vB Easy Archive - Another W610i Review

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Another W610i Review
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Posted by: silverwolf0

Here are my experiences with the w610i from Sony Ericsson.

Reception

Decent. I am not a good judge of this though because I don't go to any places with reception problems. All my phones have worked well with T-mobile in my area.

Call Quality

Poor. The voices have no static or buzz but they are very muffled and low volume. Not very clear. This is in comparison to my other phones, namely my C650 which has a buzz but sounds much better overall.

Sound Recorder

Sucks. Can barely hear myself at max volume. Sound recorder on Rizr Z3 isn’t too clear but is substantially louder and has a far more sensitive microphone.

User Interface

Very simplistic. Very limited. Very bland. Included flash themes look like normal ones with annoying squigglies and lines flying around. Text is big but fuzzy. Needs cleartype big time. Hate how it doesn't show relevant information in an entry until you highlight it. Confuses me when it suddenly enlarges and pushes other entries away. Very few options. I like this UI the least. Samsung is slightly ahead, Motorola above that, and Nokia far above. This is all very subjective, however.

Software

Standard. Comes with basic set of little applications like calendar and alarm clock. Has this program that can identify recorded songs. I have no need for it. Who listens to the radio anyway? Am spoiled with Nokia functionality so file manager is also disappointing.

Music Experience

Disappointing. Expected much more. I hear people flash their k550 just for Walkman 2.0. I think the player is nothing special. Very basic. Not as basic as those that can’t fast forward/rewind but still feels crippled. Button for play/pause on side is too easily pushed. Volume buttons on other side are hard to push, do not increase/decrease ring volume when outside. Annoying message that tells me if I want to use my speaker keeps on popping up. Included headphones are in-the-ear type. Very muddy sounding and is my plastic trash can from Wal-Mart worthy. I just use my $10 Sony earbuds. No 2.5mm or 3.5mm jack. Uses big ol’ proprietary port, which is much more cumbersome. Adapter is long. Add in my earbuds, even longer. Six feet of cords in my pocket along with the phone doesn’t feel too swell. They should have just included a small adapter instead.

Music quality is okay. I’m not too picky. Not as good as my MP3 player, but good enough. I am Joe Shmoe as far as music listening is concerned.

Speakers

Horrible. I use the LittleBigPlanet piece "Get It Together" by The Go! Team as a ringtone. Not very loud. Sound is clean and free of static but sounds strangely distorted and very tinny. My ears hurt from barely listening to it. Don't know how to describe it. It just sounds bad. In comparison, my Motorola C650 is louder, although sounds staticy, but I can still enjoy it well enough without my ears bleeding and doesn't sound tinny. Same goes for the Rizr Z3.

Screen

Abomination. I might understand if this phone was made three or four years ago. Very poor viewing angles. Washed out colors. Old style LCD where the colors invert. Overbright, white milky look also similar to old style LCDs when seen at an angle, except it is there even looking dead on zero degrees. Have you flown on Continental Airlines recently? Their 767 planes have LCD screens in the back of the seat above the tray. They are of the same kin.

Number Keys

Painful. Go find a stack of stapled papers. Start pushing on that staple like a phone button. Now imagine it raised a bit in height. That is basically what these keys are. Very stiff. Very small. Manageable for a little Vietnamese girl but impossible for the rest of the world. Requires pushing with pinpointed force at the tip of the finger. Becomes some kind of art form. Casual button pushers please step away. You’ll end up pushing nothing at all if anything. Texting is unthinkable. Someone should get fired for designing these.

Navigation Keys

Also painful. Will develop sores and indentions in your finger. Stiff like number keys, but more surface area to push. Answering and ending calls is a pain. Small and prone to error. Walkman button and shortcut button is okay, but on the small side still.

