Sony Ericsson W510

Year: 2008
Prototype level: Cancelled
Codename: Twiggy

Overview

The Sony Ericsson W510, codenamed Twiggy, was an unreleased Walkman phone developed as a successor to the W350. Its most distinctive feature was a thin protective cover over the keypad, bringing back a design idea that had largely disappeared from Sony Ericsson’s range. Unlike a conventional flip phone, the cover was primarily there to protect the keypad rather than functioning as a second half of the handset. A large touch-sensitive Walkman control was integrated into the cover, giving the phone a particularly unusual appearance when closed.Contemporary reports also described a 3.2-megapixel camera and a QVGA display. 

Twiggy was photographed and leaked several times during 2008 and 2009, and at one point was expected to enter the market as the next generation of Sony Ericsson’s compact Walkman phones. The project nevertheless disappeared before reaching commercial release. By July 2009, photographs of what appeared to be finished hardware were circulating while reports were already suggesting that development had been cancelled. The surviving prototypes therefore capture a phone that had progressed well beyond the concept stage, but ultimately never became part of Sony Ericsson’s commercial Walkman lineup.