Sony Ericsson W890

One of the things I’ve always admired about Sony Ericsson (SE) is the craftsmanship that goes into the design of its handsets. There are exceptions of course. Many manufacturers don’t bother to integrate new technologies into either the handset or the OS, so the main thing is to see if the existing functions work well.

Form Factor
The mocha brown W890 looks classy from any angle. It’s been a while since I came across an SE with normal keys, so this is a welcome change. The 2-inch screen with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 256K colors is perfect for videos and images alike. The navigation pad and corresponding keys are well-placed for comfort and ease of use. I’ve always liked SE’s effective shortcut menu. A secondary camera is located above the display. The instrument is slim, at only 9.9mm.

Ingeniously, the rear panel doesn’t just slide open. It has two little locks on either side that need to be unclasped before the panel drops open. It’s quite well-designed; you don’t need to worry if the phone will spill its guts in your pocket. On one side are the volume / zoom keys and a dedicated camera key. On the other side is a Walkman key for activating the music player and below that is the proprietary USB, charging and hands-free port.

Thankfully the Walkman range of handsets usually comes with a converter so you can use your own earphones. The 3.2 megapixel camera, which does NOT have an auto-focus feature (odd), is located on the back. The M2 card slot is under the rear panel, and getting at it doesn’t require you to remove the battery.

Features and Performance
The menus won’t seem new if you’re a SE user, but they are clear and easy to navigate. As with all SE handsets, this too is decently equipped with features like a calendar, notes, timer, stop watch, calculator, and a code memo option for secure data. It has 28MB of internal memory and comes with a 2GB M2 card.

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When it comes to connectivity this baby is loaded. It supports 3G technology with HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS, and WAP. For PC connectivity SE’s proprietary USB is available, and thanks to USB V2.0, transfer is quick. The W890 also has Bluetooth with an A2DP profile. The SE browser is the same as in all other handsets and allows landscape and portrait modes as well as full-screen viewing.

Other Internet options include SE’s ‘Play Now’ feature (not yet accessible in India), TrackID, and ‘Plus’ for downloading extra applications, wallpapers, themes etc. The W890 can be used as a Bluetooth enabled remote for your PC. The handset can also be used with an external GPS unit.

Media
From its media gallery menu (no auto screen rotation feature as in the W910 or K850), the W890 looks good. This models incorporates SE’s SenseMe feature that needs to be used with the Music Manager PC Software to transfer music to the phone. I wonder why it wasn’t incorporated directly into the phone. There are separate modes for storing and playing back podcasts and audiobooks, and even a feature that sorts songs by date and genre.

The Walkman Player v3.0 is good; not great but good. Not as loud as I’d have liked it though, and this is where the Walkman series really irks me. But there’s no denying the quality. With EQ presets (that includes Sony’s MegaBass and a manual EQ) users can adjust the output a bit. It also has stereo widening and a couple of visualizations including Album Art Display.

The video player works just fine with the appropriate formats. The W890 supports 3GPP (H.263, H.264), MP4, RealVideo 8 and WMV formats for video and MP4 (AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+), MP3, M4A and WAV, formats for audio. It also has an FM radio with RDS that works quite well even while commuting. There’s also a voice recorder.

Other fun features include a few games to keep you occupied. If you’re into making your own tunes the W890 also has a MusicDJ application along with PhotoDJ and VideoDJ for jazzing up your videos and pictures. One of the better apps for having fun with audio is the Music Mate application that lets you simulate beats from various musical applications. But in this handset you’ll have to use the keypad, unlike in the W910 where you could simply swing away and create the sound.

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Camera
Oddly the W890 doesn’t have an auto-focus camera. Nevertheless the quality of images wasn’t too bad. The colors do seem a bit dull even in bright sunlight, but they can be adjusted post-processing on the phone itself. There are plenty of options that help you enhance images, from white balance options to panorama mode to burst mode. You can choose from a number of frames and have a bit of fun.

On the whole the image quality is just okay; close inspection reveals some blotchiness, with a bit of a paintbrush effect. If you’re taking pictures in night mode you’ll need a VERY steady hand. Better leave the camera on a stable surface and use the timer.

Most SE sites may state that it offers up to 9 hours of talktime, which is in reality a whole lotta crock! At best it offered me 4 hours of talktime and about 2 full days of usage, from music to calls and messages and GPRS. In my opinion that’s not bad at all. In fact it’s really quite good.

The Bottomline
The W890 is a great-looking phone that offers plenty of features, whether it’s connectivity or media or just plain old fun. With a decent battery and an okay camera, it delivers. At Rs 15,990 it may seem a bit steep, but only a bit. The price could drop in a month or two, but if you can afford it now, do go in for it!

Specs

| **Sony Ericsson W890
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