"prettiest" phone on the market, rugged, crystal clear loudspeaker, bluetooth, memory stick
Disadvantages:
500k limit on ringtones
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Bought this item back in December '07 and has since withstood bangs, drops, liquids and my 1 year old toddler.
The one thing that really got my attention on this phone was the speaker. Loud and crystal clear, the speaker will provide your toddler with beautiful classical music while you are nursing him, feeding him or giving him a bath. Its loud enough to be heard over a vacuum cleaner. It also works well on lower volumes while you put him to sleep.
In addition to this very fine feature is the phone's built in Bluetooth connectivity. From my Bluetooth enabled laptop, I can transmit mp3 files or download photos from its 2 megapixel camera from across the living room. Its a bit on the slow side, but Sony included a fix - a USB 2.0 cable.
All of the supplied cables by the way, attach to the side of the phone through a proprietary connector. So don't lose those cables or you'll pay dearly.
Finally, to top off the list of these very fine features is a memory stick slot on the top of the phone - ensuring a very adequate supply of storage for your music, photos and videos.
The one and only thing that bothers me is the 500k file size limitation for ringtones. So if you want to use a JLo mp3 as a ringtone, you must edit the file so that it's size does not exceed 500k. This involves one of two options: (a) cut out the last 4 minutes of the song or (b) resample the mp3 to a much lower quality.
The rest of the features on this phone is similar to the features found on other smartphones like notes, tasks, calendar, scheduler, reminder, calculator, address book, games, email and internet browser. The default browser on this phone is useless except for weather reports and stock quotes. I suggest downloading the Opera Mini browser and using that instead which allows you to view actual web pages in landscape mode.
Sony's products are unbeatable in both function and style and the w580i is simply another example of a smartphone designed the way all smartphones should be designed.
Did I mention that its reception is excellent?
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