Ok, so that is the way the SE W705 looks. I wanted a red one, but, couldn't get my hands on one due to lack of stock, hence, I settled for the silver. Later on, when I saw the red model, I knew I had made a good choice of colours. I have been having the phone for about 2 months now and that is a good and long enough time to really get into the phone and write a review about it. So here goes.
Music in us:
The phone is another of SE's walkman offerings. Being a fan of good bass, I must say that the sound quality is really good! The in-ear earphones cancel the outside din to give you a good music experience. Couple that with a 4GB M2 card that comes along with it, you are ready for your long walks, runs, jogs or whatever! I still have about a gig free on the card in spite of having a lot of songs on it. That's enough about the walkman! The phone also comes with a list of other jaw-dropping features. You can organize and manage your music using Bluetooth, the data cable of simply pull out the M2 card push it into your card reader and dump songs onto it. I prefer the data-cable transfer. I must say that the transfer has become fast compared to yester years. I used to have the W300 previously and software transfer sucked on it.
Interesting Features:
- Connectivity: 3G HSPA Connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Data cable, GPRS class 10
- Screen: 2.4" QVGA
- Misc: Google Maps, Track ID, Games (with shake-control), NetFront browser, Walk Mate, RSS reader, YouTube, Video Call
- Camera: 3.2 MP with LED flash
- Slider panel for keyboard
I must add that it is one of the cheapest phones with WiFi. I used to have an ASUS P527 Smartphone, meaning to say, I don't really regret giving it away.
Browsing on the phone using the NetFront browser that is built-in is easy and quick. With a big screen, you can pretty much do most usual stuff. I use my GPRS a lot and haven't really had any issues. I use the Email messaging to send/receive my personal email. This is an old feature and I guess the server handshake has improved over the period too. Sending emails is faster and doesn't get stuck like the old times.
I love Walk Mate and wish it had some other features I require. I walk a lot and it helps me measure and match up to the number of steps I take each day. I wish it showed stuff like calories burnt or have a facility to upload to a server where I can keep records.
The RSS reader has been around for quite a while. I really have not much to say. Its a good feature if you are an RSS person!
YouTube app is useful on those journeys that you get bored.
I didn't buy the phone seeing the camera. I already have a Sony DSLR. I must say that I am not a big fan of the built in camera. SE's have had better cameras. The picture quality is quite dull and even daylight photos aren't that great. Once you take a pic, you can send it out to people via the usual modes and you can also send it to your MySpace or Picasa. I haven't been able to send any pics to my Picasa. Apparently, it sends it out as a picture message. Pictures can also be Geo tagged. Video mode is ok. You can upload your videos to YouTube.
Performance:
The phone hasn't slowed down, despite, the memory fills. It gives about 4 hrs of talktime on 3G and over 10hrs on GSM networks. In more layman's terms, I need to charge the phone only every 2 days according to my usage. I call less and music more. J It is very reliable, functional and has a very good performance.
Conclusion:
Like I said, it is a good buy for its features and cost. It has no GPS, touch screen or smartphone stuff, but, it delivers on a lot of other fronts. It has a sturdy stylish brushed silver body which takes a lot of falls. It has fallen twice from my hands already and doesn't have a scratch. It has a typical SE user-friendly interface. Good music player and awesome connectivity options. So, what are you waiting for?