Style

Subjective. Thin keys look like grains of rice and bog down the sleek black look of the front. Orange side and back is not as gaudy as the online pictures show. Nice metallic semi-dark orange under most lighting conditions. Speaker, dual LED, mirror, and lens are placed nicely. Sony Ericsson logo is pretty sharp. Great back look in my opinion.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

Unsatisfactory. No creaks. No gaps. Thin plastic. Doesn’t feel good. Heavy and compacted body, but squeezable and deformable. Circumference is poor since it is so thin and small. Poor grip and delicate feel. Nothing solid or substantial to grip, which leads to squeezing, which leads to pangs of paranoia from possible damage. The flip of the coin involves holding it so lightly that it can slip, fall, and break into pieces. Your experience may vary greatly.

Camera

Too hyped. I set everything to auto. Indoor shots are impossible. Dark and blurry. Autofocus doesn’t seem to do anything. Outdoor shots have washed out colors. Not very sharp either. My Nokia 6233 took better pictures. Is mine defective? I don’t think so. Nice distant horizons and scenic views may be good, but I don’t live in such a beautiful world. Incompetent for casual photography.

Video Recording

Stroke inducing. Blurry, pixilated, slow, ugly, and terrible. Worst video capture on a phone I’ve ever seen. Don’t even dare putting any of its kind on Youtube. I will barf at you.

Battery Life

No Idea.

More of a rant, but I can’t help it. Heads up to those thinking of buying this phone. I’m sure there are many who love this phone and don’t agree with me. I’m just giving the more pessimistic view. I have already flea-bayed it.

Posted by: cityhunter25

he just raped Sony ericsson!!

you are over exaggerating on almost everything you said man! screen is terrible? I have not seen any better vivid colors either nokia or motorola then I seen on a sony ericsson. what's up with that nokia 256 color menu icons? and those motorola depixilated icons. walkman version is not good?

what else you want on your menu for walkman? it gives you all you need for listening to music!

I am not going to go over all the things you said but man, I never heard such blasphemy before!

ps: if you hate it soo much let me give you a nice rizr for it!

soo sweet looking and motorola like awsomeness... right?

Posted by: randomtask77

He is entitled to his opinion and for the most part what he said is correct.

Though I do think that he had high expectations out of the W610 when the phone is only a middle range phone and wasn't meant to be a high end device.

It doesn't really matter. He tried the phone, didn't like it, moved on. Everybody has done it, he just shared his experience before selling it (or should I say after).

Posted by: bigb252

He most likely came from like a N95 or something...OOO a rizrZ3. I actually switched mine out for a few days but the UI was painful - SE sold me on their UI

To each his own!

edit- What was with the 'Vietnamese girl' thing?

I had to agree with you on the video recording part though, made me chuckle

Posted by: MuchMe

Woah..that's one of the most negative reviews I've heard of the W610. Personally just got a KRZR K1 for free with my plan, and the UI of my K550 is the most advanced of them all. Here's a video I took with my K550 in QCIF resolution (176 x 144) http://youtube.com/watch?v=4d2f80UwOj4
Not that bad is it?

Posted by: Moe3754

I have had three Motorola Rizrs and all three SUCKED so bad i put them all on e-bay and this from a person that had the original Razr right after it was released,I have had moto krzr and slvr,both the l7 and l7i and I have had three different nokias,as for samsumg I would not even own that garbage at all,that is a bag person's phone,and I now own the 610i and SE phones make Motorola and nokia look like rookies in the phone buisness.The UI of the 610 blows the others away and the sound makes the Rizr sound like two tin cans with string, and the walkman on the 610 has much better sound than the Nokia 5300 Xpressmusic phone I had,also on E-bay now!I have been through the old analog,TDMA,CDMA,and finally GSM,my first cell phone cost me $1000.00 and was like a Brick so I can say that I have seen it all and done it all with Cell phones and this guy is talking through his backside,and would not know a quality phone if it hit him on his empty melon head!!!!

As for the spelling of those lame A#@ motorola names only shill could remember those without looking them up.

Posted by: bigb252

But true,I've had a ton other phones from Sony Ericsson but I keep coming back, mainly because of the UI. I can't even remember all the phones I had but i liked the slider on the rizr, and that was about it...

