Why bog down your pockets carrying both a cell phone and an MP3 player when new handsets from LG and Sony Ericsson can pull double duty? I looked at shipping versions of the LG Fusic and the Sony Ericsson W810, the latter being the newest in Sony Ericsson's Walkman line of phones. Both devices could fill in for your music player in a pinch, but neither will replace a top-of-the-line player like the iPod just yet. Of the two, I preferred the W810's music features.
As phones, both devices work well, offering adequate voice quality. The clamshell-style Fusic is more comfortable to hold next to your ear, while the boxy candy bar-style W810 can be awkward to hold during long conversations. The W810's impressive talk-time battery life was 10 hours, the maximum we measure in our lab tests. The Fusic lasted only 4 hours, 47 minutes--poor performance compared with that of standard cell phones we've recently tested.
Both handsets pack plenty of extras: The W810 offers a 2-megapixel camera, a Memory Stick Duo slot, and an FM radio. The Fusic includes a 1.3-megapixel camera and a microSD Card slot. Instead of a radio, it has an FM transmitter for broadcasting your music over FM frequencies to, for example, your car radio. In my tests, though, the transmitter did not work consistently.
Sony: Better for Music
Music and multimedia features are what set these phones apart. Both store MP3 and AAC music files on the included memory card for playback on the phone, and both automatically pause and resume songs when you receive a call. Beyond that, the W810 comes closer to replicating a stand-alone MP3 player, while the Fusic seems more of an accessory to Sprint's music store.
The W810's impressive Walkman roots are on display. When you start up the device, you choose between launching just the Walkman functions or all of the phone's features. (You can also turn off the Fusic's phone features for use where cell phones are not permitted, but you have to scroll through the menus first.)
The W810 comes with its own easy-to-use PC software for transferring songs onto the included 512MB Memory Stick Duo card. Unfortunately, it does not let you create playlists on your PC--you can do that only on the phone. My chief complaint about the W810 concerns its navigation controls, although I adjusted to them quickly: The small handset holds so many features that all of the controls--including those for the music player--are tiny. The device also has no room for dedicated send and end phone buttons.
When closed, the pearly-white Fusic resembles an iPod, but the similarities end there. (It bundles swappable colored face plates, too.) The Fusic comes with no music transfer software; you're on your own to drag your audio collection to the included 64MB microSD Card.
The Fusic is closely tied into the multimedia services of Sprint's Power Vision network. Directly from the handset, you can access Sprint TV, sign up for a subscription to Sirius Satellite radio, and purchase over-the-air song downloads from Sprint's music store. The store is easy to use, but at $2.50 per song (with one copy of the tune for your phone and another for your PC) it's pricey. You can't mix songs you purchase with your own songs in one playlist, either.
Despite its lack of over-the-air music downloads, the W810 is the more impressive device overall. It won't come cheap, however. An unlocked handset costs $499; we tested a Cingular unit, which the carrier is expected to offer later this summer for less (pricing has not yet been determined.) The Fusic, available now, costs $330 with a two-year service agreement from Sprint--its price advantage melts, though, once you start buying music at Sprint's expensive music store.
Though designed to look like an iPod, the Fusic can't replicate the music features of Apple's units.
Street: $330 (with a two-year contract from Sprint)
us.lge.com
Sony draws on its Walkman roots to create this impressive cell phone and music player hybrid device.
List: $499 (unlocked handset)
Current prices (if available)
"First Look: Battle of the Music Phones" Comments