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
A Great Upgrade
I just got my W580i (white, at&t) yesterday and I love it. I've been a loyal Sony Ericsson user for years now so this was the next step for me after the W810i, which I loved.
This has everything you would expect from a Sony Ericsson, and a few extras. I'll list pros and cons that affect me.
Pros:
-Upgraded screen, crisp and clear.
-Speakerphone for both MP3s and phone function is especially loud and clear.
-Call quality and signal are great.
-When in other screens, time appears by battery. So, no more going back to the main screen to see the time.
-Camera is great.
-Lights up really nice. A good looking phone in the light and dark.
Cons (very minor cons, that would never keep me from purchasing this phone):
-Keys feel a little fragile, but might not be a problem.
-Slider hinge feels a little fragile, but nothing I'm too worried about.
-Although the included Dandelion theme is really quite cool, at&t only includes that and the walkman theme on the phone.
That's all I can really think of right now. Like I said, I've been a Sony E. user for years now and if you ask me, they just keep setting the bar a little higher for other manufacturers. I love this phone.
Best MP3 player phone I have ever used!
I just picked up a grey W580i yesterday through Cellular One and I have to say that it is a great improvement over my old phone (V3m Razr about a year old).
For starters I can tell you that at least the Cellular One version of the 580 comes with full versions of both The Sims 2 and Lumines. It is unfortunate that it seems AT&T customers got the short end of the stick there.
I use my phone as a music player more than I probably use it as a phone, and the 580 is a dramatic improvement to my old Verizon V3m Razr. I push a single button and I am to the music player, and once I am playing my music I can go back to the phone, play games, send text messages and go online, something I couldn't do with my old Razr.
I've only had this phone a few days, but I love it. Finally a phone that not only has the option of playing MP3s, but is truly a viable MP3 player.
There are a few downsides to the phone though. The buttons are fairly small, but then again I'm used to the Razr which probably has some of the largest buttons of any modern cellular phone. The thing that really bothers me though is the design of the charge/hands free port. Not only is it a non standard connection for hands free devices, but the connection is one of the most horrible designs I have ever seen. the copper connections stick out of the male connection (the charger/ hands free connection) about 1/16". I can already tell these connections are going to get damaged, forcing me to dish out more money to replace them. Not the end of the world, but certainly an unnecessary cost.
The only phone I'd trade my w810i for
I'm an AT&T CSR and from the support side, this phone is dead reliable, just like the other w series phone except for the 600 which had a bad hinge and the problems resulting from that.
I've owned the w810i for a year and have tried the w580 for a week, this device is terrific and fixes all the annoyances of the w810i with the sole exception that the keyboard doesn't slide down far enough for comfortable access to the top row of keys if you have large fingers like me, and the back is incredibly hard to get off, just like on the w810. The trick for that is to put your thumbs on either side on the back, push down firmly, then slide, this releases BOTH latches.
Photo buffs, keep your w810's. The w580's camera has the same megapixels and is just as crisp (and still far better than anything else on the market aside from the iPhone), but the color isn't quite as accurate on the red side of the spectrum.
Awesome Phone!
I've been waiting a long time for this phone to come out on the AT&T network. I switched from a Samsung D809 to this and am very pleased about the decision I made. I like it alot and have not had any problems with it so far.
The only "con" that I have had at the moment with the phone is that there aren't many themes for the phone, and the battery life could be better. Overall tho, the phone is pretty great. I like the T9 text application and the radio option of the phone itself. IT also comes with headphone which drowned out all sound around you. Its AWESOME!
best phone ever
i just got this phone yesterday i bet u there is not one phone availabe better than this, its slim, sweet and has any feature u need
Not a bad phone
This phone is by far one of the slimmest, yet coolest phone out there.
I love the 2mp camera, the Walkman fitness app., the walkman music player, and one of my thoughts is this phone could be used by people who like to run alot. Instead of having a calculator, camera, music player, step counter, cell phone, contact keeper,they could just have it all in one.$$$$$$$ It could also maybe save you some $$$$, because its not all that expensive!!
Neither spectacular nor the phone from hell.
I've had this phone for a little over a year now and should warn you to keep in mind that I am extremely rough on my phones, dropping them a couple times a day because I'm extremely clumsy..
Cons:
Battery cover & memory card slot extremely difficult to get into or close once open
When you assign a ringtone to a contact, it doesn't function as their text tone as well (pro or con depending on how you prefer it)
Once it's been dropped a few times, the slide becomes extremely loose and the person you're on the phone with can hear every little movement your phone makes
You can't use the mp3s in your music player as a ringtone
The headphone jack is the same as the charger plug, meaning you have to use an adapter that comes with the phone to plug your headphones into, making for a long tangley mess of cord when using it as an mp3 player
The face buttons on the outside are extremely loose and I'm afraid they'll fall off any day now
I had to buy an extra memory card for music because it wouldn't hold hardly anything
You can set the light effects when somebody calls, but they don't actually work the way you set them to
Mine sometimes just randomly starts vibrating for about 10 seconds then stops
Screen is way too bright
Normally, when I get a new text message a little screen will pop up saying there's a new message and will take me straight to the message, but my phone sometimes throws a little fit and won't show this screen for a couple days
Not the best mp3 player, but it's a phone, not a music player
Not the most comfortable to hold while texting
Pros:
You can set your music from your music player as a text tone and it will only play a few seconds from that song so it doesn't go on forever annoying everybody
You can change the size of the time so it's easier to read
There's a step counter and "fitness program" free
Lots of different themes
Good camera for the most part
I LOVE the alarm on it
Most of the phone is a pro, I'm just tired of it so I'm really nitpicky.
if you are about to get this phone, dont do it!
i have had so many problems with this phone it is ridiculous! the keys crack, and it always randomly turns on! and whenever you drop it, it turns off and back on and starts spazing! and thereis a button on it that goes to the internet and i always press it by mistake when im texting and then i get lots of charges for using the internet! i only got this phone because i thought it looked cool but now i have learned my lesson, never buy a phone that is really crappy quality! i do NOT recommend this phone one bit!
:/ cheap but fun?
i bought this phone last Autumn and already have a dead key
the space key for text is now worthless and i need to push the over button twice in order to get a space. granted i am a very heavy texter but this is the fastest ive ever had buttons wear out. it was great when i first got it... but not worth the money i spent on it
