http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/ Engadget Mobile Comments for Sony Ericsson W995a hands-on http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 5:08AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:02PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
Really unbelievable this, uh, thing is even being talked about with WWDC just around the corner and the fever pitch of a really exciting device is just beginning.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 3:48PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 8:27AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 9:29AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 10:07AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 15th 2009 8:47PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/I had the w380, GREAT music phone. Getting music on my HTC is like pulling teeth. I miss the simplicity. Even after only 1 day. It's nice to see Sony added a regular jack for headphones. Too bad it seems access to the memory card is still under the battery cover. That was an annoyance. Especially when watching movies. Having to take the cover off to switch out cards.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 10:18AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 5:26PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jul 3rd 2009 5:42PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
I personally don't see a point in having a resolution any higher than QVGA for a screen of it's size. There's no real benefit to having VGA or higher resolution unless it's with a 3.0" or better screen.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 10:51AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 11:56AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
$600 for a phone that looks the same as their entire lineup. they lack creativity just like the struggling motorola. at least they put better specs in their phones than motorola.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 12:32PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:29PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 1:25PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 4:19PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 4:38PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
I would counter with "what's so hard about typing 320x240 instead of QVGA" - so it's 3 characters more, but EVERYONE would know what you meant. Labels/names have a place - "Android" is a lot easier than "the Linux-based operating system developed originally by Google and open sourced, centered on a language descended from Java" - but that's a cumbersome case. This is not, and if you look at the Mac world for example, these terms have rarely (if ever) been used.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 4:54PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
If it had symbian or winmo or android, i'd definitely be more interested.. This is, after all, one of only FOUR Sony Ericsson phones that have a 3.5mm Audio Jack... even Satio lacks it! :(]]>Jun 3rd 2009 2:10PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
I like the UI... it has lots of options for shortcuts, the softkeys, the d-pad is customizable, and there's a dedicated shortcut menu.

There are hundreds of themes for the UI, just look. And the walkman software is great... my favorite for any media player I ever had, including standalone mp3 players... SE didn't make a phone with music features, it is two very independent devices in one that share resources and integrate extremely well. The XMB style media menu is a great feature. I am not an itunes user...I dont like the entire ecosystem of itunes. I think this blows away itunes. Plus it has easy to use RSS features.
There are a ton of JAVA games available, but there are also some great exclusive games for this phone, that make use of the accelerometer, and the dedicated buttons for gaming (which also navigate pics and media)

As far as the screen res... it makes a huge difference. It may not be the biggest , but the sharpness and detail are noticable, so much so that I would rather use this phone for web than the Samsung Eternity. And I can see the inclusion of wi-fi... I use my phone for casual web browsing all the time at home, and work, and it would be nice to not relay on spotty 3G sometimes.

The w995 is the hardware I've been waiting for... I just hope it lands on AT&T for a cheap subsidized price. I think AT&T has built a following for SE walkman phones since way back, and it really caught on with the w580, the the w760. Too bad they cripple some of the best features with there horrible firmware, or SE could really have something.]]>Jun 4th 2009 9:26AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
WebOS, Symbian, Android or AppleOS are all infinitely better than winmo in every respect of the word. God... ]]>Jun 15th 2009 3:27PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
]]>Jun 3rd 2009 2:14PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 2:16PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 11:53PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 2:23PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:03PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:10PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:12PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 2:25PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 2:49PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 2:53PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 3:04PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
Oh, just stfu, you android fanboys are getting just as annoying as the mactards."

QFT]]>Jun 3rd 2009 4:28PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/]]>Jun 3rd 2009 4:28PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 4:54PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 6th 2009 8:54AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
its decent, but its not really that good as a smartphone. I keep wondering why they include wifi in it if it doesn't have a good browser... Sony ericsson's OS is crap. Its always been the same old thing since 2004!

If it had symbian or winmo or android, i'd definitely be more interested."

ROFL, talk about stupid clueless yet loudmouthed comment...

...SE's OS *IS* Symbian, you retard, stop spreading your ignorant BS.]]>Jun 3rd 2009 4:30PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 8:12PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jun 3rd 2009 8:13PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/color screen... small... exceptional battery life... decent music and camera... very fast and light os (like the one i got)... candybar... black.... industrial desighn... or thereabouts... u got any contenders in mind lemme know... will appreciate it.... sub $300 preferably... can stretch to $400... ]]>Jun 4th 2009 9:10AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/Jul 15th 2009 3:46PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
Many things SE phones (W995) can do that some smartphones may lack:
1. Multi-tasking
2. Several hard-keys to launch apps.
3. Excellent camera with flash
4. Best Music Player that can actually replace the need for MP3 player.
5. Ability to easily change the look of the interface with themes.
6. Motion sensing games.
7. Push Notification
8. Google or other Calendar using SE's SyncML.
9. On camera photo editing without the need to purchase 3rd party apps.
10. Ability to hack and customize the hell out of phone using something like A2Uploader.

P.S. There is a JAVA app to make your standby screen Active too. It can display Calendar items and Tasks.]]>Jun 9th 2009 4:21PMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
Good:
1. Good call reception
2. Decent media player, 3.5mm port included!
3. Decent camera for day or close-up shots, includes AF/LED flash
4. Wifi/3G
5. Relatively sturdy build (currently)

Bad:
1. Pricey!
2. Camera is not good for night or long-distance shots, NO Zenon flash
3. Controls are still small
4. Proprietary Fastport
5. Proprietary M2
6. Limited themes (4)
7. Basic games
8. MediaGo software SUCKS - SE does NOT know how to create media software for their phones!
9. Questionable reliability since it's new
10. SE name on front faceplate is a sticker and NOT stamped into medal faceplate!
11. Facebook key is NOT replaceable for another app!
12. Media CD is NO longer included (as SE is NO longer shipping CD software with newer models)!

Overall, it's a decent, but slightly overpriced, phone with a decent media player and camera.
A 3.5mm port is FINALLY included for the media player =;)

Rating 7/10
]]>Jul 17th 2009 10:57AMhttp://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/http://engmobdev.weblogsinc.com/2009/06/03/sony-ericsson-w995a-hands-on/
W995a difference is that it's made for the Americas (North and/or South America) hence the "a" designation and it's modified for the network frequencies in said locations.

Otherwise, the W995 works globally, as well, with the same features!

The designation, i, is supposedly no longer used for "international" when a phone is created for international markets outside it's home market, which is generally Asia!

]]>Jul 17th 2009 11:39AM