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Sony Ericsson W960i: 8 gigabytes of Walkman love

By: , IntoMobile
Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 1:44 PM

Besides packing 8 GB of internal memory and a 2.6 inch QVGA touch screen the new Sony Ericsson W960i has a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera. Triband GSM (900/1800/1900) is bad news for people in America who depend on the 850 MHz band and UMTS 2100 is something only the Europeans get to enjoy. Surprisingly a full blown stereo Bluetooth headset, the HBH-DS220, will be included in the retail box.

This 16 mm thin device weighs only 119 grams and has an estimated release date some time in the fourth quarter of this year. I’m a little disappointed that the screen has only 262,000 colors, but I’m absolutely infuriated that this device doesn’t have a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. It is a music phone, isn’t it?

Dear Sony Ericsson PR Department: Can you upload photos of this new device already? All we have is this dinky little thumbnail.

gpd_46193high_27_0_4001.jpg

Press Release after the jump.

The Sony Ericsson
W960 Walkman® Phone

  • Store more

Up to 700* albums and PC-to-phone transfer of 1GB in less than 3 minutes

  • Touch and play

Navigate the latest Walkman® player with touch of a finger or stylus

  • Explore more

Surf the Web via Wi-Fiâ„¢ or at 3G speed and watch videos in TV quality

Music marathon
Up to 700 albums – around 8000 songs* – can be stored on the 8GB memory of the W960 Walkman® phone.  Managing tracks is easy and it can transfer up to 1GB of data, including music tracks, from your PC to the phone in less than three minutes. With two stylish headsets supplied in the box (one of these the new Stereo Bluetoothâ„¢ Headset HBH-DS220) and a music listening time of up to 27 hours, you’re free to dance much more than the night away.

Visual feast
Album arts, TV shows and games. You can navigate the W960 and browse media files with the touch of a finger (or stylus). Just press the touch controls to find your way to whatever type of entertainment you need. If video is your choice, the phone supports video playback at 30 frames per second, which is the same as TV quality

Go Wireless
The 2.6” touch-sensitive display is great for Web browsing. Hook up to the Web using the 3G network or a Wi-Fi™ access point. Visit your favourite pages, buy music online, and download new programmes to make the W960 truly yours.

Performance photos
To catch the fun, the W960 Walkman® phone boasts a 3.2 megapixel camera within its 16mm frame. Auto focus makes your photos sharper, and with picture messaging or email you can share them instantly. Another way to spread the word – or photos – is to post them on your own blog site.

Sort it out
As with the W910 Walkman® phone, you can organize all of your content for the W960 using Media Manager PRO, a PC programme for optimizing music, photos and videos to be used on your phone.

Wise up
As with earlier Walkman® phones, the W960 incorporates TrackID™ music recognition software. This lets you record a clip of a song on your phone and find out instantly the name of the artist, track and album. Handy for those moments when you hear a song you like, but do not know who sings it.

On the W960 (and W910) this feature has been taken to the next level. You can now receive detailed information about the song identified – the background of the artists and the album. New ways to search have been added in, other than just by capturing an audio clip. If you know a bands name and not much else, for example, you can text search to find out more. Search by artist, title, album or lyrics.

Listen up
The W960 Walkman® phone really is the centrepiece of your music listening life, which is why both a stereo portable handsfree and a Stereo Bluetooth™ headset for music streaming are included with the phone. When you want more, the new Street-style Portable Handsfree HPM-83 adds urban style to the W960.  Its flexible neckband gives a secure fit and wraps behind the head, so as not to get in the way if you’re running or at the gym.  If you want to share your music library with friends, the Bluetooth™ Music Receiver MBR-100 plugs into your home stereo and lets you stream tracks directly from the phone to your stereo’s speakers. Why keep it to yourself?

