- Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 97 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"I like it."
Pros: Walkman, radio, sound, applications
Cons: Slider, battery
Summary: Okay, I love this little phone! I ordered it after much thought & research, because I had a SE w300 which suffered from the WSOD (white screen of death)- crippling my phone. SO I was very hesitant about buying another Sony, but I love the Walkman feature because it sounds better than any other mp3 phone I've seen. I researched the w580i & decided to try it even with the poor battery & broken key reviews (not a big texter anyways). I bought the black w580i as an upgrade from AT&T and so far I do not regret my choice.
1)Some reviewers commented on the "cheap" casing- however that doesn't bother me & I actually prefer it because it doesn't show fingerprints & helps make the unit lightweight.
2) The outside screen is quite large (good thing), making it easy to get dirty, so I'll have to invest a few dollars into a screen protector.
3) The battery door is not the easiest to take off, but it can be done without breaking a nail. That doesn't really bother me because I only need to take it off to access the battery or sim card- which I don't do often anyway.
4) The design is attractive, and the "disco" lights & cute features just add to the appeal. However, those extra lights & such are what eat up battery life- which isn't too bad to begin with. Not the best battery life I've seen but also far from the worst. I set my flashing lights to only activate when in silent mode to help conserve battery. You can't really see the lights until your in a dark setting anyway.
5) The sound is fantastic & clear. And I love the loudness of it- that should not be a complaint! I thought my old SE had loud speakers- but the w580i has the w300 beat for sure. If you want a music phone- this is it.
6) I've only doodled woth the camera, which has the different modes I like such as panorama,frames, & burst. I wish there was a zoom function on the camera as there is on the video recorder. A direct camera button on the outside of the phone would have been nice.
7) The slide feature is odd for me, but I haven't had a slider phone before so I'm just not use to it. It's very stable, & not "rickety" like my SE flip was.
8) No signs of broken keys yet. Like I said I don't text much. I heard that if you press the buttons in the middle that reduces the risk of damage. They keyboard is kinda crowded, but I haven't had any problems with dialing.
9) Once I figured out how to add the music it wasn't a problem. It's not as easy to figure out as my SE w300 was (when I could see the screen). But I got it down now & don't have any probs playing my mp3 songs.
Overall, me likey likey...Updated
Another reviewer had stated that you "Have to the handsfree plugged in to use the walkman", but that is not correct. You can listen to thw Walkman through the speaker (mine is great). You do, however,need the hadnsfree to listen to the radio becuase the handsfree acts as an antenna.Updated
Okay, it's been a month & I'm still enjoying the phone (the black one). No broken keys, etc. The only 2 real cons I can think of are 1) the batteriy does not last for more than 1 day if you play games/music. 2)The call volume could go higher so when I'm in loud environments I don't have to strain to listen to the caller. Call volume is great thru my bluetooth though. Other than that- no probs. Looks & works just as well as when I took it out of the box. Even dropped it once without a prob. I have no prob putting music on the phone, & I don't have to manually choose next song on the walkman- it does have continous play. I love the vibrant colors on the screen. Flashing disco lights on sides are overrated though. Phone charges quickly. Slider function still stable. Phone has never shut down on me. I'll keep you posted.Updated
Well- my 3 & 6 keys have split right down the middle. The cracks are more like hairline fractures- but the good thing is the cracks do not inhibit use of the keys- at least for now. I still love the phone. I use it when I workout & it's just sooo convenient. I just started using the radio feature & the reception & sound is better than my clock/radio on my nightstand. I have dropped it once or twice with no problems. Overall, I'd buy this phone again cracks & all.
Sony Ericsson W580i - urban gray:
