This fall Sony Ericsson will bring two slick looking handsets to the U.S. market--the sliding-style W580i Walkman phone and the clamshell-style Z750.
I took a peek at early production versions at CTIA today and, of the two, I prefer the sliding functionality and compact size of the W580i, though I like the strikingly shiny good looks of the Z750. The rose pink version is so hip and girly, it looks like something you'd find at the cosmetic counter.
The W580i
On the Walkman side, Sony Ericsson adds the W580i to its portfolio. The sliding design is a nice touch for this music phone because it stays compact when you're simply listening to music and not using the keypad. Here's the phone with the slider open:
Measuring 0.55 inch thick, it's still fairly thin, too. And with the phone closed, the audio controls are still at your fingertips as they're located just below the 2-inch screen.
The Z750
The Z750 sports an unusual OLED sub-display that lies beneath the see-through cover. The screen shows only one line of text and icons and displays them in landscape mode. It displays current time, caller ID when there's an incoming call, and icons for signal strength, battery life, Bluetooth indicator, and message indicator.
Above the screen is the 2-megapixel camera. Opening the phone reveals the 2.2-inch, QVGA display and keypad, as shown in the photo below:
It's also worth noting that this GSM phone supports 3G, tri-band HSDPA, and quad-band EDGE networks for data transmission. It has an integrated FM radio, supports stereo Bluetooth, and comes with a 128MB Memory Stick Micro card.
For more CTIA news, go to PC World's Cell Phones and PDAs Info Center.
