This is my 30th review and it feels great to write a review on my latest Prized Possession bought from my hard-earned money---- The latest sensation from Sony Ericsson (SE), The W550i.
I bought this phone on 20th October 2005, the day on which it was launched in India and straight from the All-India Distributor. I got it at a price of Rs.14,700 with Bill and Warranty. When I bought this phone I had not seen even the dummy of the phone but after doing some extensive research on the net I found out this phone quite stylish and also loaded with excellent features. Now to the review of the phone…
This phone is a Walkman Phone pre-loaded with an inbuilt memory of 256 MB and one cannot install a card to enhance its memory. The Walkman feature includes automatic classification of MP3 Songs based on Artistes and Albums. One can also make playlists for playback in a particular order. This phone does not support WMA, WAV or AAC Files.
It also features a 1.3 MP Video & Still Camera with 4X Digital Zoom and a 32X zoom in the playback mode. It has also got features like Night Mode, a very effective Flash Light, Frames and various modes to shoot. I actually shot one picture in an absolutely dark room and used the Flash; the picture was quite okay for a Mobile Camera.
The other notable features of the Phone are:
·A FM Radio with facility of 20 preset Stations.
·Three 3D Games that are quite tough to play but very enjoyable.
·The phone also has 2 dedicated gaming buttons, which are on the top of the screen that are activated once a game is played.
·A Code Memo function (Password protected) where one can store Credit Card Pin Numbers, Passwords and other classified information.
·Infrared, Bluetooth and USB Cable connectivity.
·Two brilliant applications- World Clock and Internet News Reader that are quite user-friendly.
·Bluetooth Remote Control Function wherein the Phone can be used as a remote control for Bluetooth Enabled Laptops and Computers.
·Three Digital Media editing Softwares- Photo DJ, Video DJ and Music DJ.
·A Phone Lock swipe button that can be used to lock the keypad with just a swipe, which is located on the left side of the phone.
·2 Stereo Speakers that give an amazing Sound Quality just like a Stereo System, please hear it to believe it.
·Brilliant earphones that produce awesome sound, 2 replacement covers for it are also provided.
·A huge 1000 memory Phonebook with 24 separate entries like Mobile, Office, Fax, E-mail id, Postal address etc.
·A comprehensive Voice Control function where the phone can be set-up for voice based controls for dialing and picking up calls.
·A 2,56,000 Colours TFT Screen which is quite visible even in bright daylight.
·2 Blue and White Phone covers that are provided free with the phone apart from the default orange colour.
·Another excellent function is the Walkman-Only mode where the phone functions don’t work and only the Walkman functions, it is quite useful in Hospitals and Aircrafts. When only the Walkman is used it gives a battery back up of 30 hours.
·One can also charge this phone with the USB Cable connected to a computer, this is quite useful to people who forget to charge their phones quite often.
Now to some weak points of the phone:
·Inability to play WAV or AAC Files.
·Some people might find the slide feature irritating.
·The colour orange is very flashy to some users.
·The phone hangs sometimes when 2 or 3 features are simultaneously used.
·One cannot increase the memory of the phone with a Memory Card.
·Apart from them I have found none till date, would keep you updated if I find some.
Currently I have 85 Full MP3 Songs, 30 MP3 Ringtones, 160 Downloaded Themes and 35 3GP Videos and inspite of so much data I have 35 MB free Memory, I am sure it is more than enough and I don’t find lack of a memory card feature quite a big issue.
Some tips to enhance the phone:
·Download free themes, wallpapers, MMS Pictures and 3GP Videos from http://www.zedge.no.
·When you transfer the MP3 Songs, save them at 64 kbps speed, it would reduce the size of the song but reduce the quality to some extent, but if you are looking at large number of songs, then go for it.
·Use the USB Cable to charge the phone.
·Always keep 10 MB Free on your phone, it would help to shoot more videos and you would not need to delete some memory each time you want to shoot.
·Use the Disc2Phone Software (Free with the Phone) to transfer MP3 Files from your computer to the Phone, in this you can set the kbps rate of the song.
All in all this phone is absolutely brilliant and a show-stopper and so many people have asked me to show them this phone. With the orange colour this phone looks very flashy and the Walkman feature simply rocks.
Do check http://www.gsmarena.com and http://www.mobile-review.com before buying a mobile phone, these websites provided excellent reviews on literally all the phones.
If anybody is planning to buy this phone, just go or it, with the features and quite a reasonable price this phone is a smashing and intelligent deal.
For any more information, use the M2M or Comments section.
Hope all of you found this review useful.
