Sony Ericsson W880 review: No catch, plain thin

Main features

• Ultra slim design (9.4 mm thin)
• 2 megapixel camera
• Memory card slot with hot swap functionality
• 3G support with video calls
• Walkman 2.0 music player
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio profile
• Multi-tasking support
• TrackID music service
• 1GB Memory Stick Micro M2 included in the package
• Included headset has a standard 3.5 mm audio adapter

Main disadvantages

• No FM radio
• No Infrared port
• Camera has no autofocus
• No EDGE
• Records video in ancient QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolution only

The Sony Ericsson W880 has a trendy design which manages to please the eye at the very first sight. The front panel is made of brushed aluminum which adds to fashionable looks and provides for a rather solid construction while at the same time the W880 is still lightweight and really slim. It measures 103 x 47 x 9.4 mm and weighs only 71 g. Unlike other slim mobile phones on the market it doesn't compensate for it's ultra slim body with larger body width or body length. The Motorola RAZR for example is rather wide; the Motorola KRZR is rather long, while the mobiles in the Samsung Ultra line are both too long and wide. The only other mobiles with a similar ultra slim form factor are Samsung P310, the LG KG320 and the LG KE820.

A unique keypad and an enhanced display

The keypad of the Sony Ericsson W880 is unique in its own way - the reason for that being that the manufacturer has no other model with a similar keypad. The keys are small and at first they seem really hard to use for a person with large fingers. However it turned out that they pose no problem at all. They provide a positive feedback and the keypad an easily be used at night without even looking at the keys. Thanks to their protruding design but soft response it's a real pleasure to type messages.

A serious Walkman

Sony Ericsson W880 supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, E-AAC+, WAV, WMA, M4A and MIDI file formats. The Walkman media player is version 2.0 and features improved interface. We have seen the 2.0 version already in our Sony Ericsson W850 review and we are more than pleased with it. It has several equalizer presets including the proprietary Mega Bass. The player can be set to run in background so you can do other things with the phone while listening to music. When in background mode, there is an indication of the name of the song and artist of the track currently playing in the top part of the screen. The control of the player is intuitive and really easy to use. It even displays the album cover during playback if there is one.

Final words

The Sony Ericsson W880 is a great addition to the Sony Ericsson lineup. Furthermore it is a really intriguing addition to the group of the slimmest champion mobile phones in the market. Since most of those doesn't feature 3G support, the W880 will most surely find its market niche and would gain strong popularity.

We are impressed with the usability of the device, the nice technical specifications, the great music player and the decent battery life. All in all, a great move from Sony Ericsson that would win them a lot of fans. Well, as it seems, the Sony Ericsson W880 was surely worth the commotion and all that months of waiting.

Motorola RIZR Z3 review: Sliding Moto

Key features:

• great design
• solid construction
• 2 megapixel camera
• microSD card slot
• GPRS Class 12 + EDGE

Main disadvantages:

• outdated Motorola UI, only minor interface updates
• no Java 3D support
• no 3G
• records video in QCIF only

The design of Motorola RIZR is typical for their models which come with a lettered name. On the front panel we can see the Motorola M sign just above the 256K TFT display. The thick thumb-rest for assistance of the sliding process is just beneath the display and the only thing that completes the front panel is the set of buttons in the very bottom. There is a four-way key with a confirming center which is well known from the first RAZR V3 model. Surrounding it are two soft keys, a Browser button, a C back button and the green and red "receivers", which in the case of Motorola are round symbols.

Nice design, same interface, some drawbacks.

The phone surely has great of look and feel. Its rubber and metal construction is so solid it makes you proud of it. But the lack of 3G, the strange SIM card solution and some other minor drawbacks makes the score even. So, we think that if RAZR is offered on a reasonable price, it might just become a market hit. If the price satisfies you and the offered pack suites your needs, don't hesitate and give Motorola RIZR Z3 a try.

Nokia 5300 review: Hop on the music express

Key features:

• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Dedicated music keys
• microSD memory card slot (hot-swap)
• Enhanced MP3 player and stereo FM radio
• QVGA display resolution
• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP profile
• Standard mini-USB port
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter in the package

Main disadvantages:

• Somewhat cheap looks
• Below average camera quality
• No camera LED flash
• Records video in the low resolution

The Nokia 5300 doesn't exactly rely on its slimness to attract attention. It measures 92.4 x 48.2 x 20.7 mm, which in fact makes it rather thick. But it's rather its body design than actually the thickness itself that's to blame, since it's even a few millimeters shorter and slimmer than Sony Ericsson W850. The weight of 106 g is also acceptable and it is by no means a heavy phone or anything.

In terms of construction, well… construction has not always been the brightest side of a slider. In this case the mobile body is perfectly stable and rock solid when opened, but when closed it did seem to play a little - but not that much to turn you down.

The front panel of the phone is the one that might attract the most attention. In the upper part, above the display, there are two small holes, which in fact are the in-call speaker apertures. In the lower part there are four control keys and the navigation D-pad. The upper set of keys act as context keys for interacting with the phone's interface while the lower set are the call keys for accepting and ending calls. Just beside the red one there is a small hole which is in fact the microphone aperture. Opening the handset reveals the alphanumeric keypad, which is made out of the same material as the body.

