Sony Ericsson W960i

Over at Sony Ericsson they live in a happy delusion, popular with some other makers as well, that consumers are very straightforward in their thoughts and motives. Specifically, if there was a music-playing handset last year, then this year those who went for the original phone will set their eyes on the updated version. And will never ever consider similar phones, even those offered by the same manufacturer. But in truth, this paradigm just radiates naivety, for the users seek not some particular feature (music, camera or something like this) alone, but the best possible mix of price, brand and punch they get for the money. Furthermore, the majority of users do not care about having some particular label on their phones – be it Walkman or even nothing – more importantly, it must be affordable, look classy and work properly. This is where some problems begin.

Back in 2006 the market saw a duo – the Sony Ericsson M600i and the Sony Ericsson W950i, where the former focused on communications and QWERTY-powered texting, the latter was a music-inclined flagship. Now, in 2007, nothing has changed, but this time around the duo comprises the Sony Ericsson P1i and Sony Ericsson W960i. But unlike the previous year, they have decided not to go down the same path when the two phones look more like twins, so that the M600i’s poor sales led to a substantial price drop for the W950i and, virtually, the downfall of the music-heavy offering as well. So for this debut they have exercised a more elaborated approach, making distinctions between the two pretty apparent. Below we will definitely take a closer look at them, and for now let us only note that it is the first time Sony Ericsson has coated the touch-sensitive display in a protective plastic layer. In fact, they were determined to come up with a music-minded phone with finger-based navigation, just like the much-hyped Apple iPhone. But the result finds itself somewhere in between two worlds. Just to make everyone sleep well, we do appreciate its being in the company’s line-up, but the finger-based device management system is somewhat inferior to that found in the Sony Ericsson P1i, even though the display is better protected.

It feels that the company actually does realize this, so that’s the reason why they have decided to kill two birds with one stone by throwing a wireless Bluetooth-headset into the package. First, they manage to boost the technology and corresponding accessories, and then they add more out-of-the-box value to the handset. All in all, the package you get with the W960i is pretty decent and for many this will be the first experience of utilizing such accessories.

Judged as a sequel to the Sony Ericsson W950i, this new phone has the right to exist, but when facing off against the Sony Ericsson P1i for the place in a consumer’s pocket, the music-playing flagship doesn’t get the thumbs up.

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Design, size, controls

The model comes in one single color scheme – Vinyl Black, where the front fascia is composed of black glossy plastic, which is extremely prone to fingerprints and grease. Furthermore, it has been covered with a protective plastic screen, which surely doesn’t make for a less smudgy looks. Unlike the P1i the display found in the W960i is not recessed into the casing, on the contrary, it sits flush with the surroundings. The side plates employ white matte plastic – frankly speaking, the color mix is pretty much bog-standard. The rear is made of black soft-touch plastic, and feels velvety.

Judged on its materials alone, the W960i seems to be pretty decent, but looking at the way they are combined in here, we are not particularly pleased. Let’s put it this way - it looks prosy. Altogether it leaves an impression of a cheap phone, and it definitely doesn’t stand in one line with the previous offerings from Sony Ericsson for this price-bracket design-wise. It even somewhat reminded us of the Sony Ericsson T300i (released long ago, there was a story with plastic supplies for this phone) in terms of the plastic it utilizes.

The W960i’s plastic stylus makes this impression even stronger – in fact, it would do for, well, toy phones, but decidedly not for a top of the line model. The early editions of the handset featured styluses with even stronger toy feel to them, and while it is better now, it’s still made of plastic. Curiously, similar stylus had been found only in Sony Ericsson P800i, but they dumped it eventually. Why would they need to bring it in again, given all this negative feedback? I feel somewhat befuddled. Perhaps they have had several generations of managers and marketers changed, so now the experience of the past years is gone.

Measuring up at 109x55x16 mm and weighing in at 119 grams, it is almost no different from the P1i, meaning that you can carry it as you please. It would seem that the same controls layout is a pretty much consistent solution for the W960i, but not this time – the maker has turned the things upside down on this front. The left-hand side no longer houses the Return button, since it has moved to the front plate. In fact, this new layout will prove convenient only if you don’t really need the JogDial, since when separated, these two control elements are pretty much useless. Basically, this JogDial+Return couple is designed to let you manage the device with only one hand. But in the case of the W960i, this is no longer possible. In other words, everyone who has been using Sony Ericsson’s solutions for years (the P-series, or the M600i and the W950i) can well kiss their previous experience goodbye – it doesn’t make any sense in the new model. Being a seasoned user of Sony Ericsson-branded phones, I can say that not only is it fiddly and awkward to use, such layout delivers a knock-out blow to the handset’s ergonomics. Obviously, my reflexes tell me that I shall find this key somewhere around the JogDial, but it is not there anymore. We could easily overlook this letdown, if only new users were able to handle the W960i single-handedly. However, even they have to use both hands to move about the device.

I have no idea who was responsible for the W960i’s ergonomics, but the solutions they made are devastating. If it was some second-rate manufacturer, and this was his first go at employing this design, we would appreciate that. But for a company with this much experience and development history, this approach seems to be more of a premeditated suicide. It is a very odd, inconsistent move that I can find no explanation of.

The right-hand side now features two volume control keys (the P1i has the network shortcut button, that can be programmed to access other features), and the dedicated camera button. The top end plays host to the power key, and flipping over to the W960i’s bottom end, you will find the service indicator, which isn’t the best possible place for it, except for when the phone is on a table in front of you. The SIM-card slot beneath the battery has no special traits to it, in contrast to the M600i/W950i, which used a couple of runners.