w950 review

[sanjoy316]

the w950 review has been posted on mobile-review.com
here is the link
http://www.mobile-review.com/review/sonyericsson-w950-en.shtml

[Jose_R.A.M]

W950 is a great phone, all that in 106х54х15 mm!

Like many have said, almost perfect, but missing that camera. (understandable since theyre trying to target a different audience)

Well I guess we can't have everything (not yet anyway).

This is a fantastic phone/mp3 player.

[smilewarrior]

Large touchscreen and walkman functionality! This is a nice phone phone. I think it's smaller than the p series ( am I right?).

Does this phone have one Mono speaker or two stereo speakers? Perhaps I neglected to read the specs thoroughly which is why I don't know this.

[sanjoy316]

yeah its defn smaller than the p990 and even 100 euros cheaper

[carcomptoy]

The music buttons lighting up is definitely a nice touch...

Regardless of the target audience in referring to the M600, the W950i should've had a camera. Obviously, business people who wouldn't get the W950i but rather the M600, so it's pointless to have the Walkman version cameraless. It could've been the w/camera model while the M600 would've been the w/o camera!

[sanjoy316]

if this phone had a camera it would be in direct competition with the p990 which SE would not want

[MikeUK]

if this phone had a camera it would be in direct competition with the p990 which SE would not want
No, it wouldn't have. P990 has qwerty keyboard, W950 doesn't. W950 has 4GB HD, P990 doesn't. Two big selling point are very different. Appart from the general look. I mean for example take K750i and W800i, now THAT is more what I call SE doing handsets in competition with other, because they're virtually the same.

[Jose_R.A.M]

I would be partially inclined to agree with sanjoy316.

Adding a camera to the W950 would have made it a strong p990 competitor. Basically the p990 but with 4gb memory instead of a camera + qwerty keyboard.

I know what I'd choose. However, its not my preferences that will decide if it will sell.

The W950 was meant to target a specific audience. It is primarily a music phone. That is the main reason why it's been made.

What would be the purpose of including a camera that those people just won't use?

A camera would have added weight, bulk. Not exactly desirable characteristics from a music device, therefore would be detrimental to the purpose of the w950

Understandably it puts this device on a platform for a narrower niche, but S.E. seems to want to have a handset specifically catered for such people. Good thing is that it means that the w950 is cheaper.

Also, it appears that there is already a successor with being developed.

I respect S.E. for this decision. It seems that theyre really more focused in bringing out what's good for the consumer that trying to bring in sales (obviously that is equally important to them, but not so much that it would compromise their ideals).

Yeah I know it was nearly the perfect phone...:rolleyes: ...but remember that that is not what S.E. is targeting. (Not for All-in-one fans/Business men/youth but for music)

[sanjoy316]

one things for sure i am getting this baby.. and yeah even i heard that they will release an upgrade to this with a camera so ur wishes just might come true

[Arne Anka]

Understandably it puts this device on a platform for a narrower niche

The niche does not necessary need to be that narrow concidering how well iPod sells.

[carcomptoy]

I respect S.E. for this decision. It seems that theyre really more focused in bringing out what's good for the consumer that trying to bring in sales (obviously that is equally important to them, but not so much that it would compromise their ideals).But how would a camera onboard be detrimental to the consumer? If the target audience would not be affected by company policies and such, then why would the presence of a camera be harmful? All I'm saying is, yes, it's a music phone, but consider the importance of a phone having a camera now. Would it be so bad that it have a camera and be a complete multimedia powerhouse? Being that it runs on UIQ, it can already store images and play movies, so why not complete the circle and allow it to capture images and record movies??:confused:

And as for price, a decent camera module doesn't even cost that much anymore...:rolleyes:

[sanjoy316]

yeah but if a camera wera added it would 100 euros costlier which would be same as the p990 which would put the consumer ina fix

[carcomptoy]

The average joe isn't gonna pick some boring phone if they really want a Walkman phone, you know what I mean? They want a music-focused phone, which the P990 isn't.

[MikeUK]

I agree with carcomptoy, and I stick with my earlier K750/W800 comparison.

[sanjoy316]

so if a person wants a phone only for music purposes which this phone satisfies thoroughlly he would not care if there is a camera or not

[MikeUK]

so if a person wants a phone only for music purposes which this phone satisfies thoroughlly he would not care if there is a camera or not
Yeah, that's very true. But even MORE people would buy it if it had a camera, and it wouldn't stop those that just want it for music purpouses from buying it.

