Product Description

W600 Walkman™ is a mobile phone for music lovers. FM radio, an advanced digital music player inside and everything you need to enjoy your music on the move. CD ripping software is included in the kit to get your favorite songs into your phone. Drag and drop using Disc2Phone™. Swivel-action W600 has a 1.8” color screen for best possible video viewing and gaming experience and dedicated gaming buttons for fast and action-packed 3D gaming on the go. When you want to catch some action, W600 is also an impressive 1.3 megapixel camera with video recording and digital camera menus.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9203 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Brand: Sony Ericsson
• Model: w600

Features

• 3D games
• Radio
• Video streaming
• Video viewing Connectivity
• Synchronization PC

Amazon.com Product Description
What if one phone could play your tunes, browse the mobile Internet at high speed, take high-resolution pictures, and allow you to play games till your thumbs were numb? What if it came in a stylish, swiveling package? Well, that's what you get with the feature-packed Sony Ericsson W600 Walkman phone. With 256 MB of internal memory, Bluetooth, an FM radio, and much more, the quad-band W600 might be the affordable do-it-all device you've been looking for.

Learn more about the W600.

Jam to your favorite tunes with the included stereo headset.

Design
The W600's swiveling design means that the keypad is only revealed when you need it. The phone's large 176 x 220 display supports a whopping 262,000 colors--great for displaying color-rich photos taken on the W600's 1.3-megapixel camera, which is housed on the rear of the device. Most of the phone's functions can be controlled via a five-way control pad just below the display, but there are also extra buttons provided above the screen for landscape-mode gaming. Shortcut buttons are provided for Walkman and mobile Web functions as well. The phone's antenna is contained in a loop-style housing on top of the phone. There's also a port for the phone's included stereo headset. USB and infrared data ports are provided, and the phone supports USB mass storage so you can simply plug the phone into your computer and drag and drop files into the phone's memory. To top it all off, you can swap faceplates to make the W600 suit your style.

Calling Features
The W600's phone book can hold up to 1,000 contacts with multiple entries per contact. A call list remembers your most recent missed, received, and dialed calls. The phone's voice activated dialing makes calling up to 30 of your contacts as easy as saying their names, while the built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear. Polyphonic ringtones are included and there's even a bundled application that lets you mix your own ringtones. Picture caller ID lets you assign a photo to specific callers, and a ringer ID lets you assign ringtones to callers. For those times you want to keep things discreet, there's a vibrate ringer mode. And because the W600 is Bluetooth-enabled, you can use a variety of headsets and hands-free kits for total wireless freedom when you're on the go.

Messaging, Internet, and Tools
If you're looking for a mobile productivity partner, the W600 has you covered. Support is built in for sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, sound and video via SMS or MMS messages. When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video camera, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging possibilities. Instant messaging is also supported, and the phone ships with a built-in e-mail client with support for POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP protocols (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in Web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile Web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send e-mails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile e-mail and text messaging users.

Getting on the Internet is easy with the W600, as it supports the GPRS protocol, as well as the new, high-speed EDGE data protocol. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs. Enjoy broadband speeds in EDGE-enabled service areas.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the W600, including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, and an alarm clock. Use the W600's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or handheld device to exchange and synchronize data. The phone also supports the SyncML PC synchronization standard. This means the phone can be used with the included Sony Ericsson Sync Station software, which lets you synchronize your Microsoft Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and tasks with your W600.

Enjoy your games in widescreen mode.

Imaging and Entertainment
The W600 is a Walkman phone, and that means it offers a great mobile music experience. The phone's 256 MB of built-in flash memory can hold your favorite tunes in MP3 or AAC format. An included stereo headset combines with Digital Mega Bass and stereo widening to enhance your listening experience. There's even an FM radio for catching the big game or your favorite stations.

And what about gaming? This phone is definitely geared for the mobile fun fanatic, as it supports widescreen and 3-D games. The W600 comes preloaded with several games, and more are downloadable from both Sony Ericsson and Cingular's MEdia service.

As mentioned, the W600 also features a powerful 1.3-megapixel camera and an LED flash. The camera also supports up to one minute of video capture.

Vital Statistics
The Sony Ericsson W600 weighs 4.2 ounces and measures 3.66 by 1.83 by .89 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 8.5 hours of digital talk time and up to 400 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one-year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
W600 handset, stereo headset, USB cable, lithium-ion battery, travel charger, user's manual, and application software.

