W800i exclusively to play music over Bluetooth connections, the battery lasted at least 15 hours.

An ergonomic five-way joystick provides a quick and easy way of scrolling and selecting items from the W800i menu. A protective silver cover shields the gaps around the joystick and gives the W800i the feel of a slick and user-friendly device. It is as dependable as a television remote contol.

In the run-up to the Christmas season, Sony Ericsson have the best music phone on the Irish market. Sony Centres throughout Ireland sell the Sony Ericsson W800i for €500 SIM-free. Some networks offer a €200 discount to that price point, depending on individual connection plans.

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Previously about the W800i on IrishEyes -- "Slideshows from your phone"

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