Sony Ericsson Z770i & W980i

Next up are two of Sony Ericsson’s Clamshell handsets – the W980i Walkman edition and the Z770i. The W980i incorporates the Walkman on Top feature that allows users to actively control the music player from the external display and music keys located on the flap under the external 256K color, 176 x 176 pixel resolution TFT display. The internal 2.2 inch display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels.

iPhone and N95/N81 fans had better watch out as the W980i packs a whopping 8GB of internal memory. It comes equipped with a built-in FM transmitter, which allows users to send whatever’s playing on the phone to other devices with a built-in FM radio receiver. It also has a set of integrated stereo speakers and an FM radio.

If users are interested in finding out information about a song they’re listening to, the TrackId feature comes in handy. The W980i EQ presets and customizable

EQ lets you select a suitable preference for each song playing. There's a 3MP auto-focus camera and since it’s a 3G HSDPA-enabled handset it also has a secondary camera for video calls. The W980 supports Bluetooth with A2DP profile and USB v2.0 connectivity. It will be available in select markets from Q3 2008.

The other clamshell is the Z770i that’s designed for optimized web usage. It has a 2.2 inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and 256K colors. Obviously it's a 3G-enabled phone and provides HSDPA data speeds. It can be connected directly to a laptop (via USB cable) and used as a modem with the navigation key that doubles as a magnetic mouse pointer. The key changes the icon depending on its position on the web page (from text input to pointer or to link).

"The Z770i appeals to busy people who demand hassle-free email and high quality web access on the move. These people need to be in touch, on top of their email, but don’t necessarily want a smartphone or PDA,” explained Martin Winkler, Director Global Marketing and Head of Multimedia Web at Sony Ericsson.

Other features include Google Maps for Mobile that can give step-by-step directions on your screen, Exchange ActiveSync, and a web email system. It supports RSS feeds, and has a built-in weather forecast application. The talktime is claimed to be an impressive 8.5 hours. The handset will be available in Vogue Red, Graphite Black and Exquisite Gold in select markets from Q2 2008.