The Sony Ericsson W300i Walkman phone, which supports both MP3 and AAC music files, offers a great sound experience with up to 30 hours of music listening. The user experience is enhanced by direct music keys, shuffle function, as well as an in-built FM radio with RDS and flight mode. Disc2Phone software supplied with the W300i, allows users to easily transfer their favorite CDs and enjoy them anywhere, anytime without missing a call. The W300i also offers an easy way to take and view great snap-shots using the integrated VGA camera. Perfect for enjoyment on the 262K-color screen, full MMS support enables these images to be shared with friends and family... [Continue reading Sony Ericsson W300i Review]
Sony Ericsson W300i Features
Small and stylish clamshell music phone
Complete music kit including an integrated MP3 audio player and FM radio for convenient listening on the road
Features an ultra clear 262K-color TFT screen for optimal image viewing when surfing full webpages automatically rendered to fit the screen.
Built-in VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and video recording and playback capabilities
Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free connectivity and infrared port for synchronization
20 MB Flash ROM and Memory Stick Micro (M2) removable memory for extra storage
Enhanced T9 predictive text for messaging via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), chat (Wireless Village), and email (POP3, IMAP4, SMTP)
WAP 2.0 compliant browser with EDGE technology for high-speed data transmission
Sony Ericsson W300i User Reviews
1. Posted by me0kat
Wed Oct 25, 2006 12:44 pm
This phone has been recommmended 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 easily opens up with one hand and it's lighter than Razrs. It's well equiped 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 attenna.
Songs are easy to upload with the Sony software, once it's installed just plug your USB, drap 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 tip of fingernails.
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. Unless your fingers are fat, or you have extremenly 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, primarly 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 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. It's full price is roughly 300$ compared to certain models that go all the way up to 500-600$.
But you will not be dissapointed, music quality is superior than standard mp3 phone.
The Walkman edition follows its title.
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159 out of 163 people found this review helpful.
2. Posted by S0nyphr34k
Mon Sep 11, 2006 1:23 am
I have been using my W300i for about a month now and I do love it for the most part. I have noticed though, that some basics have been left out. For instance, you cannot silence the camera but you can choose between 4 different sounds. Also you can change the wallpaper but you can't change the font color. This isn't that big of a problem just inconvenient. The quality of the music is great, as are the calls. Mine also came with some odd functions that I have yet to see mentioned so I don't know if they will come with all phones. The video editor is fun and allows you to create mini movies complete with sound and or soundtrack. That would be more fun if the cam was of better quality. Other oddities include a music instructor that will show you guitar chords, play individual tones for.....tuning? and a metronome. While I wouldn't call the setup cumbersome, I wouldn't call it fluid either. Either way it's a good and reliable phone, (so far) and will keep you from getting bored in most instances. A few other features I like are the stereo head phones that block sound out quite well letting you hear music and calls in peace. It's also easy to use while shut, letting you switch from music to call to off without hassle. Lastly your phone can be your pet with the Gigapet option. Just don't kill your 5 free pets.
8.5 out of 10
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187 out of 198 people found this review helpful.
3. Posted by rgbohn
Wed Aug 01, 2007 9:19 am
I am on my second w300i from Cingular/AT&T, and about to be on my third. This phone has software bugs. In my case the phone just up and shuts itself off 2-3 times a day, every day. Cingular replaced the first one and the second one does the same thing. At first it thought it was just me, until I tested it for 2 days- left it sitting on my desk undisturbed, and checked it every hour for 12 hours each day. At least twice a day I would pick it up and it would be off. Not good.
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18 out of 21 people found this review helpful.
4. Posted by BigRed30
Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:45 pm
This phone is a very well made phone. Alot of times sony products have performance issues, so i ahve come to try to avoid them for the msot part. but i recommend this phone to alot of people. The sound quality of the phone is good. But some of teh major problems ive had are that, you cant SILENCE the damn thing. and that the buttens are really close togather. So trying to dial numbers sometimes causes you to miss dial. this phone was really intended for teens because of the button size, and the mp3 player, but ive seen some adults using it. but if u have big fingers dont bother with this phone. it will annoy the hell outta you.
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22 out of 29 people found this review helpful.
