Sony Ericsson W300 / Z530
Average Ratings
Great as a phone
I rarely use the phone for anything other than making phone calls and, once in a while, texting. This phone does both just great. I used to have an lg cu500, but it failed within two weeks of usage and I got this one instead. Can't be happier with my choice.
Pros:
-Excellent call quality, has not dropped a call yet
- Signal always strong (metro area)
- Volume in the ear piece very good
- can pick ascending ring as an option
- user friendly, no problem with the keypad, easy menus with an option to customize some of it
- very beautiful and fingerprint resistant, orange W symbol makes it look like a jewel in the sun, love the way keypad lits up in the dark
- good battery life and like that you can see exactly how much charge is left (in percents)
- phone book entry can hold 5 numbers, birthday, etc.
- loop antenna makes it easy to get the phone out of a handbag
- can record a phone call, which can be very handy
- fast for texting, very little lag, cu500 was way worse
Cons:
- top part a tiny bit wobbly
- would be better if there were designated send and end buttons, although I got used to not having them
- camera pretty bad, but i do not care
- no usb cable in the package
- feel like it is easy for this phone to slip out of hand and fall, and it feels like it might break easily, although I have dropped in several times and nothing happened. I have not dropped it really badly though, so I hope i won't, it might not withstand such thing.
- do not like the menu style - those huge icons that enlarge when highlighted
- Cingular junk throughout the menus
- lack of some features cu500 had - world clock, unit converter, I actually use those.
That's about it! I love this phone. Someone here wrote that there is no way to easily turn on vibrating alert. Not true. If you want your phone to vibrate when turned to silent - pick the right option for vibrating alert. It can always be on, can always be off and can be on only when turned to silent.
I found a way to download text messages to your PC
I've had my W300i on Cingular's network in Arizona now for about 6 months. It's been an extremelt reliable phone and I've never had any real issues with it.
PROS:
The phone's battery is just excellent, the talk time and standby time is best I've seen. I get a good 9 hours of talk time on it as long as I'm not using speaker phone or pressing buttons. The clarity, call quality and signal strength beat that of the RAZR, believe it or not. The signal is consistent and it's never shut down on me or dropped a call without cause. (such as passing by a 911 tower or going in a tunnel for more than a minute) Even in remote areas, the phone has worked exceptionally well. The Walkman and FM radio is awesome and the phone's 18 MB memory is great, plus it has the memory card slot that I've never used. You can sync it to the your PC easily. The menu is easy to navigate and you can access your main menu easily while on a call, even take a picture and send messages.
CONS:
The charger/PC cable, etc has really flimsy connections and you have to be careful with it. While on a call, the screen stays lit the whole time and it drains the battery, but I suppose having it lit is a good thing so you never have to push a button to see what's happening. Matter of preference I guess but I wish the option existed. The buttons are almost flush and you can mis-dial pretty easily but you get used to it as with anything else. Internet usage is quirky, mobile email can be frustrating since there is almost always a "communication error". Signal strength is absolutely affected by the way you hold your hand. If your fingers cover the antenna, it takes your signal down.
Overall it's an excellent phone and is very durable and I don't plan on replacing it. One REALLY cool thing is you can download your text messages to your computer if you download Float's Mobile Agent from http://fma.sourceforge.net/. It works only with Sony Ericsson phones & this makes your W300i an unbeatable phone.
Great Phone with High WAF (w300i)
My wife and I recently got a pair of w300i's and we are both enjoying this phone. Note that the difference between the w300 and the w300i is (based on the phonescoop listing for the w300):
* w300i has voice dialing
* w300i allows for ringer ID
* w300i has messaging templates
* w300i has flight mode
Basically, this phone is the w710 without a 2MP camera and a keylock switch.
That taken into account, this is a GREAT phone. Reception is decent, call quality is clear. Battery life is good. For those who want a PHONE, this is for you. Plus, it has a high WAF rating (Wife Acceptance Factor) so that is always a plus. :)
PROS
* clear calls
* good reception
* internal antenna (versus one that can break off)
* FM radio is clear and sound is good
* PC Sync software works well. Despite that my workplace uses Lotus Notes, no additional software was required.
* Bluetooth functionality
* Camera effects & night mode
* Decent suite of ringtones come with it (including one that actually sounds like a phone ringing!)
