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By Perry Gil S. Mallari, Reporter
Long before the proliferation of digital audio
players, there was Sony Walkman. The Walkman revolutionized music
listening in 1979 by allowing people to carry their choice of tunes
with them on a medium called music cassette. Though it has undergone
several phases of evolution, Walkman’s elite status among music
aficionados remains unchanged through the years. From music
cassette, compact disc, mini disc to MP3, Walkman continues to be in
the forefront of technological innovation as people’s way of
storing and listening to music evolves.
Sony Ericsson plunged into the mobile music
market in 2005 with the introduction of the W800, the very first
Walkman branded mobile phone. The W800, which boast of a combined
feature of phone, music player and camera proved to be a big hit as
3-million units of the model were distributed to 89 countries in
2005. The W800 initiated the entry into the market of exciting
designs of Walkman phones.
Three years after the birth of the W800, Sony
Ericsson unveiled early this year the W890i, which the mobile phone
manufacturer dubbed as the best Walkman phone to date. Slick, super
slim (10mm thick, 78 grams) and exploiting the aesthetic of steel,
the W890i packs a wallop with key features such as 2GB of memory,
with an included 2GB Memory Stick capable of storing up to 500
songs, a built-in FM radio, a 3.2MP camera, 3G video calling,
Bluetooth and USB connectivity.
The W890i is currently available in sparkling
silver or mocha brown.
A real treat for music lovers, the W890i has a
button that instantly activates the Walkman player. Another fresh
offering included in the phone is the TrackID that allows the
listener to identify an unknown tune. Here’s how it works: Record
a brief sample of the song you want to identify and use TrackID to
send it to the Gracenote Mobile MusicID database for identification.
The name of the artist and album will be sent to your phone in a
matter of seconds. Another element unique to the W890i is SensMe, a
feature that quickly pinpoints and plays tracks according to the
listener’s mood.
Other features of the W890i that are worth
mentioning are the PlayNow download service, which lets you buy and
download MP3 ringtones from your phone; 3D Java games (playing SIMS
on your phone is really neat); a web browser; plus, the PhotoDJ and
the VideoDJ that allows you to edit pictures and video clips.
Lastly, the phone’s graphics and iconography are exceptional as
manifested in its screen savers and selection of themes. The W890i
indeed personifies the love for music for its visual elements sing
even when its tunes are not playing.
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