Been living in the volatile technology world for at least a decade now, I've naturally developed a hesitation when it comes to buying gadgets which are bordering on cutting-edge technology. Mainly because I don't trust the edge of their technology as it usually doesn't even outlast the fuel in my car. My last phone was an expensive one, being the first color-screen phone released, it cost me nearly 400 USD. I stuck with it until the keys stopped working and battery refused to be charged anymore. Still I wasn't too sure if I'd gotten my money's worth in the four years of use and abuse :) Finally, it was time for a new phone.
This time around, I settled for a little less ultra-tech but even more expensive one. The W900i walkman phone from SonyEricsson. This phone brandishes a 2MP camera and supports 3G networks and features (two main selling points). Initially I thought the Walkman brand and the in-built mp3 player are just traditional Sony gimmicks. But the interface has grown on me, even though I still don't like the audio conversion on file transfer which is normal for Sony mp3 devices.
The video and photo features are equally impressive when compared against the audio capabilities of this handset. I was seriously amazed to see the white balance and other camera options (they actually work correctly too!). The memory stick slot (and sometimes even a decent capacity card) is now a standard giveaway from SonyEricsson in high-end phones.
The most noticeable improvements are visible in the phone interface itself. The 'new events' section and the shortcuts for mostly used services within the contacts list are just a few of many. The web browser is quite handy specially in full-screen mode it is quite usable and for text based sites like BBC news, its just perfect. The bluetooth menu has a simple option of 'turn on' which is accessible on a single touch, this was a major headache in my previous T68i. I haven't found any compatibility or weird function problems with bluetooth headsets. Its very easy to set with even with a PC and works neatly.
I'm afraid the sideways slide used to open the phone might break someday. Just keep in mind that it may open in either direction but you can ONLY close it back the way you swing it open!! Other than that, there aren't any obvious breakpoints in the phone. Its quite thick but the screen size it nice, and the ipod style circular dial on the front is nice.
Overall I think it would be hard to break this phone unintentionally, and if I'm lucky it may last longer than a couple of years. It would have been nice to have it a couple of millimeters thinner but I still prefer it over the standard bulging head, curved bodied phones everyone is spinning out these days.