Sony Ericsson W580 review: Stay fit and entertained

Finally, the Sony Ericsson W580 arrived at our test site - a music phone featuring a slim sliding construction, light effects and a pedometer to fulfill all your daily music and sports needs. The handset comes complete with a 2 megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, FM radio and a flashy design. Hop on the review express and take a trip with the latest music-minded Sony Ericson W580 - it might just turn out your next mobile handset.

Sony Ericsson W580

Key features

• Intriguing design at only 14 mm thickness
• Comfortable keypad
• 2" 262K color TFT display with a QVGA resolution
• Light effects
• 2 megapixel camera
• Memory Stick Micro card slot
• Walkman 2.0 music player
• FM radio with RDS
• Bluetooth with A2DP support
• GPRS and EDGE
• Pedometer and fitness application
• Data cable, quality headphones and 512MB memory card in the package

Main disadvantages

• Only 12MB of integrated memory
• Sliding mechanism little shaky
• No notification of missed events
• Camera lacks flash and autofocus
• Records video in the outdated QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) resolution only
• Phone won't operate without SIM

The Swedish-Japanese maker has added another slider to its Walkman lineup. The Sony Ericsson W580 joins the more feature-rich but older Sony Ericsson W850 in the company's music slider portfolio. The flagship in this form factor will be the fashionable W910, with sales likely to begin in September 07.

Sony Ericsson W580 is the S500 W-twino the yet-to-come high-born relative: Walkman W910

Design for the young

As most members of the Walkman family, W580 has sprung from a non-music phone: the Sony Ericsson S500. As regards design, the new W580 follows the latest style trends. Shedding weight is obviously on most makers' minds. The Sony Ericsson W580 stands at the pleasantly comfortable 99 ? 47 ? 14 mm, while its weight of 94 g is also sure to stir up a cheer. The bodywork is dominated by round shapes and curved edges. The fresh contemporary looks will likely appeal to a younger set of users. The handset will be available in three colors: white, black and gray. In all color variants however, the sides will be lined in black.

Pleasant to hold in hand • compared to a credit card: can't frown at size

In closed position, the handset has an almost perfectly rectangular shape. A backward curve at the bottom, right under the D-pad, is a nice touch. Sliding the phone open reveals the alphanumeric keys. The slide moves in plastic grooves, and the handset opens with a rustling sound. Sliding is easy, as the jutting out nest of the navigation key provides a comfortable pushing point. The spring loaded case needs but a touch of the thumb. When the handset is slid open, the top does appear slightly ajar but that's a minor issue unlikely to affect daily use.

The gray color combo is enhanced by blue highlights

The sides of the body hold a few essentials. On the left side of the sliding front is the volume rocker. The top of the sliding half is the rather unusual location of the memory card slot (Memory Stick Micro or M2). The slot has a plastic cap, which is affixed to the handset's body. The retail package contains a 512 MB card.

Pleasing 14 mm, fat is so passé

The Fast port connector is on the right side this time. The On/Off button is at the top of the lower part of the handset. It's well sunk into the body, and not exposed to accidental presses.

The backward curve at the bottom livens up the dull rectangle

All along the dividing line of the two parts of the slider there are light effect LEDs. They emit blinking light in five different colors to signal an incoming call. It's somewhat disappointing that the speed and pace of blinking aren't user-configurable, only the color is.

Curve at the bottom • Fast port connector • Volume rocker • Memory card slot

The rear side of the handset is very neat and practical. There you'll only find the manufacturer logo and the Walkman series symbol. Half of the rear panel is taken by the battery cover. Removing it is quite an ordeal, the cover just won't move. Under it is a 930 mAh Li-Pol battery. It's officially quoted at 370 hours of stand-by time and 540 minutes of talk time. The SIM card holder is right above the battery bed. You'll be forced to use a pointed tool or rather long nails for inserting and removing the SIM card.

Releasing the battery cover • Small on/off button • Vibration motor beside the battery