Sony Ericsson W660i

DESIGN With a rounded body, bright colors, and a carrying handle that doubles as an antenna, the W660i looks more like a tiny beach radio than a cell phone. The front spins open to access the numberpad, and on the outside a dedicated Walkman button opens the music player and a Clear button deletes unwanted tracks and playlists. Navigation and playback control are largely handled by the five-way nav, but a Play/Pause button on the side can be used while listening to music and using another operation. Three tiny speakers on the front, back, and right side are louder than we expected.

FEATURES The W660i plays music in nearly every digital format except WMA. The included Disc2Phone software will rip your tunes straight from CD to the phone’s 256MB memory. With the phone closed, playback controls are handled by the five-way nav, allowing you to skip tracks, fast forward, and rewind. The MP3 player can create playlists, shuffle songs, and repeat tracks. Airplane mode plays music with the phone off. Battery life lasts around 15 hours (up to 30 hours in music mode only) and Bluetooth connects to a wireless headset, but not wireless headphones. A 1.3-megapixel camera snaps good-looking photos.

PERFORMANCE The W660i handles like a well-tuned MP3 player. It’s easy to use, and the sound quality is superb through the included inner-ear stereo headphones. A built-in FM tuner is a nice addition, and the Pause/Play button is helpful for stopping playback without opening the music player. Our only complaint: The lack of an external memory card slot means you’re stuck with a limit of about 100 songs.

VERDICT We wish it had a memory card slot, but the  W660i sounds better and is easier to operate than every other music phone.

www.sonyericsson.com
Carrier: Cingular