Sony Ericsson's W850 Walkman tri-band GSM/UMTS slider

Sony just announced their new W850 Walkman cellphone and this baby's hot. Available in black or white as designs tend to go these days, this tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 slider also delivers UMTS 2100. It comes pre-loaded with the latest Walkman 2.0 player with TrackID allowing you to lookup and identify recorded music samples via the Gracenote Mobile MusicID service. Not only that, but it ships with a 1GB of Memory Strick PRO Duo'in storage (with up to 4GB supported) and features a horizontal mode 2 megapixel shooter with LED light. Rounding out the features are a 2-inch QVGA TFT 260k color display, RDS FM Stereo radio, and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP stereo audio. No price but we can expect these to ship sometime Q3 2006... in Europe. More pics after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

[Morton Salty @ May 18th 2006 8:07AM]

I'm an Apple whore, but I have to say I want one of those!!!! withouth the camera though, and I really hate slider phones, and the antenna blue bar icon just isn't polished, should have been in a box... but nice, nice.

[Jeff Waters @ May 18th 2006 8:24AM]

Wow... talking about raising the bar...

That is beautiful... Apple is hopelessly behind the times in their displays and technology. I hope this workd with the new Urge music service.

[Intrepid @ May 18th 2006 8:36AM]

good to see sony ericsson can still make a kick arse phone

[joastietech @ May 18th 2006 8:37AM]

Nice, but Sony needs to step on the 'make phones thinner and smaller' train, fast. New SE phones tend to be 100+ grams, which is just too much.

[Si @ May 18th 2006 8:41AM]

Hmm, looks like that interface infringes on Creative's Zen patent...

[Jarod @ May 18th 2006 8:52AM]

#2, get off the crack and start making intelligent remarks. "Apple is behind the times?" In what disallusioned world do you live in?

[Jonathan @ May 18th 2006 9:20AM]

Dont be so optimistic about the pricing.
With the 2MP camera expect it to blow a hole in your wallet.

Im just hoping they make a phone which emphasises on music with no camera coz a camera takes to much toll on the price

[Leo @ May 18th 2006 9:26AM]

My view, based on experience with other proucts (including the Sony-Ericsson walkmans):

- Cons:

Thick, only 2.0 megapixel camera, LED flash (weak, by all means...)

- Pros:

- LED Flash (other cameras tend to have... none!), 1 GB card included, RDS FM Radio, good interface for player, good looks.

- Unnowns (to me) that should be there:

Good calendar/tasks
Synchronization with Outlook (including notes, that would be great).
Sometimes they are way too bad or mising - did not see in review, assume weak?


Summary:

Looks good to me. Quality of Outlook synch and cost should dictate interest. BTW: My Motorola SLVR can play decently only with its loudspeakers. Wonder if this one can. Music sometimes cannot be heard with the headphones, you know?...

[Silver @ May 18th 2006 9:36AM]

"#2, get off the crack and start making intelligent remarks. "Apple is behind the times?" In what disallusioned world do you live in?"

Sadly, an ignorant and irrational burning hatred for all things Apple is the only thing that keeps some people going day after day...

[Joe Henson @ May 18th 2006 9:42AM]

I think this phone is in The Da Vinci Code... which by the way really is a rubbish movie

[Inquisitor Jax @ May 18th 2006 10:14AM]

Nice, but like W950i better
http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=za&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pp1_loader&php=php1_10391&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10391

4Gig flash on-board + mem stick + touch-screen

(+ even bigger hole in your pocket)

[Yetibob @ May 18th 2006 10:20AM]

To #6 and #10:
Geez, do you own shares in Steve Job's ass or something, what's wrong with you people??!

I'd be the first to admit that #2's comments were insightful and innacurate, but why do you have to jump down the throat of anyone who expresses an opinion of Apple that doesn't meet your own?

I'm tired of wading through dozens of comments that are nothing more than spam. Sheesh, get a life.

[Ti @ May 18th 2006 10:25AM]

Now _that_ is damn nice phone. Those even looks like LEDs around the central button, I wonder if you can hook it up to your PC as a mass storage device, and what codecs it'll support.

