Sony Ericsson Zylo W20
If you're into all things retro, you'll love Sony Ericsson's new Zylo W20 mobile phone and its ability to mimic an analog tape player, i.e. the original Sony Walkman. It's particularly fitting that it has come out around the same time Sony finally put the Walkman to rest after 30 years.
Anyone nostalgic for homemade mixed tapes - or not old enough to have ever seen one - can recreate the look with the Zylo's music player interface, which looks like the window of a cassette player. For vinyl record enthusiasts, there's also a display that looks like a turntable.
Music is definitely the focus of this phone, which features Sony's Walkman player, support for the high-definition FLAC media format, and the company's TrackID technology, which will identify music that you hear on the radio.
Another neat trick is that it lets you make a so-called 'music call', during which you can play music in the background while you talk on the phone, adding a soundtrack to your conversation.
These features aside, the Zylo W20 is pretty much like most phones on the market. It gives you GSM, 3G and high-speed HSDPA data connectivity, a 2.6-inch display, an integrated 3.15-megapixel digital camera for photos and videos, an Accelerometer sensor for motion-based games, and an FM radio. Obviously, the Zylo also tweets and can access Facebook and YouTube.
The Sony Ericsson Zylo W20 costs HK$1,180.
Pros: mimics a cassette player, lets you add soundtrack when you talk
Cons: average camera quality, only VGA-quality video
