Summary:

As noted by nearly every other reviewer out there, the Sony Ericsson W300i (my version from Cingular) is a great value for the money. It's Sony's low-end entry into their Walkman phones, and as such, it delivers good quality music (either MP3 or FM station), excellent phone service and lots of extras that make the semi-pro business person in me very happy. There are a couple of small design flaws - notably the flush, oddly shaped number pads which many users have trouble with and the fact that the hands-free cord works as a radio antennae so you can't listen to the radio without the hands-free plugged in - but overall, the Sony Ericsson W300i delivers excellent value for a low-end music phone.

Features:

The W300i is Sony's latest entry into the Walkman music phone list, and unlike the others, it's aimed at the mid-level cell market. In our case, we picked up the Ericsson's with the activation of a two-year calling plan with Cingular, and the price couldn't be beat - a buy-one-get-one deal that cost me $20 for two phones. My teenage daughter got one, and I got the other. They're not quite all-in-one phones, but they include enough features to keep both a demanding teen user and a business mom happy. Those include high quality phone, MP3 player, FM radio, VGA camera, IM capability, WAP capability, easy to read display, Bluetooth wireless, memory expansion slot, video capture, data transfer with GPRS and EDGE, and PC syncing. That's a boatload of features for a workhorse, bargain phone.

Styling

The W300i is a departure from the other Walkman phones in terms of styling. The clamshell case and rounded lines give it a bit of a rugged look without compromising the clean, almost futuristic curves and details. The front display is just a bit below center of the phone, and the orange text and backlight is surprisingly comfortable on the eyes in contrast to the usual blue-white of most cell phone displays. The phone is available in Shadow Black and Shimmering White. We both chose the shadow black, and I very much like the matte finish of both the black and the silver accents. The only ‘flash' on the phone is bright orange Walkman insignia at the bottom of the front and the orange rocker switch on the left side of the cell.

Ergonomics and Usability

At 4.2 ounces, the W300i is lightweight and the shape makes it a very comfortable fit in the hand. It's a bit narrower than a deck of cards - narrow enough to curl your fingers over, but wide enough for comfortable two-handed gaming and text messaging.

While most reviewers have taken issue with Sony's design for the number pad on the Ericsson W300i, I find it very comfortable and easy to use. The flat, round buttons overlap and are set flush with the surface of the handset, but it's very easy to feel where one ends and the next begins. I haven't once accidentally pressed the wrong number or pressed two numbers at once. What was a bit more difficult to get used to was the dedicated ‘back' button, and the fact that the C button doesn't return you to a pervious screen.

My biggest issue with usability of the phone, though, is with the battery door. The illustrations in the users manual make it look simple - put your thumb on the battery door, slide it toward the bottom of the phone and lift the cover off. Actually doing it is a different story. On three different phones, the battery door was nearly impossible to open. Since that's where the memory stick goes, it becomes an issue.

Music Player

Since I actually chose the Sony over other Cingular phones specifically for the music player, the music quality is important to me. The Walkman MP3 player delivers surprisingly good quality sound through the ear buds (which are much better quality than those that are usually included with cells) or through the speaker. The controls are easy to use and intuitive, and it's easy to set up and transfer songs and playlists using a special USB cable or via wireless interface. The one irritation is the need for the specialized USB cable to fit the Fastport on the phone, and the fact that it's not included with the telephone.

The phone itself only has about 20MBs internal memory, but it takes a memory stick of up to 512MB which allows you to store far more information (and tons of songs!) on your phone. There is, however, the added bonus of virtually limitless music courtesy of the FM radio capability of the phone. You can tune in to up to 20 preset stations and listen either on the earbuds or via the speaker. If a call comes in while you're listening, the music just continues to play in the background, allowing you to take the call.

Camera

The camera was the second reason I chose the Sony Ericsson. I don't need high-res, high quality photos for my purposes, which is a good thing, since the VGA camera isn't capable of taking them. It does deliver fairly decent quality for what it is, though, with colors sharp and lighting quite good. My daughter, on the other hand, is having a wonderful time with hers, using it to capture spur of the moment snapshots and easily send them to friends and to her email account for posting online with just a few clicks.

You also get video capture and a suite of software to fool with your photos for added fun.

Messaging

The Sony Ericsson W300i gives you a whole raft of capabilities when it comes to messaging. Its included IM client can handle AIM, MSN and YIM. You have a choice of text messaging, picture messaging and multimedia messaging as well as voice messaging.

Connectivity

The phone is Bluetooth capable and includes a WAP browser. You can connect to your PC using a USB cable or infrared. It handles email and direct uploads, and can be used as a modem with a USB cable.

Battery

After years of using phones that had to be charged nearly every day - including my last temporary emergency replacement phone which literally would go from fully charged to dead with just a couple of calls on the two hour trip to my mother's - the battery life on the Sony is beyond impressive. You get 10 hours of talk time and up to two weeks of standby time.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a good quality phone with music at a reasonable price, then the Sony Ericsson w300i is definitely worth a look.