Rating:

I chose green as it is unique & neutral, & would go with pretty much any beaded wrist thingy I made to make sure I didn’t drop it & crack the screen like my daughter did a week after she got her much loved white w580i. It now is fritzed as it worked for 6 months just fine, & one day when it was slid open, the screen distorted into mumbo jumbo. You could restart it & get a screen back, but it would be gone if it got slid. Well it is now gone. They wouldn’t fix it, or replace it. I bought a green Golla bag for mine at BestBuy, so I could protect the phone & carry my earbuds with me at all times. I love this bag. It comes in pink as well, as well as more “masculine” looking fabric.

Now onto the reason I’m writing. I love the features on this phone. I love the personal organizer as I use it to put my life on the calendar. I have the phone with me at all times, so I can make sure I’m where I’m supposed to be on time. I love the camera that I use to take pix to create wallpapers. We went to the Omaha zoo, & the camera took much better inside pix than my expensive camera did. It has a great ring sound-better than the Shine. You just can’t hear the Shine ring. My son wanted to return his Shine because of this, & because the Shine doesn’t have “themes” like the w580i. I love the multiple phone numbers you can put on one person’s name & just scroll with the ring to get the one you need. I love the way you can change the time size. I love the bluetooth to get pix & ringtones, music from my kids. We don’t have texting, but I use the keys to put in stuff on the calendar so am worried about those keys cracking soon. The letters are hard to read on the keys, but the scrolling is visible on the screen when typing to allow you to hit the right key if you check the screen as you type. Not so on the Shine. You can repeat dates if you need & have end times/dates. It’s tricky to do so, but I did figure it & shared it with BestBuy & the AT&T store as they couldn’t help me. So many things better than my w300i, except call quality. I never lost calls unless the caller was using their Sprint phone to call me, & never had static, breaking up, while talking to people until now. So after a month, I exchanged my green phone for another green w580i. The first phone had this special graphics icon that was supposed to be a good thing to have. The second phone didn’t have this, not like I’d know the difference anyway. Well bummer for me, that I changed out the phone because of poor call quality as the second one is the same, plus I lost my calendar for the fall, with lots of stuff on it, which I had to replace on the new phone, & will have to do again-maybe, when I exchange the phone tomorrow. BestBuy gives you 30 days to see if the phone works for you. Day 30 is almost too late.

I love the green one, but may try the red one this time. If this one doesn’t do it, I’ll go back to green.

I would like to trial the w760 in red, but BestBuy has it for $129.99 as does AT&T. Walmart has it for $99.99 or $49.99 can’t remember. Ticks me off about the lack of cable & earbuds as it is a Walkman. It’s never easy is it?

Just a word about sliders. Don’t just slide them open & closed being bored. You will kill your video ribbon & it will be a bummer for you, just ask my daughter. Several girls we know are on their 3rd Sprint Rumor-cute phone-because of the sliding killing their video ribbon.

BestBuy showed the red w580i in their Dec catalogue as capable of tolerating an 8gb memory card. I have no idea if it does, but I’ve read that it takes a 2gb memory card. Bummer to buy one & not be able to use it.

Wish me luck.

Rating:

1. Mobile e-mail with more than a handful of providers (the few that pay AT&T). I use MobileMe/.Mac, and my school account. The AT&T mobile email doesn’t allow you to have custom accounts.

2. Blogging from phone disabled.

3. RSS feeds disabled.

4. Preloaded full games disabled

5. Several menu items disabled

6. Shortcut menu disabled (on original model, the button in the bottem right corner of the phone’s face goes to a handy shortcut menu, not MEdia Net.)

7. Setting full mp3s as ringtones disabled

8. AT&T adds a bunch of b/s trial applications that you don’t need and can’t use unless you buy.

HOWEVER, I fixed all these by “Debranding/flashing” my phone using WotanServer.com. It only cost me ~$9.00. It restores the ORIGINAL, intended Sony Ericsson operating system on the phone.

Also, if you don’t want to debrand your phone, you can fix the RSS problem, and get a FAR better browser by downloading the free Opera Mini browser. It’s a WAY better browser than MEdia Net.

So, STILL a great phone, but AT&T does terrible things to it.

