Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was up for a two year contract renewal for ATT and for months now I have wanted an iPhone but I've waited for the 3G, or at least the second generation, iPhone... my trusty SE s710a was still good but I figured if I have to sign a new 2yr with the iPhone anyway, why not get a free phone out of it?
After looking at the lackluster selection of phones by ATT, I was captured by the style of the w580i. So I figured I would give it a try... and I am not regretting it a bit!
This phone is much smaller than the monster I had before, and unlike older SE phones, the UI is very snappy. If you read most online reviews, they speak the truth. The keypad is small but after a little while you get used to it. T9 is much improved over my previous phone.
The camera is OK, nothing special. But it's better quality then the iPhone!
Call quality is superb. Feels comfortable in your hand during prolonged periods of time. I have had many friends say that the sound quality on their end is much improved over my previous s710a. The loudspeaker on this can get LOUD but it's good that way!
The Walkman function on here is killer! I works sort of like an iPhone's in how smoth it functions. There's a dedicated WKM button, anytime you need to go to the app, click it and you jump to the WKM program, click it again and you go right back to where you were!
The sliding function has been solid so far, only time will tell if it lasts. The keys have been reported to crack easily- one reason I'm not discarding my s710a yet... we'll see. But that's not a reason to not buy this phone. I love it to death right now and it will deffinately hold me over till I get a 2nd or 3rd gen iPhone!
BTW the SanDisk 4GB MemoryStick Micro M2 card works perfectly fine with this phone. And since the phones memory is only about 14MB, it's DEFFINTELY worth the extra cost to get one.
UPDATE 02/2008: After using this phone daily for several months now, I am still loving it. The walkman is somewhat solid, and file transfers from the phone and a iMac is smooth. Pictures look good, especially in daylight- night shots are very unimpressive.
I hate the the ATT Internet button on the front. Both shortcut buttons are not re-assignable, so every time i click that button it tries to connect to the internet, which i disabled... very annoying. But nothing to keep me from recommending this phone for the price you can get it with,
Constuction has been holding up. The plastic is clicking a little, but I think it will be OK. The screen is amazingly crack/scratch resistant.
Phone call quality isnt as stellar as I first said, but much improved over the s710. I think real flip phones still have better phone quality. Real flip phones also have a much worse UI, which for a texter is more important.
4GB Flash card works without a hitch. Still my phone of choice to hold me over till iPhone 2.0, sometime in Summer/Fall 2008
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Sony Ericsson W580i Black Phone (AT&T)Sony Ericsson shakes things up with its new quad-band W580i Walkman phone, introducing an innovative "shake to shuffle" feature that randomly chooses another song stored on your phone with just a flick of the wrist. This thin, slider-style phone also features a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, fast Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR connectivity with music streaming, Memory Stick Micro expansion, Web browser for viewing full Internet sites, email access, an FM radio with RDS, and EDGE data support.
AT&T Service The W580i operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"), with availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. This third-generation, high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.
The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. It also features AT&T Mobile Music, which provides access to the Napster subscription music service in addition to Music ID song-recognition software, music videos and The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T's Internet, video, and music services.)
Phone Features The W580i Walkman phone offers a full-function digital audio player that's compatible with MP3 and AAC files. The front of this slider phone includes dedicated music control buttons, and it includes Sony Ericsson's innovative "shake to shuffle" feature. With Shake control activated, press and hold the Walkman key and flick your wrist. A vibration lets you know that the track has been changed--a new song from your current playlist is randomly selected and automatically played.
With the TrackID service, you can identify any song that you can hear by just recording a snippet of sound using the microphone. After sending the file for recognition, you'll have the name, artist and album sent to your phone. Other Walkman features include MegaBass enhancement for added depth of sound, a flight mode that lets you keep listening to tunes with the phone's network connectivity turned off, and Disc2Phone software for easy transfer of song files between phone and PC. It also includes a built-in FM radio with RDS, which displays the name of the currently playing song (when tuned to compatible radio stations).
This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.
The built-in 2.0 megapixel camera captures stills and video--and playback of video or still pictures is only limited to the memory card size. Picture effects and custom screensavers, backgrounds, and themes can be setup to fit your personality. It provides support for PictBridge technology so you can print your photos without the need of a PC (either using USB or Bluetooth). And the W580i makes it easy to send snapped photos directly to a blog or an online photo, complete with text. This phone is also compatible with RTSP/3GPP streaming video playback
You can even take your favorite tracks to the track with the W580i, which will count your steps, your calories and monitor your running speed/distance/time with the integrated motion sensor. Your workout results are stored in your phone so you can monitor your progress.
The phone also ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3 and IMAP4 protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up-to-the-minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs. Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages.
The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard. This means the phone can be used with the included Sony Ericsson Sync Station software, which lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks on your PC with the phone.
Other features include:
2-inch LCD with a 240 x 320-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors
Up to 1000 contact entries, each with five number fields
Built-in pedometer and fitness applications
Picture blogging with Google Blogger
Mobile email and messaging via AOL/AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN
Java support for online and offline 3D games (preloaded games include PacMan and Ms. PacMan)
USB 2.0 wired connectivity with mass storage capability
PIM functions including calendar, tasks, notes, alarm, calculator, stopwatch, and timer
T9 text entry technology
72-chord polyphonic ringtones and MP3 ringtones
Digital audio file formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+
Vital Statistics The W580i weighs 3.32 ounces and measures 3.9 x 1.85 x 0.55 inches. Its 930 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 9 hours of talk time, and up to 370 hours of digital standby time; the phone will also play for up to 20 hours when in Music Mode. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.
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