Sony Ericsson W580i White Cell Phone
In-Depth Review My wife has used a Samsung T809 ever since we signed a service contract a year and a half ago and she got one for free (after rebate, of course). She really liked the phone's sleek slider profile, big, bold display, and overall cool factor. Mind you, she's not a geek in any sense of the word - she's got style and so did her T809.
But the T809 broke a few months ago and she'd been using one of my extras until the Sony Ericsson w580i arrived at our place. Lots and lots of handsets pass through our home office, and this is the first one that actually made her say, "Hey, lemme see that!" when I unboxed it and showed it to her. It's a slider, it's sleek, and it's got this very hip grey with blue trim thing going on.
Lucky for us Sony Ericsson makes an unlocked version of the w580i as well as the locked AT&T version. We tracked down an unlocked model for her to use, and I got to play with the AT&T model for this review. And we're both happy. The w580i combines SE’s latest Walkman music player with full HTML Web browsing, Email, and an RSS feed reader into a very slim, light slider phone. If you can live with EDGE-only data speeds, Sony Ericsson’s latest Walkman slider packs a lot of punch into its sleek little body.
Measuring just 99 x 47 x 14mm and weighing only 94 grams, the w580i is sleek and lightweight. Sony Ericsson sent me the Urban Grey color scheme w580i, which is finished in dark grey matte plastic with silver and blue accents and black side panels. I really like the handset’s look - it’s slick and fun in a semi-understated way. A white/orange 580i is also available.
A slider phone, the w580i features an angled bottom edge that makes for easy one-handed operation - you can grip the backside of the “curled” edge with one or two fingers for leverage while sliding the front panel open/shut with your thumb. It’s a funky look that’s actually inspired by functionality.
The front of the handset shows a 2” TFT display above a control layout built around a circular array of media player buttons that’s become quite popular on musicphones as of late. The shiny silver circle of buttons on the w580i is actually a five-way directional pad comprised by a play-pause button at the center surrounded by a ring-shaped four-way rocker switch labeled with track forward/back and camera icons. Flanking this iPod-esque array on the left is a round Walkman button topped by a circular two-button array providing Return and soft key functionality. This arrangement is mirrored on the right edge of the front panel with a programmable shortcut key below a Clear/soft key duo.
Sliding the front panel open reveals a standard 12-button dialing layout. The keys are black plastic with blue labeling and two columns of silver plastic dots separate the three columns of buttons for easier navigation. Rounded left and right edges on the dialing buttons echo the rounded edges found all over the handset, and the buttons are also slightly domed in shape, which assists in blind dialing.
The left edge of the phone features a lone rocker switch, finished in chromed silver plastic, which controls volume. On the right side is the charger/accessory port, which is a change from older SE handsets that place the port on the bottom edge of the device. Along the top edge of the w580i is a plastic-capped slot for the M2 Memory Stick micro card and a power on/off button. The back of the handset is blank save for SE and Walkman logos, but when the phone is slid open, the camera sensor is revealed along the rear of the front panel . The design allows for lens-cover functionality when the slider is shut, and SE finished the area around the camera sensor in a reflective blue plastic with a grey pattern printed on it.
All in all I really like the design of the w580i, with a few small exceptions. The handset is exceptionally light and sporty but still has a solid build and feel. And while the slider mechanism and dialing keypad are solid and comfortable to use, the front panel controls are a bit on the small side. The center-mounted control ring for the media player is particularly tricky, as the outer ring is both narrow and mounted against a raised plastic ridge that looks cool but can be a little harsh on the thumb during repeated button mashing.
My wife has used a Samsung T809 ever since we signed a service contract a year and a half ago and she got one for free (after rebate, of course). She really liked the phone's sleek slider profile, big, bold display, and overall cool factor. Mind you, she's not a geek in any sense of the word - she's got style and so did her T809.
But the T809 broke a few months ago and she'd been using one of my extras until the Sony Ericsson w580i arrived at our place. Lots and lots of... Sony Ericsson packed nearly all the features of its high-end k790/800 handsets into the w580i, making it a very versatile device for entertainment and communications purposes. The 580’s interface, Web browser, RSS reader, email cilent, and file manager will all feel very familiar to users of these devices, but as a Walkman-branded device, the 580 also gets SE’s latest music player software. As such, this is really a feature-packed “non-smartphone.”
The w580i also features a... Though only 2” in size, the w580i’s display is big, bold, and bright - unless it’s in direct sunlight. Capable of QVGA (320 x 240) resolution at 262,000 colors, the 580’s screen generally looks very good - all the more so because the phone’s user interface is such a pleasure to work with. While confusing menus and hidden features are common complaints in the world of mobile phones, SE’s UI is refined and mature - both intuitive to use and easy on the eyes.
Icons, images, and... For a consumer phone that doesn’t have a QWERTY board, the w580i’s messaging features are fairly robust. The phone supports SMS and MMS messaging and POP/IMAP email via pre-installed software.
Messaging setup is fairly easy, and text, MMS, and Email messages are stored in separate mailboxes. The phone’s camera software makes it easy to take a photo and include it in an MMS or Email message, and video clips may also be attached to messages.
As always, I really liked... Sony Ericsson continues to make some of my favorite music and cameraphones, and the w580i brings a sense of style to their US market offerings. This Walkman line handset offers one of the most complete out-of-the-box music phone experiences available this side of top of the line handsets costing hundreds of dollars more. Between the refined user interface, included music adapter and stereo earphones, and 512 MB memory card, the w580i is ready to be loaded up with tunes and used... Hands-On: Motorola Q9m, SE w580i, Helio Fin
I've got a handful of new handsets soon to be given the full review treatment. To tide you over, some thoughts on a few notable new mobile phones recently delivered by the mail carrier:
Motorola Q9m (Verizon)I remember seeing the new Q back at CTIA when I sat next to a Moto executive at some panel discussion or another. I was kind of impressed back then, but in the six months hence I've had the chance to try a bunch of... No user reviews available yet...No reviews have been submitted for the Sony Ericsson W580i White. Be the first to share your opinion and experience with this product or service and influence others and their buying decisions.
Buying choicesWith new service  with a Centennial plan from $179.99 With pre-paid service with an AT&T GoPhone plan from $149.99 Purchase phone only Accessories Purchase compatible accessories for this phone Ringtones & MediaShop for compatible mobile content for this phone
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