- Walkman 2.0 Media Player with one-touch music shuffle and dedicated music control keys on the front; integrated FM radio
- Quad-band connectivity for global roaming and EDGE data network compatibility for AT&T Mobile Music streaming and downloads
- 2-megapixel camera with video capture; Memory Stick Micro expansion; Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR connectivity with stereo music streaming
- Up to 9 hours of talk time, up to 370 hours (15.4 days) of standby time; up to 20 hours of music playback in Music Mode
- Includes: Battery, Charger, Corded Headset, USB Cable, User’s Manual and Quick Start Guide
Product Description
The slim form factor of the W580 hides the Walkman 2.0 music player to make it simple to organize and play your favorite music. Easily create custom playlists. The Disc2Phone music management software and included USB cable make it easy to transfer music from a PC on to the phone. Additionally you can listen to favorite radio programming as the W580 offers an RDS-FM radio. The TrackID feature powered by Gracenote makes it easy to identify music tracks you don’t recognize. The W580 also features a 2.0 Megapixel camera and functions as a portable photo album and pocket gaming device. A large 2-inch color screen is ideal for gaming as well as web browsing and viewing your camera photos. TrackID music recognition software Disc2Phone Music Management Software Multiple Music Format Support (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA) A2DP (Bluetooth streaming sound) Music Illumination Effects Stereo Headset Speakerphone Connectivity & Messaging – Bluetooth 2.0, Java MIDP 2.0, Full HTML Browser with RSS, Instant messaging & USB Mass storageAmazon.com Product Description
Sony Ericsson shakes things up with its new quad-band W580i Walkman phone, introducing an innovative “shake to shuffle” feature that randomly chooses another song stored on your phone with just a flick of the wrist. This thin, slider-style phone also features a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, fast Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR connectivity with music streaming, Memory Stick Micro expansion, Web browser for viewing full Internet sites, email access, an FM radio with RDS, and EDGE data support.
With AT&T’s Mobile Music service, you can access your Napster subscription service for music downloads to keep you booming out the tunes for up to 20 hours. |
AT&T Service
The W580i operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T’s EDGE network (which stands for “Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution”), with availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. This third-generation, high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.
The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T’s MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. It also features AT&T Mobile Music, which provides access to the Napster subscription music service in addition to Music ID song-recognition software, music videos and The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T’s Internet, video, and music services.)
Phone Features
The W580i Walkman phone offers a full-function digital audio player that’s compatible with MP3 and AAC files. The front of this slider phone includes dedicated music control buttons, and it includes Sony Ericsson’s innovative “shake to shuffle” feature. With Shake control activated, press and hold the Walkman key and flick your wrist. A vibration lets you know that the track has been changed–a new song from your current playlist is randomly selected and automatically played.
With the TrackID service, you can identify any song that you can hear by just recording a snippet of sound using the microphone. After sending the file for recognition, you’ll have the name, artist and album sent to your phone. Other Walkman features include MegaBass enhancement for added depth of sound, a flight mode that lets you keep listening to tunes with the phone’s network connectivity turned off, and Disc2Phone software for easy transfer of song files between phone and PC. It also includes a built-in FM radio with RDS, which displays the name of the currently playing song (when tuned to compatible radio stations).
This phone provides Bluetooth version 2.0 wireless connectivity with EDR (enhanced data rate), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and audio/video remote control. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.
The built-in 2.0 megapixel camera captures stills and video–and playback of video or still pictures is only limited to the memory card size. Picture effects and custom screensavers, backgrounds, and themes can be setup to fit your personality. It provides support for PictBridge technology so you can print your photos without the need of a PC (either using USB or Bluetooth). And the W580i makes it easy to send snapped photos directly to a blog or an online photo, complete with text. This phone is also compatible with RTSP/3GPP streaming video playback
You can even take your favorite tracks to the track with the W580i, which will count your steps, your calories and monitor your running speed/distance/time with the integrated motion sensor. Your workout results are stored in your phone so you can monitor your progress.
The phone also ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3 and IMAP4 protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up-to-the-minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs. Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages.
The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard. This means the phone can be used with the included Sony Ericsson Sync Station software, which lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks on your PC with the phone.
Other features include:
- 2-inch LCD with a 240 x 320-pixel resolution and support for 262K colors
- Up to 1000 contact entries, each with five number fields
- Built-in pedometer and fitness applications
- Picture blogging with Google Blogger
- Mobile email and messaging via AOL/AIM, Yahoo!, and MSN
- Java support for online and offline 3D games (preloaded games include PacMan and Ms. PacMan)
- USB 2.0 wired connectivity with mass storage capability
- PIM functions including calendar, tasks, notes, alarm, calculator, stopwatch, and timer
- T9 text entry technology
- 72-chord polyphonic ringtones and MP3 ringtones
- Digital audio file formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+
Vital Statistics
The W580i weighs 3.32 ounces and measures 3.9 x 1.85 x 0.55 inches. Its 930 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 9 hours of talk time, and up to 370 hours of digital standby time; the phone will also play for up to 20 hours when in Music Mode. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.
Sony Ericsson W580i Phone, Pink
Pretty phone. I am a basic user, using the phone only for phone calls. Keys are very small, even for my average female fingers. Reception is average, but better after I updated the firmware. Very sturdy product, as I have dropped it many times with no apparent harm done, and this is important for me.
Rating: 4 / 5
My sister got this phone in April of 2008. My family is the kind that doesn’t like to hassle customer service reps, so you know it’s pretty bad when we’re using the one year warranty. By the end of last year, the speakers had blown and so music was no longer an option. We found out that the cracked keys were a standard feature with this phone, so the speakers were really what my sister was uspet over.
