Sony Ericsson W580i review
Network and connections
An absolutely eye-catching phone, both in terms of functionality and price, offered by Sony Ericsson for the entertainment segment. Starting from the technical specifications, we can say that the W580i is a GSM Quadband, capable of working on the 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz frequencies. Although it doesn't support the UMTS network, it still guarantees good signal coverage. Internet browsing is ensured by the WAP/HTML browser, with data traffic management via GPRS, even though no internal modem is provided. To exchange data with other devices, you can use the USB 2.0 data cable, or wirelessly through Bluetooth connectivity.
Design and features
The exterior look of this phone is truly interesting. The design is high tech, with contrasting colors and glossy, shiny surfaces. The upper part integrates the display, a TFT with a resolution of 240x320 pixels, displaying up to 256 thousand colors. "Urban style" colors are available, in Boulevard Black, Urban Grey and Style White. The structure opens with a Slider movement, to reveal the standard alphanumeric keypad inside. The dimensions are in line with the main competitors: 14 mm thick for 94 grams of weight.
Main features
Navigating the menus is easy and intuitive, although you need to get a bit familiar with Sony Ericsson's menus. Clearly, the most common utilities are not missing, such as agenda for appointments, contacts list, alarm clock and calculator. The voice sector, on the other hand, offers an integrated hands-free with good sound quality, as well as a voice recorder and support for multi-conferencing. Support for T9 predictive text helps with composing SMS, multimedia messages and E-mails. Java support allows you to install compatible software, so you can customize your device.
Entertainment and multimedia
The W580i is created specifically to offer entertainment tools. In fact, it's part of the Walkman series, a guarantee of sound quality in music playback. Its player is indeed able to faithfully play music in various formats, complete with adjustments via equalizer. Everything can be managed through dedicated keys, easily identifiable on the upper part of the phone. The W580i is also equipped with a receiver for FM radio frequencies, so you can listen to your favorite stations, also relying on the RDS function. There's also a camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels, handy for taking pictures at any moment, thanks to the 4x Zoom and built-in Flash. The memory available for various data is only 12 MB, expandable with Memory Stick Micro cards. Portability is quite good, with a battery life of 370 hours in Stand-by.