Since this model is sold under the "Walkman" line, I will address that first.If you don't care about the Walkman function, skip down to the other features.
Walkman features [+/-]:
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[+] Dedicated Walkman button Instantly open the music player, or minimize it to keep playing while you use other phone functions.
[+] Playlists The main thing missing from non-Walkman phones, you can create (and save) lists of selected songs instead of just playing everything in memory.
[+] Restarts at last playing point You can stop it, then start it up again at the same spot. Good for long files.
[+] Music-only power mode (for airplanes).
[-] Can't re-arrange the order of a playlist (only automatic sorting or original order are available).
[-] Sometimes it adds tracks back to your default playlist after you remove them. Easily avoided by creating a second playlist, but it just seems crummy.
[-] Equalizer is presets-only, CORRECTION: I am an idiot. It does have a manual mode for the equalizer.
[-] Can't play WMA songs, only MP3 or AAC. That blocks out a whole bunch of online stores.
Being sold as a Walkman phone, and lacking price-justifying hardware features like EDGE data speed and a higher resolution camera, the music functions really should be a little better. It's a lot better than a non-Walkman phone, but they are charging extra for it and it doesn't quite stand up to the function of a real MP3 player.
Other features [+/-]:
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[+] Slightly larger display (128x160, vs. older 128x128).
[+] Same good call quality as many other recent SonyEricsson models.
[+] Menu system is pretty good (call lists, settings, extra features) and easy to use.
[+] 156 Megabytes memory included (28 in phone + 128 memory card). That's a LOT of ring tones, games, videos, and pictures.
[+] Option for mass-storage drag-and-drop to transfer files.
[+] New "fast port" plug seems to transfer data faster than older phones.
[+] Data cable included (they sort of had to if they were selling it as a Walkman).
[+] Can use downloaded text message alerts (finally), not just included defaults.
[+] Java games/applications load a little faster than previous models.
[+] Phone can update its own operating software over-the-air.
[-] No camera button the Walkman button replaced it. It seems like a camera justifies instant access more than playing music.
[-] The "up" shortcut is permanently set to the camera, so you get 3 custom shortcuts instead of 4.
[-] No quick menu softkey Older models had a softkey for a quick menu in standby mode. The quick menu for silent mode and profiles is now accessed with the inconveniently-located power button. They added a press-and-hold silent mode on the # key, which I find less appealing but good enough.
[-] The ring tone speaker is slightly lower-volume than older models. It still sounds pretty good.
What then?
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The only thing I really dislike is the abilities of the Walkman feature for the price. The other "bad" things are actually minor in my opinion, and if you aren't comparing the w200 directly to another model you might not care or even notice. So if the price isn't turning you away, go for it.
If you're hesitating, here are some non-Walkman SonyEricsson alternatives you might like better:
Z310 A clamshell form. A lot cheaper. It has high speed EDGE Internet access, but doesn't have as much memory as the w200. (available here)
K510 The same size and shape as the w200. Adds a higher resolution camera and faster EDGE data speed. It sells for the same price or sometimes less, although they don't have it here.
EDIT:
I originally said the k510 had EDGE data, but all specs I find now say it is only GPRS. It does still have a better camera (1.3mp) and display (TFT), and is now available here for a fair price:
Sony Ericsson K510i Phone (Unlocked) w/ Digicell 90-Day Warranty
However, note that this is the k510i, which does not have 850MHz, while the w200a does.
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