Sony Ericsson C905
Phone Scoop Review
Jul 15, 2009 by Eric M. Zeman
Sony Ericsson's latest CyberShot phone is a fantastic camera. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson forgot to pay attention to some of the C905a's other features. Video tour added! read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
C905: All in One Device.....Best Sony Ericsson Yet
Overall, this is a Great Phone. I have previously owned the w810i & K850I (5MP Cam). I really like the feel of the phone and the camera is VERY easy to use. To have a real digital camera and full Video Capabilities on the go is wonderful. For those who have kids or live an active lifestyle this phone is for you.
I use the Mobile email all day, FM radio, MP3 Player & Camera. At night the kids watch MP4 Movies and or 3gp Converted TV Shows while they are in bed.
PROs-
- Excellent Camera
- Excellent Video Camera
- Mobile Email
- Non Touch (Sick of Touch Screens)
- Slider (Allows For Bigger Screen
- FM Radio
- Web browser is Nice
- Copy & Paste
- Watch Full Movies
- MP3 Player
CONs-
- No Full Keypad
- Batt Life (You'll Need a Car Charger)
- Takes M2 Memory Card (Sony)
Take your time with the Camera. It has so many options it is unbelievable. It is not hard to get used to, but takes some practice.
Again, do not underestimate the ability to shoot video up to 2 hours on your phone and have it in high quality. You can also post your videos to youtube or pictures on your blog straight from the phone.
Who needs a "smart" phone?
Afraid I have to put the C905a down for a while after about a year of daily use. Pancake keyboard is a fatal flaw. Sure hope I can refurbish it because I am a real fan of S/E phones and this one in particular is my favorite in spite of the keyboard. Not being able to reliably push the "4" or the "#" is bad news. I don't think this keyboard is as wretched as the W580 but it is not fun.
This is a big phone and does a lot. So much that I don't understand why anyone needs a "smart" phone at all. You can background several java apps but your battery will respond (negatively) if you do. I use the mail tool constantly as well as gmail applet, opera mini, google maps, Snaptu, MidpSSH, and more. The wifi is really great to have because I do not have sufficient signal indoors and my data apps work over wi-fi.
Reception seems perhaps a bit sub par (on AT&T) and you can forget this "talk and surf at same time" nonsense if you don't have solid 3G. As with other S/E phones there is no need for MMS or SMS. Simulate both "messaging" modes with the mail tool that even resizes pictures if you like; you can front-end your SMS with google voice so now only data service is needed and it operates on AT&T "dumb" phone data plan.
Good points:
* Most excellent Cyber shot camera
* De-branded enables GPS
* De-branded enables S/E mail tool
* De-branded enables Youtube
* De-branded enables Wi-fi
* Background java apps
* Walk man music player
You get the idea; de-brand if you want to see it shine! The AT&T pack is full of nonsense.
Bad points:
* Pitiful keyboard
* Slider form factor
* Less than stellar battery life
* Seems to need a boot every day or two.
AT&T's Software Cripples a good phone
I was so excited to get this phone and so disappointed from the first hour I used.
I've been using an unlocked S-E K850 and really loved its usability and utility. I got everything ready to transfer to the C905 be syncing with my PC and with the Sony Ericsson-provided web site.
Guess what: AT&T has removed the sync function. That was the first disappointment. After that, I found that they also disabled:
-Wi-Fi
-GPS access by Google Maps
-Full-time access to the internet by applications (I'm forced to OK "allow application access the Internet?" dozens of times each session)
-Alphabetizing the list of internet bookmarks (why even do that?)
-Can't customize softkeys
-Can't use MP3s for ringtones
-No "media" access button
-Won't permit installation of free games and apps from Sony Ericsson
Reception is terrible. Struggling to maintain 1 bar with the C905 while the K850 in the other hand has four bars. (I don't know if that's AT&T's fault or not)
I've tried to unlock the software but haven't been able to.
I'm a big fan of Sony Ericsson phones, and probably would be still if I hadn't gotten it from AT&T
PROs.
AMAZING camera. It really is like having a high-quality point-and-shoot camera in your pocket. 8.2 megapixel, great lens, plus the lens cover keeps thumbprints off your pictures.
Easy to send pictures and video via MMS
Brilliant screen you can read in the sunlight
Excellent battery life
Great T9 text interface
Good browser
Great media handling for video, pictures and music.
CONS
Crippled software, no sync
Poor reception
Big and heavy
Uses the M2 data card instead of SD so you can't just transfer from another phone.
For six years I have been waiting for a phone like this
As I photobug I've been waiting for a genuine "phone camera," a reliable phone that has a digital camera worthy of a separate point-and-shoot. Sony Ericsson (SE) has finally done it, and at a reasonable price. This camera has a flash and autofocus plus tons of other options.