Customer Reviews

best phone i've owned. seriously. it rocks. go buy it. :)
sony ericsson W600 review

updated note: phone has been sent back to the manufacturer twice now for bluetooth problems. upon thinking about this phone some more, i'd say the software is buggy for a lot of people. please take this into consideration before buying.

i bought this phone in early december for the oh-so-NOT-low price of $390 from letstalk.com. i was (am) only about seven months into my two-year contract, so yes, i paid full price. :eek:

in my past, i've owned most of the major brands of phones (motorola, nokia, samsung, sony ericsson, sharp) and right before i got this phone, i was a happy motorola V551 owner. initially, i had wanted the sony ericsson W800, but without the 850mhz band and being a cingular customer, i wasn't going to risk it.

in short, i love this phone. to date, it's the best phone i've owned. i don't think it's worth the $390 i paid for it, but that's really my fault. i'm impatient and wanted this phone reeeeeally bad and didn't want to wait until it dropped in price (if it ever will). i am going to cover a few of the major components to this phone and then list some pros and cons. mine is a cingular-branded phone, so keep that in mind when i talk about certain features.

camera: i've had a few camera phones before this one. i'll preface this section by saying what 100s of others have said: it's a camera PHONE. it's not going to have the quality to make even a decent 4X6 print. what it IS good for are those moments where you're thinking, "oh! i wish i had a camera right now!". my last phone was a VGA camera and i thought by getting a phone with a 1.3 MP camera, it'd be a noticable difference. it isn't really. however, the cameras on phones are such a relative subject since once person can think the pic looks good and others think it looks like total doodie. i would urge you to look at samples of pics this phone has taken and judge for yourself. i wasn't too impressed, but that's not why i bought the phone. the camera has a lot of neat little options (special effects, white balance, shoot mode, night mode, self-timer, etc), but that's all kinda lost when the pictures aren't that great. it should be noted that the camera on this phone and the sony ericsson S710a (a phone very similar to the W600) are both 1.3MP, but the S710a has a CCD sensor, which results in better pics. the phone will also take little (albeit grainy) video clips. moving on...

bluetooth: doesn't seem to be as easy to use as with my motorola, but i have some learning to do here. was what was cool was transferring ringtones from my friend's SE T616 to mine via bluetooth. free ringtones for me! i don't have bluetooth on any of my PCs, so i cannot comment on bluetooth connectivity in relation to that. i just like that the option (bluetooth) is there.

walkman: holy crap, it's a MP3 player on my phone! the walkman is pretty easy to use and so is the software to transfer songs to your phone. it took me about 12 minutes to transfer 15 songs, so it's not incredibly fast, but it's a cool app, nonetheless. the phone can hold about 60-70 songs at 128bps (ripping at other bitrates is possible, allowing more/less songs to be stored on the phone), depending on what other stuff you have on your phone (pics, vids). the sound is pretty damn good. you can listen to MP3s from the speakers or via headphones. i was very impressed. the phone does NOT have a 3.5mm plug, but comes with an adapter, so all is well. i've even plugged this phone into my car's cassette adapter and played MP3s through the car's stereo speakers. MP3s can also be used as ringtones. all-in-all, no complaints here! well, except the 256MB limit.

radio: nice little feature! you HAVE to have the headset plugged in to listen to the radio, as it acts as the antenna, but while it's plugged in, you can send the sound to come out of the speakers. radio is easy to use, channels are easy to store and radio sounds good. the radio (as well as the MP3 player), will pause if you get a call and resume when you're done. you can also use the radio and MP3 player while doing other things on the phone. headphones sound awesome.

games: the phone came with six games: asphalt3D, blockbreaker, bruwnswick billiards, jewel quest, name that tune, tetris, and 3D extreme air snowboarding. all games are locked, so you can only play them for about a minute and then you are prompted to purchase them. they are $6-$8, roughly. total rip off. thanks cingular.

ringtones: again, thanks to cingular, there are only six ringtones that come with this phone, and they are pretty crappy. there are free ones all over the place, so don't go spending your inheritance on buying them from cingular. or, do as i do and grab them off another SE phone via bluetooth. there is a little app including on the phone called musicDJ and you can actually make your own ringtones. kinda cool. i've made a few so far and they aren't bad. well, ok, my mom said they sounded horrible, but what does she know?

syncing: this phone syncs with your contacts, tasks, notes and calendar, if you have those kinds of programs on your PC. i got my phone to sync with my outlook, which now means i'll sell my PDA. SE's PC suite works pretty well and transferring files is easy. however, it seems like every now and again, when i am connected via USB, it reboots my phone. don't know what that's about. i don't think any harm is being done.

the phone feels pretty solid in your hand, weight-wise. i've never owned a slider/swivel phone in my life, and while it's not the most convenient to "flip" open, it's not bad. you can actually place and receive calls with the phone swivelled shut, too, which i liked.

