UK 3G Mobile Phones - Sony Ericsson W960i Review

Your Sony Ericsson W960i Reviews

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Reviewer: Aj - UK
Date: 5th May 2008

This phone is awesome! Looks great, is a little bit smaller than the P1i & around as wide, but the screen looks massive! The buttons are nice to use & the OS is basically identical to the P1i but adds the Walkman features, like trackID etc. The Walkman rocks & is easy to use via thumb like the rest of the phone, although quite a lot of things require a fine touch or you will find yourself pushing the button all over again!

I don't know what the reviewer before is talking about, there is a back button on the keyboard! :S.

The stylus is plasticy an a little flimsy but I have yet to break this one (whereas the P1i's broke fast, whilst playing with it) although I do like it & never use it so not a problem!

Can play movies on its HUGE screen very well & 8GB storage! Very sweet!

Camera is pretty awful, the screen is very flickery when moving the shot, but will take a good photo (only a 3.2MB camera though! )

All in all I think it's the best phone I have ever had (out of 23) & I love it : D I have had Nokia N95 & it can't multitask at all! Annoying! If you have the gallery open it wouldn't load most websites! The Sony Ericsson rocks at this & can have like 10 features running at one time, although when you bush back on a application it won't close it you will have to go to the task manager which is a bit silly, but opens apps back up very quick.

I will definitely be using the Walkman & movie player to full effect every day, shame it's not one application really but not a big problem (the video program is pretty shabby & slow but good resolution, sound & the Walkman is ALMOST nearly as good as an iPod).

I would recommend this phone as it is very cool, but very expensive! But if you are thinking of it as a choice it is definitely worth it :D.

Oh & battery life is great, about a charge a day with heavy multimedia & Internet use (maybe stretch to two days).

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Reviewer: Jay - UK
Date: 29th Apr 2008

I have been using this phone for just under 2 months now & I had to send it back for repairs. The screen is way too fragile. The design of the phone is so so. Its flat (that's good) but the bad thing is that it's too wide. The stylus looks cheap & you can't go back unless you use the touch screen. They took the scroller from the Sony PDA's but they didn't manage to add the back button which is usually below the scroller. Another thing is that there's a delay when you try to use the functions. This isn't a major problem but it can be annoying some times. The battery life is terrible. Mine barely lasts for a day. Most of the time I can't be bothered using the stylus so I use my finger instead & the screen detection is not very accurate & sometimes needs a lot of pressure.

Good points are that it is light. There are a lot of handy features. I especially like the way the organiser is set out very easy to use. The speaker sound quality is good for a mobile phone.

Overall it is an average phone but there better phones out there & if I had a second chance I would definitely have made a different choice.

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Reviewer: Nitinjain - Jalandhar, India
Date: 24th Apr 2008

Its good looking, I will purchase.

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Reviewer: Markrsuperstar - Glasgow, UK
Date: 21st Apr 2008

I was very excited about getting this phone but quickly became a bit disappointed. Usability is not what it could be. Opening a text message makes the phone go through 6 screens to get to the message. It takes ages to turn on. Alarm doesn't work when off or in silent mode. Media memory has mind of its own, sometimes letting me manage media, sometimes not. Depending on which route you use often depends on how things work. For example if trying to assign an uploaded song to contact etc, if you don't go through the Walkman to do it, you get a not enough memory message even though there are only 400 songs on it. Headphones could be louder although I understand this is probably industry standard. I do however like the simple design, the sound quality, the capacity & the big screen.

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Reviewer: Danielle - Plymouth, UK
Date: 16th Apr 2008

My old phone the W810i was great so this phone really had to live up to it. I am starting to get to grips with it after a week. If you have had a Sony before it's easier to use.

For the design I think it is a little big but this also works in its favour as when you take a picture you have a really good picture on screen after. To be honest phones are getting bigger these days so this one fits right in.

I love the features although was very disappointed with the games as 1 game was on my old phone not even upgraded version & the other was golf? Not even crazy golf!

The usability of the phone is really good the touch screen is amazing & once you have figured out when to use button when to use stylus & when to use screen you will be fine. I note make sure you use the timeout lock (when the keypad locks itself in case you forget) or you will be phoning everybody.

Overall score 9 out of 10.

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Reviewer: David - Horley, UK
Date: 14th Apr 2008

This is by FAR the worst phone I have ever had the displeasure of using. It is so convoluted in its user interface it is virtually unusable. You cannot create & send a text without using a combination of all 3 of the user interfaces (jog wheel, touch screen & keypad) it is slow, takes an eternity to turn on & has to be left on if you want something simple like an alarm to function. If you want a phone that has features for features sake, buy this, if you want a phone to actually make calls & send texts, look elsewhere. This is not a phone, more of a gadget that somewhere in its workings is the option to talk to someone, if you can find it. Utter tripe, sent it back after 1 week of trying.

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Reviewer: Luke - Pretoria, South Africa
Date: 12th Apr 2008

I can't find a fault with it.

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Reviewer: Rowit - London, UK
Date: 3rd Apr 2008

Being a worker for Sony Ericsson I must admit this is the most ultimate phone. Features are impeccable & the usage is so easy!

I am aware of all the comments below & I think all the negativity is because a faulty batch of w960i's were delivered to O2 & Carphone Warehouse as well as the Orange & t mobile outlet, any phone that has been purchased from December till March I guarantee you will find countless problems!

I suggest you take it back & swap for another one. Thankyou.

