Sony Ericsson W810i Review
| Release Date | Available Now |
| 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| Size | 100 x 46 x 19.5 mm |
| Weight | 99 g |
| Display Type | TFT, 256K colors |
| Display Size | 30 x 38 mm |
| Display Resolution | 176 x 220 pixels |
| Ringtone Types | Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 |
| Ringtone Vibration | Yes |
| Phonebook Memory | 1000 x 24 fields, Photo call |
| Call Records Memory | 30 received, dialed and missed calls |
| Memory Slot | Memory Stick Duo Pro (up to 4GB) |
| GPRS | Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps |
| HSCSD | Yes |
| EDGE | Class 10, 236.8 kbps |
| 3G | No |
| WLAN | No |
| Bluetooth | 2.0 |
| Infrared Port | Yes |
| USB | 2.0 |
| Messaging | SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging |
| Browser Type | WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML (NetFront) |
| Games | Yes + Downloadable |
| Camera Pixels | 2MP |
| Camera Resolution | 1632x1224 pixels |
| Battery Type | Standard battery, Li-Po 900 mAh (BST-37) |
| Stand-by Time | Up to 350 h |
| Talk Time | Up to 8 h |
Improving upon a successful model is always a smart move, and no cellular company does so better than Sony Ericsson, the W810iwalkman music phone offers similar features to the previous W600i, with a few key changes. Notably, the device now features a MegaBass enhancement for a more crisp sound through the devices dual external speakers. The phone also catches up to other devices byadding a 2.0 megapixel camera, Video features, and much more.
Editor review
Sony Ericssson W810i Offers Music Bliss
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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Design
At first glance the Sony Ericsson W810i showcases its unique design, while the phone may carry a standard candybar design, the phones buttons, most notably its shortcut keys, are anything but typical. Below the devices 1.9 inch LCD screen users will find several buttons unique to the W810i. The design begins with three circular navigation buttons, the first key on the left of the device is used for direct access to the devices Music Player, obviously a prominent feature on the "Walkman device" the circular key also features a back key (An important item for navigation) and a soft key. The dedicated orange Walkwan key on this panel allows users to directly access their devices music menus, even if a user is engaged in another application.
In the middle of the device a D pad type navigation control can be found, this circular panel is used to move around the phones menus and doubles as the media players Play and Stop functions, and to move between tracks, both backwards and forwards, and to control volume keys.
Finally the right side circular panel features an Activity menu that can open a list that points to events, bookmarks, and shortcuts, while the right side also features a Clear Key and a second shortcut key.
Below the W810i shortcut panel is the front side of the phone is completed with the standard numeric pad of many cell phones.
The left side of the device features a Play / Pause key at the top, a nice dedicated feature that adds to the phones Music capabilities. Below the Dedicated Play / Pause button the phone also features a Memory Stick Pro Duo Slot for expandable memory up to 4gb.
The right side of the phone contains the devices Camera shortcut key, and a +/- Key that is used to adjust the devices volumes, and to zoom in and out with the devices camera functions, including Picture zoom functions.
The top of the device features two important features, the phones On / Off Key, and an infrared port for added connectivity, although Infrared is quickly being pushed to the side by Bluetooth connectivity.
The bottom of the device also features two areas, the Charger connector (Propietary to Sony Ericsson), and the Stereo Headset Adapter.
Finally, turning the phone around reveals the devices Camera and Speaker Port.
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Features
I have to start with the obvious feature, the devices easily accessible Music player functions. One unique area of this phone is its ability to function as a standalone music player without ever access the phone directly. When first turning the device on a screen is displayed which requests the user to select between Phone Mode, or Media Player Only Modes, this feature is great if you are out at the gym or you don't want to be disturbed by phone calls but would still like to use your phone as an MP3 Player.
The Sony Ericsson W810i also features a very easy to navigate menu structure, the device features 4 columns with 3 Rows, making it easy to navigate between programs and features. The phone not only allows users to use the basic phone setup features such as choosing between different wallpapers and ringtones, but it also allows them to create personalized menus with user specified headings, a
feature that makes navigating your device even easier, at least after you figure out how to set up the headings, I suggest using the manual as it takes a little bit of effort.
Camera
The Sony Ericsson W810i features a nicely integrated 2.0 megapixel Cmos camera with a photo light for low light conditions. The camera takes impressive pictures and can capture those images up to 1632 x 1224 pixels while capturing up to 262K colors. The camera also allows users to capture images at 640 x 480 and 160 x 120px.
What makes the W810i's camera fun is the host of options it gives to users. The device features White Balancing, Picture Effects, Fine Tuning options (Normal and Fine), Auto Focus capabilities, a Self Timer, Night Mode (Which works well with the phones phone light), modes such as Panoroma and Frames, and upclose picture taking in Macro Mode. Users can also zoom in on taken pictures.
The Devices video function features an encoded .3GP coden (H.263 and AMR), this means users can record at QCIF quality of 176 x 144 pixels, or Sub-Qcif 128 x 96 pixels of resolution at 10 frames per second.
Add in Sony Ericssons ultra popular QuickShare program and users can easily share their pictures and videos with friends, and they can do so in just a few short steps.
