Unboxing: Sony Ericsson W880i
Sony’s latest Walkman phone takes a different route from their past lineup with the W880i focusing mainly on size, without losing features. I really didn’t expect this phone to be so thin, it’s quite astonishing. The specs are unbelievable which include: 3G (2100 band only), a 2 mega-pixel camera with front-facing video calling camera, good speakers, expandable memory, and a boatload of good software. The camera isn’t the best but gets the job done, and the speakers are loud and put out decent sound. One problem is there isn’t too much low end even with the "Mega Bass" equalizer option turned on but, what can you expect from a device of this size. Now for the most important part, the buttons and keypad. After all, what good is a phone when you can’t dial a telephone number? That’s not really the case here. The buttons and keyboard are no doubt small, in fact the smallest i’ve seen, but they are actually pretty usable. You wouldn’t want to write long emails and messages here but it gets you by. Nice OS features include a built-in RSS reader, good web browser, a pretty good selection of themes, and of course Sony’s Walkman software. Call quality was good, and earpiece volume was good too. All in all, not bad a bad experience. Oh, I never want to see a 3G phone that’s more than double this size ever again. There is no excuse anymore to have such thick phones that countless manufacturers still spit out. HTC, Motorola, Nokia, RIM, Siemens, LG, BenQ, TORQ, Pharos, you all listening? Click on for more unboxing and comparison shots!
Got mine posted to me yesterday….wow!!! I just love this phone .. can you legally marry a phone…mm maybe not…but is a close thing, with this little beauty has turned me aside form my razer.. yes I am a fan of slim phones coz i keep them in my top pocket and dont like the way others make u look lopsided.. anyway this phone has everything you could ask for of a unit of its size the screen is crisp to look at and the walkman feature makes it for me.. every bit as good as my i pod both in function and souns (once u get the right headphones) i was not too kean on the supplied ones which I found lacking in a good bass tone.. all in all though its the best phone ive had so far ( and Ive had a few) … everyone ive shown it to so far wants one… nuff said
Anyone know if the W880i is fully compatible with tomtom go 710 navigator i know it will do the hands free calling but will it put the phone directory up and receive sms.
Richard,
Have you tried pushing the headphones right into your ear canal? These headphones are definitely not lacking in bass, but you do need to push firmly inside your ear (and choose the appropriate sized ear plug from those provided).
I’ve only used smartphones since the p800 and this phone has made me go back to the non smartphone camp… it’s even louder than my P990i, JasJar, W950i and HTC Tytyn, all compared with the best A2DP headset out at this time, the glorious SE HBH-DS970’s. Only caveat is the damn screen is getting scratched and I don’t know if anyone is carrying screen protectors for this phone yet. The keys take a little getting used to but the battery life is phenomenal. All in all 5 stars.
Been looking EVERYWHERE for a US release date. Seems they are popping up everywhere but in the US. Have any idea when this phone will hit the states?
Does the W880i’s software work with Macs? Would anyone know where I can get the Mac version? The one that comes with the phone is for PCs only, I think.
who cares about fingerprints its a damn phone? what do you expect to get on it? and are your fingerprints made of solid cement or something that can easily be wiped?
that is soo cool, my sis is sending me one from the UK, i hope its unlocked or I hope I will be able to unlock it!
Hey guys, i’m really interested in buying the w880i – but seeing that i’m an Apple user, was wondering whether the software cd would be compatible with my Mac laptop as well? Any ideas.
thanks in advance
cheers,
ss
Well, I bought the W880i 2 days ago and I can syncronize it with iSync, use both USB cable and bluetooth to transfer music (MP3, but not the one I bought through iTunes) to it. I also managed to set it up for using the phone as a modem, so now I can surf 3G everywhere.
I needed to download a special driver to get syncronization and modem to work. I found these from googling.
Ups, in my last posting about getting the W880i to work, I forgot to mention specific that I am an Apple user running the MacBook Pro 17″.
Thanks heaps! I just bought my phone, cldn’t resist waiting any longer… except now that i’ve got exams i don’t haf the time to play arnd with it. so its gonna sit nice and pretty in its box for another 3 weeks… can’t wait to start using it!
thanks for the heads-up…will post back here when i start using! sure it would be fab though
a lot of ppl have viewed the keypad of the 880 negatively saying either it’s asthetically unappealing or that it doesn’t allow quick texting
texting is meant to be brief and not meant to break any world speed record
i’ve used this phone for just under a month and can say that the compactness of the keypad allows for shorter travel with thumb texting – just as quick as any ‘larger’ buttoned phones which is a plus for the 880
how do you put the vloume up on w880i
Does any1 know how to change the volume on the w880i. if not im returning it.
The volume control is on the upper right side of the phone and it doubles as camera zoom button when in camera mode.
This is a kick ass phone. Get it and see.
This phone is awesome.
Just get it and you ll know why.
Doesnt really have a walkman and 3g in a small size before. this phone has everything. its small, slim, not too slim, walkman, 3g, video message in front, 1 button mp3 player , the themes and interface gui are superb to play with. easy file transfer, colors are great, display are not so big but the colors and graphics make up for it. Definitely a phone for those who doesnt prefer PDA cause of the size and the troubles of taking out a pen. tHis phone is suitable for users who wants simplicity but yet a little naughty touch to it. cheers and have fun with it.
-Kuala Lumpur-
I want this phone, gimme my goodies
I’ve got this phone for about a month now and it’s been fantastic. Sadly there’s no FM radio but that’s not so important for me. Looks can be perceptive (esp. when it comes to the keypad of this phone), however I’ve been texting 10-15 messages each day at good speed comfortably. Mobile TV (with Vodafone 3G in UK) works fine and I’m very pleased to be able to watch CNN and BBC anywhere I go. A perfect all in one solution! Battery life is fab as well, lasts 2-3 days for a very heavy user like me.
Hey ive just brought the Sony Ericsson W880i and tried to ut music on it. the file says that it has transfered from the computer to the phone but the file isn’t showing.
I’m confused any advice?
Did you use the supplied Disc2Phone software? Have you checked the compatibility of your music file?
Is there any chance this beauty can record calls without the beep? I’d be getting one tomorrow if that was the case. Much obliged for any info.
no beep
BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its got problems with reception????? i jst got my phone… its perfect EXCEPT its got major signal problems – i’m in singapore and i’m not sure if its only a problem here, but i jst took mine in to the ericsson service centre today and apparently lots of ppl haf been bringing their w880i’s in and they are trying to sort the problem out…
like i said, great phone and perfect once this darn annoying problem is solved. out of curiosity, did/does anyone else haf the same problem?
Maybe it only happens to Singaporean version of the W880i. I’m on Vodafone UK and the reception has been reliable. 3G reception is still a little patchy, but GSM is very stable.