IntoMobile’s reviewed the SE W960i and it’s verdict? Well it’s both good and bad apparently.
Sony Ericsson’s ‘iPhone killer’ sounds like it almost lives up to the billing but doesn’t quite surpass Nokia’s latest NSeries handsets like the N95 8GB, according to Intomobile.
This follows Mobile Review’s recent report on their experience with it, concluding that ‘it doesn’t have much going for it’.
Intomobile says the 3.2-megapixel camera does the job and the phone has a whole wealth of pre-installed applications as well as 3G/Wi-Fi but unfortunately no HSDPA, and the Media Manager software is nice and quick when transferring files.
But despite being ‘the most beautiful UIQ 3 smartphone ever made’ and offering the ‘best out-of-the-box music experience on any UIQ 3 smartphone’ it still has some flaws.
There’s no 3.5mm jack despite being a high-end music handset and only a single speaker built in (although it does have stereo Bluetooth).
However the biggest problem seemed to be the UIQ 3 OS. Like Marmite, UIQ seems to split people in a way Symbian never does - you either love UIQ or hate it. Intomobile were of the opinion that UIQ 3 still isn’t perfect and while current UIQ users will love the device, those coming from a Windows Mobile or Symbian device might struggle to get to grips with the W960i’s menu system.
So that settles it then. The W960i is a great handset… and yet not a great handset. You can read the review for yourself here.
I agree that the biggest problem with the W960i is the absolutely dreadful UIQ user interface.
The W960i with it’s high specification and capability had the potential to be all round killer phone but Sony Ericcson have ended up crippling it with UIQ.
If you are not familiar with UIQ it might be worth getting a look at it before choosing this phone because if you are used to S60 you’ll be wanting to throw the W960i against the wall within an hour.
There is no consistancy in operation. You find yourself constantly juggling and fiddling with the phone in your hand(s) to complete the most basic of tasks. One moment you are compelled to use the jog wheel, then the touch screen, then the key pad, it’s all over the place, it’s a mess.
With the exception of the main menu screen the touch screen icons and menu selections are ridiculously too small to reliabley operate with your fingers, even when sat down and concentrating. If you are on the move, walking along for example, forget it!
UIQ also allows no flexibility at all to customise where you place icons on your menu or the contents of folders. This has a negative impact on your efficient and productive use of the W960i considering your needs. This is rock bottom basic stuff that S60 has offered for years. Shambolic!
In virtually every other aspect the W960i is superb, that top specification makes for a very capable device, I just wish it wasn’t so frustrating to use them.
So yeah, it’s great… but also not great!