Sony Ericsson W810i
The phone 4 u? - Sony Ericsson W810i Mobile Phone

Product Type: Sony Ericsson mobile phones

Newest Review: ... do not know whose brainwave it was to mix the two sister companies of Sony Ericsson and Sony Walkman but they helped pioneer the p... more

amazon

The phone 4 u?
Sony Ericsson W810i

marble88

Member Name: marble88

Product:

Sony Ericsson W810i

Date: 25/01/12, updated on 28/01/12 (10 review reads)

Rating:

Advantages: Very reliable, great for music

Disadvantages: Outdated, small screen

Notable features:

MP3 player (same layout as other MP3 players with: Artists> Tracks> Playlists> for ease of searching)
2 Megapixel camera
Bluetooth
FM radio
Java
Voice recorder
Records/plays videos
Connects to PC with USB for easy file transfer

Music:

This is the phone's main selling point, and the reason why I bought it. Songs can be downloaded on the phone using Java or transferred from a PC. If you have music on a PC then I'd recommend connecting your phone to the USB port and transferring songs across because it's free. I haven't downloaded any songs over the internet so I don't know how much they cost with this device. The phone's internal memory is only 20MB, however mine came with a 512MB memory stick so I can store 100's of songs. I would enquire before you buy as to whether a memory stick is included as it is pretty vital if you want to use the phone as a Walkman, since 20MB of internal memory will only store maybe 10-20 songs. It does take upto a 4GB memory stick, so it can completely substitute an MP3 player if you want.

The sound quality is good even when playing through the phone's speaker, but I find it's a little crackly at the highest volume. I tend to plug earphones in and this sounds as good as any MP3 player. Also you can choose to leave the phone off while using it as a Walkman, which will save you battery.

Camera:

The camera quality is pretty good I would say. When you first view them on the phone they look ok, but when you then transfer them onto your PC they turn out very good. It would easily suffice if you didn't have a digital camera. What I like about this phone is how easy it is to transfer songs, videos, photos to your PC using the USB that's provided, I'm sure all new phones do this now but this was the first one I ever got that had that capability. It means that if you don't have a memory stick then you don't have to worry about running out of space if you use your phone more for taking photos and videos rather than music, as you can just transfer them across then delete them from your phone.

Java:

I find Java to be slow to load and therefore more of a let down rather than a good feature. Also due to the smallness of the screen everything is sort of squashed up, which in my view affects viewing pleasure, so I don't tend to go on it now. I have used Blackberry's and iphones and these phones are far superior for browsing the internet due to quickness of connection and larger screens. Therefore I would recommend buying a newer phone if you are interested in using the internet on it regularly.

Overview:

I've had this phone for 4 years and it has been very reliable for me as I have not had any problem with it in that time. When I want to use the Walkman feature I usually switch the phone off and I'm sure that has helped my battery as I still only charge it up every 3-4 days. Also it is a very well made phone. I've dropped it countless times and it still works just fine, so I would call it 'clumsy resistant' :)

It would be good for anyone who uses their phone to store music and take pictures/videos as it is pretty much an 'all in one' for this. However it wouldn't be good for people who enjoyed using their phone for games or the internet.

It is currently on Amazon for £79.99

Summary: If you're looking to buy both a phone and an MP3 player.. try this!

Processing/Quality:    Processing/Quality
Reliability:    Reliability
Ease of use:    Ease of use
Sound quality:    Sound quality
Variety of features:    Variety of features