The Sony Cyber-shot W230 contains a variety of neat technologies in a sleek, brushed-aluminum package. Designed around a 12.1 megapixel (1/2.3") Super HAD CCD sensor, the W230 features a Carl Zeiss-designed 4x (5.35-21.4 mm) power zoom that covers the equivalent field-of-view of a 30 - 120 mm lens. Despite its compact size, the W230 can capture up to 100 continuous exposures at speeds up to 1.8fps thanks in part to its Sony BIONZ image processor. Along with vibrant still images, the W230 can also capture vivid video clips.

For easy composing, viewing and editing your still and video imagery, the Cyber-shot W230 features a 3" 230,400-dot Photo Clear LCD. For capturing stills, the W230 offers an immense selection of exposure and scene mode selections including an Easy Shooting Mode for those wishing to keep things nice and simple. There are also in-camera retouching tools available for enhancing your pictures post-capture.

Still images can be captured at 8 levels of JPEG compression and video with sound (mono) at 3 levels of image compression to best fit your needs. To further enhance your pictures, the Cyber-shot W230 has a PHOTOMUSIC feature, which combines music and a selection of visual effects into your still image slideshows and video clips.

For admiring your pictures on a grander scale, you can output images at sizes up to and exceeding 13x19", or view them in high-definition on a Sony BRAVIA or similarly compatible HDTV using the optional VMC-MHC2 HD output adapter cable.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W230 is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is good for about 350 images (or 175 minutes of video), and along with 15MB of internal memory records images onto Memory Stick PRO and Memory Stick DUO PRO (up to 16GB) media.