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Reviewer: Juleek - United States
Date: 1st Apr 2008

If I wanted to get something this big, I would go & buy a house. What a brick. They say that money can burn a hole in your pocket but the size of this phone, it would destroy your pocket, if you could fit it in.

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Reviewer: Sameer - Amman, Jordan
Date: 31st Mar 2008

The price of the phone is really good & the phone is the best phone in the world it's a good wireless Internet phone & can work on it as working on Internet explorer that's cool.

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Reviewer: Laurie - Wales, UK
Date: 29th Mar 2008

Well at first it was fine then it started constantly freezing & turning its self off! Also wouldn't let me send messages. I think the phone is a load of rubbish!

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Reviewer: Tony Nemenzo - Philippines
Date: 28th Mar 2008

For those who have negative feedback of w960i, I tell you, there are things you don't know about this phone. It is even better than w980i. The w980i model is not touch screen & no stylus. For those having problems with Walkman of this phone, particularly on changing tracks, adjusting volumes, etc., don't worry, just upgrade the headphone to hpm90, & all of your troubles will be lost. Or much better, upgrade the headphone to Bluetooth headset, although you will be charging the headset when its battery is depleted, but the advantage is you will no longer touching your phone, your attention will be focused on the Bluetooth headset only.

For those who don't like to charge their headset, in the case of Bluetooth headset, just choose the hands free headset, like hpm90, just what I did.

For any comments of this phone, please feel free to negate my statements. Thanks & more power to Sony.

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Reviewer: Mariya Sheikh - Birmingham, UK
Date: 25th Mar 2008

When I got it, it was great. Then the touch screen got jammed! The design is too bulky, it could be improved, they could of got it in different colours like pink then again it may look weird. I got this phone for my birthday I was & am overwhelmed! I would recommend this phone its better than my old phone which was Nokia 7373. Bye.

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Reviewer: Laurita - London, UK
Date: 24th Mar 2008

This phone is all round dreadful. The worst I have ever had. Please think twice before getting it. You will see some reviews below which praise this phone. Mostly you will see those are from people who haven't used it yet or at least not for long.

I thought it was good when I first got it but after using it for a couple of months I can tell you none of the ordinary features are well configured.

OK, it has an awesome memory of 8GB & a lovely big touch screen BUT it is slow, it needs two hands for almost everything, it is obstructive (try ignoring an incoming text while you are in the middle of something else! ) to name but 3 of many faults.

An all round rubbish phone that deserves to be taken off the market.

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Reviewer: Laura Spicer - Richmond, UK
Date: 24th Mar 2008

This is undoubtedly the WORST phone I have ever used. There are so many things wrong with the design of it I don't know where to start. One example is that when a text comes in an alert comes onto the screen. This alert uses half the screen space & until you have answered it you cannot continue to do anything else. So if you are in the middle of writing a text or dialling a number you have to tell the phone you don't want to read the text in order to continue. If you agree to read the incoming text, the one you were mid writing is lost. Everything about this phone is clumsy. There is not one saving feature. If you fancy touch screen think again with this touch screen. It is inaccurate & often you need to do the same action 10 times to get the response you want. Horrendous.

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Reviewer: Chris - UK
Date: 23rd Mar 2008

Just got the phone yesterday, I personally think it's an excellent phone. I wanted a Smartphone for ages & a BlackBerry is just far too complicated. It's quite simple to use & a good phone for people who like to fiddle with things.

A plus point is it has a Wi-Fi receiver so you can go online at hotspots for free! It's simple to add music & the 8GB storage is well enough for anyone's use.

An all round reliable phone & all Sony Ericsson users will love.

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Reviewer: Lewis - UK
Date: 21st Mar 2008

Amazing phone, perfect.

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Reviewer: Rupert Huntero - Northampton, UK
Date: 17th Mar 2008

Brought this phone having lost my w910i & unfortunately a big selling point. However, once you turn it on, the problems begin.

You can use neither the stylus or your fingers to individual effect, it has to be a combination of both. & it's tricky. & it's also annoying because it's marketed as a music phone, yet there is no ease of use with it. Changing tracks with both hands whilst walking down the street only makes you a target.

Musically the phone is good. But for a £400 model, good isn't good enough. The sound is admittedly brilliant on anything released 2005 onwards, but with the lack of a manual preset, it's next to impossible to get a decent listening experience from songs released in the early 90's & the like. Even the w910i had a manual preset, which really angers me.

The other key thing this phone boasts is the Internet, which is solid. The quality on YouTube isn't great, but other sites load pretty quickly in their entirety.

All in all though, decent Internet is certainly not enough to save me from taking this phone back. AVOID & get the w910i or w890i for a cheapish, higher quality music phone.

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Reviewer: Jk - Windsor, UK
Date: 16th Mar 2008

This phone is like a dream come true. After my N95 broke I got this as an upgrade & it works like a charm. Bad thing is that it don't have youtube or any other Internet sites.

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Reviewer: Tony Nemenzo - Philippines
Date: 15th Mar 2008

This is the best phone so far. It has an 8 gig memory built in already with the unit. Others don't know of special software with this unit. Although the software is not free with the unit, you could buy the full version at Sony website. It's called Sony Ericsson media manager pro.

With this software, you could transfer whatever types of movie format saved from PC to your Sony w960i phones. What's more, when you transfer the movie to the phone, it has special software that will convert the movie into mp4 which will reduce the original movie size by at most 80 percent depending on your quality selected. For me, I choose the high quality mode, & the software reduces the original size by 2 to 3. I have an original movie of around 800 mb but when I transferred it to w960i choosing the high quality mode, it shrink to 300 mb.

