Sony Ericsson W715 review

Its look, build and features may look strikingly similar to the ably-equipped, W705, but the Sony Ericsson W715 has one distinct advantage over its range-mate: location. Or, to be exact, location finding.

The W715 is the latest Walkman handset to arrive with A-GPS satellite location technology inside, enabling this phone for an enticing range of position-based services, plus spot-on route planning and Sat Nav gadgetry.

Like the W705, Sony Ericsson's design team have brought some sleek elegance to its Walkman sliderphone line-up, reworking the angular brushed aluminium gorgeousness of the candybar W880i and W890i into a slimline slide-down format.

It's not all about looks though - the W715 has the latest high-grade Walkman music player software onboard, with a 4GB memory card in-box, and packs Wi-Fi and high-speed HSPA 3G mobile download and upload capability. Along with video calling from a front-facing camera above the display and other multimedia stuff, there's a 3.2-megapixel camera included too.

In the UK, the W715 is available solely as an exclusive on Vodafone deals, which could be an issue for some potential buyers who like the W705 but prefer having GPS as well.

Design and handling
The bodywork of the W715 is lovely to handle and pocket. Its reasonable 95(h) x 48(w) x 14.3(d) mm dimensions and 98g weight feel substantial but not overly chunky, and it accommodates an ample 2.4-inch, 262K-colour QVGA display. The brushed aluminium silver casing's offset with some neat gold trim around the controls and edges, and the rubber-feel back panel is grippy too. The slider mechanism feels smooth and reassuringly robust.

The control array is based around a circular navigation pad that's marked with music control symbols and a satellite icon. It's arranged in a circular disc pattern, with conventional Sony Ericsson navigation buttons, a Vodafone live! programmed softkey, call and end buttons, plus clear and Activity Menu keys. These are cleverly contoured for easy operation, standing out as you're fingering the buttonry.

A minuscule Walkman button on the top of the phone can fire up the music player with a quick press. It's also the key for activating the Wallkman's Shake Control  motion-operated track and volume selection gimmickry.

The W715 is another phone to have accelerometer motion sensor technology onboard, primarily for switching automatically between landscape or portrait mode in some functions such as video and music playback, image viewer and browser. The is also employed for Shake Control - hold down the Walkman and move the phone in certain ways and you can adjust volume, go back or forward through tracks, or select shuffle playback.

Frankly, as we've said before, it's a bit fiddly to operate, and all that wrist-action while pressing a button isn't as easy or accurate as simply pressing the forward, rewind or volume buttons. Its main benefit is to work the controls when tunes are playing in the background - and to grab attention.

The slider numberpad on this phone gets a big plus; tiny guide markers and contouring help to define the keys in a finger-friendly way, and number buttons are pleasingly responsive when texting or dialling. in fact, the phone's operation generally is user-friendly and reacts promptly to button tapping.

The menu navigation system underpinning the W715 is typically up-scale Walkman phone, following Sony Ericsson's familiar menu conventions, but with  key Vodafone modifications and theme layered over. It's easy to find your way around the main menu grid and subsequent layers of sub menu options lists and tabs. The Activity Menu button is also a fast and easy way of switching on or off features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, or accessing apps or web browser links.

The Vodafone-exclusive optimisation isn't just theme-deep; there are  links to services via Vodafone live!, plus support for the Vodafone Music download service and other services, including the Vodafone Find & Go navigation and search application that works with the onboard A-GPS technology.

Features
While we warmed to the W705's blend of features, design and performance, the addition of the A-GPS satellite positioning technology certainly adds more desirable functionality to the W715 mix.

Sony Ericsson's regular package of Google Maps mapping, search and route finding software is present again, but Find & Go provides another online-based mapping and route-finding option. This offers a broadly similar set of search and route-finding options to Google Maps in its basic service, but users can upgrade to the complete Find & Go service that delivers full Sat Nav functionality, including voice guided turn-by-turn instructions for driving or walking, and 3D map views onscreen.

This advanced option usually costs an extra £5 a month, but is free for the first three months. It may not be as sophisticated as some smartphone Sat Nav packages, with info downloaded and updated as you go along rather than onboard the phone or memory card, but it's certainly a decent extra to have in the tool box. 

