Sony Ericsson W580 / S500
Phone Scoop Review
Sep 18, 2007 by Eric Lin
The iPhone isn't the only new music phone on AT&T. The W580i packs a big sound into a tiny slider. With video tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
What in the world??
I am gonna be honest .......... Sony Ericsson can do way better man i mean like really are u serious I have seen better cells from NOKIA man .... big let down..
-spacebar FELL OFF
-memory suxs
-back button dont work afer 20 mins
-cheap lookin (idk why i bought it)
-battery died very very very often
-Last and certianely not least SCREEN FELL OFF IN 2 MONTHS
Don't buy a Sony product!
Pros : The phone plays Music
Cons : Everything else.
I bought 3 of these phones less than a year ago for myself and family. The buttons won't lock (no setting will lock them) they spontaneously go to the Internet. (LOTS of extra charges)
I have had to reload the software in each of them at least 3 times each (they tend to turn themselves off frequently). One died a few months ago, sent it in for repair (3 Weeks, no phone) Less than a week later, DEAD AGAIN! Sent it back in again for repair. Today, my phone crashed trying to reload the software as Sony Ericssonâs website recommended. Wonât power up, fails to reload software. Now I have 2 phones dead and out for repair. Contacted Sony to ask if they could send out a replacement phone right away since now 66% of my phones are dead and in the process of Sony Attempting to repair them. They politely said no. Basically informed me that they will continue to require me to send them in at my expense for repair attempts but on the bright side, each time I send them in, my warranty is extended for an additional 90 days! As a bonus, they promised to send me a replacement refurbished phone after every third repair. (Iâm guessing they refurbish them almost as well as they repair them)
On a bright note, I think the post office is going to offer a Sony Ericsson postage stamp for all the business they are getting having phones sent in for repair.
THIS PHONE SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I used to have this phone and when I first got it I thought it was awesome because it was my first cell phone but later I began to notice how stupid and cheap that this phone was. when you slide it down, overtime the bottom piece will fall off and it shows every mark and scratch no matter how small. Since it was my first phone, I didn't have internet and there is an internet shortcut button and when it would be in my pocket, it would turn itself on and go to the internet. I was in sixth grade when I had this phone and I would turn it off and when I would be in class it would turn itself on and make a really loud noise and I would get it taken away.
its great!..when it works
This phone is amazing! but only when it is working. i have this phone and it broke 5 times and had to be replaced 3 times. it is august and i've had it since november and now im sick of it and getting a new phone. to me, the "cool factor" isnt worth the trouble...and it is HORRIBLE for texting! the keys break very easily. but if your all about the "look" of your phone and you like talking to customer services, this is the phone for you! if 100 people saw me with my phone, i got 120 compliments! people think its the cutest thing! other than that, i wouldn't reccommend this phone.
Not Recommended!!!
I was so excited when I got this phone, I even bought it at the retail price...but now I wish I hadn't. I'm on my 3rd one. The first one's screen went blank and wouldn't turn on, though the phone still worked. The second phone had such terrible static that I couldn't hear the person on the other line. The quality of this phone is not acceptable.
PROS:
features (music, apps, etc.)
camera (very good quality camera)
looks (very stylish phone)
battery life (ya know)
CONS:
durability (i knew someone who dropped it once and that was the end)
button size (those with larger fingers may find the buttons difficult to push)
camera has no zoom in regular mode ('nuff said)
quality (3 phones in less than a year??? not good!)
buttons crack (also, my # key has stopped working all together)
Overall, not a very good choice.
happy at 1st...
The w580i is a good phone but it has sum problems
Pros: looks really nice
volume is good w/ increaing megabass
fitness things
2.0 megapixel camera
Cons
drop it and its gone
once u drop be very careful how hard u place it on tables and stuff (not kidding)
really small keybord so texting is hard
easily goes on internet
Its an okay phone , but i suggest only get this phone if u have been really careful w/ ur other ones
Unwanted Calls
I like the phone. In general a good phone but it had a deal breaker. I carry my phone in my pocket and over one week discovered the phone making a call 3 different times. Somehow it gets passed the 2 key press to unlock and then selects a speed dial number.
Really annoying when I'm working in a different time zone from home.
Pros:
Easy to use.
Lots of features
Cons:
Makes unwanted phone calls
Memory card is specialized and expensive
Fast access features all seem to be designed to get you to use things that cost more $$.
Reception varied wildly without moving... 4 bars and then 1 bar. Voice quality matched bar rating.
