CES 2008 has arrived, and better still, I’ve finally got an Internet connection! All I need now is a house, and my life will be sorted!

But onto more important things: CES 2008 and the truckload of mobile phone announcements that have been coming out of Glorious Las Vegas all day.

First up has to be the Sony Ericsson W760. Yes, it’s another Walkman phone, but this time, Sony Ericsson have done what they’ve previously been reluctant to do…they’ve added a built-in GPS unit to it and combined it with Google Maps, making the W760 a serious competitor to the Nokia N95 (albeit a year late!)

More details and pictures of the Sony Ericsson W760 after the jump.

Finally, Sony Ericsson are giving us something that we want – not just another variant of a popular product line, but a new mobile phone with great new features. OK, so those features have existed in its competitors’ phones for over a year, but the great thing about Sony Ericsson is that it makes phones whose features work really really well.

Just take a look at its K850i Cyber Shot camera phone, for example. Sure it’s yet another camera phone, but it just happens to be the best camera phone on the market today.

So will the W760i be the best GPS phone on the market? Well, by branding it a Walkman phone, Sony Ericsson are rather hedging their bets. If it doesn’t work out so good for users, they can always say “well it’s not meant to be a dedicated GPS phone, it’s actually a music phone that just happens to do GPS.”

You can expect it to be at least as good as the Nokia N95, though. We’ll bring a full review to you as soon as we can.

Sony Ericsson W760i features

So, other than an MP3 player and GPS, what else does the W760i offer? Well, here are just some of its features:

• GPS
• Google Maps
• 3.2 Megapixel camera
• Email
• Instant Messaging
• 3D games
• A & B gaming buttons
• Video streaming and recording
• Tri-band HSPDA
• Quad-band GSM
• FM Radio

In other words, everything you’d expect from a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone, with the addition of GPS and HSDPA. It’s still some way short of the Nokia N95, though, so Sony Ericsson are still lagging behind the front runners in the technology stakes, but it still seems like an impressive enough phone, while leaving the door open for the company to release an even more technologically-advanced phone later in the year.

It’s interesting that Sony Ericsson have actually shown off this phone at CES 2008. Last year, they, along with most of the other mobile phone manufacturers, were noticeably quiet, as they obviously knew that Steve Jobs was going to be launching the iPhone at the same time, and didn’t want to be overshadowed by it. Now that the iPhone’s old news, though, they’re coming out fighting!

Full details of the Sony Ericsson W760i

From the press release:

Sony Ericsson today announced the W760, the first truly global Walkman® phone with tri-band HSDPA, enabling broadband speed downloads of the latest music and content wherever in the world it is used. Offering music on your mobile and much more, the phone delivers built-in GPS to help you find that secret gig, distinctive Stereo Speakers for sharing your music and the latest hit games, including Need for Speed™ ProStreet.

The W760 is a Walkman® phone that you will want to take with you everywhere. This is where the added protection from the multipurpose Active Speaker MAS-100 comes in. Announced today, it acts as a good-looking protective case, a speaker to let you play your tunes even louder and an FM radio antenna.

“People today are always on the move so it’s important that they can stay in touch and have their entertainment at their fingertips,” said Ben Padley, Head of Music Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “The W760 fits perfectly into this lifestyle. It is bold, action-packed and takes the Walkman® phone beyond just music.”

W760 Walkman® phone – Enjoy and share – anywhere in the world

• Stay grounded – GPS and Wayfinder Navigator™ built-in, plus Google Maps™ for step-by-step directions to your destination
• Share your music inside and out
• Twin speakers with Stereo Widening plus an optional Active Speaker for outdoor use
• Match your mood – choose and match your music with SensMe™
• Score big – great gaming features, motion control and widescreen gameplay. Need for Speed™ ProStreet preloaded

Find your way with GPS

Looking for the location of a gig or a new club? Even a new city poses no challenge for the W760. The phone’s built-in GPS with Wayfinder Navigator™1) lets you search over 20 million points of interest around the globe and talks you to your destination every turn of the way. There’s also a GPS-supported fitness application called Tracker that can tell you how fast, for how long and how far you ran (or walked!).

