With so many new phones constantly coming onto the market, some models seem to rely on flashiness to capture consumers' attention. Not so with the Sony Ericsson W760a, a slider Walkman handset that feels well made and solid enough to continue providing high quality music, photos and communication while other phones come and go.

Sony Ericsson W760a

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The W760a is the first global Walkman phone with tri-band HSDPA and many reviewers have found it to be a marked improvement over previous Sony Ericsson Walkman phones. This phone is designed to appeal to music lovers and gamers and despite its sleek, grown up look, there are a lot of special features packed inside.

These include the shake control to shuffle music tracks, fast forward and adjust volume, and an accelerometer that allows users to navigate certain games by tilting the phone in various directions. The W760a can switch to landscape mode with the slider closed while music and gaming applications are open, which makes it similar to the iPhone in one respect, although there is no touch screen here.

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Design

This user friendly slider phone seems well constructed - it can be opened with one hand - and at 3.6 ounces, the phone feels solid. There is a dimpled texture on the bottom of the phone that is attractive and appears to provide some grip to help slide open the phone. The texture continues on the back of the phone, giving the impression that Sony Ericsson paid attention to design details to make the phone simple and functional, yet aesthetically pleasing.

At 4.05 inches tall, 1.9-inches wide and 0.6-inches thick, the W760a is big enough to provide a substantial screen for gaming and multimedia use and a large keypad underneath, without seeming bulky. Smooth, curved corners on the phone are an appealing design feature, and the overall look of the W760a is minimalist yet functional.

This handset comes in fancy black, rocky silver and intense red. The model reviewed here is rocky silver from AT&T, which is a combination of light silver on the face and a slightly darker graphite shade on the keypad and a few other parts.

Sony Ericsson kept the face of the W760a simple, with only a few keys and the screen. Just above the screen, A/B gaming keys on the left and right straddle the phone's ear speaker. Below the screen are two selection keys and immediately underneath them is a large, round, four-way navigation key, which can also be used with the Walkman for play, stop, forward and back functions. To the left of the navigation key is a "call" key and to the right is an "end" key that also turns the phone on and off.

The only other keys of the top face of the phone are a MEdia Net key, for users to connect with one touch to AT&T's media service for local news, weather and other information, and a "clear" key. The tactile keys - call and end are smooth and round, while the navigation key has a combination of textures to distinguish play from forward, for example - make it easier to select the right key by touch.

The keypad under the slider is large, with buttons big enough to dial with relative ease, although their relative flatness makes it a little difficult to do so by touch. The top row of keys is right up against the bottom of the top slider component, which can make it hard to dial them at first. However, this may be something users can get accustomed to and does not seem to be a major problem.

Sliding the phone open also reveals the 3.2-megapixel camera, which is cleverly protected when the phone is closed. Sony Ericsson even paid attention to the details of what would be revealed on the back of the slider when it is opened, so there is a shiny textured design - black on the rocky silver model - surrounding the camera and covering most of the exposed back of the slider.

With so much attention on multimedia in the W760a design, it is important that Sony Ericsson provided room to add extra storage space in case users need more to accommodate their favorite media. The memory card slot is more convenient than in many other phones, on which the back of the phone and battery must often be removed to access it. On the W760a, the memory card slot is at the top of the phone, beneath a small plastic tab that can be difficult to pry open, but still more accessible than on a lot of other handsets.

Other functions located on the side of the W760a include a volume rocker button on the right side, a strap holder on the lower left corner, a key to access the Walkman and a connector for the phone charger, hands free technology and USB cable.

The simple interface on the Sony Ericsson W760a from AT&T gives users easy access to media and gaming features, which are truly the high point of this handset. Twelve icons link to different tools and applications, and the five games that come with the AT&T model can be found under the "Entertainment" icon.

Music and gaming are where users can put to use the W760a's unique features, the accelerometer and shake control. These allow people to navigate music choices and play certain games by shaking and tilting the phone, and switch the display to landscape mode when the slider is closed.

Out of the box, the Sony Ericsson W760a comes with a standard 900 mAh-Li-Ion battery, charger, user guide and quick start guide.