Anita bought her W980

Anita's Sony Ericsson W980, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

About two months ago, Anita dropped her Sony Ericsson C902 from the to the stairs. It did not drop straight to the bottom, but took a few lazy tumbles on the way there. The screen was shattered, but surprisingly everything was in working order. The touchscreen was still working, the speakers were still OK, buttons and all. The only problem we noticed was the camera button did become less sensitive. Since the button needed to be pressed halfway down to trigger the autofocus, that can at times prove a problem.

She was contemplating a few new models. Her last 4 phones were all Sony Ericsson, and she prefer to stick to it. She wants the speakers to sound OK, have a decent camera, but most importantly, the keypad needs to be to her liking. She tried a few and was disappointed. You probably notice that the new phone models seems to have small metallic keypads, rather than big, rubbery ones. I kept telling her to switch to a Nokia and I am sure a number of the N series should fit her bill. iPhone is definitely out of the question because it lacks any sort of keypad!

We went to a Sony shop today and sheepishly asked if we can trade in our 'worst for wear' C902. The shop only offered us RM150, which I thought was an insult. I would rather use the phone as a door stopper than give it away that cheap. They offered us the W980 at a decent price though and Anita was hooked. She did try the C905, but that model was rather too bulky for her. So W980 it is.

I had a chance to play around with the phone. True to her word, the keypad was comfortable and of a decent size - well any keypads are going to be since I now use the E71. Being a Walkman series phone, the speakers should be decent. It was not too bulky or too light. Just fits nicely in her handbag. The screen was OK but no touchscreen. The menu system was pretty standard. The phone has a clampshell form factor, and the outer screen was good. Right at the bottom of the accessory screen sits a set of navigational button, so that the Walkman function can be accessed without the need to flip open the phone.

What I am worried abut is the material used for the phone. The hinge especially is rather too plasticky for my liking. The camera is also disappointing. Even though it takes snaps of 3.2MP, the optics is just standard, rather than of the Carl Zeiss variety. It also lacks autofocus and a sort of flash! The pics were actually pretty ..... shall I say below average. In good lighting, even my E71 may be able to take a decent photo. The phone doesn't even come with a case.

Well. Personally, given a choice I wouldn't have bought the phone, but Anita seems to like it a lot. I just need to make sure she doesn't drop down the stairs this time.