It took way longer than expected but the Sony Ericsson SE W850i Walkman Phone is now up. There’s a lot of information so enjoy. I tried to keep it more focused on actually usage than a full description of every possible feature since the phone does so much.
Next up, I’ll probably do some quickie reviews on simpler products while I finish up my big comparison article on Sony’s S2 Sports Walkman and Apple iPod nano/Nike+ combination. On deck is a review of Plantronic’s Discovery 655 Bluetooth headset, Sony’s S705 Walkman, and some interesting software that I use everyday.
Thanks and have a great weekend!
Over at Notebook Review, I noticed that details of Sony’s VAIO TZ were released. It looks like the next generation T-series is a design update to their venerable ultraportable line. Taking design cues from their groundbreaking VAIO X505 product, the new TZ really does look elegant.
The specifications are modestly updated and makes for a compelling ultra mobile solution. That did get me thinking that it’s a little underwhelming considering the release of Intel’s new Centrino platform (Santa Rosa). The reason why I feel it’s a little underwhelming is because some of the new technologies in the Santa Rosa-based platform would be perfect for this form factor.
Aside from the slightly better integrated graphics (Intel X3100 vs. Intel GMA950), the updated 802.11n wireless networking, and better overall power management, the new platform also adds a new option called Intel Turbo Memory. This technology, formerly called Robson, is additional flash cache memory that works with Windows Vista and enables Vista ReadyDrive with any hard disk. In essence, it gives some of the performance benefits that having a hybrid hard drive will allegedly have. Given that the T-series uses 4200RPM 1.8” hard disks, something like Intel Turbo Memory (assuming it works) would help a lot since since the hard disk is the bottleneck in the system. Also, this technology should allow for even better battery life (which is already excellent). I suspect the main reason why they didn’t go with the new platform is because there is no Ultra Low Voltage (ULV) processor in the family yet. The T-series has always used ULV processors and the current line only has Low Voltage (LV) processors.
At any rate, it’s a great looking system that is solid but I eagerly await the next version that takes advantage of this next generation platform.
So, I went to Fry’s Electronics today because I had the “perfect storm” of running out of color ink and laser toner at the same time. And, for whatever reason, the inkjet, a 6-color Epson Stylus Photo R300, had all 6 inks running equally low. I always loathe buying the cartridges since it’s the one time where you know you’re getting fleeced and there’s really nothing you can do about it. Granted, if I was only buying one cartridge at a time, it wouldn’t be that bad. Of course, in my situation it ended up being $85 worth of ink.
Ouch.
I also really needed a toner for my laser printer (Samsung ML-1710) but I decided to wait since I didn’t feel like spending another $80 on that in the same purchase. Yeah, I’m crazy like that. I’ll probably end up buying it next week anyways and a single laser toner lasts a long time so it’s decent investment.
Ok, onto my Fry’s story. After placing my cartridges in my basket I decided to just wander through the store and look around for a bit. While looking at a display that had some Sony products presented, a Fry’s sales associate came up to me to ask me and the following transaction occurred:
Read more.
Based on various responses, there’s a lot of interest in the Sony Ericsson W850i phone review so that will likely come first. I may throw in a bluetooth headset (Plantronics Discovery 655) review also since that one will likely be a shorter review. The Apple iPod nano/Nike+ vs. Sony S2 Sports Walkman review is coming as well but that’s going to take some time since I’m having calibration issues with the Nike+ kit. So, once those are squared away I’ll be able to do a fair comparison.
Thanks for the feedback and know that the reviews are coming!