I am a former SE w810i and w580i. This phone operates much the same way. My service is with AT&T in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Pros:
Great reception and service
8.1 megapixel camera
Takes great videos
Large screen
Good speed when browsing through menu
Wi-Fi
GPS
Good speaker phone volume
Text messages displayed as conversations if you want
USB cable included and computer software included
Cons:
Heavier and bulkier than w810i and w580i
Battery life (it's just okay)
Web browser awkward (to be expected with no keyboard)
Radio does not operate without headphones plugged in
Didn't come with headphones, you have to buy them separately (cheap on ebay though)
Can't use your own mp3 ringtones unless you debrand phone (see below)
Large dedicated AT&T button which can easily lead to accidentally web charges (can be removed with debranding)
Menu's first selection defaults to AT&T shop instead of text messages unless you debrand
Note: I recommend debranding aka flashing this phone, that is, removing the proprietary AT&T software on it. Just do a search. I did mine on davinciteam for about $10. Many of the locked features and games become unlocked like GPS.
Overall:
Even the minor annoyances this phone has if you don't debrand are overshadowed by its camera. If you are a photobug I recommend it!
The perfect family phone
Great little phone. I've owned the S710a and the W810, so I've been waiting for a quantum leap in SE technology and this is it. I'm a shutterbug with a large DSLR that I use constantly. I've looked at small cameras, and when this hit the shelf, I was first in line. I've owned it for a month and here's the low-down
Pros
- great camera. I've blown up an 8*10' and while I could start to make out pixelation, it would have looked fine on the wall to most people. Excellent color. You could shoot and print 5*7 all day. It actually has a flash, not a bright light, but a real flash. Excellent dusk pictures
- Long movies, You can take some seriously long movies if you have a large memory card.
- Compared to the W810, much quicker INTERNET. I download photos to Flickr directly. My extended family can check out what we're doing that day even though they're 1000 miles away.
- Mostly same key pad and commands as the W810. The center button has changed, but I've gotten used to it. Overall, I've always liked SE logic and programming
- Lots of stuff to download from SE. No, it's not an iphone, but it's better than I expected.
- decent INTERNET and email. It's no smartphone, but it's never stopped me from communicating when I had too.
- memory cards - I bought 3 -2 gb cards off ebay so I can take lots of pics. My W810 took a long time to read a 4 gb card, so I got more, smaller cards for this phone. So far, it's worked well. 8gb cards are available.
There are many more pros, but this is my main use/focus for this phone.
Cons
- small keypad. It's about the same size as the W810, but being flush it's a little harder to use. It's usable, just not great
- Maybe a little shorter battery life than the W810. 2-3 days between charges with limited use.
Overall, I decided to keep this phone within 24 hours of purchasing which is unusual for me. I constantly use the camera and am totally impressed by it. Reception is fine and similar to other phones.
nice phone but sharp edge
This phones seems like a good phone. I have usually bought Sony phones. I found that the edge of the phone near the bottom where the lens cover drops in very sharp. You go digging in your purse to find your phone you may get a 'razor/paper' type cut on your finger. Loved the zoom and flash on the camera. It does take up the battery juice. I wish they made an useable case with these slide type cameras. I had to order mine from the UK because the Krusell brand usually makes cases that can stay on the phone while in use. I had the z750a and I like that style but the keys would not work sometimes when having to press a certain key for quelling -when a business asks you to press a certain key for a certain department. I had 3 of these phones and this was the one thing that happened before the phone went out. Back to the C905a-good calling features, photos, and sound so far
Fanfreakintastic
Basically, I'm in love.
My old phone was a Sony w910 that I absolutely loved and any of the things I like about the 905 are the same I liked about the 910. It's the exact same operating system (best I've used in a phone) with more internal memory and a much nicer processor. It's not the quickest phone on the market, but still respectable.
When I picked up my 910, one thing that really impressed me was the camera quality (even at 2.0mp) and the new guy obviously has it beat. Most people are shocked when I tell them I took whatever photos with a cell phone. It doesn't just take quality images, it also has the imaging functionality to back it up such as macro focus, red eye, timed photo, lighting settings, digital zoom etc. Keep in mind I'm no photography buff by any means, but about the only thing a quality point and shoot like this could use is a manual mode to adjust resolution, flash settings, etc. For Durabily's sake: no optical zoom.
Pros: see above. Good sound quality (even music from the speaker, although tinny, sounds good and clear), great screen (almost 180 degree viewing), good button feed back, great OS, great camera, the list goes on....
Cons: Battery life can be a bit of a drag, but it's no more draining than a camera would be if you left it on all day and made phone calls. Size: I like phones like the slvr, razr, 910, etc that are very light with minimal impact. While the 905 is still a good amount shy of a point and shoot, my fingers actually get tired after holding it to my head for a while. Maybe I'm just a pansy. Corded phone calls: for those who don't have bluetooth, the corded headset (I had from my 910) picks up tons of feedback and sounds poor. The lens cover on the camera side is difficult to open, it could use a couple small ridges. The new media menu is decent, but could use some revamping. M2. Proprietary hardware just sucks.
I'm out of typing space, so long story short: buy this phone.
awesome phone!
I recently bought the sony ericsson c905 recently and i fell in love with it right off the bat. The phone has a good solid feel to it and has good travel and feedback with its keys. The screen is really bright and the colors stand out nicely, But the camera is by far the best i have used so far on a phone. I like the zoom functionality and the fact that you can zoom in and crop a picture without losing any quality,
Pros- Great camera
-Good travel and feedback with keys
-Phone feels solid even though its a slider
-bright screen
-nice music player
cons-
-there are a few sharp edges on the phone
-could use a full keyboard
-must use sony made earphones and m2 memory card
