Standard messaging options include a POP3/IMAP4 email client. Among the other productivity tools included are the usual calendar, tasks, notes, timer, stopwatch, calculator and password code memo functions. You can record voice memos too.

Connectivity options include A2DP wireless stereo streaming over Bluetooth. The W660i is supplied with PC Suite software for synchronising your phone and desktop calendars and contacts etc, and handling image and music transfer.

A slick platform for listening to tunes?

Sony Ericsson supplies a bit of gaming entertainment too, with a couple of enjoyable Java titles: the 3D Extreme Air Snowboarding and Tower Bloxx. Other apps loaded onto the phone include a music chord guide/mini-beat-box/metronome app, Music Mate 2, and a gimmicky picture distortion app, FaceWarp.

Voice calls are the basic nuts and bolts of any phone, of course, and the Sony Ericsson scores top marks on this count. It delivers consistently high quality audio at both ends of the line, across various networks, well balanced and clear, even when signal strength dipped.

Sony Ericsson quotes standby time at up to 360 hours, with six hours of talktime using GSM or two hours 30 minutes on 3G. Using the music player, camera, and other functions inevitably take its toll on the battery life – if you use the Walkman heavily you’ll be looking at charging every couple of days. But in regular phone usage with a bit of tune dipping the W660i doesn’t have any alarming battery issues.

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Verdict

The Walkman player is undoubtedly the key attraction for most buyers of the W660i, and it’s unquestionably a good value package. There are no complaints on the Walkman player’s performance – very impressive all round. The camera is a bit of a let-down, though, as it’s not quite as good as the one on the 2.5G W610i, so it seems there has been some trade-off with the added 3G functionality that potential buyers will have to weigh up. A shame.

Sure, Sony Ericsson’s W660i isn’t one of those phones that’s going to get pulses racing, and we’ve seen all that it offers before. However, it’ll fill that mid-priced 3G gap in Sony Ericsson’s Walkman range perfectly well, because the bottom line is that it offers a good set of features for the price, including a fine music player experience.

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