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hi all, thought i'd write a review from the perspective of someone who has largely let mobile phone technology pass them by. my old siemens c45(!) battery was shot and i figured it was time for something new. so this is a bit like someone from another planet reviewing the fone. it might be useful to someone in a similar position.
i chose the w550i because
- mp3 player and 256mb memory (main motivation)
- i trust sony products
- looked funky
- price (i couldn't really merit spending any more than this)
so what do i think of it, not really having anything to compare it with? well...
- sound quality: it has rather a loud hiss doesn't it? i wasn't expecting that... it's a bit like listening to tape cassettes but not having an ipod/ mp3 player other than my pc, i didn't really know what quality to expect form a portable device. after a few seconds your brain ignores the hiss and the sound is fine. not amazing - but this is mp3's and they always sound a bit weak compared to the original source. graphic equaliser (and sometimes the stereo widening) is useful for getting the best out of mp3s. still, i expected slightly better from sony (although for all i know this may be the best mp3 players get?)
- earphones: surprisingly comfortable but every step/movement/vibration is amplified through them which makes them largely unuseable on the move unless walking on marshmallow in very thick-soled trainers. easy to use something else with the jack plug though.
- camera: after reading comments on these forums i was expecting the worst. actually the quality far exceeds my expectations. i was recently taking some outdoor pics on both the fone and a sony DSC-P92 digital camera set to the same resolution. they compared favourably.
- software & buttons: so easy to use. totally intuitive. i've only had to consult the user guide once. i wasn't expecting it to be this simple and *enjoyable* to use.
- look: i love it. i like the orange, like the slightly rubbery feel (stops it sliding off table-tops on trains), and i think the camera side has a rather groovy 1960's instamatic look. one slight niggle - the cavity sealed up with a bit of rubber to the right of the lens, it looks like an afterthought or a missing feature.
- phone: works perfectly. very good signal strength
- screen: amazed how clear and detailed it is for something so small.
- size and weight: smaller and lighter than i expected but not too light (i'd be worried about losing it)
overall i like it a lot. it's fun and very useable, just a shame about the hiss on the mp3 player.
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Posted: 2006-02-16 23:37:02
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@lectrician - Good for you for getting the
W550i mate! Welcome to Esato . . . and I guess you are not an OUTSIDER here anymore dude
!
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Posted: 2006-02-16 23:39:32
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Welcome!
Thanks for the review
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Posted: 2006-02-16 23:43:54
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@electric welcome here! u didnt mention the battery performance.
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Posted: 2006-02-16 23:46:12
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thanks for the warm welcome.
battery performance - very impressed with this. as you might have guessed, i'm not a heavy fone user. at the moment it stays charged for well over a week (probably approaching two) with maybe a dozen calls/texts made, several hours music listening, uploading a new album's worth of tracks and a handful of fotos taken. i'm probably impressed cos my old siemens was down to being recharged every night!
[ This Message was edited by: electric_an on 2006-02-17 15:54 ]
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Posted: 2006-02-17 16:50:49
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I haven used the w550 but have used the other 2 (current) walkman fones and i personally havent had a hiss on mp3. Anyway welcom
This message was posted from a WAP device
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Posted: 2006-02-17 20:31:53
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i think the part covered with a small piece of rubber can be replaced with a small mirror for self portraits... thats what it was for on the t610 anyway lol
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Posted: 2006-02-17 21:38:32
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Good review m8. I personally encouraged my friend to get one.
This message was posted from a Nokia
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Posted: 2006-02-17 22:01:08
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you got me wondering about the hiss now. do any other w550i owners get it? it's there right from the start of activating the walkman function - before the mp3 starts to play.
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Posted: 2006-02-21 21:30:13
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@electrician, doesn't seem normal for se phones but wait for a confirmation from a w550 user.
@ph4z3r, that was a neat thingy with the t610. not available on the recent se phones.
[ This Message was edited by: ayk on 2006-02-21 22:14 ]
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Posted: 2006-02-21 23:10:00
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