Nicklas Sivander, Product Manager for the W960 Walkman® phone, Sony Ericsson, sums it up: “You couldn’t ask for a better music mix of high performance media player and intuitive phone.  The touchscreen is complemented by a regular keyboard and the phone itself is amplified by the Media Manager programme and the many music accessories. The days of taking an MP3 player, a camera and a phone with you when you leave the house are definitely over.”

The Sony Ericsson W960 Walkman® phone is UMTS 2100-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900 and will be available in Vinyl Black from Q4 2007.

About The Author

Stefan Constantinescu

Stefan Constantinescu (@WhatTheBit on Twitter) has loved technology since as far back as he can remember. It started with computers, but in the past few years his passion has turned to mobile devices. As a mobile phone enthusiast who lives and breathes devices that connect to the internet, he knows he is not alone with this radical fascination of all things wireless. He is strongly opinionated and enjoys a good debate so leave comments in his posts and he’ll get back to you! Stefan began blogging as a hobby in the fall of 2006 and joined IntoMobile in the summer of 2007. Later he got a job at Nokia in March 2008, but as of June 2009 he has rejoined the IntoMobile team. He is currently based out of Helsinki, Finland.

  • Sumit

    I really liked the transfer rate of 1gb in 3 minute

  • dwight

    how much is this fone? -from phil.

  • sasha

    how much is the w960i coz i wnt it 4 ma bday

  • tom

    :idea: how about you tell us the price of the phone

    :idea: if sony ericsson sell it cheap more and more people will buy it witch means they will get more money in a way

  • moyodre

    can i know this price pf this phone?
    can this phone work with AT&T or Cingular wireless in America?

  • sammie

    How much is this phone? neeeeeed 2 know!!!

  • irfaan

    how much is w960i and where to buy it from

  • becky

    yer it looks mint, and has everything you could need out of a phone, but it looks hard to use on the vidio clips with the tuch screan and the stick.

    what do you think?

  • Danny

    this phone looks great am still deciding between this and the iphone bt don’t know the price ! can someone find a way of finding out ?
    plus if this is more than £400 a would think its worth the money…if it wants to compete against the iphone it will have to been between £150-£250 if more then the iphone would b the better choice…And it looks like the keypad is tiny anyone think it would b hard to text?

  • ellah *wink*

    :shock: :shock: :mrgreen: :grin:
    i love thi fooooooooooone!!!! :lol:

  • manny

    when can i buy this phone in usa and how much?

  • Kvn

    A better phone i don’t think so..!!!! :shock:

  • jericho

    im craving for w960i..

    can you tell me the price becoz im starting to save money for this 1.

  • elle_croix

    :cool:
    the estimate price range is in between 450-550 US Dollars. For Philippine price, I am still not sure because the price actually raises up due to VAT and such stuff. Therefore, if you are in USA, you can buy the phone for 25000php (convert dollar to peso), but if you buy the phone in Philippines, it is possible that it could cost more than the estimated US$ price. Most probably, it would be 27,000php and above. OMG :shock:

  • ksaga

    This phone is “coming soon” but you can pre-order for $599.00 @ mobilecityonline.com. It’s unlocked so you can use any phone network in America and International. Can’t wait this phone to comes out…

  • Laurence

    If you do use mobilecityonline.com. The Cheapest Total will be $615.94, as you will be paying for postage and packaging, may cost more if you want to get it quicker. For people in the UK it will cost approximately £320, Which would be a good deal.

  • w960i enthusiast

    Why is SE making a phone that’s not compatible with the 850 mHz band? :cry: I’m sure there are others like me who would get this phone if only it had the 850 compatibility.

  • Sahar

    I want to know that,if the smartphone w960i has come from 7 2007,why it shouldn’t have an exact price yet?
    I want it so much,it’

  • nadya

    when it will be publish in malaysia or china?? :shock:
    i can’t wait to buy that fon
    omg…it such a nice fon….!!!! :grin: :mrgreen:

  • aziz mustafa

    i m desparetly waiting for this cell to hit the stores ………….
    it is a master piece definetly
    but i just worry bout the touch screen is it effective and useful to llong time users …….?????

