Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sony Ericsson W518a Phone, Mineral Black (AT&T) Review

Sony Ericsson W518a Phone, Mineral Black (ATandT)
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There are only a very few things that I like about the phone, however there are just too many negatives that the few positives are negligible. I will tell you about the most annoying, but there are more.
You will absolutely miss calls with this phone. Why? There will be many times this phone will:
Just not ring. The person will hear it ring on their end and eventually be sent to voice mail.
Freeze, and the only way to get it back is to remove the battery.
Ring but will not respond to the answer button.
Upon touching it, direct the person's call to voice mail. Because if you use gesture control once, it never turns off, even if the display says so. Gesture Control is a feature that allows you to silence the phone when you wave your hand over it. Gesture control doesn't just silence rings, it hangs up on the person and sends them to voice mail. The bad thing about this feature is once you hear the ring and touch the phone, it will terminate the call. That's because it has an optical sensor, and the slightest change of light will activate it.
Let's say you don't want to hear from a particular caller. You should just be able to turn off the ring for that caller. Well, not with this phone. Instead, you have to make a longer list of all the people you'll accept ( which in most cases is your entire phone book ) in order to exclude maybe one or two. But that's not even the worst part. The phone has a software bug where creating the list is impossible. My son has the same phone and it happens with his also.
Now after 30 days, the phone is completely inoperative. It doesn't last an hour before freezing. Sometimes it will freeze when it rings, so answering is impossible. It will freeze during a conversation. It will freeze just sitting still on my desk whether I'm using my blue-tooth or not.
Last, but not least is AT&T's return policy. They want to replace the phone with a refurbished unit. I asked the rep, "what do you mean refurbished? It's not 30 days old, can I get a new phone?" She said that it's AT&T's policy to replace a customers malfunctioned phone with one that has been returned within 30 days. "In other words" I said, "You're taking my problem and sending me someone else's."
I told the rep that the internet is full of bad to horrible reviews of this particular model. I reminded her that I'm experiencing the exact same problems that I've read about, and if you send me a "refurbished unit" I'm most likely going to experience the same thing all over again. Is it possible that I can have another model phone?
Well, the answer was short and simple, "no."
I should mention that AT&T sent me this phone under thier so-called "Insurance Policy" after my original V3 was stolen. The AT&T insurance policy is a ripp-off, and should be avoided at all cost, and it will cost you big, but that's another review.Like I said, there are just too many things wrong with this phone, and unless you like frustration, stay away!


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Optimized for music playing with external music keys, stereo Bluetooth support, over-the-air music downloads from Napster Mobile and eMusic Mobile, and Shake Control, the Sony Ericsson W518a clamshell phone for AT&T is also packed with gaming, multimedia and social networking offerings that make this phone a thin little entertainment powerhouse. And it's easy to manage the music in your phone--one click starts the Walkman music player, enabling you to play, rewind, fast forward, equalize, shuffle tracks and create playlists ust like in any other digital music player.
This phone can quickly download video, music and more over AT&T's lightning quick HSPDA 3G network. This GPS-enabled phone can access the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions as well as its Video Share service, which enables you to send video of yourself to another compatible phone while making a voice call. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera/camcorder, memory expansion via Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards, built-in Facebook application, access to mobile email and instant messaging, and up to 4 hours of talk time.

AT&T ServicesThis AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA), which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.
With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) While using Video Share with family and friends is a fun way to communicate, it's also very useful for business. For example, a majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so.
You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.
With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal.
The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.
Phone Features The Sony Ericsson W518a is a unique, all-in-one device that enables you to stay connected and express yourself on the go. The thin clamshell W518a sports an internal 2.2-inch LCD screen with a 240 x 320-pixel resolution, and it's complemented by a 1.1-inch OLED screen (128 x 36 pixels) on the exterior of the clamshell that displays current time, incoming calls, currently playing music, signal strength, and battery life. The phone has a 100 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards up to 8 GB in size. The internal phonebook can store an almost unlimited amount of contacts, and it features multiple numbers per contact, support for caller groups, and picture/ringer ID capabilities.

Packed with social networking features, just open the phone to view Facebook friends' status updates and profile photos. And one click from the W518a's standby screen allows social butterflies to update their Facebook status. It's also easy to upload photos to your profile directly from the W518a's 3.2-megapixel camera.
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 features MegaBass enhancement for added depth of sound, a flight mode that lets you keep listening to tunes with the phone's network connectivity turned off, and the PlayNow feature that enables you to download new music tones directly to the phone.
The phone features a unique Gesture control that allows you to mute calls with a wave of your hands or snooze its alarm without having to interrupt what you're doing. When a call comes in, a simple movement of your hand back and forth over the phone mutes the ringtone. Similarly, sweep your hand over the phone when using it as your alarm clock to put it into snooze mode.
Additionally, the integrated accelerometer allows you to shake or tilt the W518a to simulate motion while playing video games. The intuitive Media User Interface rotates depending on how you're holding the phone, so you can see everything you need at a glance. Auto rotate works for photos, videos and games.
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. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable).
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 (or capped at 20 seconds for sending via MMS). You can choose from four resolution sizes and two quality settings for still photos, and it also features white balance and brightness adjustments, digital zoom (up to 3.2x), night mode, panorama, and multi-shot mode. With the phone's built-in GPS, images can be "geo-tagged" with the exact location where they were shot. Video clips can be shot at up to QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels) at 30 frames per second (fps).
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. 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.
Other features include:
Flight mode allows you to safely use the non-wireless functions of this phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight
Mobile Email and Instant Messenger for quick and easy access on the go (instant messaging via AOL, Windows Live, Yahoo!)
USB mass storage capabilities
Built-in FM radio
Access to YouTube streaming videos
Organizer tools: calendar, calculator, alarm clock, tasks, timer, notes, stopwatch
Personalize with downloadable games, graphic, ringtones and applications

Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson W518a weighs 3.35 ounces and measures 3.7 x 1.9 x 0.6 inches. Its 920 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 4 hours of talk time, 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 AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G frequencies (UMTS/HSDPA).

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