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In the box you get the two handsets themselves, a docking station for charging those two handsets, belt clips and battery packs.

The base charges the handsets directly when they are slotted in, but you also have the option of charging the battery packs separately, for example if you have more than one pack. You could also use four standard AAA batteries to power a handset, which is a nice fallback should the worst happen.

The handsets aren’t the smallest around, but they are suitably rugged. Measuring 54x 30 x 202 (including the aerial) they sit comfortably in the hand, with the rubber surround providing a secure grip in gloved or wet hands. The push-to-talk button on the left-hand side seems to fall naturally under the thumb or forefinger of whichever hand you are holding them in.

A small 1-inch LCD screen sits on the front, which is large enough to convey all the relevant information and lets you see which channel you are on, what options are selected and so on. Below this screen is a range of control buttons which are too small for operating with gloves, but it is most likely that you’d set these things up before setting out.

The handsets have 8 channels with 121 subcodes, which will have to be the same before setting out. But this is a sophisticated device, so should the need arise, you can set Dual Watch, which will cover two separate channels – perhaps as a control station for two opposing factions in a team game.

Channel setting is easy directly through the menu, or using the scan feature that will zip through and pause on transmitting channels. When you hit the right channel, a button press exits the scan leaving you connected (to someone at least).

The menus present a whole array of advanced features that many will never use, but they do make the T7 a highly versatile choice of walkie-talkie. You can set a room monitor mode (like a baby monitor), silent mode (with vibration alerting) as well as a timer.

There are also a range of group functions which do take some time to get used to, but will allow you to individually name each handset, which comes in handy as you can use the T7 for direct calling of other users in your group, as well as transmitting to the entire group. Caller ID is a real bonus when working in larger groups too.

You’ll also be able to opt for handsfree operation, meaning you don’t have to push the button to communicate, although you’ll need to buy an additional headset to make this possible. The VOX option can then be selected in the menus, as well as setting the sensitivity level, so it will respond to positive voice signals, but not laboured breathing for example.

The battery life is also really impressive, giving you about 18 hours from the battery pack, or 20 hours from AAA batteries, so it is not only flexible, but performs well too.

The great thing about the T7 though is the quality of voice transmission, which came over loud and clear and free from interference. Neat features like the roger beep that let you know the other person has finished transmitting make them simple to use and with plenty of volume, so if your handset is stuffed in a rucksack pocket, you’ll still be able to hear it.

The T7 are rated to 10km in perfect conditions, which of course will depend very much on terrain and so on. Built-up areas will reduce this significantly, so don’t think about ditching your mobile phone, but for group activities outdoors you should be within range.

And just to prove that miracles do happen, Sony Ericsson broke down and included a 3.5mm headset jack. We’re not sure what made the company change its mind, but we couldn’t care less.

The W995’s Walkman player offers the standard range of features, including album art, shake control, TrackID, and an adjustable bass level. You’ll also be able to save MP3 and AAC files as ring tones. The 8.1-megapixel camera is straight out of a Cyber-shot line. It has a 16x digital zoom, auto-focus, face detection, a flash, image stabilization, Sony’s PictBridge, a video recorder, and picture blogging.

Finishing out the feature set are stereo Bluetooth, assisted-GPS with support for Google Maps, Wi-Fi, messaging and e-mail, a voice recorder, an FM radio, phone-as-modem capability, USB mass storage, PC syncing, instant messaging, organizer applications, a speakerphone, gaming, and direct access to YouTube.

With so much under the hood, it’s imperative Sony Ericsson backs it all up with solid battery life and memory. Fortunately, the W995’s specs look promising. Its Memory Stick Micro slot will accommodate cards up to 8GB, the internal memory is 118MB, and Sony Ericsson promises that the W995’s battery life will be long enough to support two full-length films (9 hours talk time, 20 hours music time and 5 hours video time).

The W995 will be available in the second quarter of this year for an undisclosed price. The W955 will be quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and dual-band UMTS (900/2100), while the W995a will be quad-band GSM and tri-band UMTS (850/1900/2100). The latter is formatted for the North American market.

Key Features:

* Brushed metal body parts
* Quad-band GSM, dual-band HSDPA
* 2.6? 256K-color TFT display of QVGA resolution
* 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging, face detection
* WQVGA video recording at 30fps
* Built-in GPS with A-GPS functionality
* Wi-Fi with DLNA support
* Bluetooth (with A2DP) and USB v2.0
* Accelerometer sensor
* 118MB of internal memory and M2 memory expansion (8GB card included)
* Stereo speakers
* 3.5 mm audio jack
* Kickstand
* Walkman 4.0 music player with Shake control and SensMe
* FM radio with RDS
* Multi-tasking support
* Smart dialing
* Comfortable keypad, nice sliding mechanism

Main disadvantages:

* Video recording limited to WQVGA
* No lens protection
* No DivX/XviD video support (though it’s touted as a video-centric phone)
* Kickstand construction could’ve been more reliable
* No office document viewer

Of course, Wi-Fi and GPS are also in the mix to make the device that much more tempting. The Remote Play feature, initially developed for PSP, enables users to control and access media content on Playstation 3 from their phone.
Unfortunately, we don’t really find the Sony Ericsson Aino exterior breathtaking. It rather takes a somewhat conservative approach and an unassuming touch-only look, when it’s not opened.
Sony Ericsson Aino at a glance:

* General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 850/900/2100, GPRS/EDGE class 10, HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA, 2 Mbps
* Form factor: Touchscreen slider
* Dimensions: 104 x 50 x 15.5 mm, 134 g
* Display: 3-inch 16M color TFT display, 240 x 432 pixel resolution
* Memory: 55MB integrated memory, hot-swappable microSD card slot (up to 16GB)
* UI: Proprietary Flash-based UI
* Still camera: 8 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, smile detection, image stabilizer, smart contrast
* Video recording: VGA video recording at 30 fps
* Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, GPS receiver with A-GPS support
* Misc:Partial touchscreen functionality, accelerometer for screen auto rotate, FM radio with RDS, Remote play for Playstation 3
* Battery: 1000 mAh battery

The Sony Ericsson Aino is the first phone by Sony Ericsson to sport a widescreen and touchscreen display. Yes, the 3-inch screen is actually touch-enabled but only in the multimedia part of the menu and the camera interface.

The 8 megapixel camera is all there as well, so you can bet you get all the goodies that Sony Ericsson can offer in one single device.
The Sony Ericsson Aino

Well, the Sony Ericsson Aino is in our lab right now and it’s ready for some pre-release action. There are limitations of course – for instance, the camera is nowhere near proper working condition, but there’s plenty of time ahead of market release. We really hope to get a better working unit.

But let’s not keep you waiting any longer. Head on to the next page for our hands-on scoop of the Sony Ericsson Aino hardware and ergonomics.