Original Review:

I just got this phone, and it is wonderful. Out of the box, the phone comes with a USB cable, charger, and headphone adapter with microphone and button for calls, which allows you to use any headphone you like.

The phone has been so great. It easily beats my previous Moto Q for ease of use, and quality of software. The only feature my Moto had that this lacks is the QWERTY keyboard, but the benefits of this phone far surpass that one setback.

The number buttons are absolutely TINY, though. Keep that in mind.

The music player is the best cellular player around (short of the iPhone). It is a lot of fun to use, though the quality isn’t great by default. After tweaking the EQ a bit, it sounds nearly as good as my iPod. However, if you plan to use the music player at all, GET A MEMORY CARD. The phone info says it’s compatible up to 2GB Memory Stick Micro M2, but it works just fine in higher capacities (I’m using a 4GB).

Best of all, for me, this phone syncs contacts and calendar with my iMac flawlessly. You have to download a plugin (a free download) but it works so well.

The camera is decent (no flash or mirror, though), and the built in software for editing photos and making videos and music is fun to play with.

I love this phone, it’s absolutely wonderful. The only drawbacks in my opinion are the tiny keys and no flash. Out of the box, it comes with everything you need.

Rating:

Battery Life: The claim that Sony Ericsson has poor battery life, in short, is complete bull ****. Those that say they had short battery life… you just got a lemon (or are trying to reason yourself out of the fact that buying a shine was actually a poor decision). My OTHER sister, who also got a Sony Ericsson, also gets great battery life with hers. Rather than the claimed “3-4 day charge” that many people on this forum and others are claiming, I have found that the phone will last over a week (11-13 days). The LG Shine, which is said to have poor battery life, disappoints: its battery life is indeed very short. The papers that the LG Shine comes with claims that battery life is around 3 hours of talk time, up to 240 hours (10 days) of standby time, is standard marketing bull ****: through a test of 10 different charges with three different batteries, the phone has lasted no more than 3 days before it required a charging.

SE: 10/10 Shine: 3/10

Durability: People say the LG Shine has a stronger build than the Sony Ericsson, but if you actually compare the two, you find that you cannot actually compare the two… Why? The SE is a plastic phone; the LG shine is a plastic phone with metallic components. One thing that is not usually noted is that the Shine actually has VERY little metal in its body; it’s only the battery cover and some of the front. The LG shine doesn’t really feel that much more durable than the SE. If you drop the shine, you will certainly damage the screen, and/or scratch the body, and/or break the phone. With something plastic, eg. Sony Ericsson, a drop will do no more than give a few scratches. Regarding the slider mechanism, the LG Shine’s “snaps” when you open and close it, whereas the SE’s slider is not as snappy. Due to the difference in the way that the phones slide, it isn’t really accurate to say that one feels more durable than the other. Since the durability was one of my biggest concern in getting the phone, I did a test of each phone upon cracking open the box: I opened and closed each phone 300 times. Results: The LG Shine’s slider remained the same; the SE’s slider got smoother after the test.

SE: 9/10 Shine: 6/10

Fingerprints/Scratchability: The claims that the Shine is a fingerprint magnet could not be more true. The Shine cannot stand to be touched at all. Walking around with the Shine put in my side jeans pocket for a day, the Shine went in looking stellar and came back looking pretty poor. The back plate had obviously been rubbed on, the front plate exhibited small, but noticeable scratches. I’m sure you could prevent the Shine from getting scratched by getting a screen protector and/or case, but the hassle of one is not something that I’d want to deal with (not to mention such protection would take away the “beauty” of the Shine). The Sony Ericsson, as one may predict, does not scratch easily. Same jeans, same walk, and the SE still looked great after. There was something that looked like a small scratch on the front screen on the SE, but nothing a wipe could clean off. Speaking of which, with the LG Shine, you cannot wipe the phone with any shirt; it will scratch if the fabric of the cloth/shirt is rough. A BIG reason people get the Shine is because it looks good. Well, if you don’t take care of it like a newborn baby, it’s going to look like **** and ipso facto, it was a poor decision to buy the phone for its looks.