So, with 8 gigs Sony memory, you are like have 40 gigs to 80 gigs memory depending on your transfer selection. For movie fans out there, don't be fooled with other comments against w960i. This is the best phone so far. The software man, the software, makes this phone the best in the market. The design is also astounding.

Although, Sony came up with a new model called w980i, it has the same feature with w960i. They only change the design, which I think is bad. I have asked various mobile phone technicians, & according to them, phones with flip feature like w980i are the ones that will go to repair shops more often.

So, there you are. Spread the words. W960i rocks.

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Reviewer: Chopsy - London, UK
Date: 14th Mar 2008

I wanted to give this phone a higher & highest rating but just can't due to a few niggles. My previous phones were standard mid high end non Smartphone Nokia's & the last was a XDA Orbit. The Orbit was fantastic (packed full of functionality) & I only changed to the W960 because it was essentially a touch screen only device so typing texts & phone numbers meant stabbing the screen with a stylus, this got boring after a while & I craved a keypad!

The Good:
- Great styling (somewhat subjective I agree).
- 8 GB of memory on board.
- Built in Walkman is good (though a little on the quiet side).
- Calendar application is excellent (much better than Pocket PC).
- Usability is good (once you get used to holding it in your left hand for the thumb wheel or jog dial).
- User interface is good (after a few hours of playing).
- Decent size screen & a keypad in a relatively small sized package.
- Syncs calendar, contacts, notes, tasks, etc from Outlook (key feature for me).
- Good on board apps to retrieve all this data.
- Runs TomTom 6 Satnav (with Bluetooth GPS receiver).
- You can play MP3s via speaker (if desperate! ).
- Comes with headphone adapter so you can use any standard headphones with it (headphones also included).
- Good build quality.
- Works well with my Jabra JX10 Series 2 headset.
- Call quality is excellent.

The Bad:
- Feel slow at times.
- the touchscreen is not as sharp or responsive as the Orbit, IPAQ, PDA type devices.
- Bluetooth was a bit flaky (kept loosing pair) with the Jabra JX10 series 1 headset (so I upgraded this to series 2).
- No mini USB socket uses Sony Ericsson proprietary data & charge cable.
- No standard headset socket on phone, need to use Sony Ericsson interface headset cable.
- Battery life could be better.
- No removable memory card (though 8GB on board is plenty).

Other things you may want to know:
- Some marketing info says you can use this as a portable flash drive (memory key). This is true & works well (comes up as a drive in Windows explorer) but you do need the proprietary Sony Ericsson cable to do this since there is no mini usb socket on the phone.
- There is some debate on if or how TomTom works on this phone. TomTom 6 works & works very well. You need to buy the TomTom 6 DVD (not any variant on memory card). The DVD comes with software compatible with Symbian UIQ3 which is the kit you need. I am using it with a Holux M1200 GPS receiver which is tiny (size of small pack of gum), the phone paired with the Holux immediately & found loads of satellites within seconds. I've installed the Western Europe maps, UK postcodes & safety camera databases for UK, France & Belgium & all worked OK.
- I've not really had the experiences of other people where the phone has crashed or locked up too often, I think I may have had to pull the battery out once in the three months I've had it (can't remember why).
- I got the phone from an O2 store & it was unlocked so I could use it with a Vodafone sim.

In summary, this is a great phone which combines some key business tools with some key leisure toys. I now have a single device which is essentially a Phone, PDA, MP3 player & SatNav. The convenience of only carrying one device & one set of cables around is great & the W960 works well at what it does. SatNav requires the GPS receiver so this means I carry one device & the stick of gum stays in the car!

If you can do without a keypad, consider a PDA such as the Orbit (fantastic! ) but if you prefer a keypad (without a dodgy slide or flip), this is a very good option for you.

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Reviewer: Stewart Harris - Ellesmere Port, UK
Date: 13th Mar 2008

This phone is god awful to use, the touch screen is far too small, & the qwerty keyboard is also far too small & you get a headache when using it nightmare! It seems to me that Sony is trying to merge too many operating systems into a single device what with the scroll wheel, touch screen you never know which to use to find the right application on the phone.

The phone is also very slow at doing things the touch screen is extremely unresponsive & it is very easy to tap the wrong thing & open applications that are of no use to you.

Another bad point is that when you open applications & exit out of them with the return button they remain open on the phone running in the background & you cannot close them until you go to task manager & end each application in turn very frustrating.

Deleting multiple text's is a nightmare if you accidentally touch the envelope symbol with the stylus when scrolling down the screen to select the unwanted messages you end up viewing the message & then you have to start the process over again & it can take up to 4 four attempts to do a single relatively easy task. Another point where deleting stuff is concerned you cannot just press the c button as you would on previous Sony phones to delete instead you have to go through annoying sub menu's all the time.

The camera takes great pictures & the Music player is great, however the overall usability of this device is absolutely dire this unfortunately overshadows the better aspects of this phone.

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Reviewer: Chris - Colchester, UK
Date: 12th Mar 2008

OK, this phone has some bugs & is not very logical even for a symbian.

Walkman. Don't understand how people can say the Walkman is good LOL, they could have only ever used iPods before. As the sound quality even with.wav in it is rubbish. Even on max volume it is hard to hear. Yes the interface is nice but you get 4 SECOND pauses between songs, which is rubbish when you're listening to a mix. Even my trusty old w800i only has about 1 sec at the most.

