Sony Ericsson W810
Phone Scoop Review
Apr 20, 2006 by Eric Lin
In-depth review of the new Sony Ericsson W810 Walkman phone. with Video Tour. read review ›
User Reviews
Average Ratings
A uniquely attractive phone...
Amazingly enough, S.E. has made a veritable hit with this Walkman phone. The calls are clear, the photos pretty good for a camera phone, and audio playback in the Walkman sounds just short of the quality on my iPod (5G, 30GB). When I unboxed it, I was surprised at how small the handset was; when I turned it on for the first time, I recoiled, shocked that such a small screen is easily read. I was disappointed, however, to find that AT&T had dumped one of the most aesthetically-pleasing points about the phone--the PSP-esque theme. Despite this, however, I was truly pleased at the quality of the phone. The audible "hiss" some people complain about is not present on my handset, and the photo quality is great if all you want is to snap a few pictures and post them on the Internet.
PROS
-Clear call quality
-Battery life
-AM/FM radio
-Clear, vibrant screen
-2MP camera w/flash
-Walkman music player...
CONS
-...that comes so close to the quality of my iPod
-AT&T-branded, so some features have been dumped*
-FM radio isn't where you'd expect it to be (Menu->Entertainment->FM Radio)
*Applies only to my phone because I stupidly purchased my phone from an AT&T retail store.
Awesome Phone!
I have owned this phone for 6 months. It was important for me to own a phone that had an MP3 player and this phone has exceeded my expectations in that area. I "literally" use it all the time...through headphones, in my car, plugged into speakers, or even just listening through the built in speakers. I had some people complain that they had trouble hearing me only while i was driving, but have fixed that problem since I've figured out that the headset adapter (that came with the phone ) is made up of two parts (one is the actual headset, the other is a proprietary cable that has a standard 3.5 mm jack). I use a tape adapter (for any standard MP3 player) in my car and plug it into the proprietary cable 3.5mm jack that is plugged into my phone, and the person that I'm talking to comes in through my car speakers, and I talk to them through my mic. They say I come in great now.
PROS:
- uses external memory card that upgradeable to 4 gig
- can literally "drag & drop" music to card (LOVE THIS!)
- speaker phone
- can add street addresses, pics, email addresses, etc. to contacts listing
- camera is superb for a phone
- great tools, task list, calendar, notes, b-day reminder, etc.
CONS:
- no built-in headset jack so must use cable adapter that it came with...which means i can't charge my phone while I'm listing to music in my car
- can't view a person's address unless you're in edit mode
Nice phone
PROS
-expandable MEMORY (memory stick)
-RADIO
-CAMERA, VIDEO, MP3
-LIGHT
CONS
-too simple DESIGN, seems a little cheap, and is not
-easy to hit by accident INTERNET KEY
-MP3's can not be use as ring-tones
just to clarify
just to clarify two of the posts below - you CAN use mp3's as ringtones and you CAN add birthdays, you just do it in the contact info. sometimes reading the manual helps.
i normally buy a new phone every three months. used to be a die hard nokia fan, but have had the last three SE models and they have won me over. this is a great phone. i've had it for 8 months and still haven't been tempted by any other phone.
it has great reception, battery life, and sound quality. durable - i've dropped this thing more times than i can count and it has hardly a scratch. connectability to pc is great - videos are in quicktime and easy to transfer and share with others. easy to load software onto - opera mini is great with this phone. camera is what you'd expect from 2.0mp and it has a very bright flash. you can trim and edit videos. i could go on and on. you could get an iphone, or buy this and wait until next year when all the glitches for the iphone are finally worked out.
cons - uh. none really. the only thing i can think of is that it doesn't have an "in flight" mode. you either just use the walkman or turn the phone off altogether.
The Best Bluetooth Phone Ever
Pros:
-Bluetooth capapbilities (I even have a Sony Fossil watch that connects to my phone)
-Walkman
-Excellent camera with automatic focus and light
-The servies Cingular offers go great with this phone
-Video DJ and Beat Maker
Cons:
-There are none. It's just an overall great phone.
The Best Phone Ever!!!
