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I usually keep a cell phone for longer than the two year contract period so I look for a phone with fun and techie features that will help make it easy to hang onto. My phone has suffered the depths of my overcrowded purse, been dropped onto the street, and gone sliding off of the dash onto the floor of my car, and does not yet look worse for the wear. I purchased my gray Sony Ericsson W580i directly from AT&T in 2007 and spent $[.]. Pros: - Compact size- Capabilities & features (music/radio, 2MP camera, video, internet, bluetooth, speakerphone, organization and fitness apps, accepts memory card, etc).- Long lasting talk-time battery lifeCons:- Proprietary accessories (headphone & power cable jacks, Micro M2 memory card)- Small keypad and buttons (including exterior hot keys for music and internet that I've easily activated by accident)- Continuous use of the Bluetooth zaps down the battery power- Short ring span before callers go to voicemail (I'm slow).I am surprised by the number of reviewers that have commented about issues with the durability of the phone. Overall, I am pleased with this purchase and would give this phone 4.5 stars. after rebates. At the time, this phone offered the most features for a compact phone at a reasonable price.
If you don't mind a slider-phone, then I recommend the w580i. It's stylish, and the display is excellent. I've had this phone for almost one year.PROS:-excellent, bright display-easy to navigate interface, also very attractive-sound quality-external speaker for mp3 player-good camera (2 mp)CONS:-keys split down the middle, though still functional (this is covered under the one year Manufacturer's Warranty) -slider design has it pitfalls (eg. accidentally hanging up on people)-MEdia Net shortcut button accidentally pressed when in pocket or in purse (I got charged every month for this)-only compatible with M2 cards, they are much more expensive compared to MicroSD cards Overall, it is a very good MP3 phone.
I think a well treated phone should last longer. The headphones use a phone specific jack, so if you loose them you can't just replace them with inexpensive ones.Overall this phone is too fragile and doesn't last long enough to make it worth it. It cracked again later and I've been using it with a black mark across the middle of the screen.My husband's screen went blank after 14 months and had to be replaced.Mine stopped working completely at 16 months, even after trying a software update at the Sony Ericsson site.My husband's has started making loud buzzing noise during calls, audible on both ends, that prevents use, and is being replaced at 17 months.
My husband and I both have one and they lasted less than a 18 months--out of warranty but too soon for us to qualify for new free phones from at&t. (took good pictures, easy to get them off the phone)Mp3 player. Phone works well, but is too fragile.
(expandable memory, easy to use)But:I had to replace the screen when it cracked just a few months in (replacements are available online for about $30). We enjoyed them while they worked. Liked:Calendar.
(easy to use and can be synced with Outlook)Camera.
the whole left side of the phone was broken for about a week at one point but then decided to start working again when i had finally scheduled an appointment to return it. the speaker is distorted sounding now but when i first got it, it sounded ok. i bought this phone as an alternative to the iphone because my wife is on att so i wanted to switch over. in all, not my best phone to date- the music stuff works ok, but not very fast. camera works ok outside, needs light. i wish i had waited because now i have to wait until may to switch phones. the buttons on the phone cracked from over use (texting) but they still work, they just look broken and crappy.
But I also had my keypad crack twice. My warranty has run out, so Sony Ericsson will not fix this. However, during that time I have experienced several quality issues.
Now, the left soft keys (select/back) have stopped working. Fortunately, there is a workaround by pushing hard on the area between the navigation keys and the LCD screen (where there is either the 'W' logo or the at&t logo), then the keys will work.The bottom line though is that this phone has some serious quality flaws and therefore I do not recommend purchasing this model anymore. Another search revealed this to also be a common flaw also.
I have had the w580i for 1 year, 2 months now and I have enjoyed using the phone and most of its features. I had to send in the phone twice for warranty repairs. I give it 2-stars since the phone is still a very nice slider design with excellent software/interface.
One of them (the ear speaker died) was probably isolated to my unit. The cracked keypad seems to be a common issue with this model, just search online about it.
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