  • Ryan

    i want to know how much in canada, and when its come to canada
    i want to buy it right now
    please let me know when it come out and how much
    thank you very much

  • manny

    am now using my n95 nokia and it’s good phone though… . i can change this with w960i before end of this year, how about that?

  • Jens

    Well manny then you do a bad deal,because N95 is far way better from the reviews I have hear from Sweden about this w960i. If you have N95-1 better take N95-3 if you in North America or N95 8GB . Good luck with your choice. :wink:

  • pat

    when is it available in canada, and will it be availible through rogers wireless?
    Does the phone have alight like the 810i

  • Emma

    Hi all w960i lovers , this phone can be purchased from amazon network free for £420 , i have ordered mine now and the release date is nov 12th. Can not wait to get this beauty :smile: (availabe to uk only)

  • Pramod

    Hi, can someone please tell that when will it be released in india and what price…??

  • pat

    i want one really bad……
    ……………………………………….in canada

  • Michael

    I’m sorry to tell you emma but amazon announced today that the phone will not be available till 31st of jan 2008 so you will have to wait longer. It stinks i know im gutted too.

  • Emma

    I emailed sony uk who confirmed it will be released in december some time but no date as yet, so I am going to cancel my order and buy direct from sony ericsson. But im loosing patience now so if its not out for christmas im considering turning my back on the w960i . :???:

  • lance of philippines

    this is my dreamfone..can u tel me how much was that w960i..and when tell me when will be it released in the philippines

  • chang su

    hi lance, you don’t have to wait for the phone to be released in philippines to get it. you can buy it on line. it will cost $500 us dollars. i have it for sale. you can get in touchj with me at chang002004@yahoo.com to own this beauty of a phone.

  • Amir Farooq

    chang , can u tell me how much will it cost me , i live in pakistan.

  • lance of philippines

    really?

  • Sophie

    when does it come out in france?
    and how much ?

  • nize

    hi how much is it in the philippines and when is it going to be release here?

  • Kevin the Canadian

    HEY! been searching up on this phone for bout 6 months now, since it was first on the net, and have been patiently waiting for this phone, will it ever be availiable in canada? will it work with any of the carriers in Canada? How much will it be? IF not than, my second choice is Singapore or Shanghai (gonna go there), so will it be avaliable at those cities? if so, how much? I WANT IT !!!! :grin:

  • Dave

    The guy who said this phone will be harder to text than the iphone clearly doesn’t know that the iphone is a lot harder to text with as there are no key pads and just a touch screen and the keys that show up on the screen are harder to text with. This phone is the best phone to be released and i cant wait until it is out so i can get it either for Christmas ( if it is out by then) or for my birthday which is in February.

  • Roscoe

    I completely agree with the fact that the headphone jack isn’t the normal standard type. If its like my W810i phone, that means you can’t charge the phone at the same time as using the Walkman.

  • Kevin the Canadian

    YAY! I just heard it is out now and will be availiable to stores soon! but I’m not sure if it will be availiable in the america’s so probably only in Asia Pacific and Europe :neutral: srry guys.

  • maria

    when will be the release of W960i here in the philippines and how much is the price? thank you

  • danjan

    i cant wait to have this fone…”W960i” philippine price please…?! i wanna buy this kind tomorrow!!!

  • giorgi

    I wona buy this phone, I live in republic of Georgia. and if somebody whant’s to sell it contact me pleaase

  • victor

    i need w960i

  • LOURDES

    :lol: i love this telephone and i can say a friendly tel.i was so very happy.the best tel. i never had

  • Ismael Mohammed in BAHRAIN

    :roll: I HOPE IT WILL NOT GO DOWN THE PRICE BEC. SUCH A GOOD TEL.