[Arne Anka]

But even MORE people would buy it if it had a camera

And perhaps even less people would buy P990 then.

and it wouldn't stop those that just want it for music purpouses from buying it.

Yes it would, at least if they were not allowed to have camera at work or if W950 got bigger and heavier (close to P990).

[Jose_R.A.M]

The niche does not necessary need to be that narrow concidering how well iPod sells.

I didn't mean that they are making a narrow niche just to sell it as a music phone. I mean as a phone it is being targeted to a narrower market.

But how would a camera onboard be detrimental to the consumer? If the target audience would not be affected by company policies and such, then why would the presence of a camera be harmful? All I'm saying is, yes, it's a music phone, but consider the importance of a phone having a camera now. Would it be so bad that it have a camera and be a complete multimedia powerhouse? Being that it runs on UIQ, it can already store images and play movies, so why not complete the circle and allow it to capture images and record movies??:confused:

And as for price, a decent camera module doesn't even cost that much anymore...:rolleyes:

Have you read the review from M.R. ? It kinda explains all of this.

I would love for a camera to be put in this phone, dont get me wrong. I'm always on for convergence devices, I wouldnt mind that due to current limitations of technology an all in one device (containing uiq, 4gb hdd) is generally larger than the average phone.

Take the p990, its quite large. Unmistakably large.

Consider that most mp3 players that sell are quite small. Would average consumer X who wants a walkman phone (with 4gb) want something that big in their pocket? Not really.

The addition of a camera would make it bulkier, more expensive, and in competition with the p990.

This would make it less desirable for those who want a slimmer music phone.

This would make it more expensive, thus not as attainable for those with a budget.

if you had the choice, p990 or w950 with camera, which would you pick?

[Jose_R.A.M]

Yeah, that's very true. But even MORE people would buy it if it had a camera, and it wouldn't stop those that just want it for music purpouses from buying it.

Not necessarily.

More people who aren't specifically interested in the walkman capabilities will buy it.

But it will probably deter people who would want a walkman phone specifically, because it will be larger and more expensive.

Its a topic we discussed before, but on Nokia. Why do nokia keep leaving a feature out? Why don't they just make an all in one device...etc etc.

[carcomptoy]

so if a person wants a phone only for music purposes which this phone satisfies thoroughlly he would not care if there is a camera or notNot necessarily...obviously most people now want cameras, regardless of whether they want a music-focused phone or not. I'm just saying, it would greatly open up the market, and it isn't necessarily bad to have one, so what's the harm in having in when it will bring in more revenue?:confused:More people who aren't specifically interested in the walkman capabilities will buy it.

But it will probably deter people who would want a walkman phone specifically, because it will be larger and more expensive.Not necessarily...obviously if they want a Walkman phone, yeah they want a music-centric phone, but wouldn't they also want a multimedia device. And if they really want a small music phone, wouldn't they want the W800 or W900? Besides, shouldn't the W950 have been the top-of-the-line Walkman phone, a musical smartphone?

It's like with the N-Gage...it was dumb to leave a camera out imo...if it had had a camera, it could've been more successful then!

[Jose_R.A.M]

Not necessarily...obviously most people now want cameras, regardless of whether they want a music-focused phone or not. I'm just saying, it would greatly open up the market, and it isn't necessarily bad to have one, so what's the harm in having in when it will bring in more revenue?:confused:Not necessarily...obviously if they want a Walkman phone, yeah they want a music-centric phone, but wouldn't they also want a multimedia device. And if they really want a small music phone, wouldn't they want the W800 or W900? Besides, shouldn't the W950 have been the top-of-the-line Walkman phone, a musical smartphone?

It's like with the N-Gage...it was dumb to leave a camera out imo...if it had had a camera, it could've been more successful then!

Not necessarily either.

They want a "small" music phone with a high capacity - 4gb - w950. With camera it would reach p990 size.

Most people would want camera's but its not most people this is targeted at. It might open up the market, it might sell more w950, it might bring in more revenue, but at what cost to their other products? To their flagship model?

[carcomptoy]

And what exactly is their flagship model?

The other high-end SE's are the P990 and the W900, and neither would necessarily be affected because the P990 is business-centric and has 3G and the W900 has 3G...a music person would rather prefer the 4GB-enabled Walkman UIQ if he doesn't have 3G services already. And if he does, then he'd go for the W900:rolleyes:

[Jose_R.A.M]

I'm refering to the p990.

Giving the w950 a camera would put it greater competition with the p990.

[MikeUK]

I see where you are all coming from, I agree with the points about bulkier, and about being more expensive, it makes sense.

