Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Ok, first I'm going to let you know what comes with this phone since it's near impossible to find out this information on Amazon.
'A Cingular branded phone (more on this later)
'Headphones
'Headphone adaptor
'Charger
'USB Cable
'128mb Card (no card adaptor, just the card)
The biggest problem with this phone is that is has the Cingular branding in it. Not just the logo on the outside (that doesn't bother me), but inside the phone Cingular has changed things. First of all, the themes cannot be as customized as an unbranded w810i. There are some really cool themes with amazing icons. Too bad Cingular has prevented them from working on this phone. There are also "protected" ringtones in this phone. There is no way to delete them. Why is this a big deal? Because they show up in the MP3 player. So if you place your phone on shuffle, one of these annoying ringtones will sooner or later pop up in your earphones. It took me forever to figure out how to get my own MP3's as ringtones. It turns out you have to trim the MP3 down to get it used as a ringtone. Kind of annoying and I could not find any documentation on this. There is also the proprietary internet button on the front. Accidentally bump it and you are going to get charged for data usage if you don't have an unlimited plan. I somehow disabled mine. Not sure how! As for the actual phone....
Call quality is fine. Not as great as the Nokia w/ Sprint I just got rid of, but it's decent.
Button size is fine. Raised nicely and easy to feel. The dedicated volume, music, and camera buttons on the sides are well placed and easy to use.
Camera - The video is not the greatest but the still camera is really quite amazing for a phone. Very clear pictures and a pretty decent capture and store time for a phone. The settings options take a bit to get used to, but they do offer quite an impressive array of photo options for a phone. This phone will actually take pictures you can feel comfortable printing out and framing.
MP3-With the exception of it including ringtones, the Walkman player is pretty good. Easy to navigate. Nice equalizer settings. And the option to keep it playing while using other functions of the phone is really great. It stops if you receive a call and picks right back up where you left off after the call is done, just like the Itunes phones. I've held off on getting an Ipod. With this phone I won't have to. Once my 4gb stick arrives, my phone will essentially be a Nano.
FM Radio-Nicely done. RDS (if station supports it) Quick tuning. Saves up to 20 presets. Easy to use. This is the biggest reason I never went Ipod. I enjoy the radio sometimes for NPR news, MN Public Radio's newest station "The Current", or to hear the tv stations at the gym. After having it on my Nokia, the radio was a must have for any new phone.
Organizer-I downloaded the free Sony PC Suite and my phone synced perfectly with Outlook. That saved a lot of reloading phone numbers into my phone.
The data connection is slow. I do not believe this is USB 2.0 (WHY NOT?). If you are transferring files to your card, I recommend a card reader for your computer. The transfer rate is incredibly faster than the data cable.
Overall, I'm very happy with the phone. It's a great size and is packed with features. I honestly believe it is the best MP3 phone out there right now. The Itunes phones have a slightly better music navigation, but too many of them have limits on song quantities and/or use mini or micro SD cards. Sony's memory sticks are more durable and offer 4gb at the same price of a 2gb SD.
The only improvements I plan on making to this phone is to purchase a screen protector (it's a HUGE screen) and attempt to flash the phone to remove the Cingular branding. Not only will it unlock the cool themes available, but maybe it will let me get rid of those annoying ringtones.
UPDATE: OCTOBER 28
I took a chance and used Davinci 16.9 to flash my phone. It was the most nerve wracking 6 minutes of my life. The result? Cingular branding is completly removed. The full themes are now available (WAY COOLER than before the flash.) I can adjust the power on display (now says SE rather than Cingular.) I was able to delete all but one of the annoying ringtones and I can now use FULL MP3's as ringtones. The Media Net key on the right is now a shortcut key too.
If you feel comfortable flashing your phone (costs twelve bucks to do it) I highly suggest doing it. The only thing I had to set up after flashing was to go to the SE website and have them send updated internet settings to my phone so that I can browse the net on it.
