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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 18 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"Small size, big impression. *Myths dispelled*"
Pros: Nature-inspired design (green and black version) - admirable & refreshing in a materialistic world, feels sturdy/well-built, colorful screen, clear/loud calls, Very Loud ringer, Keypad is not hard to press, though not the most sensitive.
Cons: Loud ringer...even the lowest setting would barely suffice as a "low" ring. Buttons are even tinier than I expected. Kind of hard to slide up since its a narrow and short phone, the front is slick, and the slide is feels resistant.
Summary: I cant give much of a review right now, since I just got the S500i in the mail just a few hours ago. But I wanted to correct some misinformation that you may have read at websites. Before purchasing, I referenced not only the phone's specs shown online but also expert reviews and now that I have the phone I see that some people really didnt do their homework...and I dont want you to pass up this phone due to that.
One complaint was that there is no "silent mode" on the camera. This is true, in a way. But as I suspected, if you set the phone itself to "silent mode" then when you take a pic, it is totally silent. Problem solved. One reviewer said that it would be a better phone if you could assign lights to people's names. Well, from what I've read, you can...although I havent attempted it yet. I like the light effects, but I dont see how assigning them to a name is that big of a deal. Yet another reviewer said that the d-pad was difficult because of the metal ring being immovable. It felt that way when I used it, but then I looked closer. Actually, the metal part Does move (I pressed down with my fingernail to verify). It is the plastic hill of the faceplate surrounding the d-pad which keeps the movement limited to the half and inch or so wide circle. Personally, I didnt love it, but it wasnt a "problem". Im thinking the raised edge is to help prevent you from accidentally pressing one of the nearby tiny "clear", "back", etc. keys by keeping your finger within the circle. And when outside of the circle, to keep you from accidentally clicking the d-pad. As long as there's logic, I usually dont complain. A reviewer said that there is a slight vibration when making a menu selection and that its mandatory...its not. All you have to do is go to Menu, Settings, Sounds & Alerts, Vibrating Alert : Off. Simple.
I dont like how the backlight turns off within about 30 seconds of you not using the phone. I read someone complain about that, saying Sony Ericsson should let us decide if we want to conserve the battery life. I agree...although the setting is understandable. I think that person was right in saying that it cant be changed...sucks. What clued me to that was the fact that when I changed the phone screen brightness, a message popped up saying "increasing brightness will shorten backlight time", seeming to signify that the backlight is automatic. I guess thats how it gets the 9 hours huh? lol About sliding the phone, when you slide it up halfway, the spring does the rest of the work, when you are sliding down, it does the same. But it seems that thats why there is "resistance" when pushing up (maybe this is pretty much all slider phones...this is my first slider)...the force that works to slide the phone down for you, is the same thing making it kind of hard to push it up...you see? If I start to push it up a tiny bit, then let go, it snaps back down quickly and firmly. Its not "hard to open" really...just something to get used to. I was thinking the side lights were only going to come on during calls/alerts, but it has stayed on as I've configured my phone and I havent found a setting to turn it off. Well, atleast the vibration wasnt a permanent setting. I like how the interface looks and responds quickly. I hate T9, so I was glad I could turn that off. Another correction: A reviewer said this phone wouldnt be good for texting because you have to wait about 3 seconds between letters. That kind of worried me. Well, he/she was wrong. The only time you have to wait is when you are going to select a letter that is on the same key as the previous letter (like if you're typing B..then A, you must wait 2 seconds because otherwise the phone will think you want to change the B to a C). Thats with every cell phone that I've used. And actually the S500i only makes you wait 2 seconds, my other phones were 3 or 4 seconds. But if you're spelling B...E, you can immediately click the E after the B, no waiting.
I think the key sizes are a bit ridiculous, and I dont like that there is only 1 port for charging, ear piece, data cable...so you can only do 1 at a time (unless you hunt down an adapter).
Oh, I read before buying the phone that some users' keypads cracked. But since I also read that it didnt stop the keys from working and that it is very easy to repair on your own, and only $14 for a new keypad online (including shipping), I figured I'd give the phone a shot (since that was the only real down side). My keypad looks like a darker/more intense green than I saw online in any pics, and the keys dont feel thin, but dense/thick...so maybe I have a better version of the keypad...if not oh well. I think being informed and having realistic expectations is the key to being satisfied with any purchase. Got this phone for $134...since it retails at like $300 and has tons of features/specs in line with what I wanted, I dont anticipate regret, but I'll let you know.
- 1 reply to this review
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i wonder if you have any new insights into this phone: i was about to order one, but the numberpad is apparently VERY small and my fingers are long. The new Sony w595 is even a bit small for me. Any ideas on this??
Where to buy
Sony Ericsson S500i - mysterious green (unlocked):
$150.00
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$150.00 | Yes |
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