OK bug time, I can't switch phone off & have the alarm go off like with most on the Sony Ericsson phones. Try switching speaker phone off & on during a call. Not happening is it LOL. The interface needs two hands for most functions.

The good, I don't understand people not getting YouTube on it, I did first time. It played it fine. The handwriting recognition is great. If you bother to read the manual & learn technique, it works great for texting & the Internet! It looks cool & the graphics make Nokia's look rubbish.

But DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE. Unless you plan on using the most basic of functions, it is a pain to use & very trying to use one handed. It isn't the sort of Walkman phone you can operate in your pocket like previous Sony Ericsson models.

It looks great & it is a fun toy, but when you want to use it seriously it is a pain. Apps are hard to come by for this model. It will appeal to the sort of people that like iPods. They like the gadget side & the great interface but don't seem to account for its rubbish sound quality. If you buy with your eyes you may like this. If you have half a brain it will annoy you down the line. It is not logical to get around.

I had it for 10 days & wanted to love it, but sent it back as it is just such a pain with a Walkman that is worse than the old w800 series phones, which I loved by the way. I went for a N95 8GB in the end. It isn't that good either. Loads better than the w960i but it is ugly & the OS looks ugly too. But at least it does what it says on the tin, unlike this.

As for camera, the N95 8GB is in a different league. But still rubbish. More mega pixels DOES NOT MEAN better picture quality for all of you that don't know. This only matters if you are blowing a picture up to 4 sizes etc. At the normal 4x6 inch photo size anything over 2 mega pixels will be just as good as a 5. Just check on a photography site if you don't believe or understand!

All the cameras suffer from flash burn indoors. & if you bother to look at a picture at 100% size you will see that both the Nokia & Sony have rubbish cameras, even for a phone. Although the Nokia has the best camera on the market at the moment, but it is far far far away from print quality LOL.

The video on the w960i is shockingly bad. The Nokia wins hands down here, but it does suffer from jumpy image from time to time. But the 30fps speed on the Nokia makes it almost DVD quality. But as it has no auto focus like the Sony, for the video part. It is useless & cannot deal with light difference dynamically.

Symbian phones have a hell of a long way to go before a usable all in one comes about. For now I have sent both the w960i & the N95 8GB back.

I am going back to my trusty w800i for now & a dedicated Sony MP3 player. As for portable video, I don't use it much, but creative have a great 8GB player that has room for an 8GB flash card as well. 16GB! For under £100 it also plays Dvix & other formats. If only it played other files too.

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Reviewer: Victoria - UK
Date: 11th Mar 2008

I just got my new W960I today. I was so excited to get home from work & start using it. After 10 minutes I was repacking it back in its box to send back to 02. Basically I loved all the features on it, the large memory, Wi Fi, blah blah blah. I have had dozens of mobiles but this is the most unusable, annoyingly complicated phone I have EVER HAD! I tried to text a friend, a simple message of CALL ME & it took 5 minutes & don't even get me started on the handwriting thing, its rubbish. Even without adding any MP3 files, the phone was quite slow. By the time I was finished with it I was stressed, chain smoking & in need of a stiff vodka LOL. I am honestly so disappointed as I thought this phone was going to be great.

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Reviewer: Viv - UK
Date: 9th Mar 2008

Wrote a review on the first day I got it, thought it was a brilliant phone, after a week, I got very annoyed with the touch screen & is gets very hard to use due to having to use two hands all the time!

Features are great, but the usability is poor after a while even after getting used to it.

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Reviewer: Aimee Jo - Rhondda, UK
Date: 7th Mar 2008

Wow there is not much to say but it is fantastic, buy this phone.

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Reviewer: Sadie - UK
Date: 6th Mar 2008

I have just bought this phone SIM free because my contract phone broke & was rubbish!

I was undecided between the N81 & this phone, I am so glad I chose this phone the features on it are so much better I would say go for this one once you get used to touch screen it is brilliant all my mates love it & so do I!

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Reviewer: Tom - St Helens, UK
Date: 5th Mar 2008

Best phone ever way better than my N95 touch screen bit too small but overall fantastic, BUY IT.

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Reviewer: Howard - London, UK
Date: 5th Mar 2008

This phone was better than I predicted. I had a great W880i but then bought a W910i which was good but hard to use & broke within days so I decided to spend a bit more on a W960i & boy, did that pay off. Two days of constant playing, still finding new things & not the slightest bit bored. Great Walkman, great Wi-Fi, excellent phone 10 out of 10.

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Reviewer: Nick - Chelmsford, UK
Date: 4th Mar 2008

Can anyone help me please! I am due an upgrade & want a phone with proper Internet ie Google, eBay, youtube etc.

Has this phone got it or should I go for the iPhone, N95 or alike? Thanks very much, Nick.

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Reviewer: Aiton - Motherwell, UK
Date: 4th Mar 2008

I can't deny, this phone looks amazing. It sounds great too. But, writing a text is very hard to get used to. I have had it a week & have sent ONE text! All because I simply can't do it yet. It's very hard to use which means you got to play with it a lot to get to know it. Also using WLAN is hard to do, I can't quite do it yet. People say this has EVERYTHING the iPhone has, but I can't use YouTube but the iPhone has. It's a good phone though, don't get me wrong. But for the price, they could have made it a little bit simpler.