Posted by: Icyhot1966

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moe3754

I have had moto krzr and slvr,both the l7 and l7i and I have had three different nokias,as for samsumg I would not even own that garbage at all,that is a bag person's phone,and I now own the 610i and SE phones make Motorola and nokia look like rookies in the phone buisness.

While I agree SE makes, for the most part, great phones, I will say that they do not make Nokia look like rookies in the phone business.

Posted by: chanman87

Quote:

Originally Posted by cityhunter25

he just raped Sony ericsson!!

soo sweet looking and motorola like awsomeness... right?

he has probably nvr seen the menu system on Nokia 6230i/b or Nokia 6270
both are sluggish and have bad MP3 player apps. very slow to load music and playlists

Posted by: aw614

Quote:

Originally Posted by chanman87

he has probably nvr seen the menu system on Nokia 6230i/b or Nokia 6270
both are sluggish and have bad MP3 player apps. very slow to load music and playlists

6230b is supposed to be quicker than 6230i in menu speed, it certainly didnt have any menu delay, but yes music player is slow loading and camera too

Posted by: Moe3754

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icyhot1966

While I agree SE makes, for the most part, great phones, I will say that they do not make Nokia look like rookies in the phone business.

Sure if you want to pay over $600.00 for a N95 but I would rather put my money on a SE,I do not think any phone is worth more than say $250.00 after that it is just a over priced phone,as for my very first phone that was $1000.00 well I was just young and stupid to pay that much and sixtyfive cents a minute to use it

.But we all get older and wiser and look back on stupid moments in our life!!!

Posted by: randomtask77

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moe3754

.But we all get older and wiser and look back on stupid moments in our life!!!

Would you mind telling us what phone this would be?

Posted by: Paul in SoCal

I agree with the Music Experience and Navigation Keys comments. Overall given the price it's a pretty good phone IMO.

Posted by: Moe3754

Quote:

Originally Posted by randomtask77

Would you mind telling us what phone this would be?

The $$1000.00 phone?If that is what you are talking about ???It was a old brick type phone that I purchased from Qwest back in the early 1990's I would say 1992 or so I do not even remember who made it but it was white with a long antenna and was about 6 to 8 inches front to back and about 12 inches long and weighed about 1 or 2 pounds it was right after the Bag phone.It has been so long but I remember that the only way it was billed was by the minute there were no plans and large minute options like there are now.They later made the same phone but it was only about 2 to 3 inches front to back and had a little button for a antenna instead of the long black one and it was a TDMA phone carried by AT&T later on,that was right after AT&T purchased Cellular One here in Colorado and was TDMA before they became GSM and back when Air Touch was around before they became Voicestream and then T-Mobile.I have had cell phones since the early 90's so I have had a few.

Posted by: Icyhot1966

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moe3754

.But we all get older and wiser and look back on stupid moments in our life!!!

Again, I will disagree. Some devices are worth well over $250. Depends on what you want to use them for. I said devices, because people tend to just call them "phones" when in reality they are much much more. Yes I have the N95, love it and dont regret for a second the money I paid for it. But I also paid $400 each for my SE w810 and K790a and didnt regret that either. Now would I pay $250 for something that can only make/receive calls and text msgs, but lacks a good camera, web browser, mp3 player and other features? Absolutely not. That would be the true meaning of a phone. But what we currently use now, device is a more appropriate name.

Posted by: silverwolf0

I have made comparisons to the Motorola Rizr Z3 specifically because people here undervalue it while placing the w610i at a much higher regard. Motorola is currently the underdog. It would be too easy to berate the w610i using the 6233 as a standard, which I had owned previously. I have never owned the N95. The dumbphones for it were a real turn off both aesthetically and ergonomically.

Posted by: Icyhot1966

The dumbphones for what?

