Phone Review: Sony Ericsson W810i
The latest phone from Sony Ericsson tries to prove that one device can do three things. Can it do it well?
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When I go out to a bar or a house party, I usually like to bring my simplest camera for party picture fun. By simple, I mean a 3.2 MP Canon point-and-shoot. I also own a Rebel XT, an advanced (and pricey) SLR camera which stays at home for obvious reasons.
But in the summer my pockets would be weighed down by my phone, my small camera and my slim 5 GB MP3 player.
So when Sony Ericsson came out with the W810i, I wondered if a device could really take care of all three functions. Actually, the answer is a very clear ‘yes.’
The W810i is currently available from Rogers for $99 on a three-year contract. It’s worth the price as it is, but considering they throw in a free 4 GB memory stick for free, you realize this device can rival your iPod Nano.
Looks-wise, the W810i is classy yet subtle with flat black casing. Meanwhile the silver navigation button adds a touch of chic. Although it would be nice to have a perfectly flat rear, the camera is encased in a crater-like opening which protects the small lens from careless (and often unavoidable) fingerprints.
It’s a good thing that Sony Ericsson has gone the extra mile to protect this lens, because behind the clear plastic is a 2 MP image sensor which produces great pictures – especially for a camera phone.
Let’s face it – you’re never going to snap photos with the cameraphone to make 8x10 prints. But throw in the fact that the phone has a built-in flash and you can get reasonable shots in bar and club-like lighting that can be printed on a 4x6 sheet. Low-light situations like these would bring the average cameraphone to its knees.
Overall phone and menu navigation is straight forward and logical, so you won’t be pressing buttons that take you to the wrong place by accident.
Another sweet feature is the dedicated fast forward/rewind, play/pause and volume up/down buttons. These work for both the radio and MP3 player.
Sony’s Walkman MP3 player is one of the simplest to use. There’s no need to worry about digital rights management with your own songs, and tracks can be easily transferred through the phone without using proprietary software. You will need a special plug, though.
The only problem is that these dedicated music buttons aren’t lockable. So, if you lock the keypad and silence the phone, you can still accidentally hit the play/pause switch. Don’t be surprised if music starts blaring from your pocket in the middle of class, as it did to me.
Battery life is above average, but you can definitely do without the standard headphones. Like any music device, the supplied earbuds sound like they’re permanently under water. You can leave these in the original packaging and never worry about using them again. Luckily you can still use the hands-free capabilities with aftermarket headphones since the microphone is on a separate adapter that you must plug the headphones into.
If you had up to $150 to spend on a phone (under contract), the Sony Ericsson W810i is a model you should give serious consideration to. The drawbacks are drops in a bucket compared to all the capable features of the phone.
Key Facts:
Phone: Sony Ericsson P810i
Network tested on: Rogers
Camera: 2 MP, LED flash, autofocus.
Music/video formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, MPEG4.
Radio: Yes.
Memory: 512 MB base, upgradeable.
Screen: TFT, 256,000 colours
Weight: 99 g
Pros: Above average pics, easy-to-use music player, LED flash/flashlight.
Cons: Keypad lock doesn't lock the music buttons.
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