While we admired the design, ample mid-range features and delightful Walkman music player of the Sony Ericsson W705, the near-identical looking W715 adds an extra bit of must-have high-tech spec to zoom in on: A-GPS satellite location finding.

Available in the UK exclusively through Vodafone, the Sony Ericsson W715 can be thought of pretty much as a super-charged Sat Nav-packing version of the W705.

Its form sheet lists an enticing set of features for a non-smartphone device: Wi-Fi and HSPA 3G high-speed connectivity, the latest Walkman software (including Shake Control), with a 4GB Memory Stick Micro card packaged in-box, video calling, plus support for a variety of online services. A 3.2-megapixel camera with flash is also built in.

Design

Features aside, the W715 is an elegantly attractive sliderphone. It has many of the stylish design hallmarks of the W880i candybar classic, including a brushed aluminium front panel with angular edges, a rubber-feel back panel, and fine finishing touches. The silver fascia with its low-key gold trim and well-contoured circular control pad arrangement is a sharp-looker as well as a joy to operate.

A large-ish 2.4-inch, QVGA 262k-colour display is a bright and clear platform for showing off its multimedia wares, while the slider mechanism is solidly built but smooth-running. The one-piece surface of the numberpad is subtly bumped and marked to help fingers work the spacious keys accurately. It also has a nice, springy action for responsive texting and number punching.

As far as Walkman buttons are concerned, the central navigation D-pad, which is the hub of the menu control system, takes care of music business too, with music controls marked on it. A satellite icon on the D-pad also provides hotkey access to the various location-based services.

Another Walkman control button sits inconspicuously on top of the phone. This very tiny key fires up the music player, and when tunes are playing can also be utilised for working the Walkman's Shake Control gadgetry. Press and hold while shaking in certain directions and you can switch tracks back and forward, increase and lower volume, or shuffle track playback.

The button's positioning makes it a touch awkward to hold and shake, though it does work adequately. But, as you still need to press a button to use Shake Control, it's just as simple, and less fiddly, just to press the forward/rewind or volume buttons instead (unless you have the music player operating in the background, in which case you can save yourself one whole button press using shake operation).

The motion sensor accelerometer that underpins Shake Control is also used to auto-rotate screen orientation between portrait and landscape in certain media and browser functions, depending how the user is holding the phone.

Handling

Measuring 95(h) x 48(w) x 14.3(d) mm and weighing a reasonable 98g, it's a pocket-friendly size and feels good in-hand. The menu system is mostly typical mid-range Sony Ericsson, with the navigation pad being used to negotiate most elements of the grid-based main menu, sub menu lists and tabbed sets of options.

The controls are fairly conventional, with shortcuts onthe D–pad, softkeys under the screen, plus a familiar Sony Ericsson Activity Menu button propelling you into a handy menu of useful functions, mobile internet browser and info options. Here you can switch on or off Wi-Fi, activate Bluetooth, kick off pre-loaded apps, or operate the browser with just a quick bit of scroll and select action. Easy.

In the Vodafone-optimised version of the handset, Sony Ericsson's usual set-up has been given a mild makeover. A link to the Vodafone live! portal are one of on the softkey options on the standby screen, menus are appropriately themed, and options for Vodafone services are integrated into the control system and options – so you get Vodafone Music in the Walkman player options, a Vodafone live!-based browser home screen, Vodafone Messenger instant messaging, and so on.

Sat-nav software

Vodafone has also included its Find & Go route planning and search software among the Location Services folder, utilizing the A-GPS satellite software to good effect. In addition, as well as the fine Google Maps location spotting, mapping, search and route-planning software we've come to expect on mid-range Sony Ericssons, Find & Go offers route planning and search facilities for businesses, services, addresses and other points of interest, plus the option to upgrade to a Sat Nav solution with turn-by-turn voice instructions and onscreen 2D and 3D street map guidance. This upgrade is free for three months, after which it costs a £4.89 per month subscription.