Posted by: bigb252

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icyhot1966

The dumbphones for what?

haha

Posted by: cityhunter25

the rizr z3 was a super slow phone (as all motorola phones are) the picture quality was horrid and I could not imagine a more laggy and complicated UI motorola are known for their sub sub sub menu in the settings

Posted by: mrweiser

Actually the RIZR has a decent camera for what it is. However if you are going to berate the display of the W610i then it is worth mentioning how stone age the screen on the RIZR is. They are both the same resolution, but the RIZR screen is smaller and less colorful than the W610i.

Posted by: GeminiIII

Quote:

but the RIZR screen is smaller and less colorful than the W610i.

incorrect. they both have a 1.9" size screen and both have 262k colours

Posted by: Icyhot1966

My N95 has 2.6 inch and 16.7 million colors

Posted by: silverwolf0

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrweiser

Actually the RIZR has a decent camera for what it is. However if you are going to berate the display of the W610i then it is worth mentioning how stone age the screen on the RIZR is. They are both the same resolution, but the RIZR screen is smaller and less colorful than the W610i.

I would have to disagree with you about the screen. Either I got a defective w610i, or maybe you haven't used a Rizr Z3 recently. The screen on the Rizr is quite sharp and colorful, not as blindingly bright as Samsung screens. It has good viewing angles and no inverted colors off center. The w610i is as I described it in my review. It is night and day to compare the two. My sister was also commenting on how atrocious the screen was on the w610i. She is the owner of the Rizr and I get to use it on a daily basis. I do not know whether cellphone manufacturers have any history in changing the screens on their phones in order to cut costs, meet demands, or as deliberate upgrades/downgrades. I haven't heard of this practice yet among cellphones, but laptops and desktop LCDs sometimes undergo this change.

And 262k has nothing to do with quality. (in response to another poster) Screen size is constrained by the size of a phone so smaller phones will have smaller screens.

Posted by: mrweiser

In all fairness I own the K550i flashed to the W610i firmware so there may be a difference between the two. My K550i has an excellent display. After looking at the specs of both phones they both have a 1.9" display. It just looks to me like the RIZR's display is more blocky and pixellated. My K550i has smooth lines, great colors, and can be viewed from any angle even in direct sunlight. I think at this point it's a matter of opinion.

Posted by: bigb252

Yea, this whole thread was a matter of opinion. If he likes his [slower] rizr then so be it.

About the screen thing, the K550/w610 uses TFD displays, which are older and brighter but helps promotes battery life. I just can't stand Motorola's older UI anyways...

Posted by: DJ Teknosys

I just picked up a w610 today and I love it. Yes, the screen isn't as nice as my s500i, but I don't really mind. The w810 was one of my favorite SE's, and this is like w810 2.0. Slimmer, better build quality, and most important it has A2DP. This one's gonna be a "keeper" for a while...

Posted by: EricSony

Dude, the Rizer can not be mentioned in the same sentence as the W610/k550. My girlfriend is "afflicted with" a Rizer and she can't wait to get rid of it (having used it many times myself, I can't blame her!). On the other hand, I recently swapped my Z710 with my friend's k550 (for a while as a test drive, we'll swap back in a couple of weeks, hehe) and the K550 (and the z710 for that matter) is superior to the Rizer in every way imaginable, ESPECIALLY the software. Motorola's software is at the very bottom of the heap and it's the thing that many Motorola owners complain about the most, especially if they'd used SEs/Nokias before.

The funny thing is that I could have written the same review, almost word for word, for the Rizer!

Bottom line, if that's how you truly feel about the w610, which you're obviously entitled to, then you need to realize you're in a very small minority.

Posted by: tiny103

Just ordered a W610. Cant wait to abuse the A2DP!

Posted by: The Rever

Easy does it, phone fans...although I love a good debate.

While the w610 is indeed the better phone overall, the rizr is a nice little "does most stuff pretty dang well" phone. It's dinky, solid, has great call quality, a decent camera and flash, and it works pretty darn well.

I just paid $50 for a T-Mobile branded one for my wife, and she digs it. $50! It does all that she wants--and it's dinky and cool looking. Does the rizr make my gadget salivary glands start perking? No. But because we have two people on our new account, I also got one for myself as a backup to my yet-to-be-purchased...? (I'll be buying that in a day or two...with thanks to darkninja.)