it seems like SE didn't leave anything out with this phone (except a memory slot) and i love it. they thought of everything on this phone: radio, little flash light, dedicated key lock button, infrared, calendar, music/video/picture DJ,stopwatch, timer, tasks, notes and the list goes on and on. the phone's styling (ie: orange cover) isn't for everyone, but i love it. my phone did come with a 2nd cover, in navy blue. it's styling and shape is great and i love the orange backlit keypad. it's definitely a head-turner.

and, above all, reception and clarity of calls is great. i've had no complaints when i've used the phone, the headset, the bluetooth headset and speakerphone. it's really nice. this of course, can be dependent on your network. i live in the midwest in a fairly large area (260K people), so we have cell towers all over the place.

pros:

* nice size.
* bluetooth, infrared and speakerphone.
* radio and MP3s
* clarity of calls is excellent. reception is great.
* screen is nice and bright.
* easy to get pics, vids, etc. on and off the phone.
* phone comes with everything you need (except car charger)
* this phone is loaded - nothing is left out!
* sony ericsson's interface is great; apps like the address book are loaded with room for tons of info. menus are easy to use.

cons:

* no memory slot. on-board memory, while not bad, is limited to 256MB.
* price (well, at full retail anyway).
* camera is disappointing for a 1.3MP.
* phone goes into standby (screen off) after 15 seconds. very annoying and to date, i've found no way to change that.
* games are locked for only 1 minute of play. thanks cingular ;( not ONE free game is included.
* keypad buttons are small, and close together. i have small hands, so the key size is not so bad, it's the fact that they are right next to each other.

this is a great phone. its big disappointment is the fixed 256MB memory, but for a lot of people who just want to listen to a few songs and not 500, this phone will suit you just fine. i am hoping to keep this phone for more than six months (which is about how often i get a new cell phone) - it has everything i need and nothing i don't. kudos to sony ericsson for putting out a great phone! woo! ;)

Great Phone When it Works: BEWARE OF WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH!!!
Wow, I was impressed as soon as started trying out the features. The sound on the mp3 player is excellent, full range of bass that is deep and crisp highs. The earphones are very impressive as well. They are the plug type so when you put them in you can't hear anything around you even if you don't have the mp3 player playing. The radio worked better than expected, especially after reading the reviews about it not working very well. I live in Indianapolis and can pick up most of the major stations while at work, at home, or on my bicycle. The whole way home from the Cingular store I was transfixed with all of the little gadgets the phone had, the digital camera, the video capture, the radio, the mp3 player, the media net, the samples from MobiTV, and on and on. I couldn't wait to get home and start transferring music to the phone.

Installed the software which was easy enough, hooked up the USB connection (which also acts as charger) transferred about 5 songs tested them out to see how they worked, no problem.

So decided to transfer some more songs and then .........BAM!!!!!! The "WHITE SCREEN OF DEATH". For those of you who don't know what that is, it happens when the hone locks up and nothing can be done to fix it. There is no hard reset or soft reset for the phone (I already checked with SonyEriccson technical support). At this point your phone is useless (yes, there are some people out there who have gotten lucky and got their phone to unlock, but it is just that luck, not a proven method to fix this problem).

After searching all of the support forms, it seems that this is a known problem caused by some bad firmware that to this point SonyErricson has been unwilling to address. So I then called SonyEriccson technical support. Explained what happened and they only had me check of couple of things and then had not problem offering to exchange the product, only stipulation were that you first have to send your phone to them, you pay the shipping, you pay the insurance, and pray that nothing happens to it, then 6 to 10 days later they will "SHIP" not deliver your replacement phone. For those of you who want to see their letter of what to do look below my review.

Next course of action, I went to my local Cingular dealer and told them what the problem was and that I wanted to exchange it for the same model of phone. They were very friendly and exchanged my phone, even though I had purchased the phone out of state. To this point my phone has been working for about 2 weeks with no issues, however I have not hooked the USB cable back to the phone again for fear of the same thing happening.

PROS::::

MP3 Player: Won't replace your IPOD in all situations, but then again you can use your IPOD to call anyone either. Sound is great and easy to find songs and add playlists.

RADIO: Good reception for a portable radio, the controls are easy to use and the radio has the ability to display song/station/artists names from radio stations that broadcast these items. You need to have the headphones plugged in order to use the radio.

HEAD PHONES: These are not cheap head phones at all and deliver good quality. They work well when using the phone as well. Most of the people I talk to have no idea that I am using the headset as opposed to the phone itself (You can hook standard 3.5mm headphones you wan to the phone as long as you use the adapter that comes with the phone)

BLUETOOTH MODEM: This is feature that a lot of people probably overlook, but with this phone you can hook it up to a laptop and surf the internet using your cell phone as a modem. The speed is not great, actually it is pretty poor for most websites, but, "SLOW INTERNET" is better than "NO INTERNET".