* Not a RAZR :)
CONS
* This may be a Cingular problem, but personal MP3s can not be used as ringtones. I've managed to get around that by converting MP3s to AMRs but sound quality drops with those mono sound files.
* No way to change the sound for the appointment/reminder bell
* Camera quality is poor... just barely acceptable for 640x480
* Maximum memory card size is 512MB
Note that, because this is Sony, the memory sticks are Sony-only and they seem to be in short supply right now (newegg or eBay even). Mine is supposedly shipping to the US from Hong Kong now after I cancelled an order from SonyStyle because they said they'd be back in stock Nov 17th when I called them Sep 15th!
I'll test out the Walkman when my M2 stick arrives and report back!
Great, very great
This phone is great. I could just go on and on about it...
PROS:
- VERY durable
- Nice orange-and-black scheme on external display and keypad
- Excellent and vivid 128 x 60 internal screen
- Walkman is very functional. For example, if I wanted to slip it in my pocket, I just close it and control it with the side buttons. The Walkman UI is great.
- Reception is terrific. The minimum bars I've received were around 4 bars (Rogers GSM)
- Pound key is also a 'silent mode' shortcut
- Almost any mobile Java application works on this phone (that's right, even games!)
- The 'file transfer' mode lets you connect your phone to any PC, as the phone is recognized as a drive in this mode, meaning you don't even need a driver or software. Just drag & drop.
- Bluetooth is great. I've only had one problem with another LG 240 (sending).
- AMAZING battery life. Knocks the socks out of other MP3/Camera phones.
CONS:
- For some reason, I'm not sure if this is just because I'm on Rogers, but you can't set an MP3 file as your ringtone. You can only set MIDI files as your ringtone.
- Camera is only 0.3 MP, but you can still go up to 1280 x 1024 max.
Overall, I love this phone. It has infrared, so it can sync with my Palm. It even recognizes the contacts exactly as they were on the Palm. The battery life was EXCELLENT. I use Bluetooth on a daily basis, and listen to at least 9-13 songs a day. I was amazed. Also, the Bluetooth software is very well made-up. Lastly, the one think I love about this phone is how easy navigating the Walkman is, whether the phone's open or closed, it's so easy! I just love it...
An amazing phone compared to those razrs..
My Sony Ericsson t637 recently broke so I went on a hunt for a new phone. I got a Razr V3i..the UI on Motorola is atroscious..and there was a micrphone defect on the v3i( I have been told there are many defects on the razr beware future buyers!)so after getting my refund I splurged on the w300. From looking at the pictures on the internet it looked pretty bulky but it was the cheapest walkman phone out there so I bought it. The phone arrived 2 days later and to my suprise I found out the phone is actually very compact and nice sized. Although its not as skinny as the razr it has a better call quality and better UI.
Heres some Pro's
-Great Speaker I can hear people out in noisy places!
-AMAZING Mp3 player. My ipod has broken down and I currently have 50 songs on my phone to hold me down. The quality is very good!
-Radio is very cool
-UI is a major plus. A peg higher than the Motorola UI.
-Play Pause Forward Backward can be accessed while the phone is closed which is very helpful.
-Has good reception with the loop antenna
-Screen is pretty nice sized but is very clear and colorful
-Battery Life is impeccable
________________________________
Some Cons
-Bad camera. Although I didn't buy for the camera, for those who want a very good camera and Mp3 player this phone isn't for you. For those who care less for the camera quality this is for you.
Overall this is a very cool purchase and I am highly satisfied with the phone. I can't even put the phone down for a second.
Great Little Phone
I have to say that I love this phone. I am coming off of a SE S710a. As much as I loved my old phone, I finally killed it.
To replace it I figured I'd try the walkman line of phones, since I love SE phones anyway.
I knew going in that the camera wouldn't be that great (it is only a VGA camera after all) but I figured that I'd wait until the CyberShot phones came out to get another nice camera phone.
The walkman feature and the FM radio work flawlessly. Signal is great (Cingular just South of Houston, TX). And all the other stuff that I know and love from my old SE phone is still there. The menus seem a little faster too.
The headset that came with it is great. The headphones are typical earbuds, but you can plug any headphones you want into the end of the handsfree cord.