In April of 2009 when the faceplate had started falling off from constant wear and the speakers still weren’t working, we went to AT&T and they allowed us a replacement of the exact same phone. My sister started fresh with a brand new pink Sony Eriksson, but this time the rate of decline was even more rapid than before. The keys broke, the speakers blew, the faceplate broke, and as of yesterday (September 25, 2009), 2/3 of the screen is no longer visible.
Admittedly, my sister has dropped her phone on occasion, but the majority of people drop their phone at least two or three times. The design should be quality enough to hold up to the wear and tear of typical cell phone usage and abuse.
Rating: 1 / 5
I thought this would be an easy to use phone with many features and attractive too. Way too many difficulties. If you aren’t careful you can accidentally go online and run up your bill, you have to push button that are so small even my fingers couldn’t do it without my fingernails. Learning to use it is rocket science. The walkman part I’ve never figured out. Just a horrible phone to use. Many AT&T people have told me they hear that all the time. Save yourself the hassle. Hopefully they will never be back in stock here.
Rating: 1 / 5
I was a loyal Telus customer for 6 years and never had any issues with the phones that I received while on 2 3-year contracts with them. However, as local number portability came about, I began researching other service providers. What drew me to Rogers was the Sony Ericsson w580i – in pink, of course. It was the epitome of ‘girliness’ and the beginning of 7 months of pure utter drama.
On July 21st 2008, I switched over to Rogers and received my Sony Ericsson w580i. The phone, upon first inspection, was poorly constructed. I barely used the phone for anything other than phone calls and texting. If the intent of the phone was to be ‘useless’, then it fulfilled the description exceptionally well. The first issue came about on September 22nd 2008. This involved cracked keys, which I found were to be a common issue with this model. I sent the phone in and it was promptly returned to me with the keypad replaced. The next issue arrived on November 20th 2008. The softkeys were becoming detached from the frame of the phone. Again, I sent it in.
The third repair occurred on November 28 2008. For some odd reason, this issue (broken memory card cover) was not repairable and so, I received my first refurbished replacement phone. Next issue came about on February 3 2009. The slider phone stopped sliding vertically upwards and instead, began sliding diagonally, slightly, to the left. While not an issue with the phone function, I was not satisfied with the quality of the phone. So, I sent it in again and the service center again determined my phone was defective and sent me another refurbished replacement.
So, if you have been keeping track, that has been 4 repairs and 2 replacements so far. All in a little over 6 months.
Lo and behold, that replacement began doing the same thing – sliding diagonally, slightly, to the left. A little ridiculous, don’t you think? I call Sony Ericsson customer support and request to speak with a supervisor after I am told over and over again by customer service representatives (CSRs) that my only option was to send it in for repairs again.
The first supervisor I spoke to at Sony Ericsson was C****. When he got put on the line, I immediately got the impression that his only goal was to superficially appease me and get me off the phone. He very hurriedly suggested a swap, for a new or like new model, and then got me off the phone without even mentioning a reference number, RMA, or other details essential to the solution. So, I call in to Sony Ericsson customer support yet again. To make a long story short, I had to call in multiple times before I got the necessary documentation.
I finally got the e-mail from the repair center and the day after, February 18th 2009, printed everything off and sent the phone off. This counts as the fifth repair as it is the fifth time I have sent my phone off. I received a brand new replacement on February 23rd 2009.
Can you believe there was a problem with that phone too? The phone was missing the spring inside the memory card slot and so, I was unable to use the memory card with it (it wouldn’t stay down). Defective, once more. While still at the repair shop, I called Sony Ericsson customer support yet again. Instead of sending my phone in for the 6th time, which I was determined not to do – as this was getting beyond ridiculous – I was offered a swap by the Sony Ericsson CSR. She suggested that I go to a Rogers Wireless store and request a swap. To make a long story short, I was refused a swap at many Rogers Wireless stores. So, where does that leave me? I wasted countless time trying to actively solve my problem and was late to work twice. I still have a phone that does not allow me to use a memory card.
On February 26th 2009, I call in to Sony Ericsson again to see if there’s anything they can do. The CSR pretty much laughed me off the phone, telling me that all I need is a workable phone – why does it matter if it’s new or refurbished? I re-iterated my history of issues with the phone and the brand new replacement that I had in my hand. He informed me that my only choice was to send it in for repair (which would have been my 6th repair) and then laughed me off the phone. Discouraged, I called into Rogers again and explained my problem to a very sympathetic CSR who tried her best to solve my problem. She spoke with tech support and after concluding that there was nothing they could do for me, she transferred me to Customer Relations.
I then spoke with the most helpful CSR from either party that I have ever spoken with. She seemed determine not to let me off the phone until we had found a suitable resolution for me. She offered to upgrade my phone and while I was reluctant, since the w580i was the reason I switched to Rogers, she convinced me that my history with the w580i was too horrible to take another chance with it. I was offered the Sony Ericsson w760a. Hopefully, this replacement will be an improvement.
Rating: 1 / 5
I have had the w580i for 1 year, 2 months now and I have enjoyed using the phone and most of its features. However, during that time I have experienced several quality issues. One of them (the ear speaker died) was probably isolated to my unit. But I also had my keypad crack twice. The cracked keypad seems to be a common issue with this model, just search online about it. I had to send in the phone twice for warranty repairs. Now, the left soft keys (select/back) have stopped working. Another search revealed this to also be a common flaw also. My warranty has run out, so Sony Ericsson will not fix this. Fortunately, there is a workaround by pushing hard on the area between the navigation keys and the LCD screen (where there is either the ‘W’ logo or the at&t logo), then the keys will work.
The bottom line though is that this phone has some serious quality flaws and therefore I do not recommend purchasing this model anymore. I give it 2-stars since the phone is still a very nice slider design with excellent software/interface.
Rating: 2 / 5