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Reviewer: Kevin - UK
Date: 29th Feb 2008

This is my dream phone, it is unlikely I am going to get it seeing as I've only had my K800i for 4 months. It has the great Walkman 3.0, Symbian (that the K800i doesn't support), flash themes & menus, amazing 8GB memory, touch screen, TrackID, 3G, 3.2 MP camera with autofocus: all that you would need & more to keep you entertained.

The only lacking point is of course the Xenon Flash & Cybershot from K800i but it still looks to be a good camera & anyway, its main function is the Walkman 3.0 aspect. It is a bit chunky but I could manage with this anyway seeing as the K800i is only 3 grams lighter!

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Reviewer: Viv - UK
Date: 27th Feb 2008

This phone is amazing, finally got one today after waiting to be liable for an upgrade.

Don't know what people are saying it's hard to use, once you get the hand of it there's so many things to do on it!

Very pleased :D.

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Reviewer: Samiul - Leicester, UK
Date: 24th Feb 2008

This phone is amazing looks stunning, touch screen, great Walkman player & lots more. I would say this is a N95 killer & I would recommend it. So far I got the w810i but will be getting this soon!

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Reviewer: Vishnu - Trinidad And Tobago
Date: 24th Feb 2008

A great phone but you need to get to know it. Very fiddly. Not as long battery life as they say. Can't get the cd to work.

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Reviewer: Dj - Devon, UK
Date: 24th Feb 2008

Got this phone on the day it came out, I am now on my 4th one nothing but problems everyone I have had is doing the same things, text going to my in box but no onscreen alert or tone, turns self off & vibrates until I remove the battery & I can't remove photos unless I do it via my PC. Shame this phone is great but until Sony do a new firm ware update I will say don't bother, by the way O2 now say I can change for a different model so I am getting the LG VIEWTY.

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Reviewer: Josvel - London, UK
Date: 23rd Feb 2008

The best phone I ever had.

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Reviewer: Mike Hordern - Axbridge, UK
Date: 22nd Feb 2008

An excellent 3.2 Mp camera, an equally good Movie player, the best Music player out there & 8 Gb's of onboard memory & all this for FREE!

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Reviewer: Sam - Wisbech, UK
Date: 21st Feb 2008

Sounds fabulous etc, but:

- Slow, to send an SMS took several seconds to even get into page to start writing.
- Cumbersome to use.
- Need two hands needed.
- Hard to set up.
- Tried for two days.

Final straw in sending back was it did not recognise incoming calls, & display the name of person. So could not tell who was calling me! BASIC requirement failed.

Could wait for software update to fix last problem, but hay could wait all year? I learned how to use an iPhone in less than 30 minutes. Two days & still found difficult. I guess a lot of reviews may be by Sony employees.

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Reviewer: Julie - Leicester, UK
Date: 20th Feb 2008

PEASE HELP! DO I BUY the W960i, the K850i OR the Nokia N81? BUYING SIM FREE SO DON'T WANT TO MAKE the WRONG DECISION. THANKS.

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Reviewer: Zach - Leeds, UK
Date: 20th Feb 2008

Had the phone for a month & I am still not bored of it. It does support PDF Microsoft WORD. & if you are complaining that the buttons on the touch screen are too small then use the options menu & zoom or enlarge. Yes brilliant phone.

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Reviewer: Siraj - Pune, India
Date: 17th Feb 2008

It is not value for money. Here they charge exorbitant, more power packed is the N81! Sony Ericsson is not doing a good Job, I use the W810i presently & not once I had a complaint with user interface, 810i works like a charm! Here's what I think about W960i, I will try to be fair in all aspects.

Design.
Usually, Walkman series handsets impress through their innovative designs & futuristic keypad layouts. The standard block design that Sony Ericsson W960i features strengthens the idea that the target of the Smartphone is wider than its name (Walkman) may suggest. The standard look that doesn't impress too much may be perfect for a businessman. I am not saying that it looks dull or ugly, on the contrary, I am pretty sure that it will attract both sides through its appealing look & rather stylish form.

The bar handset measures 109 x 55 mm & weighs around 119 grams (battery included). These numbers are not too much for a Smartphone, even if it lacks full QWERTY keyboard. Instead, Sony Ericsson W960i features a standard keypad, which might seem a little bit crowded. Keys are wide but there's no space in between them, which might cause a 'lag' when texting messages. Otherwise there's nothing bad about it, as the compound used for manufacture has been skillfully chosen. This might be one of the few Smartphone that won't be a fingerprint magnet, even if used heavily. A nice contrast between the glossy front & mat back cover adds to the glamorous look. Right above keypad layout, you will notice three touch controls that will be enabled the moment you start using the music player. The touch keys controlling the music player are pretty responsive, mostly thanks to the huge touchscreen display. Above the screen, one can see the benefits of the UMTS technology, a second camera used for video calls. On the mat back cover of the Smartphone the 3.15 Megapixel camera module is the main attraction. It features dual LED flash & autofocus.

The big external speaker placed right near the camera enables users to listen to music together with their friends. Sony Ericsson borrowed the power up button from Nokia & placed it on top of the handset. Both sides of the Smartphone feature few buttons such as, dual volume keys & camera button on the right side, & a jog wheel to ease the navigation through the menus. The bottom of the phone features the usual universal port specific to Sony Ericsson handsets, which can be used to charge the phone, to sync it with your PC or to attach the earphones. There's also a stylus that you can use with the touch screen on top left of the phone, above the jog wheel. This might look (again) like a phone especially created for left handed persons, but you'll get used to it, as it became standard for Sony Ericsson to do that to its Smartphones.

