BARCELONA, Spain - Sony Ericsson has taken over the mobile music scene with its Walkman phone line-up. The 8.1-megapixel W995 is arriving soon to reinforce the ailing-company's leadership in this sector. However, the question remains of whether it is time to focus on multimedia in general, or to continue betting on single-feature phones.

Although the W995 belongs to the Walkman line, its features correspond to a high-end multimedia device: 8.1 megapixel camera, DLNA-certified WLAN, Bluetooth, HSDPA, a dual 3.5mm audio jack (two sets of headphones can be plugged in), 2.6" display, A-GPS, built-in YouTube application, and an 8GB m2 memory card in the package.

The phone also has an NAM version - W995a - which, together with the European version, will be launched from the second quarter of this year in three colours: Progressive Black, Cosmic Silver and Energetic Red. More colours might be launched during the course of the year.

The volume, quality, and modes of the phone's speaker have been provided due attention in order to attract users; two modes can be chosen while playing music: Clear Stereo, and Clear Bass.

The Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman comes with Media Go, a program which eases the interaction between phone and computer: it allows the user to transfer, play, organise, and sync multimedia and playlists; rip CDs, and download podcasts.

The device has a slider form factor, with a numerical keypad in the second platform, and at the back, a kickstand for multimedia purposes. The phone feels quite heavy, but when the keypad is open, the weight seems to be distributed evenly. It weighs 113g.

The slider feels solid, and in general, the W995 seems to be built with good quality materials.

On the front of the W995, there is a d-pad, with a central key that can also serve as a play/pause key; call keys, soft keys, activity key, and clear key. The keys are well spaced, but the navi-wheel is missing.

Above the 2.6" display with QVGA resolution (240x320 pixels), there is a camera, ear-speaker, and an ambience light sensor, to regulate display brightness.

The right side of the phone has a number of dedicated music and camera keys: previous, play, next, volume/zoom rocker, and camera shutter key. The keys are well raised and separated, but the design hasn't changed from the W910 - they look too much alike.

The left side of the W995 has a Sony Ericsson Fast Port - it is unfortunate that the manufacturer hasn't changed to a more "universal" USB connection - and what could be a Walkman button, that invokes the media player, although it would be useless as the media player could be invoked by the "play" key.

The stereo speakers - one of the highlights of this phone - are located on the top section of the phone, as well as the 3.5mm audio jack. This is one of the few parts of the phone which have an exquisite design: small details do make a difference.

The kickstand attaches itself to the top and back portions of the phone; it rests vertically and not horizontally, unlike those of Nokia phones.

The bottom part of the W995 is left untouched, except for a stylistic touch.

The back section of the phone contains the 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, face detection, and video recording. The kickstand also rests in this area.

The area is decorated by a Sony Ericsson and a Walkman logos.

The Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman is already making way to the US, having been approved by the Federal Communications Commission. It has launched on the O2 UK network earlier this month, and is pending release in the rest of the world.

The highlight of the Walkman phone line-up of this year will surely attract many of those who have owned a device belonging to this series, and will be a challenge to the new Nseries in the market. The W995, with a high-end camera blended with  the Walkman reputation, could be a positive catalyst in Sony Ericsson's financial results this year, and a delight to the owners - provided it is priced correctly.

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