In practice, the A-GPS system on the W715 works efficiently. It was quite swift to latch on to our position when it had a clear view of the sky, and suitably efficient at tracking our position as we moved along.

Health-conscious users may also appreciate the Tracker app, which uses A-GPS to monitor running performances

Music player
Top billing on any Walkman phone, however,  goes to the music player. The Walkman software on this device puts in a suitably high-grade audio performance - it can deliver excellent quality sound. The user interface is the sort used on other higher-end Walkman handsets, and is straightforward to handle as well as being attractive.

SensMe mood-based track selection is again included as one of the music categories alongside the usual albums, artists, playlists, genres, etc. - you can use Sony Ericsson's Media Manager software to designate moods and tempos to tunes so you can choose songs to match how you're feeling. Another category option is Vodafone Music, which opens up the network provider's music application, so you can play and manage tracks you've downloaded from the service, or browse tunes to download.

As is usually the case with Walkman phones, supplied earphones are a cut above the norm, the in-ear buds providing a pleasant, dynamic sound with plenty of bass. Typically, too, for a Walkman phone there's no standard 3.5mm headphone jack socket on the body - so if you prefer to add your own better quality headphones you'll need to use the supplied adapter part of the two-piece headset, which connects to the phone via a bulky Sony Ericsson multi-connector.

The phone comes with 120MB of onboard storage but this is boosted considerably by the 4GB Memory Stick Micro card supplied. Bluetooth track transfer is possible as an alternative to USB wired copying via Sony Ericsson's Media Manager software or drag and dropping in mass storage mode. You can also download tracks ove the air speedily using the Vodafone Music service.

High-speed connectivity
With Wi-Fi and HSPA onboard, the online experience is improved, with fast access to services, easy uploading of images or video clips to blogs or online sharing services, plus quick mobile internet connectivity.

The W715's browser is familiar software for a mid-level Sony Ericsson, but set up with a Vodafone home screen that's clear and straightforward to use. This works OK in a functional mid-range phone kind of way, but can be limited compared to more upmarket handsets.

Camera action
The camera on this handset isn't one of Sony Ericsson's Cyber-shot-grade shooters. Its 3.2-megapixel camera doesn't match up in complexity to, say, the C510's equivalent pixel-count snapper. It's not got an autofocus system, and the LED flash is quite limited. The user interface look is consistent with the Cyber-shot models, but the control options are more limited, covering a regular spread of Sony Ericsson cameraphone settings adjustments, effects and shooting options.

With good lighting conditions, image results are reasonable for this class of camera, with average detail and good colour reproduction, but without the precision you can get from a decent autofocus-equipped shooter. Shots can look soft in some lighting conditions, and in much darker environments shots are disappointing, with the LED flash offering often insufficient illumination.

Although video playback if sideloaded or downloaded content can be lovely and smooth on the W715's 2.4-inch screen, the quality of video footage is modest - QVGA resolution at 15 frames per second isn't impressive.

Sony Ericsson still places a decent amount of standard mid-range features in to its Walkman package. The W715 has an FM radio, Track ID software for identifying tunes, plus a selection of online apps and organiser tools. Email and Vodafone Messenger IM apps are included, and typical stuff like calendar, tasks and notes, timer, stopwatch, voice recorder, calculator, and code memo apps are part of the spec. A Walk Mate motion operated step-counter, plus a Music Quiz (based on your stored tracks), and a bunch of  demo games are pre-loaded too.

Performance
Stepping back from the gadgety, on the basics the W715 provides a top class, reliable voice call performance. Sony Ericsson quotes a similar optimal battery life for the W715 as for the W705: up to 350 hours of standby time or 4 hours talktime on 3G networks (400 hours standby or 10 hours talk on GSM networks) With both A-GPS as well as Wi-Fi in the mix, though, users should be aware of power consumption if apps are left on.

Summary
We thought the W705 was a decent enough mid-range Walkman phone, but the addition of A-GPS satellite location finding makes the W715 an even more attractive proposition. If camerawork is your priority, this won't be for you, but its Walkman music phone credentials are certainly up to the high standards we've come to expect.

A classy design and ample set of mid-range functions, along with its Wi-Fi and HSPA connectivity give this plenty of pocket punch for a non-smartphone handset.