Weighing in at around $250, the SE w610i wins the smack-down! But the scrawny kid from Motorola makes a pretty good showing for itself.

Posted by: albogino

i dont no what that guy was talking about, badmouthing the w610i like that. i have a w600i, not much difference b/w the two, if not the same and i'd say its the best phone ive ever owned...for an affordable price

. sound is the loudest...maybe "was" the loudest for its price when it came out, camera is good quality for a phone. it is a bit compact and bricklike but i put up with it. ive had this phone playing music in the shower and falling in the tub while i was showering, the music died the flash went on very dimly and the buttons screwed up. after that sound was almost inaudible and buttons had different functions. gave it one day and everything worked as new, sound was back to normal, so were the buttons and the flash light and the battery is still the same and doesnt die too quick. ive had it fall from 5 foot height a lot of times, had a que ball bounce right into the screen and drop it on the floor while playing pool and nothing happened. its very durable from my experiences and its got an easy to use UI with pretty good reception i'd say. as for the razors i think they all suck and should be thrown in a bon fire cuzz thats what they are good for...then again thats what i think.

dont mind the spelling im too lazy to spell properly :P

edit: btw i think the earphones have the best base for such small earphones and they are made to go with the phone

Posted by: MuchMe

Hey..he may just thing we're just all fanboys. He's entitled to his opinion, but honestly, I DISAGREE with a lot of things here. Although I haven't tried the RIZR, the speaker is really that bad? You may or may not like the keypad, but many users on this forum have defended the keypad on the K550/W610.

I find the Music Player (not Walkman) on the K550 already top notch, and the Walkman player on my friend's W610 sensational. It is already VERY well organized and, sometimes when things get to complicated, it's plain horrible. Good audio quality from my K550 even though it's not Walkman player, and to defend the radio function, I listen to it every night before I sleep.

The camera of the W610 is not that bad, considering it has flash and AF. Pretty nice pictures for a 2MP camera and it's one of the best 2MP camera's SE has. (behind K750, W810) The video recording capability I sort of agree with you, it records only in QCIF (176 x 144 pixels), but it is still okay when up on youtube. (link posted up before)

The screen is TFD, not as bright as the W810's TFT, but more energy efficient. I find the screen very nice and visible.

Posted by: Icyhot1966

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuchMe

Hey..he may just thing we're just all fanboys. He's entitled to his opinion, but honestly, I DISAGREE with a lot of things here. Although I haven't tried the RIZR, the speaker is really that bad? You may or may not like the keypad, but many users on this forum have defended the keypad on the K550/W610.

I find the Music Player (not Walkman) on the K550 already top notch, and the Walkman player on my friend's W610 sensational. It is already VERY well organized and, sometimes when things get to complicated, it's plain horrible. Good audio quality from my K550 even though it's not Walkman player, and to defend the radio function, I listen to it every night before I sleep.

The camera of the W610 is not that bad, considering it has flash and AF. Pretty nice pictures for a 2MP camera and it's one of the best 2MP camera's SE has. (behind K750, W810) The video recording capability I sort of agree with you, it records only in QCIF (176 x 144 pixels), but it is still okay when up on youtube. (link posted up before)

The screen is TFD, not as bright as the W810's TFT, but more energy efficient. I find the screen very nice and visible.

They keypad could have been better. I absolutely love the keypad on the w810. I am not complaining, just saying the keypad on the k550/w610 could have been better. Other than that, my white k550 is a very nice little phone.

Posted by: mazinya

After having the W610 for a few days now i can sat that this is an amazing phone!
The keypad is actually very nice and im already used to it. The sound quality is amazing, the screen is also very nice. The phone has great features and i love it.

I can say from my point of view, that my opinion on this phone is extremely opposite from the OP and i realy dont know what he is talking about or what exactly he expected from this phone.

Anyway, for thhose who are thinking of buying it, go for it!

