Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Sony Ericsson W300i Walkman FM Stereo Phone

Somewhere in your audio collection you have a Sony Walkman. It might be cassette player, a radio cassette, or a CD player. Before iPod was a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye, there was the Walkman. It was a technology breakthrough a couple of decades ago, and it's still being improved.

Today's Walkman is an all-electronic multimedia mobile device. It's now the Sony Ericsson Walkman model W300i. Going far beyond anything that tape or rotating shiny disc can do, the W300i is a cell phone with an MP3 music player, a digital camera, an FM radio and even a gaming machine. All in a package no bigger than a regular size flip-phone? Indeed. It's the one communications and entertainment device you'll want to be carrying.

Lets start with the traditional Walkman function, music. The W300i Walkman music player software lets you drag and drop music from your PC into your phone. A 256MB Memory Stick card is included, giving you enough storage for about 80 songs. That should cover you for your morning jog or that long bus ride to and from work. Want to share your musical experience? Switch from headphones to the built-in stereo speakers with MegaBass and wide angle sound. You don't have to worry about missing any important calls while you're lost in the music. The W300i interrupts the music for your incoming calls. If you find that too intrusive, tell those pests to leave you alone. Oh, wait. It's the boss calling? Never mind.

Other phones have built-in music players, but how many include an FM stereo radio? This one has the RDS (Radio Data System) that displays title and artist of the song you're listening to, traffic data, and other information provided by radio stations that offer this service. You get 8 presets so you can switch among your favorite stations, just like you'd do in the car.

But wait. There's more. The Sony Ericsson W300i Walkman is also a high resolution digital camera. Bet your old Walkman didn't have one of these! The 1.3 Megapixel camera includes an LED flash and takes photos sharp enough to print. You can also share your favorites instantly through multimedia messaging. Switch to camcorder mode and you can capture video clips up to 1 minute long.

The main color display on the W300i is a large 1.8 inch diagonal screen that can show up to 262, 000 colors. It's a perfect match with the high resolution digital camera for showing snapshots and videos you receive, plus playing 3D games. A second smaller screen on the outside of the phone gives you valuable information such as battery life, signal strength, and what music is playing.

Is this really a cell phone? You bet it is. Casual observers won't realize how much capability you're carrying. They many not even see your phone if you elect to clip a Bluetooth headset on your ear and converse hands-free. They may catch sight of you browsing the Web with the included full HTML Web browser, checking your email, or messaging with SMS or IM.

You'll be able to stay in touch with everyone easily. The phone book has capacity for up to 1,000 contacts and up to 9 entries per contact, including email addresses. Train the phone to respond to your voice and dial up to 30 numbers on your command.

All of this capability is in a package roughly the size of a business card and just 4.2 ounces light. You might think that such a powerful electronics package would be a real battery drainer, but the W300i gives you up to 510 minutes of talk time. That's over 8 hours. Standby time is an equally impressive 384 hours max. or up over 2 weeks away from the charger.

Of course if there is another model phone you'd prefer, you'll find a great offer waiting for you at Cell Phone Plans Finder.

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