MEDIA NET: This is much better than the RAZR. I am not sure how small the type font is for this phone, but you can see so much more on this phone as opposed to what you can see on the RAZR while surfing the web.

MEDIA NET - keying: I like this feature a lot, the phone is smart enough to known (most of the time) whether you are going to enter an email address, phone number, or url, so it generally provides the most common keys used in the correct order. For instance if you are typing an email, the "@" comes before the "/" sign. If you are typing http the ":" and "//" come up right way.

EMAIL: If you know what you are doing and know who to search the web for the correct settings for your email provider, then POP, IMAP, and HTTP setup is a breeze on this phone.

SPEAKERS-MUSIC: The speakers on this phone are surprisingly loud. (Be warned that this a good way to drain your batter).

SPEAKER PHONE: The speaker phone is loud, but not near as loud as when being used by the MP3 player. Most people I have spoken to report that the sound quality they hear when I am on the speaker phone is very good.

INFRARED: Pretty easy to setup and use.

CONS:::::::

WHITE SCREEN DEATH: Completely unaccepted for this to happen and no hard reset button to fix it. This phone has been out for awhile and there have not been any firmware updates to address this. Shame on SonyEriccson!!!

MEDIA NET BUTTON: Is on the outside of the phone and is too easy to touch when in your pocket, purse, or wherever and it connects to media net racking up charges.

SONY PHONE TO DISC: Software can be used to transfer via the USB connection (see aproblem here, your USB connection could cause your phone to lock up for good and become 100% useless) It will not work over a BlueTooth Connection.

FILE TRANSERS USING BLUETOOTH: You can only transfer 1 file at time over blue tooth, meaning that you cannot select 10 songs from your pc library and then transfer them to your phone, your phone will only take on at a time by dragging and dropping them Needless to say that this is a slow a tedious process given how slowly Bluetooth transfers large files. In order to transfer more than one file at a time you need to select the files you want to transfer and select the copy command then go to the desired location of the phone and select past.

BLUETOOT SYNCHRONIZATION: You better know how a computer works inside and out before you attempt this, you need to know about serial ports, how to enable and disable them and how to pick the free ones. You also need to know how Bluetooth adapters work. Don't think that you can just install the software for your Bluetooth adapter on your computer, enter in your passcode and everything will work, not quite that simple.

CAMERA: The pictures are OK, but not great. It is a 1.3 Mega Pixel, which is a step from the 640X480. A CAMERA IS BETTER THAN NO CAMERA I guess
For sample pictures and videos that I have take with this phone take a look at my website:

***** http://gaskin.dyndns.org/reviews/w600i ******

NOTE--You will need to have QuickTime installed in order look at the videos. If you buy the phone and run the software setup QuickTime is automatically installed.

OVERALL RECOMMENDATION::::
(Reviewer background: 32 yr male, graduate degree, 7 years IT)

If you are tech savvy, have good eye sight to read the smaller fonts on the screen, understand Bluetooth and computers, are willing to tinker long enough to learn some of this phone's idiosyncrasies, need an occasional mp3 player, a radio, a phone that supports TV broadcasts, speaker phone, and surfing the internet, then this phone will probably work great for you.

If you are not into MP3s, don't need the radio, don't want to use the phone a wireless modem for your laptop or PDA, don't know your way around a computer and adding devices to a computer, have poor eyesight, or little patience when it comes to technology, then you should probably look somewhere else.

If you are 16 years old, you will probably be the envy of your friends with this phone. (You probably will spend all of your hard earned money on the phone + service plan)

If you are 26 years old, you probably already have phone from work that supports most of these features, but maybe not all of them. (You probably are making enough money that the data plan is not a major concern, your friends at the gym will still probably think it's a cool phone)

If you are 36 years old, you might be getting close to where you don't care too much about MP3 players, Bluetooth, an cameras. (You can probably afford it, but your friends either won't be impressed or don't have any idea what Bluetooth is, the cool factor is probably not there for you.

If you are 46 years old, you are probably won't care too much about this phone.

A very good cell phone, but...
This is a very good cell phone and Amazon.com gives the best deal. But, you can't transfer your old phone number from different provider to Cingular through Amazon.com. If you transfer your old phone number, you won't get your mail-in rebate. Please read amazon.com mail-in rebate rules carefully!!!
You can read about how to transfer your number through this link : http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/508597/102-6686881-6992121