AU KDDI Sony Ericsson W61S
AU KDDI today announced their 2008 Spring collection of mobile-phones and I’m all for the upcoming Sony Ericsson W61S. iPhone 3G, I don’t think I can wait any longer…
The main reason why I like Sony Ericsson is because their usability is better than other mobile-phone makers here in Japan. As for the W61S, it has to be the ’5.1mp sensor and the CyberShot brand’ that attracts me. Believe it or not, CyberShot branded mobile-phones in Japan is a pretty recent thing (maybe within last year?). I mean, no idea as to why, but Sony has never marketed their mobile-phones as CyberShot until sometime last year even tough they’ve always packed a lot into their phones. Back in the west, CyberShot is pretty much a standard thing with Sony Ericsson mobile-phones and has been for ages. But yeah, I have high hopes for better photo-quality with a Sony CyberShot mobile-phone VS a non Sony Cybeshot mobile-phone. Confused? Ah well…
Anyway, here are the W61S specifications:
- 5.11 megapixel cmos sensor
- uses the same ‘Exmor’ sensor technology from Sony’s pro ‘α Alpha’ series of DSLRs - Kaokime Lite (顔キメLite)
- auto adjusts brightness upon face detection for best possible facial tones - Smile Shutter Lite (スマイルシャッターLite)
- auto shutter release upon detecting a smile (huh?) - Auto focus
- Auto lens cover
- Anti-shake
- 3x optical zoom
- 3cm macro
- ISO 1600
- LED flash
- 2.8-inch LCD
- 480x800px wide-VGA resolution, 260,000 colours, ‘Reality MAX’ technology from Sony’s line of Bravia TVs - Other stuff: Micro-SD card slot (up to 2GB), TV-out, bluetooth, GPS, music, videos, EZ Navi, EZ FeliCa, etc., etc.
- Dimensions: W:50mm × H:114mm × D:22mm (thickest point: 24mm)
- Weight: 149g
- Release date: April 2008
Seems like the W61S doesn’t do ‘one-seg’ media (digital TV and radio) and there is no mention of internal memory size. But no big deal, I don’t ever watch digital TV or listen to radio on my Sony W44S and Media Skin, anyway. As for no internal memory, also no big loss since memory cards are dirt cheap now-a-days. Only concern: it’s a bit on the thick side. Ahhhhhhhh… also, Sony mobile-phones have the ‘loudest’ shutter release sound (I do mean ‘loud’)! And, as with all Japanese mobile-phones, you cannot adjust the volume of it nor turn it off (perv-prevention. Afterall, this is Japan).
I’m debating between the black and the white one. But I gotta see the thing for myself. Sony Ericsson Japan likes to add glittering particles into their paint. The last time I looked at a few white mobile-phones from Sony, they were glittering pink! And with blue and black ones, they were glittering purple! Oooooouch!
Available in 3 colours: Spectrum Pink, Shadow Black and Prism White (Oh how I love the naming of colours by the Japanese… not)
And before anyone outside of Japan asks, “NO! This phone (or very little for that matter) will not be available/work in your country whether it be Mumbai, US, UK, etc.”, therefore do not even ask (such comments will be ignored).
12 comments
Yeah, I decided on this as soon as I saw it earlier today. Looks like a great phone.
BTW, it does do 1seg.
Have S-E dropped Memory Stick for SD?!?! Years too late…
Possible not confused… ^^; I think I understand what you are saying. I have noticed a difference in quality between different Sony cameras. Maybe a difference in CCDs for Cybershot camera…
It does have nice specs…
erm does any recomend it as a good phone and does it have an mp3 or play music
Will we be gettin this phone in the uk..? if so when..? I Thinkit would be extremly popular..=D
Looks like a brick.
looks fat and ugly.
eeew its horrible.
why would you want that phone ?
its too chunky.
gadz min.
eeeew.
when does this phone come to the uk??? if so when and yerrpp it will be very popular
i really like this phone, its very groovy, when is it coming out in the UK?
THIS IS SO UNFAIR!!! after endless hours of searching i finally find the purfect mobile for me. and its only avalible in japan (sad face). cant sony ericsson bring it out in england ??????
does this phone have an mp3 like all the other sony ericssons?
I bought it last year in Japan but i got a colour different from those 3 above..it was light pink and i love it..I am outside Japan now and really missing my w61s it is such a great cell phone..
I own the W61S unfortunately. Although the brochure shows nice, crisp shots taken with the digital camera, the actual quality of W61S photos is very poor. Everything has blurred borders as though an artistic filter has been applied. The colours are also slightly washed out.
Actually taking photos is a hassle. The camera takes too long to start up, and announces itself with a loud jingle. Then it takes a long time displaying ‘focusing’ boxes that pop up all over the screen in a generally pointless manner, which often prevent you from operating the shutter. When you are finally allowed to take your photo, the recorded shutter noise is very loud and despite all the focusing boxes, a large percentage of pictures are blurred.
Forget taking spontaneous ‘shots’ of people, animals, or scenery. This camera can only take posed shots where the subject keeps still for a minute.
If you want a digital camera, ignore au’s dishonest advertising about Cyber-shot photo quality and get a proper digital camera.
The phone/camera is also very thick, and the exposed screen and speaker are a constant concern.
All in all, a horrible piece of kit.