5. Posted by sweetness23
Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:26 pm
For all of the cool features of this phone, I agree with everyone else - the walkman feature, FM radio (love it - really one of the main reasons I bought it), and the long battery life. Granted, I'm a very optimistic person and not a complainer by far. However, overall, I didn't really care for this phone. It's so small and light and I need something that has a comfortable grip and decent weight to it. I am female and my fingers aren't large or anything, but I find this phone so difficult to use. Trying to dial on this phone felt like it was giving my hand carpal tunnel (sp)! The select buttons are very small. You have to keep your nails pretty short in order to use them without problems and I'm not even a long fingernail person. And I tried to be optimistic about the "fish scale" number buttons, but they annoyed me after only a few days - not good when you're in a hurry to dial a number. I found myself hitting several of the wrong numbers all the time.
I also don't like how you can't change the ringer volume while the phone is shut (and not ringing). If you attempt to hit the volume keys, all you get is phone information or your appointment schedule. Plus there's no way to reprogram them. Those things are just not very realistic if I'm trying to quickly turn my phone down or to vibrate with just a button (for example in a meeting or movie theater). You CAN press and hold the # button to silence the ringer which is nice, but that doesn't include vibrate (have to open the phone and go through the menu to do it).
Lastly, I don't like how you have to go into the menu for every little thing (except the walkman which has its own button). If you want to do quick things like dial a number from your address book, turn to vibrate (as mentioned above), or even take a picture with the camera, you have to go through the menu. I'm used to my LG VX6000 (thru Verizon) that had one-touch buttons for that kind of stuff. So, to have to use this phone involving so much work (when sometimes you just want to do what you have to do without a lot of effort), it's just not the same.
This is definitely not a phone for people who want a good cell phone for basic cell phone use. It's just not very intuitive and too much involved to do things that should be pretty close to a snap. I decided I didn't like it after only a couple of days. I traded it in for an LG CU500 which is so much nicer, easier to use, and larger (not bulky, but comfortable to hold and dial in a medium-sized hand).
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32 out of 44 people found this review helpful.
6. Posted by attofarad
Fri Mar 30, 2007 1:21 am
The main thing I want from a cell phone is.....a phone. The W300i has acceptable audio through the headphones, but the speaker in the handset itself is very poor. All sound comes through three tightly spaced holes, which are difficult to align to you ear canal, and have a very "tinny" sound. The Motorola and LG phones which I have used are much much better in this important aspect, both the design for ear alignment and the quality of the audio components.
I'm also unimpressed by the reception. Lots of dropouts. This GSM phone doesn't totally lose the connection as often as my previous TDMA phone, but the voice still drops out, even when showing a strong signal.
There is some sort of slight hiss as soon as the phone connects to the system for a call.
Keypad is difficult to use, with the overlapping fish scale keys -- very easy to hit two digits instead of one.
FM radio is very cool.
Speaker phone is okay, for a rinky cell phone speaker phone. Not a feature I care about. Like the handset, the speaker sounds very tinny.
The inferior audio is a shame. This is something that could be corrected by the manufacturer for less than 15 cents.
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17 out of 24 people found this review helpful.
7. Posted by Aleco
Thu Aug 07, 2008 1:03 pm
A lot of people complaint about the phone, but I noticed that most of the problem that are mention here is not because of the phone, but because of the user. First of all you can change the wallpaper and the font color if you want. This review that I'm refering to was written in 2006, I know is old. All you need to do is download a software call Theme Creator for Ericsson phones, very nice by the way. Second, my fingers are way too big, and I got no problem dialing numbers. Learn the features, store the numbers in phone memory and use the voice control, this should help a little bit with the dialing issue, at least with known numbers store. A good quality phone for an old phone, nice sound, great features, perfect size. Got bugs in the phone? Go to the Ericsson web site and download Update service, is available for W300i and some other phones as well. If the phone turns off by it self, it could be of some phone setting with the service provider, remember, service provider set restrictions to the phone in order for you to use it only with them, in this case, ATT. If I were to change anything in this phone, it would be the earphone connections, it sure would be nice to use a 2.5mm plug earphone, but I can deal with the one I have now.
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
8. Posted by rebelrider
Sat Mar 08, 2008 11:44 pm
well ive had my w300i since mid summer of 2007 and its been the best phone ive ever onwed but the only prob is it just automaticly locked itself and i cant find the PUK 2 unlock it so now i cant use my phone unless someone knows the code plz help me if u can
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2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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