SE: 9/10 Shine: 1/10

Keypad: People always complain about the keypads of the Sony Ericsson and the LG Shine and say how small they are and how difficult it is to text with them… Most of these complainers are complaining from hearsay (they repeat what they read/hear from others, not from their own experience). The problem of cracking keypads is also a huge concern for potential buyers of the SE. First, to address the keypad. The size of the keypad is very usable for texting and other usage. I have 6’2″ and have large hands and I can still manage to comfortable use the phones’ keypads. Texting with both is very easy (albeit not as easy as texting on a RAZR). The SE’s keypad is not as responsive as the Shine’s, meaning the click down are not as solid, and that the row of numbers are connected so that one press on a number slightly depresses the row, but nonetheless, it is very solid. The LG Shine’s keypad is like a smaller version of the RAZR. Regarding the cracking keys on the SE, I performed a test to see if this rumor was true. Over a period of 2 days, I had the phone off and during my spare time (which is a lot since it’s summer), I’ve been clicking away at the keys (with a good amount of pressure I might add), and the keys exhibit no sign of cracking. Clearly the cracking keys is an issue with older phones (which you could potentially still buy if the reseller of your phone has old stock).

SE: 9/10 Shine: 9/10

Navigation: Those that say navigation on the Shine is difficult are clearly retarded: physically or mentally. The joystick on the Shine takes no practice to nail. It is very easy to use, and is not too small. The SE, with no joystick, as imagined, is also very easy to use. My only caveat with the SE is that there’s no dedicated end call button like my old Nokia. The numbered menus in the Shine are very easy to use.

SE: 9/10 Shine: 9/10

Reception/Sound Quality: I live in Northern California in a well populated city, and everywhere I go, I get 5 bars with the SE and from 3 to 4 bars with the Shine. I have found the number of signal bars that you get has a big impact on the call quality (as it should)… The Shine frequently echoes what the other person says, and a background static seems to be present in all calls. To ensure that I didn’t receive a lemon shine, I tested a friend’s shine and sure enough, it was the same. My friend told me they didn’t notice the static (he probably got use to the poor call quality)… The SE’s reception and sound quality it top notch. No complaints whatsoever here. Even with 3 bars (in a tunnel), the call was still strong.

SE:10/10 Shine: 5/10

Features: SE wins hands down. Read the features at each phone’s respective website; I won’t waste your time here. The LG Shine is the most basic of phones. The only thing its got over the SE is 3G. The Shine is all looks.

SE: 10/10 Shine: 2/10 (absolutely pitiful for a phone be so lackluster in features)

Other concerns and notes:

- The speaker on the SE kills that one which is on the Shine

- Both phones have ringtones are loud enough to be heard

- Both phones can [be modified to] receive games and , but with the SE, you have more options.

Rating:

Pros:

- Crystal-clear calling. No static and loud when needed.

- The screen is amazing. The resolution is awesome. By far the best I’ve ever seen on a phone this size.

- This phone is tiny; in a good way. Super-slim and tucks nicely in your pocket. Being that it’s a slider, you’ll never have to worry about pocket-dialing.

- The software is very easy to navigate. This is nicely improved over the Motorola interface of my older RAZR.

- The MP3 player rocks; no pun intended. The Walkman software lets you sort by Artists, Albums, Tracks, Playlists and more. This is light-years ahead of the my old RAZR’s MP3 player. This one rivals any standalone MP3 device I’ve used.

- The stereo headphones that comes with it include a 3.5mm adapter. While the included headphones sound great, this adapter gives you the flexibility to use your Bose, Shure or other stereo headphones. A very nice option.

- Unlike “some” other sliders, the camera is protected and kept under cover when the slide is closed. This works great in keeping dust off the lens.

- The 2.0MP camera is actually pretty good. It takes great outdoor photos.

- I LOVE the fitness/step counter. It measures distance in steps and calculated miles along with the calories you’ve burned. It also keeps a daily average and each days results.

Cons:

- No 3G

- Sony Proprietary Memory Stick Micro M2 versus easy to find and less expensive MicroSD

- No LED Flash or Photo Light

In conclusion, if you are looking for a super-slim phone with great call quality and superb music capability, look no further. This Sony wears the Walkman name with pride.

Note: I bought a SanDisk SDMSM2-4096-A11M 4GB Memory Stick Micro (M2) and it works perfectly. 4GB of music!!!