[Silver @ May 18th 2006 10:56AM]

"why do you have to jump down the throat of anyone who expresses an opinion of Apple that doesn't meet your own"

Um, because on every Engadget story, whether it has anything to do with Apple or not, all the Apple haters come out of the woodwork with their nonsensical blather?

That's why.

[Fede @ May 18th 2006 11:24AM]

I just love it when somebody tries to write down assumptions, masking them as experience and objective analysis, with supposed experience behind it...
I DO own a W800 walkman phone, the 1st and now oldest cell from SE's music-centric line-up, and I know for a fact that:
-I do synchronize it with Outlook's notes, calendar, tasks and contacts at least once a day.
-I use the phone's speaker to listen to music ocasionally, and the sound Q is nice (just don't expect any bass...)
-SE's Walkman phones with MemoryStick CAN be used as mass-storage devices.

Now, how many cell phones take decent pictures, including 1.3Megapixel ones? not many. Actually, SE's phones with the 2MP digicam have been widely recognized by the media as the best camera-phones (besides obvious specialized pdts like Samsung's 10MP unit). Mine takes nice, decent pics for casual shooting.

I don't understand either, what does a SE's phone have to do with iPod's design...!? When they come out with such a device, then everyone can judge which has the best design, but just bad-mouthing Apple or SE for the sake of it, without a direct cross-reference is just childish.

Last: what's up with the "I just hate everything Sony" attitude? get over it and don't buy their stuff! who cares if you THINK The DaVinci Code is bad (weird judgement since nobody outside Cannes has seen it yet...)

Now I'll go back to listen to my iPod with video.
Sorry for the rant, had to vent...

[Merkur @ May 18th 2006 11:48AM]

Does Sony Cell Phone uses the same Cell technology as its PS3 ??? LOL !!!

Very sexy phone ;)

[thomas_h @ May 18th 2006 12:49PM]

i have had SE phones for 5 years now, but i really dont like the design of neither the K800 nor this.

give me some sweet design SE!!

[Fed Eqs @ May 18th 2006 1:03PM]

@#7 "Im just hoping they make a phone which emphasises on music with no camera..."

What about the W950i? Nice screen and 4GB storage capacity for your music needs.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/02/13/sony-ericssons-new-4gb-w950i-walkman-phone/

http://www.sonyericsson.com/spg.jsp?cc=gb&lc=en&ver=4000&template=pp1_loader&php=php1_10391&zone=pp&lm=pp1&pid=10391

[Jamar @ May 18th 2006 1:07PM]

Who would want SD cards in their phones? The DRM is awful enough in itself (my MP3s are locked to MY SIM CARD?!) but getting a phone with SD slot that would accept non-DRM MP3s is a real challenge for me (China has these sorts of phones, but they eithre don't work in the US or the firmware (hack for Japanese phones with DRM) is really buggy.

[Kel @ May 18th 2006 1:31PM]

#19, I think the earlier Secure Digital comment (#8) was more about Memory Card Formats, i.e. SD vs Sony's Memory Stick, rather than a preference/desire for DRM.

I agree with #8, but I have no delusions that Sony will abandon the Memory Stick in favor of CF, SD or anything else, in the forseeable future.

BTW: I currently use a 2GB miniSD in my phone, i-Mate K-Jam, to store for DRM-less music. but I frequently wish it was a full-sized SD card instead of minSD.

[Wess @ May 18th 2006 2:42PM]

Apparently there's a live photo on the internet;

http://www.mobile-review.com/uploads/w8502bjbpnydsvacih4hf.jpg
(mobile-review got if from some Chinese website)

it looks pretty small to me

[DM @ May 18th 2006 3:50PM]

#2 I second that... look who still uses a 65k display...
...look who still cant get basic features available on generic flash players on their high end $300+ players...
cough...APPLE...cough

yea, flame me now, apple whores!