However I still DON'T agree with the point about competition with P990, the W950 differs a lot with the hard drive and P990 Qwerty Keyboard. MORE similar are K750i/W800i and the yet to be released W300i/Z530i. Those pairs of handsets are even more similar.

[Jose_R.A.M]

p990 - powered by symbian (OS v9.1) 114 x 57 x 26 mm
p990 - UIQ 3.0 interface

w950 - powered by symbian (OS v9.1) 106 x 54 x 15 mm
w950 - UIQ interface.

m600 - powered by symbian (OS v9.1) 107 x 57 x 15 mm
m600 - UIQ interface.

If you gave the w950 a qwerty keyboard/took away4gb hd you'd get an m600.

If you gave the m600 a camera/wifi you'd get a p990.

S.E.'s reasoning for not adding a camera are sound.

I feel like I'm just going to go round and round in circles trying to explain.

[crazyze]

I agree Jose, it is fairly distinct seperation - SE know what they are doing, now everyone stop whinging about W950+Cam its just the P990!!!!!!

[Jose_R.A.M]

Right on! :p

ALSO - it is not discussing the w950 review, or the w950 - except for the lack of features it has.

(I just looked and *embarrased* in this thread I did mention lack of camera first :p but I think we're getting to carried away about it)

[MikeUK]

I'm not whinging about the cam anymore.......I just think it's for cost + size reasons now, rather than simililarity reasons, I think we should just agree to disagree.

[hotzigetty]

they should release a w980 or something.. with a cam... With the uiq interface and the large screen im sure it'll be a brilliant multimedia phone..

[Box215]

whinging? what is that? whining?

[sanjoy316]

yeah i am sure they will come widh an upgrade but this is feature packed babay and is going to be priced agressively.. this is surely goin to be the sumer blockbuster

[crazyze]

whinging? what is that? whining?

Whinging = moaning, i.e. stop moaning. could be a british thing!

[MikeUK]

They're basically are the same word.

[Jose_R.A.M]

Now that's sorted - back to w950 :p

[sanjoy316]

another issue that could hamper the w950 is that it is slated to release in july and by then n91 would be there in the market for 3 months and according to mobile-review there will be a price drop of n91 in june so this could be some serious competition for w950

[crazyze]

Have to say, the looks, 4GB flash and UIQ make me want this phone, i can live without the camera, but WiFi is becoming a must nowadays and since the M600 was supposed to be business targeted, are any of you suprised about the lack of WiFi?

[carcomptoy]

I see where you are all coming from, I agree with the points about bulkier, and about being more expensive, it makes sense.

However I still DON'T agree with the point about competition with P990, the W950 differs a lot with the hard drive and P990 Qwerty Keyboard. MORE similar are K750i/W800i and the yet to be released W300i/Z530i. Those pairs of handsets are even more similar.
Exactly!

But yeah, like you said, Jay, I'm not gonna go around in circles anymore. Don't get me wrong, I understand your point, but I still don't agree with it. There're too many differences between the W950 with a hypothetical camera and P990 to make it competitors...but enough:o

[sanjoy316]

this is one point i agree with because if its being targeted as a music phone it should have wifi so that u can directly download songs onto the drive from the web this is where the N91 scores

[MikeUK]

this is one point i agree with because if its being targeted as a music phone it should have wifi so that u can directly download songs onto the drive from the web this is where the N91 scores
I see where your coming from.....but in these early stages of people having high capacity music phones I imagine still that most people download music to their PC first, then transfer it over.

[sanjoy316]

any new news on the release date of this phone.. i am dying to own one

[Spinstorm]

I have bought this phone from ebay from someone who had a few preview models.

In the UK its not due out until November at the earliest (there is talk of it being released on O2 on the 6th) but I imagine as has been the case already it will be delayed a bit longer for the official release (carphone warehouse says it is due early next year!).

I have not got the phone yet I hope to receive it by Tuesday next week however I thought I could add something to this discussion as its been dead for quite a few months now!

I already have an N91 and a K800i - I carry them both around with me as they are on different networks and I use them for txts and calls etc, my only problem with the N91 is its size - but only when in my pocket its size is not an issue when using it and its keypad is very easy for txting for me. The positive side of the N91 is the WLAN and the 3.5mm headphone jack. I do not use the 2MP camera as if I want photos I use the 3.2MP on the K800i.

I personally feel that SE has missed a trick by not including WLAN and most importantly a 3.5mm jack in the actual W950i phone. I do not like the fact that I will have to use the square connector into a long wire before reaching the 3.5mm jack on the headphones included.