The package didn't have a memory stick (M2) or USB cable in the box. They are available from www.sonystyle.com though as a bundle (1GB card, MS Duo adapter, USB cable & software) for about $55. Most other places don't have them.
Pros:
-Signal strength
-Walkman, radio
-came with the handsfree setup
-Great size
-solid construction
-Speakers are LOUD!!
Cons:
-No memory card or cable in box
-Some of the buttons are a little small for bigger fingers
All in all I can see myself jamming out with this phone for a long time.
I love my w300i!
I just got this phone a few days ago, but I can already tell that my search for the almost perfect cell phone has finally come to an end. (At least until it breaks, which I hope it never does!)
I haven't had a phone that I have liked this much since I had my little red Nokia 8260 back in the days of AT&T wireless. I just keep finding a ton to like about this phone and hardly anything not to like.
Pros:
Amazing battery life
Excellent sound (Walkman included)
Finally a SE flip Walkman phone
Solid build quality
Excellent ear piece
Amazing screen
Nice monochrome outside screen
Not a RAZR! LOL
Cons:
Phone is very light which makes it feel like it may not hold up over time. I will have to see on that one
Camera is sub-par, but I have a 5MP Canon to take pictures
Bluetooth was picky with my computer, but it works fine now.
Didn't come with a memory card for music.
I really can't think of anything else to say. It is an awesome phone, and I will keep it for a long time.
Purchased it from Radio Shack (only place locally that had it). Branded to Cingular. Which is fine with me. I love Cingular and am not switching anytime soon anyway.
I only gave it a 4.5 instead of a 5 because nothing is perfect. But this phone is damn close!
If you have any questions that you would like to ask me about this phone, send me a mail.
Regards,
Vic
Excellent Pick
For me this phone works out great. I searched the net for a couple of days trying to find a phone suitable for me. The w300 is one of the best Sony Ericsson has come out with. The battery life is outstanding. In phone mode you could probably go three or four days without charging using on and off. You can play mp3's for about 13 hours straight without the phone dieing. Camera can use a little work.
PRO's
-mp3 player
-built in radio
-blue tooth 2.0
-excellent battery life
-memory card slot (comes with 256mb card)
-not many side keys to be accidentily pressed
-sony ericsson's legendary loop antenna
-orange lit outter display (i think it adds to the overall look of the phone)
CON's
-Poor camera (what do u expect with VGA?)
-Phones default language is Japanese (don't worry it can be changed) lol
this is a phone to get
I´ve had the phone for about two weeks and it rocks! Bought it off ebay for $275
pros:
-MP3 player
-Quad band GSM
-Interchangabke faceplates
-Easy to use layout
-Memory Card Slot
-Great price
Cons:
-Doesn't have a mega pixel camera
(most modern day phones do)
-Doesn't have a color outer display
This phone is another sucess to the Walkman line from Sony Ericsson. it has everything you can expect from a Sony Ericsson Walkman.
W300i Cingular
I bought this phone at a Best Buy in Wilmington
Delaware. In the package I was sadly dissapointed with no memory card or USB Cable.
I paide full retail of 250.00, It was still well worth it for its quite loaded with features. I am coming from a Nokia 6061 and a Sammy X427m
PROS:
Walkman
Bluetooth
IR
Tons of Apps
comes with nice stereo earbuds w/ mic
Camera w/ video
Nice Screen, Very Vibrant
Nice built in PDA
EDGE highspeed quite fast in EDGE areas
20mb of Internal Usable memory makes for alot of room for pics and movies or about 3 Mp3's
Memory is expandable
CONS:
Did not come with memory card or USB cable
Keypad is slippery,I've become better with it but in the beggining I had quite a few misdials. They are overlapping circles not the best for you heavy txtr's
Camera is VGA so don't plan on shooting breath-taking Pictures
Memory Card is a new format which means good luck finding these around if your looking its a Memory Stick Micro or M2.
Overall it's an excellent phone but it has a few flaws but it makes up for them with advanced features and the Walkmen I'd say this is perfect for the mobile person or buisnes person that likes to put some tunes on and just chill.
PS, If you have any questions concerning the phone or have any questions feel free to email me or PM me
Have a nice Day!