I've had for 3 months and it's the best phone I've ever owned. Perfect size, weight. I love all of the Bluetooth accessories that are compatible to my phone. They are like no other. It's the perfect music phone but it could search the internet better, but I'm not a internet person anyway. :) I wish more Sony phone were compatible with my company because the options that Cingular offers compliment Sony phones.
Functions great as a phone with some bonuses
I have had this phone for almost a month now... it's my first one, and I am a male teen. No problems with how this phone functions at all. There are only 2 bad things about it: 1) getting the memory card out (IT COMES WITH ONE, 128mb), and 2) getting music onto the phone... I haven't figured it out yet, but I've hardly spent time on it - I have an mp3 player.
I have never had to ask someone to repeat what they said unless I'm in a loud environment, they've never asked me what I said. I almost always have 5 bars of reception.
PROS:
1) Just hit a button on the side and the time pops up - great if its in your pocket
2) Dropped it about 3 times, can't see a scratch anywhere, smudges wipe off easily
3) CALENDAR! I used to be so disorganized, but this has helped so much! You can add appointments on a calendar for whatever - great for asking off of work!
4) Camera, don't use it much, but it has a small mirror, excellent quality
5) Menu - nice, easily navigated menu...
6) Silent mode - *Camera shutter noise CAN TURN OFF! I looked at the Samsung A707 Sync, and that was one big complaint, but in silent mode, the camera is silent
7) Battery - although I charge it every night... why not? Never gone below 80%
8) Size/Design - I think it's great. Buttons are the perfect size and well placed
9) Lock mode - when the phone is in your pocket or somewhere, you can turn on automatic lock or lock it yourself (*, "Lock Keys") While locked, no need to unlock to see time or answer a call
10) Comes with a Memory Stick Duo - 128MB, Bluetooth headset, USB cable, and charger
CONS:
1) None with the phone, only the heads of Cingular who try to suck the money out of you.
I highly recommend this phone to anyone, (I've done the research, just have limited experience), especially if you want a camera phone or would use Cingular no matter what.
A Terriffic Package
Lightweight, feature packed, a very good camera for a phone, excellent reception, useful Walkman player, comes with okay stereo earbuds and phone mike. A few small gripes - the speaker volume is low, the keys are very small, and Cingular's rewriting of the Sony Ericsson software is a real shame. They've eliminated the over-the-air software update capaciity native to the phone requiring the use of the USB cable and included CD software which is not Macintosh compatible. That's my biggest gripe - it's too PC centric. You can't easily transfer playlists from iTunes to the phone. You must go into the iTunes library and select individual tracks or albums and then drag'n drop them. Not impossible, just not as easy as the bundled CD software. However, to use the SE automated software updater requires the use of a PC. Even Sony Ericsson tech support is puzzled as to why Cingular eliminated their over their air updating. But that's not the phone's fault. It's a sturdy, comfortable phone to hold and use with excellent screen clarity (even if the screen is a little on the small size).
Still all things considered, it's a terrific package.
Awesome!!
Very nice phone...
BEST CAMERA 2MP : Great Qulity!!
Better Battery Life
Same AWESOME Headset
Maga Bass EQ
Radio
Walkman
MEMORY CARD.. YEAY!!! (Finally!!!)
I saw some very cool thames, however, i could't find them... :(
Anyways, NOT AS LOUD AS W600i
Great Phone!!!
Great phone, great features for music
I only give this a 4.5 because it's not 3G, but who cares about that.....not me. And the supplied headphones suck IMO. I've had this phone a few weeks, and it's the best phone I've owned so far. The reception is good, and the music (which I use a lot) features are great. It has an easy to use Ipod like menu, and a 4GB memory card only cost me $50 - so who needs an Ipod. 1 thing I would suggest (unless you like the supplied Sony headphones)-look on Ebay and buy a set of Ipod headphones (under $10) and you will be set with great sound. And if anyone thinks this phone isn't build tough, I accidentally dropped it off some stairs at the gym (was about 30ft up), and it still works fine. And with the quick option to 'lock keys', not having a flip doesn't bother me at all.
