Sony Ericsson Walkman W595 music phone

Versatile slider that hits the right notes

Browsing is fairly rapid and functional too, thanks to HSDPA - there's no Wi-Fi. The W595 uses the NetFront web browser, which displays mobile optimised Smart-Fit views of pages or full rendering, plus pan and zoom options for navigating pages.

The control system is typical Sony Ericsson mid-tier affair

The W595 isn’t geared up for GPS satellite navigation, but it does have Google Maps software pre-loaded for network-based location finding. Using automatic cell mast triangulation, you can find maps with your approximate position marked to within several hundred metres, and you can search for places of interest, locations, services and addresses – and find step-by-step directions from A to B. It’s not satnav, but it’s a very useful extra application to have in-phone.

Another web-based service likely to find favour is YouTube, tucked away in the phone’s video menu. Again, it’s one of those apps which could rack up data bills if you don’t have an inclusive deal. You can also upload your own content directly from the phone.

Video capture quality is averagely ordinary for a phone, however, recording at maximum 320 x 240 resolution, so don’t expect prize-winning footage from the phone’s camera.

Stills imaging is reasonable, with the 3.2-megapixel camera capable of popping off some pleasant shots. It’s not the most versatile of Sony Ericsson’s shooters, though, with the absence of autofocus and flash restricting the precision of shot composition and the quality of low-light snapping.