Customer Reviews:
 One heck of a great phone. March 19, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I've been an AT&T Wireless customer for just about a year now and this is my second phone, purchased early last month. Prior to this Sony Ericsson, I had a MotoRAZR V3r (red). I paid full retail price (approx. $228) for it because I couldn't wait until August 31 to upgrade from my RAZR (loved it at first but quickly grew to hate it) and I didn't want to extend my contract beyond its current expiration date of March '09. But I digress.
I happen to work in the wireless department at a local retailer, and when I saw that we were getting the w580i in I did nothing but play with the demo phone for weeks. When the actual phones came in, I bought mine immediately. So far, I have to say that I am extremely pleased with my purchase. A lot of folks have told me that the w580i is merely a clone of Verizon's "Chocolate" phone, but that's a bad comparison because this phone doesn't have that super-sensitive touch wheel on the outside. On top of that, the w580i has a sleeker design than the Chocolate.
The phone gets great reception, and the sound quality when playing MP3 files is outstanding. Dare I say it even rivals that of an iPod. The included earbuds make the music sound so good that they might as well be considered noise-canceling. Besides that, you get a USB cable for file transfer included, along with a 256 MB Memory Stick Micro card. Although 256 MB won't hold many songs (I've got a little over 50 on my playlist right now), the memory is easily upgradeable thanks to an external slot...unlike my old RAZR, on which I had to actually remove the battery cover to access the microSD card. The pictures and videos I can take with this phone are of excellent quality. I also like the fact that the exterior keypad locks automatically when the slide cover is closed. As far as the battery life is concerned, it lasts long enough for me. After one full overnight charge, I can get a day and a half out of the thing, easily.
The 2" color screen is gorgeous, especially when watching video clips. It's also great for playing games you can download from the AT&T Mall. Another great feature about the MP3 player is the "shake" shuffle control, in which you hold down the Walkman key and flick your wrist to switch to a different song.
Overall, a very solid yet lightweight phone. My only complaints? Texting can be difficult with the small keys and the constantly exposed screen is more susceptible to damage than flip phones, although I knew these things when I bought the phone. Also, the power button is very small and on top of the phone, as opposed to on the front, so turning it on/off can be tough at times. You have to hold this small button down for a few seconds until you feel the "buzz" (same effect you get when you use the "shake" shuffle feature). Other than these minor quibbles, I'm very satisfied.
Great Phone March 17, 2008
I've never had a "fancy" phone, but I have alot of fun with this phone. Great reception, and easy interface.
Excellent Reception and Functionality March 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Recently, my boyfriend and I decided to get an AT&T family plan and we chose these phones due to the fact that they had the best features of all of the AT&T phones, other then the iPhone of course.
I own the white, and he owns the gray.
The W580i has great reception, an FM radio, mp3 and video functionality with a memory card, 2 megapixel camera, mobile messaging, bluetooth, and comes with its own head phones which function as a head set. I've never been happier with the functionality and reception of my phone at the same time. For the price here, I'd take this phone over the iPhone any day, keeping in mind that I don't need a phone with extensive internet capabilities. The only issue I can see with the phone is that the key pad is relatively small. It's probably a good idea to check one out in a store if you think this might be an issue for you.
Additionally, My boyfriend and I have had the phones for over 4 months now and we've had no issues with the durability. I keep reading reviews on how these phones feel cheap and the keypads break, but it just hasn't been the case with our two at all. Our first impression was that the phones *felt* like they weren't durable. But, experience has shown that the ones we own are. And to be honest, I drop my phone *a lot*. The battery cover popped off once or twice but I popped it back on.
I love this phone.
This Is The Ultimate Phone! March 3, 2008
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
I'm not going to repeat what you can read above other than what is really, really special about this phone over others.
It is a slider phone, instead of a flip, so I can have it open on my car's dash and it's slim to fit in any pocket. The buttons are small, but we are all used to that by now. Sure it also has the obligatory camera and video, but it is 2.0 mega-pixels which is better than most. It provides support for "PictBridge technology" so you can print your photos without the need of a PC, but again, 2.0 mega-pixels is good for the internet, built not great for printing out.
It is a Walkman that shuffles the songs with just a shake of your wrist. With the "TrackID" service, you just identify any song that you can hear by just recording a bit of the song (using the microphone, like at `Starbucks'). Later, you can send the file for recognition. It gives you the name, artist and album right to your phone. That's cool.
You have FM radio access and a slot for extra memory for songs, pics, video, etc. The ear buds are actually good quality and are attached along with a microphone (for hands free or finding that bit of song). It has all your high-speed mobile internet access, web browser, email, messaging, Java support needs and plenty of the basic games and is "Bluetooth" compatible.
If you like listening to music while working out, the integrated motion sensor counts your steps, your calories and monitors your running speed, distance and time. Your workout results are stored in your phone so you can monitor your progress.
There is even a calendar, place for notes, an alarm, a calculator, stopwatch and timer! There are plenty of good free ring tones and more you can buy on-line. There's more!
But what I like best is this phone has one of the cleanest, clearest and brightest (adjustable for night) screens available. I intentionally bought this so I can use my "Allen Sports GPS" system with it. It just has everything but that silly kitchen sink!
 it is a ok phone February 29, 2008
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I bought this phone from Amazon for 1 penny shipped. I cannot complaint too much since it is almost free. This phone is NOT LIKE W810i. you can feel the 580i is light and not so well built. The screen is ok. the functionalities is ok. but the battery wont last more than 4 days with normal use. the M2 memory card that came with the phone is only 256mb, NOT 512mb. moreoever, the m2 is more expensive than any other memory cards. the reception of this phone is weaker than my previous V3. either the AT&T or the phone makes the phone hard to receive or to make a call. the mp3 player is good, may be this is my first mp3 player built into a phone. BTW, don't expect too many games pre-loaded. u can play those trial games for 1-2 minutes, then, it will stop the game and ask you to buy. finally, the most bothering thing is the mp3 will play automatically ever though you lock the phone. may be i shouldn't put the phone in my back pocket.
bottom line, it is a OK phone. do not expect too much from this sony phone.
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