I think it is very strange that for a walkman phone that it doesn't have a jack on it for headphones specially. What I like about the N91 is when its in my jacket pocket the headphone wire is just long enough to use I don't want lots of excess wire which is going to be a problem with the W950i headphones!

On the positive side I love the display on the W950i, the moods the way it just looks so slick and stylish and the design is simple but effective.

I do think though that it could have done with a camera simply because the type of people who buy walkman phones are people like me who are late teens and twentys and they like to take photos when going out and it may well put people off the phone. I know a friend of mine liked the sound of it but he is always taking photos and so wanted a camera! and obviously it doesn't have it.

I think it is a niche phone one that people like me already with a camera phone will buy as another phone OR people who don't use the camera but do want to listen to music... but then I think that it should have had a proper headphone socket on the phone as I already said!

I will give my opinion on it when I have it and post it here!

[Spinstorm]

I have had the phone for two days now...

I will start with the negative things as its easier to get them sorted first!

The phone I have is buggy - there is no firmware update yet according to the update service.

When I first got the phone the walkman application kept crashing, I did a master reset and now it works - I had not had any problems since the reset until just now when the audio just stopped working! not on speaker or through headphones... so I switched it off and on and its ok again but a bit strange - some firmware needs to be updated definately.

Also the fastport headphones are so long that its more like a ladder than a headphone wire but sound quality is good! I have ordered the wireless bluetooth headset DS970 and a short fastport to 3.5mm adaptor off ebay so that should sort those issues out!

Now the good! Its a very funky cool phone, very light, very slim.

The screen is very clear and bright and really good quality and UIQ works fine (though if someone knows how I can chance the 4 shortcuts so that one of them allows me access to my contacts that would help!).

The walkman application may also be a bit buggy even when not crashing as all my artwork does not show up despite me tagging the mp3s with artwork on more than one program and double checking it!

What is cool is the visualisation option when the songs are playing, you can select different options, such as bubbles, fireflys, squares that float around the screen seemingly speeding up or slowing down depending on the music and mood you set it at (and that changes the colour) this looks really cool! and its a great feature - certainly show-offable!

As for the actual phone the play, ff, rw buttons double up on the 1,2,3 buttons so you actually have to press between them to get them to work, this posed problems when texting at first as I kept hitting the buttons below!
But you get used to it!

In response to the bit about the numbers wearing off I do not see how that can happen as they are see-through and so even if the colours faded on the keys they would still be readable when you press them as they would light up. Personally I looks to me as if the number keypad is simply "gaps" in the colour of the phone giving it its shape - whereas the walkman keys are orange and seethrough.

I would have liked some screen protector on the phones screen but there isnt one included, personally I would have a problem trying to buy one as the screen is down below the frame of the phone which means that if you stuck a protector on you would get one attempt only and probably could not remove it without taking the phone apart!

Nevertheless the fact the screen is lowered into the phone does mean it is less likely to get damaged as unless you have a small sharp object in your pocket (keys maybe) anything else would be too large to make any direct contact with the screen due to the way its positioned below the casing.

As for the mystic purple colour.... well it doesnt look purple to me at all it looks dark grey to me! its slightly lighter than the colour of the K800 but its not purple and there is nothing mystic about it!

So my overall opinion after two days is its a small funky cool phone with a great walkman apllication that works well but it does have some firmware issues that need updating... when that will be is anyones guess! if anyone knows how to check if there are firmware updates please let me know (and I do mean another way than removing the sim card and using the update program!).

[tenglw86]

Spinstorm, can u tell me how the sound quality of the W950i compares to the Nokia N91? i'm kinda conflicted between the two and sound quality is really important to me. thanks loads ;)

[Rasengan]

Has anyone got Worldmate to update on their W950i? I can get the Internet to work just fine and I can download and send emails but programs like Worldamte and Instant Messengers just won't establish an Internet connection to update. I can only use them while around a Bluetooth Pan connection which is seldom.

[goodguy]

I have had the phone for two days now...

The screen is very clear and bright and really good quality and UIQ works fine (though if someone knows how I can chance the 4 shortcuts so that one of them allows me access to my contacts that would help!).

.

i realize you posted this a long time ago but just incase you hadn't figured out how to replace the shortcuts its pretty simple.

just highlight with the scroll wheel whichever shortcut you would like to replace and in the bottom right of the screen you will see "more", press "more" and you will have the option to "replace" then just choice what you want to replace it with and your good to go.