Display & Camera.
These days, a Smartphone that lacks touch screen is less efficient, so Sony Ericsson decided to add one of those big & marvelous displays to its latest Walkman series handset W960i. The 2.6 Inch TFT touch screen supports 262k colors, 240 x 320 pixels resolution & is visible even when used outdoors in strong sunlight.

Even if it's not one of the biggest screens out there, users will still have a smooth Web experience, either you use it in portrait or landscape mode. Benchmarks scored almost identical results as its P1i predecessor, which suggests that both have the same kind of display. The screen is protected against scratches by a special cover.

Sony Ericsson W960i Smartphone embeds a 3.15 Megapixels camera with two LEDs flash & autofocus. The menu of the camera is pretty much the same as the other Sony Ericsson's handsets, which means that it features tons of settings that might improve the quality of the snapshots.

The maximum resolution of the pictures is 2048 x 1536 pixels, while the lowest is 640 x 480 pixels (VGA). In terms of quality, you can compare it with the P1i pictures, which look much the same. There's a little bit too much contrast & sharpness, but that can easily controlled with some of the settings that you can find in the camera menu.

Those that are looking to record clips should know that the camera doesn't score too good as a video-camera. It is only able to shoot in QCIF mode with a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps. Lower resolutions (176 x 144 pixels) enable the possibility of capturing movies at 30 fps, but the image is low on details.

Overall, the camera module is pretty good & can satisfy any user's N-Series handset.

Menu & Software.
Sony Ericsson W960i runs on a Symbian 9.1 OS with UIQ 3.0 platform, which is similar to P1i's platform. It features the same interface, but fortunately not the same latency. What was annoying when using Sony Ericsson's P1i Smartphone, the slow processing speed of the interface & the long responding commands, doesn't happen onto this new W960i handset. & when multi tapping the screen gets you no results, you just have to wait, & wait, & then wait some more. Don't get me wrong, Sony Ericsson W960i Smartphone is not a speedy handset, but it's nowhere near P1i.

My N-Series handset contains the whole Mobile Office package & all the features & applications that a businessman needs when he's out of the office. You can read, edit or write any document, either it's in Word, Excel, PowerPoint or.pdf file format.

Furthermore, you can use the phone to scan any business card rather than stuffing your pocket with it. Just to make it complete, the WLAN connection really works, unlike the P1i Smartphone's Wi-Fi connectivity. Other productivity tools include applications such as: Calendar, N-Series handsets have included: MusicDJ, TrackID, Sound recorder, but also some games (QuadraPop & Vijay Singh Pro Golf 3D).

There's also a Picture editor that enables users to correct any flaws found in their pictures. Another cool option that you can use is the standby screen which has the ability to display the music player when this is active.

You can visualize any information regarding the playlist you're listening to or you can choose to Smartphone style screen which displays information about appointments, tasks & other stuff related to business (much like in P1i case). This is another proof that Sony Ericsson W960i makes it as a dual phone, or you might consider it as 2 phones embedded into 1 business Smartphone & music Walkman.

For those that are using their phone to surf the Internet, Opera 8.65 for Symbian has been included & this time it is very fast. You can choose to turn the image to landscape mode, for a smoother experience. The phonebook has extensive slots for every contact & it's limited only by the internal memory. In terms of messaging the Smartphone is compatible with SMS, MMS, EMS, RSS feeds, Push email, POP3, IMAP & SMTP protocols, as well as SSL & TSL encryption.

Communications.
Sony Ericsson's W960i is a 3G communication device that lacks EDGE technology. I had no problems in testing the 3G data transfer speed (306 Kbit/s download & 109 Kbit's upload) or GPRS (46 Kbit's download & 21 Kbit's upload) & results are within the parameters. You won't have any problems with those & it's very easy to set up such a connection.

The Smartphone is also compatible with Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP technology & features USB 2.0, all of which worked like a charm. Still, the most important thing about W960i is that it features a Wi-Fi receiver, which fortunately works, unlike its P1i predecessor that had serious problems.

Sony Ericsson W960i offers a complete email solution & is compatible with various services such as: Push email, BlackBerry Connect, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync. For Internet navigation, W960i includes Opera 8.65 which is the default Web Browser. It supports HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, frames, CSS, & TSL & SSL security protocols.

The triband (GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900) network compatible Smartphone has a good GSM signal reception, but very poor 3G signal reception. The sound is very clear & loud enough for you to be able to talk on the phone in crowded areas with absolutely no problems. Nevertheless, the vibration is somewhat mediocre in intensity & cannot be set to higher levels.

Processor & Memory.
Sony Ericsson W960i features an ARM9 family processor running at speeds up to 180 Mhz. This is the same low CPU that has been embedded in P1i Smartphone. This is N-Series handset sluggish; still, it cannot be compared with P1i.

The Smartphone comes with 128 MB RAM & 256 MB flash (96 reserved for Symbian & 160 user memory). The phone lacks any microSD slot card for memory expansion, but it comes with 8GB storage memory, which makes the slot card useless.

Multimedia.
The Walkman series latest addition, W960i, features one of the best & feature rich music players that have been included into a mobile phone. Still, there are some pros & cons, which should be emphasized. Besides the usual Equalizer that includes dozens of modes (including MegaBass), the music player features the Mood option, which can sort the music depending on your mood.

