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(More customer reviews)Lately, I have tried over 10+ phones to replace my 2 years old W910 as I wanted AT&T 3G support along with Wi-Fi on my phone. Initially, I wanted to move towards smartphones even though it was not clear to me what I am going to get additionally with a smartphone which the so called dumb-phones lack. Tried, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, Xperia X1, HTC Fuze, Nokia's N97, 5800, N85 and N79, and Sony Ericsson's (SE) C905a, W995a. I decided I am not yet ready for big phones. They are just too big a device for me to be carrying around and then worry about having chargers in car, office, etc as they all seem to run out of battery pretty fast. Maybe, someday soon I will be able to accept their big size but knowing what the tiny dumb phones do these days, I really don't find a value in carrying those bricks.
With Sony Ericsson featured phones like C905a, W995a, and now W705a I am able to connect to my office Exchange server to check emails, calendar, Google email, Wi-Fi, etc. So, I decided to get back to smaller candy-bar/slider form-factor phones.
I tried very hard to love Nokia N-series phones as they seem to have incredible number of options to mess around with the phone and I loved their multi-media capabilities. I lived with N79 for over 3-4 months and finally decided to give up on S60 for now. S60 interface is not sleek and clean like SE's. Moreover, I randomly lose all my SMS, email setups, etc on N79. Also, making calls is so much better implemented in SE phones that made me want to come back to them. SE Smart dialing is just as good as the one we find in Windows Mobile and Blackberries. Also, there are several little things so well thought out in SE phones that really started to matter to me a lot. For example, if you go to call logs you will be displayed All Calls by default. I can click OPEN on the call log entry and see additional numbers of that contact including e-mail them or SMS them.
So, once I decided to stay with SE phone I decided to get their flagship model W995a. I tried the phone for a month. I even reviewed the phone here on amazon. I liked everything about that phone except SE not coming up with smaller font option for a nice 2.6" screen and the battery cover issues I ran with both the phones I tried. I would probably would have kept the phone if it didn't have the battery cover issue as I would have figured my way to install smaller fonts on the phone with a simple google search and A2Uploader. So, I used Nokia N79 as a stop-gap for me until I found a better phone. Finally, bought W705a after seeing how well it felt in hand while playing with it at a Sony store.
W705a is almost very similar to W910 in styling but has better build quality and AT&T 3G, along with WiFi and much more internal memory and better performance. It didn't have the wobbly feel of C905 or the battery cover issue I had in W995a. Also, I find it sleeker in hand compared to W995a even though in dimensions it's only .7mm thinner. Also, I prefer rubber back to metal black as I don't have to worry about scratching my phone. It even has 2MB more internal memory compared to W995a (it doesn't mean much :-) ). With slider closed the phone feels solid like a gold biscuit. When it's slide out it kind of feels little wobbly on the lower half of the top piece. I guess that is a design decision SE made as I notice C905 feels solid while it's open and wobbly when closed. I prefer not to have phone that wobbles when closed as that's the state it will be mostly. Both the W995a's I owned felt very similar to W705 slider. The dialpad on W705 is pretty decent even though I can say the one on W995 is perfect while C905 is very good as well. Still, there is good amount of tactile feedback on key press on W705. So, it's really not an issue. Especially for me, after using N79.
Things not to expect in W705.
1. GPS
2. Great pictures. Especially, indoors. C905 is too good in this space.
Pros:
1. Smart dialing
2. Excellent Call-logs
3. Conversation style SMS/MMS
4. MMS interface with animation icons, smileys, audio recording, video recording, etc.
5. Wi-Fi
6. Style and build quality
7. Brower. Even better if you install Opera Mini Beta 5. It takes browsing to a whole new level even on 2.4" screen.
8. Support for Exchange Active Sync to connect to Exchange server for emails and calendar. Also, you can sync with Google to get contacts/calendar with Push enabled.
9. No battery cover wobble which is so common with SE phones lately.
10. Multi-tasking
11. Java Application as wallpapers. Wish someone makes an app that can get the phone active Standby screen to show emails, calendar entries, etc.
Cons:
1. No GPS
2. Single LED light. Use it as flash light.
3. No support for multiple inbox's. Need to make one active at a time. I need to confirm on this though.
4. When I used Exchange ActiveSync to get my contacts from Google account it wouldn't get pictures of contacts.
5. Slider could have been better in open position. Time will tell how well it will hold :-(
6. No 3.5mm audio jack.
I personally like W705 more than W995 for it's thin form factor and the rubbery(plastic actually)back cover of the phone. Also, I hated the back stand on W995. It had a terrible design. It doesn't snug in tightly when locked. The only thing I miss on my W705 is the 3.5mm audio jack. It's high time SE give up on this fast-port interface to their phones and go with standard inputs like mini-USB and 3.5mm audio input. If they do that they can save themselves by not including the headphones and fast-port cable with all their phones.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony Ericsson W705a Walkman Unlocked Phone with 3G, 3.2 MP, Stereo Bluetooth, and microSD (Silver)--US Version with Warranty
More than just a music phone, the Sony Ericsson W705a Walkman Phone will keep you easily connected to family and friends wherever you roam as well as keep you entertained with your favorite tunes and YouTube video. This slider style phone includes a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder that makes it easy to snap photos and video on the go and upload them via either 3G or Wi-Fi to your favorite social networking site for all to see.
