Sunday - May 08, 2005
The iPod killer just might be a phone.
Many are called, but few can store gigabytes and
bluetooth playlists.
If you're saving your bucks for a music player-and-phone, here are the contenders with the most buzz:
Sony Ericsson's W800 (the Walkman phone) and Nokia's N91. The W800 will be released by the 3rd quarter, the N91 closer to the end of the year.
It looks like the N91 is going full-tilt into iPod surrogate mode. Just note the price difference between the N91 and the now-even-cheaper mini iPod will be huge. All of the N series phones will land squarely in the over-P30,000 category, especially at launch phase. The W800 might be priced a little higher than its cousin, the K750, which is predicted to be at around 30,000 pesos, as well. Certainly if you get these phones through your friendly neighborhood plan provider they will be more affordable; but gadget hos like yours truly will most likely just go unfed and unclothed in the name of shiny new technology.
From the looks of these specs, the W800 seems to be more of the all-rounder, and will appeal to people who are looking to replace both their digital camera and music player. The N91, while also having a 2 megapixel camera, doesn't come with a photolight or autofocus (such photo-buff features being given over to the N90 and its Carl Zeiss optics). Someone at the mobileburn forum posted more details. Many many more mouthwatering details.
Phones are co-opting other digitoy categories like mad. In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash you encounter gargoyles, people who wear computers, oftentimes unfashionably, and scavenge the Metaverse for information. Mobility is the new black.
If you're saving your bucks for a music player-and-phone, here are the contenders with the most buzz:
Sony Ericsson's W800 (the Walkman phone) and Nokia's N91. The W800 will be released by the 3rd quarter, the N91 closer to the end of the year.
It looks like the N91 is going full-tilt into iPod surrogate mode. Just note the price difference between the N91 and the now-even-cheaper mini iPod will be huge. All of the N series phones will land squarely in the over-P30,000 category, especially at launch phase. The W800 might be priced a little higher than its cousin, the K750, which is predicted to be at around 30,000 pesos, as well. Certainly if you get these phones through your friendly neighborhood plan provider they will be more affordable; but gadget hos like yours truly will most likely just go unfed and unclothed in the name of shiny new technology.
From the looks of these specs, the W800 seems to be more of the all-rounder, and will appeal to people who are looking to replace both their digital camera and music player. The N91, while also having a 2 megapixel camera, doesn't come with a photolight or autofocus (such photo-buff features being given over to the N90 and its Carl Zeiss optics). Someone at the mobileburn forum posted more details. Many many more mouthwatering details.
Phones are co-opting other digitoy categories like mad. In Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash you encounter gargoyles, people who wear computers, oftentimes unfashionably, and scavenge the Metaverse for information. Mobility is the new black.