Conclusion
Sony Ericsson continues to make some of my favorite music and cameraphones, and the w580i brings a sense of style to their US market offerings. This Walkman line handset offers one of the most complete out-of-the-box music phone experiences available this side of top of the line handsets costing hundreds of dollars more. Between the refined user interface, included music adapter and stereo earphones, and 512 MB memory card, the w580i is ready to be loaded up with tunes and used on your daily commute as soon as it’s taken out of the packaging.
Seen as an upgrade from the w800/810i Walkman phone (the 810i was also offered by AT&T), the w580i is a sleeker, sexier model with a better display and user interface but, oddly enough, a weaker camera. SE would should at least built the 580 with the same autofocus lens and LED flash assist light found in those older Walkman models - instead a very good cameraphone is reduced to an average one.
Still, if you like the way it looks and feels, the w580i is a great choice in a handset that does just about everything a cell phone can do this side of full smartphone functionality. The lack of 3G data is a sore spot, but between the Walkman features, the HTML and RSS browsers, Email, and even the pedometer functionality, the w580i is a small slider with a lot going for it. Definitely check it out if you want something more than the average cell phone that won’t break your bank.
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4.7
