The Sony Ericsson W300i Walkman phone is based on the Sony Ericsson Z530i and has a similar design. It's a petite clamshell phone with an orange monochrome screen on the front and a fish-scale-style keypad inside. This is the sixth phone in the Walkman phone range, and the cheapest so far. It's available for around £130 on pay as you go and free on a monthly contract.
Strengths
The W300i is relatively cheap considering all its features. It has a Memory Stick Micro slot that can support up to 1GB (240 songs) and, unlike the Z530i, comes with a bundled 256MB card. It supports quad-band, so you can use it in any country that uses a GSM network.
The phone's most important feature is its Walkman interface. This includes the player that lets you adjust the equaliser and set tracks in different modes, and the dedicated Walkman keys on the top-left and bottom-left of the keypad that let you play music at the touch of a button. There's also an included USB cable, allowing you to transfer music easily, and a 3.5mm headphone adaptor, so you can use your own headphones instead of the proprietary ones.
Other useful features include FM radio, a calendar, a speakerphone, Bluetooth, infrared, GPRS and EDGE connectivity, Java games, a Web browser and an email client. You can also use it to control certain Windows applications on your PC via a Bluetooth remote, but we had trouble getting this to work.
WeaknessesThe fish-scale-style keypad is not easy to press because the keys overlap each other and there's not enough space between them. Also the buttons on the bottom left and right that activate the Walkman player and turn the phone on and off are very small and hard to press.
The 0.3-megapixel camera will shoot still pictures and video, but due to the low-resolution sensor, images come out blurry. When we shot pictures in daylight the edges of objects were hazy and the colours didn't come out as expected. There isn't a flash, so don't expect to be able to take pictures of anything in the dark.
At the top of the phone, Sony Ericsson has placed a loop aerial that makes the phone awkward to put in your pocket. It claims it is for attaching a lanyard so you can hang the phone around your neck, and in a hot climate where people don't have jackets this makes sense. Unfortunately, it's only hot for a few weeks in the UK and therefore wearing a phone around your neck isn't necessary -- we found the aerial just gets annoying in your pocket.
We also felt that the large hinge on the W300i looked out of place, and found the OK button unnecessarily small.
Conclusion
Sony Ericsson's W300i is a value for money handset and comes with a good balance of features. There are several ways you can communicate with other devices and storage is also made easy with the expandable memory slot. The keypad suffers somewhat though, and the camera could have been better.
Overall this phone is for people who want a Walkman phone but don't won't to spend a fortune.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
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User reviews4
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FiFlynny1 27 September 2007
Good: The mp3 player
Bad: camera
Comment: This phone isn't the nicest looking phone,quite bulky. It's a good overall mobile phone except.... The camera.
The pictures are absolutley rubbish, really blurred and grainy. Video is quite good though, but if it had a better camera it would be almost perfect!!
Ben Webster 14 April 2007
Good: Walkman, Radio, Connectivity
Bad: Keypad, Camera (0.3MP)
Comment: I have had this phone for about 1 week but I will review it anyway! The best parts about it are the fact it has Walkman ability and the RDS radio. It is a spectacular music phone and it has Bluetooth and Infra-Red. This means it can connect to other devices such as other phones, computers and digital cameras. The bad parts are the camera which is only 0.3MP and the keypad which is hard to operate if you have fat fingers like me! Overall it's a very good phone though and the external screen looks amazing in the dark. Also you have control of the music you are playing even when the phone is "closed". 9/10
Katya Power 25 October 2006
Good: Radio, music quality, exchangeable faceplates, weight
Bad: Poor camera, smaller screen size than other non-flip Sony phones
Comment: If anyone needs help, picture quality proof or simply wants to discuss, feel free to contact me. me0kat@gmail.com
This phone has been recommended to me by a family member who used Ericssons for 10 years, and I have to agree, for overall quality, Sonys are top of the line.
This compact gadget is small enough to fit in your palm. It opens up easily with one hand and it's lighter than Razrs. It's well equipped with all the latest features. Mp3 and RADIO (which is hard to find) are my favorite, the sound quality and reception are exceptional. A reminder that the radio can only be listened with the headset, as it works as an antenna.
Songs are easy to upload with the Sony software. Once it's installed just plug in your USB, drag and drop the songs.
When you purchase this cell, it comes with the full earphones, so you can actually use this as your main mp3 player. Other phones may have built-in music players as well, but you rarely see people listening to them!
A MAIN thing worth mentioning for anyone who likes a phone's appeal/design is that the w300i have EXCHANGEABLE faceplates. You can slide/lift the front and battery cover without tools, and replace them with any colors of the rainbow, particularly found on EBay. I have bought some pink and white faceplates for under 7$. I am glad to send pics or suggest links to find such additions.
The battery time is an impressive quality. I can leave the phone on for 3 days, turned off at night and I don't need to recharge it. For constant talk or music time, it provides a long 9 hours which is enough for a full day.
The camera quality is the main drawback, at less than a megapixel, the quality is rather poor, simulating webcams or other low end camphones. The w300i does a basic job and you can again upload photos via USB in seconds.
Some other slight inconveniences are the small button located in the bottom right to turn on/off the device. The key is a little deep and needs to be pushed with the tip of your fingernail. The program is very easy to navigate and it's well organized. However, if you download many 3D, Java games, you may encounter some screen freeze - it happened to me only once.
By visiting the Sony website it's possible to download free themes, games and wallpapers, so if you're bored of the original orange Walkman theme, you may choose from a dozen others.
The greatest thing is the expandable M2 memory slot which can be increased up to 1GB, large enough for music, games and other files.
Some people have doubts about the round keypad design, resembling interlinking fish scales, but I love them and have had no problem. They have a smooth feel and are easy to press. If your fingers are fat, or you have extremely short nails, it may be an issue (like with any cell phone).
The orange buttons located on the top left edge used for volume control come in handy, primarily useful to check the time, or missed calls/ msgs. The outer display screen can be lit up by pressing the side button, avoiding having to flip open the phone.
Aesthetically, this cell phone looks much better than conventional flip phones since it does not have the obvious antenna.
This is an ideal phone for anyone looking for more than a simple communication tool, without paying a hefty price. It provides all the latest gadgets you need with simple to use and affordable package. It is considered to be ranked an intermediate level in terms of prestige/overall quality. Its full price is roughly 300$ compared to certain models that go all the way up to 500-600$.
But you will not be disappointed, music quality is superior to standard mp3 phones.
The Walkman edition follows its title.
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