    :smile:

  • nate

    wow.. i really want this phone. what contract carriers does it use?? tell me at natehaas23@yahoo.com.sg

  • harry

    when is this hone getting released ?

    please tell me on harrisonkruger@hotmail.co.uk

  • kevin the canadian

    it already is released, only in europe and some parts of asia tho. It will be from 600-1000 $$$ depending on where your buying it from:] I prefer buying it online but only if you trust the site, but some stores are pretty good…

  • kevin the canadian

    ththe price is in USD/CAD

  • Manny of Phils.

    Is the phone available in the phils.? Whoever have tried the fone please tell me if the video output is Mp4 format or 3gp? thanks guys!

  • Jester

    I got the 960i :lol:
    It supports both mp4 and 3gp, but you cant view large files on it. I could watch an mp4-file with size 171Mb, but when I tried a 700Mb file the picture lagged really bad. I called SE and complained abt it but they just said it was a known problem and that theyre working on it. So u guys need to concider this b4 buying if ur gonna watch movies on it. Prepare to hack your mp4 files to bits…

  • Manny of phils.

    Thanks jester!

    cool dude…. what about the output video of the camera? Is it MP4 or 3gp? I have tried a N70 phone and i was surprised when i took a video using the phone, the output is in Mp4 format! I tell ya guys, it is much clearer than the 3gp format! Please do try to take video on the W960… thanks!

  • squire

    this phone is seriously flawed in the way the navigation is designed. also the sound quality isnt great, you cant even set your own equalizer levels, its all preset! worst of all vodaphone have skimped on the bluetooth headset-there is none :evil:

  • rose

    can i please know how much is this phone here in philippines? i think it is already available in the market. tnx

  • pat from canada too

    HEY 960i HURRY AND GET OVER HERE! Im so bored of the 810i i wanna new phone.

  • mattsteingear

    hi all,

    I am regular user of explorePDA.com and purchased lot of apps, i got 25% discount for the purchase.

    Downloaded a mobile games and themes from explorepda.com. good website and easy to download.

    Free download protection and good support. I will recommend to my friends

    try this website,

    Cheers,

  • kc

    no price?????

  • Zak

    lol dude, this has been released a long time ago. In Canada it goes for about $600

  • pattttt

    what i mean to say is i hope my carrier (rogers wireless ) will start to carry the phone. “DAMIAM”

  • Zak

    Patt, your an idiot lol

    Rogers would never pick up the 960 because it doesn’t support North American 3G bands.

    For example, the way rogers looks at it is: Why would we pay extra money for something like a secondary camera that doesn’t work.

    You’ll have to simply go to a retailer, purchase the phone and put your simcard in

    Go to Babycellular or simply order it online dude

  • sern

    This is one of the most finest phone i’ve seen in Malaysia.MAn Wi-Fi, touch screen and more incredible functions.

  • Shahanee

    hello guys…how much will it cost for me if i will gonna buy it now,im here in the phlippines…i really like it.tnx!

  • Shahanee

    if someone knew it pls. send it to my work email add.shahanee22@support.earthlink.net,tnx so much guys and god bless!

  • Bo

    Does anyone know if this phone is compatible with AT&T, and if so can I just switch out my exsisting sim card out of my w810i?

  • RANAK

    how much is w960i and where to buy it from

  • hystericjoe

    nice phone really cool and damn cool smartphone i ever try.. i try all brand of phone but sony ericsson better.. keep it up SE..

  • Ali

    Plz Tell me how can i watch youtube videos on w960i if some one knows plz tell me on my email address alikharal@yahoo.com or give me a call 00971509880047

  • hassan

    hello
    i love to use w960i,its a phone and a half,i use it every where for the music i prefer the phone than ipod,ucan use phone plus the music,well i drop it and broke the screen,can i replace the screen?

    pls reply
    thanx

  • mark

    i got it selling my 2ndhand phone who ever interested pasay area manila phone only txt me 09103833501 thanks

  • mycellz4less.com

    This has been out for some time now and a great model!!

  • Bugeras….

    This fone is sooo slow and does anyone know how to watch youtube on it i cant figure out because the original player cant do it sen me an email bugers39@gmail.com