I will say that the Video isn't the best quality, but its not bad for a 2.0 megapixel camera phone, though I think I'll stick to taking pictures with the device over video capture.
Display
The W810i features an impressive 1.9 inch LCD monitor with a resolution output of 176 x 220 pxiels, and a color output of 262k colors. The phone also pigbacks on TFT technology which helps speed the device along when playing games, and loading applications, not to mention the creation of a brighter, more vivid, and more appealing on the eyes screen overall.
Audio
The meat of the Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman phone is obviously its ability to play audio, and it definately met and exceeded my expectations. The W810i allows users to play a wide variety of formats including MP4, 3GP, AAC, AMR, Midi, IMY, EMY, WAV, and of course MP3 and AAC files. The device also ships with a 512 MB memory Stick Pro Duo which is set to hold up to 150 songs, and is upgradeable to 4gb for even more music storage.
As I've already mentioned dedicated Music Controls can be found all throughout the phones design, from the front loaded bright orange shortcut media player key to the left sides Play/Pause buttons, and the right sides volume adjustment keys.
The W810i also made me feel like I was using my home stereo system by offering a Bass and Treble Equalizer, allowing me to set my own levels, while the back of the phone offered Three distinct speaker ports that helped to show off the devices Mega Bass Audio settings.
Of course the speaker is not necessary is the user plugs in the Sony Ericsson HPM-70 portable headset that comes included with the W810i out of box, and which can be connected through the bottom loaded connection Port.
The W810i also features an included FM radio tuner that can program up to 20 channels and also support RDS (Radio Data Support) feeds, which is a type of format similar to an RSS feed, allowing users to tap into radio station feeds and listen to their music, this isn't as popular yet in North America as the rest of the world, but none the less its a nice feature.
Also as i'm mentioned, the phone can be left off and used as a media player stand alone device, this feature is great if you don't want to be disturbed, or if you are in an area that doesn't allow cellular devices to be turned on, most notably airplanes.
One downfall, the device doesn't feature A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) which allows users to play stereo music over a Stereo Bluetooth headphone set such as the Motorola S9 Stereo Bluetooth headphones.
Messaging
The W810i uses pretty standard messaging, users can access SMS messaging for text messages, then can also use EHS (Enhanced Messaging Service) messaging which will allow them to format areas such as Alignment, text size, the style they write messages in and how paragraphs will appear. Finally users can also access MMS (Multimedia Message Services) for sending photos, videos and voice clips to other users and email addresses.
If users purchase their device locked from Cingular they will also receive access to AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, and ICQ Messenger. Its important to note that international versions will ship with different variants of messaging software.
Internet
The W810i connects using the Edge network which allows for average speeds from 70 to 135 kbps while downloading and is up to four times faster than traditional GPRS connections. The device supports HTML 4.01, WML 1.3 and xHTML 1.1 standards, and runs the Netfront 3.3 Software package.
Connectivity
The Sony Ericsson W810i runs on the Quad-Band (850/900/1800/1900) cellular network frequencies, meaning the phone will work in the United States on AT&T / Cingular and T-Mobile mainly, and in Canada on Rogers and Fido, while Worldwide connectivity is also an option (Most countries run on one of the above mentioned frequencies).
The device also features Bluetooth 2.0 which allows users to connect up to 6 other devices to the W810i with the use of Com Ports. The devices Bluetooth is able to connect up to 33 feet (10 meters) from the device. The Bluetooth profiles on the
device also support HID (Human Interface Devices) which basically turned the W810i into a controller for applications such as a computer keyboard that can be used from across the room, or a remote control if you don't want to get off the couch, or spend hours finding the remote you've lost for the 100th time.
Also, the device features a USB to FastPort connection for data syncing purposes.
The Phone will also stay connected for a nice duration of time, as the mobile device offers 8 hrs of talk time and 350 hrs of standby on a 900mah battery featuring Lithium Polymer technology.
CONCLUSION
Overall the Sony Ericsson W810i was a solid device that offered exactly what it promised, easy access to the media player, a sleek package, excellent battery life, and a crystal clear display with tons of user defined menu shortcuts. I was impressed with the continued improvement made from the W600i to the W810i and I can't wait to review the W580i this coming week.
Essentially, if you want a device that can differentiate between a media player and a phone, but you still want each device to work in tangent, I would recommend the W810i, however if you need Bluetooth Stereo capabilities, you may want to stear clear and check out the newer Sony Ericsson models with A2DP technologies.
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| Overall rating: |
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9.0 |
| Styling: |
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8.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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10.0 |
| Display: |
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8.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
8.0 |
| Battery Life: |
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10.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
10.0 |
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User reviews
Average user rating from: 1 user(s)
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| Overall rating: |
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9.8 |
| Styling: |
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10.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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10.0 |
| Display: |
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10.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
9.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
10.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
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10.0 |
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mobile review
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
W810i is one of the best mobile in all sony ericsson mobiles i like it very much. and i use this mobile more than 2 years ther is no defect in w810i
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| Overall rating: |
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9.8 |
| Styling: |
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10.0 |
| Ease of Use: |
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10.0 |
| Display: |
|
10.0 |
| Voice Quality: |
|
9.0 |
| Battery Life: |
|
10.0 |
| Quality/Build: |
|
10.0 |
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