[3rdsun @ May 18th 2006 4:08PM]

first off that is one hottttt phone. only SE can do it like that.
#1 apple whore LOL i guess the others are apple bitches(this thread has nothing to do with apple)
#2 you should be able to say what u like without being chastised
#3 they do make kick ass phones.
#4 get off the razr bandwagon even the new razr is thick(er)
#7 u cah check out the W950 has no cam, touch screen, nice
#8 u will be surprised how much this is gonna float
#12 you are so right. its time for an apple fanboy site
#13 all current SE phones support mass storage on pc
#16 it has cell phone technology lol
#17 maybe u should check out nokia they have some kickass designs. mostly ass designs though.
#19 u can get a motorola since u dont like expandable memory. their phones have small onboard memory like your IQ. what a whimp!

[Galley @ May 18th 2006 6:08PM]

Bluetooth 2.0... won't that support full spectrum stereo broadast to a set of headphones?

[Andrew Marvick @ May 18th 2006 7:18PM]

Can someone explain to me how this phone is an advance on the Sony-Ericsson W810i? As far as I can tell it doesn't add anything new at all, but actually REDUCES its compatibility from quad-band to tri-band. Seriously, what am I missing here?

Thanks.

[demetrius @ May 18th 2006 7:28PM]

wow this phone looks damn good. too bad they couldnt throw in one of the 3.2 mp cameras. if i'm going to shell out over 500-600 for a phone, same price w800 and w810i came out at, i'd expect top of the line from sony. And the whole thin thing just doesnt appeal to me, i'm one of those i like them fat watches on my wrist guys who doesnt mind something that's a little beefier as long as it's screams quality. i dont jump onto the thin bandwagon of the motos and samsungs because i'm a big guy, i sit on it, and it's over. hehe. plus it doesnt feel right in my hand, like i can crush it or something. that's why i've always appreciated the design of sony ericssons. this phone will probably never retail in the US anyhow, maybe a quadband variant will come out, but hopefully that's the w1050i or something. ;p

[Alex @ May 18th 2006 8:16PM]

Ahh... Another amazing phone from SE. Right now I have a S710a and thinking about buying a new W900c on Ebay. THis one seems even better, looks very nice, and in white it'll be even better. I just don't think I wanna wait till the end of the year to get the phone, for just the ability to add an extra 2 gb of memory stick. I just wish SE actually release the phones over here in the US, so I don't have to buy off the internet. One can only hope.

[charlie @ May 18th 2006 8:57PM]

I just love how everyone in this comment section just wants to prove others wrong and show how smart they are. People, let's do something productive..........

[Brian @ May 19th 2006 2:42AM]

Isn't this like a Nokia N80 rip-off?

[I love next generation N-Gage @ May 19th 2006 4:52AM]

What new this phone has to offer compared to other expensive, non-smartphone SE walkmanphones?

Im sure that it will cost at least 500? or even more. And if U want 4GB memory stick U haveto pay 200? extra!!!

Over 700? for 4GB NON-smartphone is way too much!

[jeccou @ May 19th 2006 11:23AM]

It seems nobody have noticed that the W850 is a 3G phone. That certainly sets it apart from the W810.

It looks great, b t w. I'm getting one to replace my Nano as my everyday music machine come fall! :)

[hussain @ May 19th 2006 12:01PM]

show this phone in Davinci code movie tonight.. it also shows P910 & some other sony ericsson mobiles

[Hans @ May 19th 2006 2:36PM]

It was announced exactly the same day as the release of the movie. coincidence...or conspiracy? :p

[Kaz @ May 22nd 2006 8:02AM]

Don't forget this phone isn't out until Q3 2006. So quite some time to go yet.

Looks lovely though. I have three contracts right now, and one of them is due for an upgrade around about Q3 time :) This phone is definitely top of my list for then.

[jose luis @ May 22nd 2006 8:55PM]

what wireless provider will this phone be for?

[Sam Alex @ Jun 26th 2006 4:10AM]

Just to point out that I saw The Da Vinci Code and realised there was a person with it. Typical of a Sony movie to use all these Sony gadgets....It is in the scene when the british guy lends them his phone...the W850.