The music player sorts music by reading the ID3 tag of every song so, if the field is empty, it will be tagged as Unknown. Sound is pretty much the same as the entire Walkman series phones offer in terms of quality. Even the earphones are the same & the only drawback is the fact that the vibes are N-Series can get the phone, it will not disappoint you. The music player can read MP3, AAC, AAC+ or e-AAC+ file formats & features DRM function. The Smartphone includes an RDS radio that can store up to 20 stations. Reception & sound are very good, & the phone can display full screen visualization.

Battery.
Sony Ericsson W960i includes a LiPolymer 950 mAh standard battery that has a standby time of 370 hours & up to 9 hours of talk time. In truth, the phone's battery depleted after about 5 hours of talk time & about 200 hours in standby mode. Even if the gap between the numbers is rather big, this is more than enough, not to mention that the playback time is about 18 to 20 hours, depending on the volume. I wouldn't expect less from a Sony Ericsson handset battery, & it's good that it has become a standard to include LiPolymer batteries on all its handsets. This is one of the best batteries included in a Smartphone, not only because of its high 'endurance', but also because it's rather small compared with its capacity.

I can definitely say that Sony Ericsson W960i is a big improvement in terms of functionality & capabilities. This is the first Sony Ericsson handset to mix Walkman series phone features with business phone features into a complete Smartphone. I'd say that W960i is a much better choice for those who wanted to buy P1i Smartphone & also for those that are looking to 'upgrade' their Walkman series handset.

CONCLUSION.
Sony Ericsson, one of the most important handsets manufacturers, is also one of the fewest that managed to educate its fans & teach them how to choose their future mobile phones. From this point of view, things are much easier for the Japanese Swedish company, who made it clear for its consumers, that it won't mix high quality music features with top-notch camera modules & latest business applications into only one handset.

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Reviewer: Abdz - London, UK
Date: 16th Feb 2008

Is a good phone.

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Reviewer: Marco - Glasgow, UK
Date: 15th Feb 2008

This phone is amazing! It has everything you will ever need in a phone & more! BUY IT!

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Reviewer: Sani Mohammed - Abuja, Nigeria
Date: 14th Feb 2008

The phone has all it takes to be user friendly. It is superb!

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Reviewer: Serame - East London, UK
Date: 14th Feb 2008

Can anyone out there tell me where can I buy Sony Ericsson W960i. Respond to me please.

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Reviewer: Ayesha - UK
Date: 11th Feb 2008

Well I never! This is a GREAT EXCELLENT FANTASTIC AMAZING phone! Everything about it is perfect! It does take a little getting used to but you don't need to lock yourself in your cupboard for 5 years just to learn how to use the touchscreen!

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Reviewer: Alan Sharpe - Belfast, UK
Date: 7th Feb 2008

Hello, anyone that is thinking of changing their phone I hope this review will help you decide, I was a Nokia lover for years until last year, I got the Sony Ericsson W580, what a great phone, so this year I decided to upgrade to a similar type slide phone & went for the Samsung G600. What a bad move, had it a day, didn't like the features, lack of memory or overall design, long story short I received the Sony Ericsson W960 2 days ago, thought it looked very nice but the touch screen was awkward & difficult to navigate. Texting was a nightmare & trying to find someone in my address book proved nearly impossible.

BUT, after 2 days I love this phone, decided to read the manual & now it's as easy as my last phone but it has tons more features, the Walkman is awesome, better than my I pod, radio is so clear & the overall usability is excellent, overall the best phone I could have wished for! Thank you Sony Ericsson! Yippee 10/10 a must buy!

Please buy it you won't be disappointed!

Key to loving this phone is read the manual & is patient!

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Reviewer: H-n - UK
Date: 5th Feb 2008

This phone is amazing, its touch screen is easy to use. Even though you must use the screen it has a scroll bar to save you time on touch screen. It is both screen & touch functioned it's an amazing phone. But mine has a problem ha-ha. I did TrackID & it says due to terms & conditions it can only do it to Sony Ericsson phones & mine is Sony Ericsson so you I need to get that fixed, yesterday I was all on the settings & changed so many things I can't remember what I did wrong, ill have to get that fixed XD. This is an amazing phone I would recommend anyone to buy it. Just too good to even be called Mobile Phone. Has more then what a phone would have, easy to use not like Nokia n95, & I phone.

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Reviewer: Eda - London, UK
Date: 3rd Feb 2008

I LIKED the LOOKS OF the phone, ITS VERY sleek.

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Reviewer: Sone - Netherlands Antilles
Date: 3rd Feb 2008

To Michael in Preston, UK

About the media manger program CD?
Can it convert all types of videos?
Can it convert real audio/video vbr (rmvb)?
Can it convert rmvb into mp4 or wmv?

Thanks, Peace.

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Reviewer: Adam Guerin - Bath(ish), UK
Date: 3rd Feb 2008

I have had mine for nearly a week now & I am overjoyed! As my last 3 phones have been Samsungs, it has been a bit of a chore with the new menus etc, but well worth it. I cannot praise this phone up more!

I got mine through mobiles.co.uk & on O2. 800 minutes & 500 Texts per month all for £40 per month. Worth checking out people.

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Reviewer: Garry - UK
Date: 2nd Feb 2008

I was seduced by the outstanding high specification & what I think are the good looks of the W960i. Unfortunately now I have got it, I am rather disappointed.

Why?

