Walkman/phone/pedomete r, suffers from Alzheimers, for good home (Sony Ericsson W580i)

Member Name: SophieRainbow

Product:	Sony Ericsson W580i
Date:	12/08/09 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very good walkman, good simple design, attractive, pedometer and other features

Disadvantages: Some problems with memory of files and sending messages

*Look*
I paid extra to purchase this phone in Orange/white because I think it looks cool. On all of the colour schemes (e.g. Urban grey/blue, Red/white) the contrast between the colours of the buttons and phone is very attractive. The screen is large in ratio to the size of the phone when closed which looks good.

*Touch*
The phone small, light and slim without being delicate and breakable like some more recent developments. This is beneficial to people like me who want a phone to have longevity and dont want it to break when you drop it. The keypad buttons are wide and short and though some have found them to crack because of this, I think if you are not too boisterous with them this should not happen as I have not had this problem. There is an easy volume button on the side, and the direction keys on the wheel button take you to the camera, contacts, messaging and your own pre-set location with one press.

*Menus*
The main menu is made up of simple, colourful logos which makes features easy to find. The selector begins in the centre with messages - the most accessed feature - which is helpful for speedy messaging.

*Music*
The walkman on this phone is very good - it is accessible by the single touch of the small walkman button (which can also be held to shuffle songs when the phone is shook). Music is accessible through albums, artists, tracks or playlists and continues to play while you fiddle with the menus. Playlists are reasonably easy to set up, though there is no option to 'select all' so it can be a bit arduous. Shuffle and repeat functions are available, and 5 equalizer settings provided (I find Mega Bass the best for pop/rock type music). The sound quality is good through headphones and the speaker, and the volume is greater than many other phones though does not compare to the iPod.

*Camera*
The phone has a 2mp camera with no flash or real zoom. It is possible to zoom but only in Panoramic mode which involves taking 3 overlapping pictures of the same scene. The quality is very reasonable in good light, but pictures tend to take on a slightly green hue, so the camera best for background pictures for the phone itself or quick picture messages rather important photos.

*Other features*
*Flight mode: allows you to use the phones' features on a plane without sending or receiving texts or calls
*PlayNow: allows you to record a snippet of some music (off the radio or telly, say) and find out what it is. This requires the internet and I have not used it for fear of the cost.
*Fitness features: step counter (useful and accurate), distance calculator (accuracy doubtful), and lap timer (confusing to use).
*Radio: only works with headphones; easy to use.
*Games: only 2 - Sims 2 (which is obviously quite dull and limited in comparsion to the brilliant PC game) and Lumines Block Challenge which is a reasonable tetris-style game.
*Memory: compatible with up to 8GB M2 memory card
*Battery life: I find the phone will play about 5 hours of music on medium-high volume, so it has a decent battery life. However, the indicator is not very accurate, as the first green half of the battery life seems to last much longer than the last half.

*Problems*
One major flaw of this phone is that sometimes (about 1 time in 10 turning the phone on) some of the more recently added files (pictures and music) tend to "disappear" from the walkman and folders. Sometimes playing my playlist of all my music overcomes this difficulty, or otherwise turning the phone off and on, or removing the battery. This can be frustrating.

Also, if a message is in the outbox (in the process of sending) and the signal turns red, the message often remains stuck in the outbox and will not either be cancelled or sent. In this case, moving the message to drafts and turning the phone off and on again usually works.

Though with a few flaws, this is a good all-round phone, good value for money and I think it will last well. It is entirely feasible to use it as a combination of MP3 player and phone as I do by buying a memory card.

Summary: A decent phone with some (almost loveable) flaws

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