Don't be fooled by the look
I've had the Samsung 5080i in pink from ATT for 2 1/2 weeks and I hate it. I'm returning it and not sure what I'm replacing it with yet. I mainly don't like it b/c of the call quality. It picks up a lot of back ground noice on both ends of the call and it makes people sound distorted. Kind of like listening to someone from a distance.
Pro:
-It's pink and very cute and small
-Easy to text
-Slider is cool
Con:
-Keys don't lock when you finish a call. You have to open and lift the slider to relock the keys.
-Battery life IS NOT 9 hours. That must be a typo on phone scoop. I had to dim the lights (not a big deal), but shut off most of the functions to get 2 days of minimal calling and texting without having to re-charge. I'm used to charging once a week.
-The call quality sound is horrible. I didn't pay much attention to the other reviews on here about call quality, but they were right. I am saying over and over again - what? what? I can't hear you?
Don't buy this phone, listen to me and the other posters, if you do you'll be asking people to repeat themselves all the time.
Not a W810 upgrade
I was a proud and happy user of the 810 until my wife sent it through the washing machine. After looking around at different phones (and using an old Razr, which truly sucked) I finally decided to go with the 580 after much hemming and hawing. First the pros:
-Very sharp screen
-Smooth slider mechanism
-Updated album cover views
-No more beeping and popping on the FM radio
-Slim and lightweight
-Fitness software is neat (but not very useful)
Cons:
-The camera is terrible. Perhaps I'm just used to the great camera on the 810, but this is no better than the VGA camera on the Razr.
-No flash on camera. Say goodbye to capturing shots at night when you're out with friends.
-Walkman volume very low. The 810 had really nice sound and you could really tell the difference when using the equalizer. 580 feels soft and not much of a difference between normal and mega bass.
-The navigation of the Walkman software changed and is not as easy to navigate. Too many various button presses to get back to your music selection.
-The keys are tiny and not raised very high. Texting with this is not easy.
-EDGE only, no 3G. This was one reason I was holding back on the phone. Come on SE, why not put 3G in all phones?
Overall, this is a great phone for someone that wants a music player and phone in one. If you've never used a SE phone before or only had a an entry level SE phone, this is a great phone for you. However, if you are a devoted SE fan and had the W810 (perhaps one of the greatest, and often overlooked, phones ever), you will be disappointed by this model.
I'm ditching it as soon as ATT picked up the K850. Give me my camera feature back.
*It should be noted that this is an ATT model W580. However, after purchasing, I debranded the phone with Wotan. If you own an SE phone from ATT/Cingular, do yourself a favor and debrand it. They are locking you out of great and useful features and themes.
Fun Features, Bad Build
Let me start off by saying, this phone is both the best and worst phone i've ever had. It has to be the best music phone i've ever seen, yet it feels like (and maybe it is)something made in China.
Pros:
-GREAT music player, easily an iPod replacer
-Good battery life - i listen to music and radio 5 hours a day, talk for 1-2 and send roughly 100 messages. I still get at least 1 day of battery!
-Excellent screen - sharp, can be read outside
-Good signal/clear calls
-Many many many features, too many to list
-Comes with every accessory you could want
-Shake control is very handy
-Camera takes great pix
-Nice looking
-Fast menus(I used to unfortunatly own a moto)
-Customizable themes
-animated wallpapers
-photo editor, even has a ringtone and video editor, all very fun
-Radio sounds excellent
-Headphones are also of high quality in the sound department
-side keys actually work well. This is the first phone i've had with good side keys
-earpiece
-SIZE - the thing is tiny! its slim, narrow, short and practically weighs nothing!
-Volume on the loudspeaker is incredible, especially for such a small phone.
-fast internet, even can be put into landscape mode
-full web browser
-bluetooth is seamless
Now for the cons:
-feels rather cheap and fragile. My brother owns the exact same phone. two of his keys cracked on the same day. He had it for a month. (its a shame. even my crappy moto had better build quality)I've had mine for a little over a week, but i'm sure mine will too. :(
-has to turn off when plugged into the computer(not a big deal)
-slider is very convenient, yet very hard to open. It, like the keys, feels cheap
-menus once in a while have a little problem or two. But the phone has never had to reboot or has frozen(my Motorizr did constantly)
-Video camera takes pretty bad videos, but hey, its a cell phone!
its a shame to see such an advanced phone be so fragile. other than that, the w580i is friggin sweet!!!
Thanks.
