Sony Ericcson’s new w350 is Sony’s latest Walkman+Mobile Phone. Aimed at the youth of the mobile phone market, the functionality and music and media playback make the phone a decent contender. However, the Sony Ericcson w350 seems to be a bit confused about its anatomy and style. Is it a media centric smartphone or is it a repulsive attempt at a retro flip style phone?
I am willing to opt for the latter. I don’t think I have seen a phone like this since the late 1990’s. The flippy plastic “spit guard” (my description) serves no technologic function, and is the product of poor taste and style. If the product is meant to give the youthful mobile owners a taste of retro phones, the w350 has certainly accomplished that goal. The taste of retro will ultimately lead the mobile owner to go out in search of something much less stomach churning. The poke at retro phone design is completely unecessary and is of no relevance to current popular youth mobile culture. I don’t like to make garauntees without the research to back it up, but I am willing to bet a hefty sum that they would sell many more handsets if they would have marketed it just as an enhanced media Walkman+Mobile phone – but wait, I guess there is no need to track sales as the w350 has become the latest free-with-contract phone from AT&T.
I conclude with a small piece of advice for the whole of the mobile phone industry. Please, leave retro styles to shoe, apparel, and automobile companies. The only way that mobile phones should ever be moving is forward.
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I’m with ya there, man. This phone really doesn’t do it for me. Can you imagine what the little flippy part at the bottom looks like after call? Covered. Especially for those with braces. Girls sometimes look cute with braces. Tweens.
Joe’s last blog post..BLK JKS – “Lakeside”
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