Smooth Style Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey Mobile

By Author: differentman
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The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile comes in two styles matte gray or orange and white. Personally, I like the dynamic orange-and-white version better. Like most Sony Ericsson phones, this handset is light yet solidly built. The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile slide is easy to work with one hand yet doesn't open accidentally. At 3.9 by 0.9 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighing a slight 3.3 ounces, it fits easily into pockets. The keys are small but slightly domed, so they're easy to press. Also pleasing are the main screen, the sharp resolution 320 by 240 pixels, and the cursor pad, which doubles as a set of music control buttons when you're in the built-in music player.
The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile relatively good flash less 2-megapixel camera delivers sharp if slightly bluish pictures, maintaining sharpness even in low light. Our low-light shots were a touch overexposed, but there was no shutter-speed blur, which is much more important. The quad-band Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile gets good reception ...
... and, in a low-signal area, it connected calls without a problem. Voice quality, though, could be a bit better. To some extent I'm spoiled by using 3G phones, which generally make clearer calls than the EDGE models. The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile earpiece is loud enough to use outdoors, but not overly loud. The speakerphone is fine outdoors, though I heard some volume fluctuations, and transmissions sounded quiet on the other end. The phone comes with an adapter to use the 3.5mm music player headphones as a headset, and it also worked well with Bluetooth headsets though there's no voice dialing. Talk time was about 10 hours, which is fine for an EDGE phone.
The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile isn't just any slider phone, though. It boasts a bunch of whimsical features that are relatively rare on U.S. models. Take the pedometer, for instance. Identical to the one in the Sony Ericsson W710i, it counts the steps you take and gauges your running speed. Like the W710i's pedometer, it isn't absolutely accurate, but it's good enough for casual use. A built-in fitness application shows your progress on a graph, gives you "medals" for working out, and even throws in a sports-trivia game. As with most Sony Ericsson phones, the Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile enjoys excellent Bluetooth support, with a wide range of profiles that include file transfer, stereo audio, dial-up networking, and that fun if odd PC remote-control ability. For an EDGE phone, don't expect too much from it as a PC modem.
To soothe or thrill you during workouts, the W580i relies on Sony Ericsson's Walkman music player. Music quality, as with all Walkman phones, is good. You can use your regular music-player headphones, the included ear buds, or Bluetooth stereo headphones. The Sony Ericsson W580i Urban Grey mobile phone is able to play MP3, AAC, and WMA files at any bit rate, but it still doesn't sync with Windows Media Player or iTunes. You have to drag and drop your songs onto a Memory Stick M2 card (a 256MB card is included), either by plugging the phone into your PC or using a card reader. If that seems like too much trouble, there's an FM radio in here, too. An entirely pointless but cool "shake control" lets you shake the phone to shuffle your songs. For more details visit www.phoneandbeyond.com