Posted by: milenko11

I'd say that if the SE menu didn't win you over then it's not the phone for you. I'd say that's first and foremost the most important thing about the phone. If you don't like using it and looking at it then it won't matter what features it has. Best of luck finding the right phone.

Posted by: bigb252

I agree with mazinya, I don't know what he expected in a sub-$300 phone. I hope he finds his 'perfect' phone

Posted by: Icyhot1966

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigb252

I agree with mazinya, I don't know what he expected in a sub-$300 phone. I hope he finds his 'perfect' phone

Totally agree. I paid $200 more for my w810 than I did for my k550 a little over a year ago, and it didnt have A2DP, lens cover or RSS. True the keypad was better, the the keypad on the w810 was king of the world lol. With the case I use that covers the keys on the k550, it is almost the equal of the w810 in that respect. Not so sure the camera is as good on the k550 but overall, for $216 plus shipping, pound for pound, I got a much better deal on the k550 and am very pleased.

Posted by: mazinya

Quote:

Originally Posted by milenko11

I'd say that if the SE menu didn't win you over then it's not the phone for you. I'd say that's first and foremost the most important thing about the phone. If you don't like using it and looking at it then it won't matter what features it has. Best of luck finding the right phone.

Did you reffer to me?

Posted by: silverwolf0

Most of these assumptions seem to be made using the w610i as a standard for "perfect". To be truthful, I haven't found my perfect phone yet, and it quite possibly may be the 6500 slide. If I was reviewing the w610i using my perfect phone standards, my review would have been even more scathing. Why do you think I compared it to a Rizr in the first place? I should add a few more phone comparisons for good measure. I already told you my old motorola c650 dinky three year old cellphone had a better speaker and MUCH better earpiece. I can go around campus and listen to the standard T-mobile Samsung flips, usually with some hip-hop ringtone, and they all sound better than the miniscule speaker on the w610i. I've already detailed how low the earpiece is. Even the cheaper Samsung phones with low display resolutions look better than the display on this phone. These sentiments are not exclusively to me. I've asked several family members, especially my sister, who owns the Rizr as well as a few other phones. They are cellphone illiterate (what is one-touch dialing? what is GSM? oooh a camera! you can put it on a computer???) with no standards other than the previous phones they've owned and it took only a few minutes fidgeting with the phone to realize these conspicuous shortcomings. I didn't even say "look at the display, is it nice?" It was openly said "the screen on this is uglier than my phone. You spent money on this?" How do you justify a purchase when a free phone with contract is better than a phone that cost $275?

I didn't bash the UI. I just don't like it too much, coupled with the terrible keys. I will have to say that I can do things faster on this phone than on others, but it doesn't feel as satisfying, all subjective in this respect. The Rizr lags while going through menus, but that doesn't bother me.

Posted by: Jamham

What bothers you might not bother others. Just like how you said about the Rizr's menus lag and others find it annoying, but it didn't bother you.

This all matters in opinions. I'm still waiting for my w610 to give it a good review and some shots.

Posted by: kimota

Thought I'd drop my 2 cents in, I've had my w610 for a few weeks now and am loving it. Had a w810 previously that got stolen

this was a great replacement no learning curve, UI is pratically identical to w810.

W610 fits my needs extremely well I wanted a phone with good memory upgradeability, flash themes/menus', tons of games a decent camera. Another thing I needed was the ability to use Bluetooth to tether the phone as a modem and for hands free voice connected to my CarPC.

The w610 does a really nice job at this I have two Bluetooth adaptors connected to my CarPC one for hands free phone and the other for modem tethering. The w610 tethered easily with both adapters and automatically connects back to internet the second I end a phone conversations

I'm not saying the phone is for everyone but depending on your needs it can be a great phone

Posted by: wutdog_cutdog

my girl's w610 drops calls often...i did a sony ericsson update when she first got it (maybe 2.5 months ago). I guess I need to update it again. Just curious if anyone else's w610 drops calls often or cuts off for no apparent reason.