Sony Ericsson has unveiled its latest version of Walkman series phone, based on Google’s Android operating system, the W8.
It is contrary to speculations that it will be doing away with its Walkman series phones after the adoption of Android operating system.
While it is designed on the likes of its older Xperia smartphones, the W8’s user interface is similar to that found on the Xperia mini range of products.
“The Sony Ericsson W8 Walkman phone combines Walkman functionality with smartphone fundamentals such as apps, maps and email to create the most entertaining smartphones,” said Pawan Chadha, country head, India, Sony Ericsson.
The W8 comes with Android 2.1 OS with Sony Ericsson’s Timescape user interface. The 3 inch LCD display comes with a Resolution of 320 x 480 pixels and has a scratch resistant surface which makes perfect sense for its capacitive touch input system.
Based on Qualcomm MSM 2772 chipset, the W8 will feature a 600 MHz processor along with a dedicated Adreno 200 graphics engine, which is expected to give a better performance. The phone features 3G connectivity but sadly lacks a front facing camera.
In terms of connectivity, right from USB to Bluetooth to WiFi, all possible connectivity options are available on this device.
The company is claiming a whopping 23 hours of music playback time from this device between charges, whereas the Talk time remains to be on the lower side with 4.5 hours of talktime with a 1200 mAh battery pack.
The W8 is expected to hit the Indian market from the month of May. Pricing of the W8, however, remains a mystery as no official announcement has been made on that front so far. But looking at the specifications, it is expected to be announced with a price tag of up to Rs 12,000.