Share your music with your friends

Become the focal point of a spontaneous party or gaming experience with the W760’s powerful built-in stereo speakers. If outdoors, use the phone with the Active Speaker MAS-100 – a revolutionary case that not only looks fantastic but also protects your Walkman® phone at the same time as being a built-in speaker and FM radio antenna for enjoying music with friends.

Set the mood with the right music

The W760 helps select the right music for the occasion. Store up to 950 tracks2) on your phone*, and use SensMe™ to pick the music and tracks that match your mood in an instant. Navigate through a playlist with Shake Control – shuffle and skip through tracks, or adjust the volume, with just a shake of the phone.

The TrackID™ functionality allows you to identify any song you are listening to on the FM Radio or at a club. And with TrackID™ Charts, you can also review the most searched tracks in your country or anywhere in the world.

The intuitive Media User Interface rotates depending on how you’re holding the phone, so you can see everything you need at a glance. Auto rotate works for photos, videos and games3) too. Just twist the phone to change the view.

Get a piece of the gaming action

With the W760, gaming is more fun than ever. The phone allows you to play in landscape mode, with sound from stereo speakers and use of dedicated gaming buttons like a gaming console. It is preloaded with the latest games, including Need for Speed™ ProStreet – where high speed and utter adrenaline
collide.

The W760 is built for fast-paced action with a large 2.2″ screen for great gameplay and Motion Sensor Gaming that allows you to play top games on your phone in 3D quality, using the motion of the phone to control the game.

Capture the moment

A quality 3.2 megapixel camera is built in to the phone. Just slide open the phone, press the camera button and capture the moment! Pictures can be stored on the 1GB Memory Stick or transferred to a PC using Media Manager.

The W760 is a UMTS/HSDPA 850/19002100 and GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 phone. The Sony Ericsson W760i release date will be Q2 2008.

The Active Speaker MAS-100 will be available in selected markets from Q2 2008.

* Store up to 900 tracks on W760 with 1GB Memory Stick included

Sony Ericsson W760i Specifications

Music

• Walkman® player
• Album art
• Shake control
• SensMe™
• Stereo speakers built-in
• Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
• Mega Bass™
• Music tones (MP3/AAC)
• PlayNow™
• TrackID™

Camera

• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Digital zoom, 2.5x
• BestPic™
• Photo fix
• Picture blogging
• Video blogging
• Video recording
• Auto rotate
• PictBridge printing

Communication

• Polyphonic ringtones
• Speakerphone
• Vibrating alert
• Video calling

Messaging

• Email
• Instant messaging
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Predictive text input
• Sound recorder
• Text messaging (SMS)

Design

• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper
• Wallpaper animation

Connectivity

• Bluetooth™ technology
• Modem
• Synchronization
• USB mass storage
• USB support

Entertainment

• 3D games including Need for Speed™ ProStreet
• Java
• Motion-sensitive gaming
• A & B gaming buttons
• FM radio with RDS
• Video streaming
• Video viewing

Internet

• RSS feeds
• Access NetFront™ Web browser
• Google Maps Mobile

Accessories In box

• Battery
• Charger
• USB cable
• 1GB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
• Stereo Portable Hands Free
• Sony Ericsson PC Suite
• Media Manager content transfer software

Facts and Figures

• Size: 103 x 48 x 15 mm
• Weight: 103 grams
• Colours: Rocky Silver, Fancy Red and Intense Black
• Screen: 262,144 color TFT
• Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
• Size: 2.2 inches
• Phone memory: Up to 40 MB
• Memory card support: Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
• Talk time GSM: Up to 9 hrs
• Standby time GSM: Up to 400 hrs
• Talk time UMTS: Up to 4 hrs
• Standby time UMTS: Up to 350 hrs
• Video call time: Up to 3 hrs
• Music listening time: Up to 20 hrs

Networks:

• UMTS/HSDPA 850/900/2100
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900