The UIQ user interface is absolutely dreadful. It's a fiddly, inconsistent mess. It makes everything much harder work than it should be. To complete almost any task on the W960i you are forced to swap between jog dial, key pad & touch screen in a random manner depending on the function you are accessing. This results in you effectively juggling with the phone in your hand. The touch screen icons & menus are ridiculously too small to reliably operate with your finger. Using the W960i on the move becomes annoyingly frustrating for the above reasons. Nothing is quick, easy & intuitive with it. The lack of a horizontal scroll or selection method is a problem which once again forces you to juggle about. You can scroll through menus all day with the jog but there is no easy flowing way to then move onto horizontal tabs sometimes presented other than to swap over to the touch screen & try tapping the tiny tab with your finger or pulling the stylus out. Very messy.

The text input method is annoying. Say you press number 2 because you want a letter 'c' on many phones quick rapid pressing of the number 2 will bring up 'c' great quick & easy. Not with the W960i. You press the number 2, then have to move to the jog wheel & scroll through the options to get 'c' press the jog to select it then move back to the key pad to continue. What are Sony Ericsson thinking? It's mad & grossly inefficient.

The fact that the jog is directly opposite the volume control is a pain too because when you squeeze to press the jog dial you can often inadvertently activate the volume control as well. Sloppy design there.

There are virtually N-Series 60 has offered for years. Rock bottom basic stuff missed by UIQ.

An otherwise very capable device crippled by a horrendously bad UIQ user interface.

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Reviewer: Marcel Muller - North Wales, UK
Date: 2nd Feb 2008

This is a really good phone. Only got it today. Not too sure if I am gona keep it though because I am thinking of getting the n95 8GB. If any1 has any suggestions for me that would be great.

The camera is not the best but it is good for a 3.2m camera. The touchscreen takes a while to get used to but again it gets better as time goes by.

My signal strength is not brilliant & the layout of the phone is totally different to other nokias.

Basically it's a great phone but you need to give this little baby a little time to get used to it.

I have 14 days to send it back so ill will think about it. Like I said if any 1 has any suggestions for a great phone for music & camera please let me know.

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Reviewer: Syed Daniyal Bokhari - Pakistan
Date: 1st Feb 2008

The Sony Ericsson W960i has large screen, phone lock, 5 mega pixel & 8GB card. Most people will like this type of mobiles.

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Reviewer: Michael - Preston, UK
Date: 31st Jan 2008

Got this phone last Tuesday & it amazes me constantly, the media manager software that comes with it is amazing, it make formatting videos so simple (you just drag the video across & it does it for you), I have got over 900 songs, 3 films & other bits & bobs on it & I still have over 3GB of free space, it's amazing.

The Walkman player is amazing, I would even say it better than my ipod I had, all the feature it has are amazing, I can do anything I want on it including use youtube perfectly using WLAN, it even has the same Internet browser as the iPhone so it amazing for the web, it looks just like it does on your computer instead of the normal rubbish text websites you get on mobiles.

It's pretty slim to & looks stunning.

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Reviewer: Chris - Sidcup, UK
Date: 30th Jan 2008

Work for O2, love Sony Ericsson this phone confirms this brilliant!

Got it free for 28.00 per month (staff), not too shabby, GET THIS PHONE!

Music is brilliant, camera is one of the best & Internet is class!

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Reviewer: Michael Buck - UK
Date: 30th Jan 2008

Quite simply the best unit available to date, yes it has limitations but hey, if you need pdf files use the lap top! If you browse the web when drunk & hit the wrong page on the screen then this phone is lost on you anyway! This is primarily the phone from the best mobile manufacturers, the operating systems & platform software are far ahead of any of its rivals, the iPhone is already 3 years behind! The support info needs to catch up in this country but that will happen. Buy with confidence.

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Reviewer: Brian - Malaysia
Date: 29th Jan 2008

Its looks cool & stylish (very! ) but can it play all kind of games?

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Reviewer: Andrew - UK
Date: 28th Jan 2008

Weird but great, would be my summary.

Essentially an extremely capable Smartphone, with no end of applications for it. It took me about a week to become completely used to the way it works. As I said it is a bit weird, but once used to it, it is now brilliant. The camera isn't as good as my K800i, but still good for a phone. Shortcuts are great. Surfing, email etc all great.

Only one complaint. When the phone is in silent mode the alarm doesn't make a sound! Not much use as a wake up alarm! Although I have a sneaking suspicion there is setting somewhere.

I would recommend this phone to anyone, provided they want something quite deep, & a bit demanding to learn.

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Reviewer: Mark Bailey - London, UK
Date: 27th Jan 2008

Waited ages for this to come out & was very disappointed, looks good but is just too slow. Even when writing a text message you have to open the application, send the text then close the application after. Also touch screen too fiddly for my liking, would only recommend this if you really need all of the blackberry type functions, if you just want a good phone with Walkman I'd recommend w910i which I now have after sending my w960i back!

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Reviewer: Arindam Das - India
Date: 26th Jan 2008

Personally I feel that the w960i is a work of art & science combined together in the best possible combination & given to the users. The phone comes with an impressive colour combination which is both stylish & impressive. Dimensions are also good enough & it's been rightly pointed to be the right competition to the iPhone. Similar phones launched by Nokia (n95), LG (Viewty), Samsung, among others do not quite stand up to the w960i. Comparisons can be made with the n95 but Nokia have some issues which have not been dealt with. Not to offend the Nokia fans but they are getting a raw deal from a company which is charging customers quite a lot of money for the n95 when it really is not worth paying that much money.

Advantages

- Thin in shape, comfortable to hold.
- Connectivity options are more.3G is present