Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman

 

Introduction

Not the first time Sony Ericsson are trying to mix man and robot. But this time they're not simply putting the W in Android. The Live with Walkman is part of the company's ongoing effort to bring their smartphone lineup up to date. The next one due for upgrade is the Sony Ericsson W8.
Just like its predecessor, the Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman puts the music in your pocket without scraping the cash out of it. It's more than a music player though - a 5 MP camera phone and a Gingerbread-powered smartphone with all the right features for the money-conscious buyer.

The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman is designed for music lovers and tries to stay focused on things that matter to a presumably younger audience. To be honest, both the xLOUD audio enhancement and TrackID are available across the entire Xperia lineup, so no bonus points for the Live with Walkman.

There's an obvious effort though to make a familiar design more upbeat and attractive - bright color branding and flashing lights. The traditionally good social package in Sony Ericsson droids will be another plus for the younger users.

The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will run on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will have the following mediocre specifications:

• 3.2-inch capacitive touch-screen display (480 x 320 pixels)
• 1Ghz processor
• 5MP rear camera with 8x digital zoom, auto focus, and LED flash
• Front facing VGA camera
• 720p video recording
• 320MB internal storage (Editor's Note: Yes, we think this is as absurd as you do. 320MB of storage on a device designed for music? Way to go, Sony.)
• Up to 32GB microSD support
• 3.5mm audio jack
• USB support
• Wi-Fi and Hotspot functionality
• Stereo Bluetooth (A2DP)
• FM radio with RDS

Additionally, since the primary purpose of this device is to play music there are a number of unique software and hardware features, including:

• Stereo speakers (which I assume will be quite good since this device is primarily for audio playback)
• xLOUD audio technology which enhances the audio output of the inbuilt speakers at higher levels.
• TrackID music recognition service (similar to Shazam)
• An Infinite button which enables users to have instant access to new content about their favourite artist
• Qriocity music and video content services giving users access to millions of songs and thousands of movies

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™ at a glance.
*Please note that all services mentioned may not be available in every market.
Colours

• Black and White

Facts

• Size: 56.5 x 106 x 14.2 mm
• Weight: 115 g

Camera

• 5 megapixel camera
• 8x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• Face detection
• Flash/Photo light
• Flash/Photo flash
• Flash/LED
• Front-facing camera (VGA)
• Geo tagging
• HD video recording (720p)
• Image stabiliser
• Red-eye reduction
• Scene detection
• Self-timer
• Send to web
• Smile detection
• Touch capture
• Touch focus
• Video light
• Video recording

Music

• Album art
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™ service
• Stereo speakers
• TrackID™ music recognition
• Walkman™ player
• xLOUD™

Internet

• Android Market™
• Bookmarks
• Google™ search
• Google Voice™ Search
• NeoReader™ barcode scanner
• Pan & zoom
• Web browser (WebKit)

Communication

• Call list
• Conference calls
• Facebook™ application
• Google Talk™
• Polyphonic ringtones
• Skype
• Sony Ericsson Timescape™
• Speakerphone
• Twitter™ (Timescape™ integration)
• Vibrating alert
• Video chat ready

Messaging

• Conversations
• Email
• Google Mail™
• Handwriting recognition
• Instant messaging
• Multimedia messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)
• Type & Send widget

Design

• Auto rotation
• Four-corner Home screen
• Keyboard (on-screen, 12-key)
• Keyboard (on-screen, QWERTY)
• Live wallpaper
• Picture wallpaper
• Touch screen

Entertainment

• 3D games
• Media browser
• Radio (FM radio with RDS)
• Video streaming
• Video viewing
• YouTube™

Organiser

• Alarm clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Document readers
• Emanual
• Flight mode
• Google Calendar™
• Google Gallery 3D™
• Infinite button
• Phonebook
• Setup guide
• Event
• Timer
• Widget manager

Connectivity

• 3.5 mm audio jack
• aGPS
• Bluetooth™ technology
• DLNA Certified™
• Google Latitude™
• Google Maps™ for Mobile
• Google Maps™ with Street View
• Media Transfer Protocol support
• Micro USB support
• Modem
• Native USB tethering
• Synchronisation via Facebook™
• Synchronisation via Google™ Sync
• Synchronisation via Sony Ericsson Sync
• Synchronisation with computer
• Synchronisation via Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync®
• Synchronisation: Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® via Moxier client
• USB mass storage
• USB High speed 2.0 support
• USB support
• Wi-Fi™
• Wi-Fi™ Hotspot functionality
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation

Display

• 3.2 inches
• 16,777,216 colour TFT
• 480 x 320 pixels
• Capacitive touchscreen (multi-touch)
• Scratch-resistant

Memory

• Phone memory (user-free): Up to 320MB
• Memory card support: microSD™, up to 32GB

Battery life

• Talk time GSM/GPRS: Up to 14 hrs 15 min*
• Standby time GSM/GPRS: Up to 600 hrs*

• Talk time UMTS: Up to 6 hrs 42 min*
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 850 hrs*

• Music listening time: Up to 17 hrs 30 min
• Video listening time: Up to 6 hrs 30 min

• *According to GSM Association Battery Life Measurement Technique. Battery performance may vary depending on network conditions and configurations, and phone usage.

Networks

• UMTS HSPA 850 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 2100 (Band I)
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

• UMTS HSPA 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I)
• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

In the kit

• Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman™
• 1200 mAh battery
• stereo headset
• 2GB microSD™ memory card
• Charger
• micro USB cable for charging
• synchronisation and file transfer
• user documentation

Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman value for the money......