Flashing may void your warranty and is not for the faint of heart.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman - Cellular phone - GSM - bar - satin black - AT&T
The Sony Ericsson W800 was a big hit. Now, here comes the sequel, the W810i. All the same great Walkman features are here, along with robust phone functions, but now you get quad-band GSM, a larger and brighter display, and perhaps most importantly, support for EDGE high speed data. In addition to a powerful and easy-to-use Walkman music player, the W810i boasts a 2-megapixel auto-focus camera with flash, a Memory Stick Duo card slot, Bluetooth, and a speakerphone. Simply put, this baby's loaded.
Design The W810i follows a long tradition of beautifully designed and crafted phones from Sony Ericsson. The same candy-bar style that graced the W800 is here, as is the horizontally-oriented camera unit on the back of the phone, allowing you to hold the phone just as you would a camera when you're taking pictures. The W810i's screen sports 176 x 220 pixel resolution with support for 262,000 colors. Quick access buttons below the screen make it easy to control the phone's Walkman music features, while a five-way center button controls most of the phone's menus and features.
The W810i contains 20 MB of embedded memory, but as mentioned, a Memory Stick Duo slot is provided, and it also supports Pro Duo cards, giving you storage capacities of 2 GB and beyond. The phone ships with a 128 MB Memory Stick Duo card. Of course, there's also a port for the phone's included stereo headset. USB and infrared data ports are provided, as well, and the phone supports USB mass storage so you can simply plug the phone into your computer and drag and drop files into the phone's memory using the included Disc2Phone PC application. To top it all off, the W810i's camera flash can double as a flashlight.
Calling Features The W810i's phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received and dialed calls. The phone's voice activated dialing makes calling your contacts as easy as saying their names, while the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are included and you can also use MP3 and AAC music files as ringtones. A cool application called Music DJ even lets you mix your own ringtones. Meanwhile, picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers. Similarly, a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. More ringtones are available from AT&T's MEdia NET mobile web service. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's a vibrate ringer mode. And because the W810i is Bluetooth-enabled, you can use a variety of headsets and handsfree kits for total wireless freedom when you're on the go.
Messaging, Internet, and Tools If you're looking for a mobile productivity partner, the W810i has you covered. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, and sound via MMS messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging possibilities. The phone also ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. An included IM client supports AOL, Yahoo!, ICQ and MSN instant messaging services. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.
Getting on the Internet is easy with the W810i, as it supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the high speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a AT&T data plan and the phone's USB or Bluetooth data capabilities the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.
A number of handy software tools are bundled with the W810i, including a voice memo recorder, a to-do list, a calculator, a calendar and an alarm clock. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard, which lets you synchronize your PC-based calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with your W810i.
Imaging and Entertainment The W810i is a Walkman phone, and that means it offers a great mobile music experience. Load up your favorite songs in MP3 or AAC format on a memory card and listen to your heart's content. The user-friendly music player application also includes a "Music Mode" that shuts down the phone functions so you can listen on an airplane or anytime you don't want to accept calls. Meanwhile, Digital Mega Bass and stereo widening combine to enhance your listening experience. There's even an FM radio for catching the big game or your favorite stations. The radio also supports reception of digital song information from radio stations. To enjoy all your tunes, a stereo headset ships with the phone.
And don't forget about that powerful 2-megapixel camera, which features something most camera phones lack -- autofocus. Finally, you can get consistently great shots from any distance, shots that rival the quality of a dedicated digital camera. The camera also features an LED flash and a 4x digital zoom, and it can capture video, as well. Dedicated controls on the side of the unit will make you forget you're holding a phone in your hand.
And what about gaming? This phone is definitely geared for the mobile fun fanatic, as it supports widescreen and 3D games. The W810i comes preloaded with several games and more are downloadable from Sony Ericsson.
Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson W810i weighs 3.49 ounces and measures 3.94 x 1.81 x .77 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 8 hours of digital talk time, and up to 350 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.
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