The clear and intuitive Walkman digital audio player interface makes it easy to navigate your mobile music collection, and with the innovative Shake function you can simply flick your wrist to randomly select a new song from your library. The W705a comes with an 4 GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) card, which can store thousands of songs. Other features include Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, preloaded fitness application (with step counter), web browser with RSS feeds, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 9 hours of talk time on GSM networks (4 hours using 3G networks).
Unlocked Phone This unlocked cell phone can be used with a GSM network service provider and it provides quad-band connectivity (850/900/1800/1900 MHz). It does not come with a SIM card, and it requires that you provide a SIM card for usage with your selected service provider.
Additionally, this phone can be paired with 850/1900/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G networks. When paired with a compatible 3G network, you'll enjoy a high-speed connection offering a variety of feature-rich wireless services--from data connectivity to your office to multimedia streaming, and take advantage of simultaneous voice and data services. In areas in the U.S. not served by a 3G network or in foreign territories, you'll continue to receive data service via EDGE network (depending on network compatibility).
Phone Features The Sony Ericsson W705a slider phone features an auto-rotating 2.4-inch LCD screen (240 x 320 pixels, 262K color depth) that's complemented by integrated Walkman playback controls on the front of the face as well as standard send/end keys and soft navigation keys. The face smoothly slides up to reveal a standard alpha-numeric keypad. The phone has an internal 120 MB memory that's complemented by the included 8 GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) card, which you can swap out and replace with additional optional M2 media for even more expansion. The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contacts with support for multiple numbers per entry as well as caller groups and photo/ringer ID.
This Walkman phone offers a full-function digital audio player that's compatible with MP3 and AAC files, and it includes Sony Ericsson's innovative "shake to shuffle" feature. With Shake Control activated, just flick your wrist and a vibration lets you know that the track has been changed--a new song from your current playlist is randomly selected and automatically played. Playback settings also include an equalizer, playlists, stereo widening, and shuffle and loop modes. This Walkman phone also features a flight mode that lets you keep listening to tunes with the phone's network connectivity turned off.
With the TrackID service, you can identify any song that you can hear by just recording a snippet of sound using the microphone. After sending the file for recognition, you'll have the name, artist and album sent to your phone. It also includes a built-in FM radio with RDS, which displays the name of the currently playing song (when tuned to compatible radio stations).
Sony Ericsson's SensMe technology is used to incorporate mood analysis into the track details, which allows you to create playlists that suit your mood. Select SensMe in the Sony Media Manager software, and it will mood-analyze all MP3 files on the computer. When you transfer music from a CD or a PC to your phone using Media Manager, the tracks will automatically be analysed. Instead of selecting tracks for your next playlist, just select your mood.
Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. This phone also offers integrated Wi-Fi networking (802.11b/g), enabling seamless connectivity with wireless networks at work, at home, and on the roam via Wi-Fi hotspots at airports and coffee shops.
The built-in 3.2 megapixel camera captures stills and video--and playback of video or still pictures is only limited to the memory card size. Picture effects and custom screensavers, backgrounds, and themes can be setup to fit your personality. Select the Photo Fix function to improve pictures that you think can be better. In a one-click operation, brightness, light and contrast are adjusted to give you the best possible picture. The phone also provides support for PictBridge technology so you can print your photos without the need of a PC.
In addition to still photos, the phone can also capture video clips, with videos for messaging capped at 20 seconds and those meant for saving to your PC running for as long as you have available space.
The phone also ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3 and IMAP4 protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up-to-the-minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs. Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages.
Other features include:
Walk Mate step counter stays activated throughout the day. It keeps track of how many steps you've walked and how many steps you have left to reach your daily average health goal.
Watch your favorite YouTube clips and even upload captured video to your YouTube account.
DLNA support, allowing you to connect wirelessly to other electronic devices via Wi-Fi.
Exchange ActiveSync: Stay seamlessly synchronized with your Microsoft Exchange email server.
USB mass storage capabilities
Synchronise and share phone content with your PC
Organizer tools: Calendar, alarm clock, calculator, notes, stopwatch, tasks, timer
Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson W705a weighs 3.46 ounces and measures 3.74 x 1.87 x 0.56 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 10 hours of GSM talk time (4 hours using 3G networks), and up to 400 hours (16+ days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies, as well as 850/1900/2100 MHz 3G frequencies (UMTS/HSPA).
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