Shaking things up

The problem with cellphones today is that practically every new model boasts that is has everything you’ve ever wanted in a phone. A far cry from the simple communication devices they were originally designed to be, cell phones have mutated into mini-computers. The handheld gadget is now a technological chop suey of your favorite functions, from the camera to the MP3 player to portable video player. At first, we were all tittered in excitement with each unveiling of the latest cell phone with the newest functions. We watched and waited with bated breath for advancements in mobile technology to manifest themselves in new functions in new models. Then, we realized that we were just seeing the same functions being rehashed again and again, or simply thrown in with the rest of the functions to make an all-in-one device. We’ve become bored with what cell phones can offer because we’ve seen it all before.

Just when I thought I was completely jaded about phone functions, I discovered the Sony Ericsson W910i. I’ve always been a big Sony Ericsson fan because of their unbeatable user-friendliness and technological features, even down to the long battery life. What I love most about Sony Ericsson is that they’re able to find new ways to infuse experience into their phones. They constantly reinvent and refresh their features so that using the phone is never boring.

While the W910i belongs to the Walkman line, it’s still a completely new experience from the other Walkman phones. With the other Walkman phones, for example, I was already impressed with their TrackID feature, which identifies the title and artist of any random song through the Internet by simply placing the phone near the music source. The W910i has that, and even more to enhance the music experience so that it’s even better than MP3 players. With its Shake To Control feature, you can change the tracks you’re listening to with a simple flick of your wrist. It’s incredibly convenient (like if you decide in the middle of your run to switch songs… it’s pretty hard to navigate an MP3 player while keeping your stride!), not to mention eternally fun. If you shake the phone back and forth, you can shuffle the songs and play a random song. It’s just a bit hard to master how to shake the phone to the next song, as you have to press a button before shaking. The first few times, I would accidentally play the previous song instead of the next.

Shake To Control also adds games a whole new dimension with its motion-sensing abilities. The keypad is no longer the joystick. I can play games by tilting the phone in all directions. “Marble Madness” is one such game where I control where the marble goes by tilting and turning the phone. While it’s not usually the first thing I look for, it’s an amusing and welcome feature I’ll enjoy playing with when I find myself with nothing to do except tinker with my phone.

I love this next feature, especially since my music preferences vary from mood to mood. The W910i has SensMe analysis, which analyzes and automatically categorizes your songs into four quadrants — fast versus slow and happy versus sad. From that, you can create your own playlists or just play tracks according to your mood. It sounds ultra-scientific, but it really simplifies everything. Once I open SensMe, it displays that quadrants and lays out all the songs so I can easily navigate from song to song, depending on my mood. Suddenly it’s so easy to create a soundtrack for any moment in my life. Want to celebrate by dancing? Pick songs from the “happy” and “fast” quadrants. Feeling sentimental and nostalgic? Maybe the songs from the “happy” and “slow” quadrants will make you smile.

Obviously, this phone is all about the media and I love that it has a 2GB Memory Stick Micro to hold everything. Another feature I really appreciate is the Media Manager software, which allows me to transfer photos, music and even videos to and from my phone with ease. This is something that a lot of people forget when buying phones. How easy is it to transfer the data to the computer? Media Manager allows me to manage and back up my all-important media. More importantly, it allows me to synchronize my phone to my computer so that I can keep my contacts and appointments, and even access and edit manage my messages and other phone content. I’m always paranoid about losing my messages and contacts, especially, so this is a welcome innovation.

I haven’t even mentioned that it’s absolutely stunning! Seriously, if the features won’t reel you in, the W910i’s eye-catching exterior will. This slim and sexy phone easily slips into your pocket with its mere 12.5 mm width. It comes in classic Noble Black and head-turning Hearty Red shades, and smoothly slides up for the keypad. I love the wide 2.36-inch 262,000 TFT screen, which shows my messages, the images I took with the 2.0 megapixel camera, and the other features crisply and clearly. Camera freaks may be disappointed with only 2.0 megapixels though. It’s also missing a flash for those after-dark occasions, but the night mode works quite well in moderately-lit places. It even has auto-rotate, which allows you to enjoy images from a landscape or portrait view by simply turning the phone to where you are. As with other Sony Ericsson phones, voice quality, battery life and phone usability are all great. It’s even 3G ready.

Just when we think cell phones can’t get any more impressive, Sony Ericsson proves us wrong and makes the W910i a lot more interesting with its innovative features. The phone delivers solid performance and even infuses a little fresh fun into the normal mobile experience. Its functions may sound like bonus frou-frou, but on the contrary, the addition of these features are the next steps in developing mobile technology further. To borrow from a well-known adage, it’s no longer what your phone can do, but what you can do with your phone.