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Sony Ericsson absolutely stuffs its mobiles with software and features. The PC Suite software that is provided on CD can be used to synchronise the phone’s calendar with Outlook on your PC. Meanwhile on the handset itself there are features including mobile email, five alarms, calculator, notes taker, stopwatch, tasks manager and timer. There is a utility that lets you blog direct from the handset. The rather clever TrackID system which can identify songs from a short snippet of a recording is also here. An RSS reader complements the Web browser.

The Sony Ericsson W610i doesn’t deliver the greatest of Web browsing experiences. Its browser has a ‘Smart-Fit feature which wraps web pages to the screen width to avoid the need for horizontal scanning, and it coped with the TrustedReviews Web site. But the screen delivers just 176 x 220 pixels, and is small at 2-inches corner to corner. If you think you’ll be using the web a fair bit, there are better options than this handset.

Of course, there is a camera. It captures stills at resolutions up to 2.0 megapixels which is a little low-key for Sony Ericsson. Its twin LED flash can be used as a very effective torch. There is a macro mode and also an infinity setting for the focus. The autofocusing system takes a short time to kick in when you press the shutter button on the right edge of the casing, but the pictures themselves are reasonably sharp.

The coloured dish, which is my standard shot, photographed indoors under ordinary household lights doesn’t have quite the colour clarity that I’d have liked, but it is certainly good enough. The white flowers have reproduced rather well, though the effect of compression is more noticeable in the pink flowers. Colour reproduction here is realistic, though.

You have the right to expect very good battery life from any handset in the Walkman range. The Sony Ericsson W610i played music continuously for ten hours 22 minutes, which is pretty good. The screen goes off automatically after about 20 seconds to conserve power.

Verdict

The Sony Ericsson W610i is a pretty average Walkman phone. The presence of an FM radio is a treat, but the screen and camera are both a little below par, and the small buttons might be too fiddly for some.

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