SonyEricsson W960 versus Apple iPhone

All the recent iPhone hype has removed focus from other manufacturors plans. In most cases, it doesn't matter, because most phones are just thinner versions of the previous model.

But I'm really surprised there hasn't been more buzz about the Sony Ericsson W960, which will be released in Q4 - before the iPhone in its target markets (Europe and Asia).

Check the table below to compare features.

Feature	iPhone	W960
Touch Screen	Y	Y
Browser	Safari 3	Opera 9
Music Player	Y	Y
Video Player	Y	Y
Memory	8Gb	8Gb
Wifi	Y	Y
Connection	2.5G	3G
Camera	2 MPx	3.2 MPx
Keyboard	Virtual	Physical + handwriting recognition
Operator	AT&T	Any
Development	Ajax	Ajax + client

Note that the W960 phone will be available to all operators, developers have full access, it has a better camera, just as good a web browser, and it's 3G. Unfortunately, pricing information is not available, but it'll be interesting to see how it compares with the iPhone.

I'd also be very surprised if the W960 didn't come with MusicStation installed - which means you can subscribe to a massive library of songs, and download them directly for free - without even touching a PC!

At the very least it seems Steve Jobs was wrong about the iPhone being five years ahead of the industry ... it'll have a fight on its hands outside the US.