Three things worry me about reviewing ‘test’ units, first will they be exactly the same as the ones available to purchase, second will the operating system/performance change and third no user manual. Here at least I could download the manual. It is 10x5x1cm and weights just on 100grams. It has a black face surround with chrome effect edges the black has a brushed metal finish. The top of the phone has 3.5mm earbud socket.

In the past all the different Sony Ericsson handsets that I have looked at have been available in a choice of colours with rather descriptive names.  However there has to be an exception and that is the Sony Ericsson W205.  With this model the company has mimicked the Henry Ford Mantra.  You can have any colour you like as long as it is black – in this case Ambient Black thus retaining the descriptive policy. The W205 is a slider handset measuring 92 x 47 x 16.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women to experience.  Over 1 in 9 women are affected by breast cancer in their lifetime, with nearly 46,000 people being diagnised each year.  Luckily research has improved both the awareness of breast cancer and an understanding of effective treatment - so now more and more people who are affected will have a better chance of survival.  So it's always nice when we can do our bit to help support this fantastic cause.

Marketed as an entry-level 3G phone, the C903 is a slider phone with support for GSM/GPRS/EDGE-850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS/HSPA-900/2100 so that users can make use of roaming facility.  As well as being a slider phone in one direction, it also has sliding capability in another area but more on this particular feature a little later. The C903’s dimensions are 97 x 49 x 16mm with a weight of 96g.

Joining the ranks of Sony Ericsson slider phones is the W395 model.  Available in a choice of Blush Titanium or Dusky Grey, the handset is constructed of brushed aluminium with a  design and feature set aimed at appealing to the youth market (well that leaves me out of the equation).  The W395 has dimensions of 96 x 47 x 15mm (H x W x D) when closed with the height expanding to 127mm when open.  The handset weight is kept down to a reasonable 96g.

Of all the various Sony Ericsson handsets I have looked at, the S312 is perhaps the smallest unit yet.  Even down to the packaging and the folded User Guide, this product goes for the compact look.  Adopting the candy bar style, the S312 is available in a choice of Dawn Blue or the Honey Silver of the review unit. As mentioned, compact is the name of the game for this handset which measures 100 x 46 x 12.5mm (L x W x D).  The S312 weighs in at 80.1g.

The LG POP GD510 mobile phone measures 9.5x5x1.3cm and it weights 85grams. Perhaps the fun name came as the range of shades it has. The face is black apart from the single button area near the base that is grey, as are the sides with the exception of the top left corner that is a chrome colour, finally the back is a gun metal grey. The viewable area of the face is 6.5x4cm.

The old chocolate was a slider phone, 9.5cm closed and 13cm open, the width was 3.7cm and the thickness 1.4cm. The new chocolate is totally touchscreen 13x5x1cm. It weights 130grams against the old chocolate 86grams. Mine was black back and front with a silver band along both sides and bizarrely the top and bottom are both red.

Similar in many respects to the W705, the Sony Ericsson W715 is a slider handset that is available in either silver or black.  This handset, as its “W” designation indicates, is a member of the Walkman family.  I have been looking at a review unit that is of the silver variety with gold trimmings.  Weighing just 98g, this handset measures 95 x 48 x 14mm (H x W x D) when closed with the height increasing to 128mm once you have slid it open with a touch of your thumb.

Mobile phones have quickly developed into a sort of Frankenstein monster with their multi-functional make up.  Where ever you look, mobile phones are appearing with PIM software, email receiving and Internet browsing options plus photographic capabilities, music downloading and playing features, video watching and game playing activities.  Just by checking on your own mobile phone you can see how true this observation is.

The GW520 from LG measures 10.5x5x1.5cm, with keyboard out the middle figure the width increases to 8.5cm. It weights only 125grams. It has a black screen surround and sides the rest is silver grey. The touchscreen is 6x3.5cm. There are just three buttons below the touchscreen, these are ‘call’, ‘multi-tasking’ and ‘end’, the last mentioned is also the on/off button. It takes four seconds to switch it off and sixteen seconds to switch the unit on.

This is almost like a normal mobile phone except it has the larger buttons and an easy to read display. It has Bluetooth and MMS and even a built in FM radio. It is a flip phone and when closed the black back makes it look like ant other phone. However open it up and the white face with vibrant green piping around the edges make it stand out for the visually impaired. There are just 18 keys all well spaced apart. The bottom four rows are the normal 1-0 and * #.

I have my doubts about my abilities to be hard enough to review this ‘Shock & Splash’ resistant handset. At the launch it was encased in a large ice sculpture. Is that what they call ‘splash’? I am really worried as to what they call ‘Shock’ as I have visions of a sequence in an old ‘Gadget Show’ where they got a tank to go over ‘tough’ phones. This Panasonic DECT Phone (KX-TG6481ET) measures 16x5x3cm and weights 160grams.

The Sony Ericsson W705 is a slider phone that weighs 98g.  In its closed state the handset measures 95 x 48 x 14mm (H x W x D) with the height increasing to 128mm when slid open by a smooth movement under the control of your thumb.  The review unit has a brushed metallic silver fascia with gold trimmings and a black back.  A red version is available. As you would expect, the front of the closed handset is dominated by a 2.5-inch screen.

A recent addition to the Sony Ericsson product portfolio is the C510 mobile phone.  This is a candy bar style handset belong to the Cybershot range.  Predominately black in colour with a silver band running around the edges, the review unit measures 107 x 46 x 13mm (H x W x D) and weighs in at around 98g.  A silver version of this phone is available. Dominating the front of the handset is the 2.

How can a remote control with only seven buttons replace a remote control with forty or more buttons. In short it can’t but often the only controls required are volume up or down and channel up or down and this it can duplicate. Most remote control replacements are almost as complex as the ones they replace, normally they work by entering a code number to make them a near (or exact) replacement to the remote that came with the TV (or other device) they are replacing.

My recent mobile phone companion has been a review sample of the Sony Ericsson W302 handset.  Aimed more towards the budget end of the market, this mobile phone is of the candy bar variety.  Decked out in midnight black (I believe there is also a white model) with silver embellishments, this handset has a rather unassuming presence due mainly to its small size.  The phone measures 100 x 46 x 10.5mm (H x W x D) and weighs in at a fairly lightweight 78g.

Very few mobile phones are in fact simply mobile phones these days. Technological progress has lead to that phone in your pocket shrinking in size while vastly expanding functionality. High on the list of roles is that of media player - both for audio and more recently for video. The traditional Bluetooth headset, while suitable for making a phone call, is obviously not up to the task of stereo playback of your favourite music.