At first glance Nokia 5300 failed to impress us with its design and the materials used for its body. In fact we think that the white color and matt plastic with rubber elements make it look cheap. It's not among the slimmest devices either.

But armed with the highly user-configurable S40 user interface it scores even with the corresponding Sony Ericsson user interface and even makes a stride ahead. The menu is organized logically; functions are detailed, offering high control comfort and brilliant work efficiency.

Nokia advertisement campaign on the XpressMusic handsets clearly shows that they are made for young people having fun. The available microSD memory card slot, the miniUSB port and the standard 3.5 mm audio jack adapter make it great for enjoying music on the go. You can even fancy a stereo Bluetooth headset to go with it. The slider form factor would most definitely attract attention too, since the Walkman line lacks a slider in this price category. Summing it up, if you like the sporty design, Nokia 5300 is a highly attractive music proposal from the Finnish manufacturer and it definitely deserves your attention when picking up a new mobile this holiday season.its available

Sony Ericsson W710 review: Sports and music

Key features:

• 2 megapixel camera
• M2 memory card slot (comes with a 512MB card)
• FM radio with RDS
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Bluetooth support with A2DP
• Great music player
• Pedometer
• Sports applications
• Multi-tasking
• Sports-oriented accessories

Main disadvantages:

• Low resolution display
• Camera has no autofocus
• Records video in ancient QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolution only

Sporty all around

Seeing W710 for the first time left us with an impression of cheap white plastic combined with unpretentious grey rubber - nothing fancy, really. Opening the clamshell, made things better, since the white plastic seemed glossy from the inside of the clam, while the grey plastic covering the insides felt and looked nice.

When it comes to dimensions, well… There's nothing impressive in that department too. The W710 is a rather fatty fellow with a width of 24.5 mm - but despite the size, it still doesn't fit into the heavyweight category with its 101 g which is a somewhat normal weight these days.

The front of the Sony Ericsson W710 is dominated by the large monochrome external display which can fit a lot of information for the user. The Walkman logo sits right beneath it and the grey rubber on both sides accommodates the dedicated music keys.

In fact, speaking of those side music keys they tend to resemble a lot the ones incorporated into the Nokia 5300 Xpress Music. Maybe because of the similar color combination (white/grey) we just couldn't help the feeling that these two are as if made by one and the same designer team.

A look at the left side reveals that they are not the only side keys though. There we also see a dual volume key and the camera shortcut key. Placing the camera key on the left side hinted us from the very beginning that the camera is not made to shoot in landscape mode.

An interesting element is the one under the side music keys - the one designated with the Memory Stick Micro logo. Although it resembled a memory card slot cap a lot it turned out it's a dummy cap after all and it only designates where the memory card is located. To gain access to it you have to remove the back cover.

Final words

Being among the few sports-oriented mobile phones on the market, the Sony Ericsson W710 deserves a nice score just for the efforts the manufacturer has put in it and the risk taken. Nevertheless, we find the W710 to be an excellent implementation of a mobile phone, a portable music player, a personal digital trainer and a digital camera all-in-one. It's not a high-end device and it's not meant to be one. It's meant for fun and it manages to deliver what's expected . We at GSMArena.com would like to see more devices of that sort coming out on the market and competing for the hearts of the sports oriented audience. Because W710 surely managed to warm ours.

PS: its available

Transcend's JetFlash T2K USB drives are light -- duh

Transcend is bustin' a play at Sony's Microvault line-up of tiny USB flash drives. As such, they want you to know that their new JetFlash T2K drive weighs just 2-grams. Not bad, but still 33% heavier than Sony's little 1.5-gram whisps of colorful NAND. Still, just like the rest, it is small, damn small. So small that you'll be happy to strap on a lanyard to safeguard the ¥3,980 ($33) / ¥6,980 ($58) / ¥10,800 ($89) you just dropped on the 1GB / 2GB / 4GB models, respectively. Kind of defeats the whole "lightweight" sales pitch, eh?

iPod shuffle -- now with color

Well hello new iPod shuffles. Breaking free from their bleak battleship-grey origins, the $79 iPod shuffle now hits in your choice of pink, green, blue, and even a new tasty orange flavor. Still 1GB, still 12 hours of battery, and yes... available with free laser engraving just in time for Valentines Day.

Update: We got so distracted by all those flashy colors, we forgot to mention the neatest part of the announcement. You might remember the (minor) public outcry at Apple's failure to include those snazzy new iPod headphones with its 2G shuffle, especially considering the fact that the first time we got our hands on one, Apple was showing it off with the new headphones in tow. Well now it looks like Apple has finally gotten with the program and is including the new headphones with the 2G shuffle.

Samsung's 70-inch LCD TV biggest yet to hit retail

Sure, those 100-inch LCDs are all well and good if your living room happens to encompass a large international tradeshow at all times, but if you'd prefer an LCD TV you can actually purchase and lug home for reals, Samsung's new 70-incher is your biggest option yet. They're busting out this monster in the first half of 2007, and are packing in all the niceties like a 2000:1 contrast ratio, a sub-8ms response time, 600 nits of brightness and of course a juicy 1080p resolution. The display bests the 65-incher from Sharp which currently holds the LCD throne, and Samsung will be showing it off at the upcoming International Meeting on Information Displays on the 23rd of this month -- where we doubt it will fail to impress.