Pros: OS and User Interface, Graphics Card, Walkman, Cybershot, Accelerometer, Audio Quality, Elegance, Screen
Cons: Plastic Construction, Battery Life
The Bottom Line: Buy it if you don't mind plastic construction or a short battery life (call time is great, standby is not). Other than those, it is simply a great phone.
siddyrocks's Full Review: Sony Ericsson w580i Cell Phone
Prior to this phone, I owned a Moto RAZR V3i, so expect my standards to be a bit higher than expected.
Ok, it seems that since I've never done a phone review, this is going to lack structure of any kind, and will sound rambling and run-on. The phone is very elegant, and sleek. Don't mind the specs stated, since the bottom of the phone is curved down, the thickness measurement is done from topmost to bottom-most, but in your pocket, nobody notices its there (at times, I've wondered whether I've lost it, then found it in my pocket). It has a gorgeous, bright screen with vivid colour, and a decent resolution for a phone, I don't even mind watching videos/movies on it. The controls are intuitive, and simplistic, with mostly logical keystrokes one can figure before touching it, and you've got to love the Walkman oriented controls on the outer face. Downsides of the button on the whole include the usage of plastic rocker keys (not a wise choice in my opinion) on the face, as well as a very oddly placed power button, that makes the phone seem its made for left-handed people. i have heard many complaints of breaking number keys, though I've had it for two weeks, and have seen absolutely no weakness in their give (though they are hardly on the quality calibre of the RAZR). I have full faith in their ability to stand up to regular use, even for avid texters. As far as the OS goes, it is extremely advanced for a mid-range phone. It supports multiple processes, and many open programs/windows simultaneously. The lovely Shortcut button compliments this nicely. The GUI is beautiful. It is fluid, and animations don't jitter, and has transparencies, layering and "virtual" off-screen windows. The issue is that it sucks battery at an insane rate. If left on 24/7, it might last 6 days, with conservative use (yes, it saves battery to turn it on and off every 5 minutes), it easily lasts 10-12 days, but with it being on, and with regular use, it could run out in 3 days. The real energy user is the OS itself, use its feature sparingly if you buy this phone. Again, you've got to love how the OS is so Walkman oriented. The Walkman button, as well as shake control work very well. In fact, the OS and user interface make the phone almost seem desktop-like. Sony went and threw in a few other interesting features: Cybershot and accelerometer. The Cybershot camera is not so well integrated into the OS, and seems like an afterthought, but comes well disguised hardware-wise, but pictures are of excellent quality, better than mostly all non-Sony phones. The accelerometer is nice, in that the phone has an integrated fitness program and step counter. one thing one might want with an accelerometer already installed would be Landscape/Portrait autorotation of the OS, but its not there. Truly the only downsides to the phone's functionality, and probably what makes it as cheap as it is is the fact that it is completely plastic construction, save the media buttons. It being a slider demands more reason for it to be full metal jacket, but it is plastic. The slider rail is indeed metal, and not to say its completely flimsy, but if you use the slider regularly, this should be a phone that'll last you 3 years tops, before the face pops off. The screen, however is surprisingly scratch resistant (its actually hard to scratch it), and colouration fading (unlike previous silver sony counterparts) is not present. Again, its a beautiful phone, just that its plastic scares me (again, I'm used to full metal), though this gives it a very light feel. if you don't mid the plastic, buy this phone now! But for those with a little more concern for durability, I want you to reconsider. It being a Walkman phone, it need speakers (audiophiles, you'll love this). With the headphones plugged in, the phone has a total of 4 speakers/drivers, each of exquisite quality (on the phone itself, the second speaker is actually under the media controls - fitting). The radio feature is nice, but it unfortunately requires the headphones to be plugged in (though it can play through the main speakers still), and of course, the Walkman software is practically perfect. For those who can't appreciate the passive (but still excellent - seriously, on a crowded school bus - we all know how noisy they are - I can keep the volume on minimum and clearly make out lyrics) noise canceling earbuds that Sony provides, the design is modular, so the antenna and microphone can detach from the earbuds, so you can put your own on.
Final Round-Up of Ideas
It is a beautiful, elegant phone, it is a head-turner. People will come up to you and ask you how much it cost you and be stunned when you say anything under $500 (which it is). Even the OS is great, with its multiple process support, and a dedicated graphics card, it is intuitive. The camera is very nice, though not the best out there (see Sony Ericsson K850i - 5MP Camera). There are really only 2 issues: Battery Life, and Plastic Construction. If you can deal with both of those, then this is an amazing phone, at an amazing price, with ALL the features out there (Camera, Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G (only if unbranded), Expandable Memory (came with 512MB), Walkman, Radio, 3D Graphics Engine, Accelerometer, Voice Commands/Dialing)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 29.99 Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
The Sony& Ericsson W580 unlocked cell phone is a quad-band GSM slider dedicated to music. It features a 262k color QVGA TFT display, a 2 megapixel cam...More at TeamStore
This product is NEW, with some unforgettable features. Such as can listen to music form it's own speakers, headset, hooks to a FM radio as well...Don'...More at eBay
Sony Ericsson W580i Walkman Boulevard Black (Unlocked): The W580i is a sleek, slim, streetstyle slider phone - and a portable music device too. Tempt...More at PhoneSale.com
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.