I picked up my S500I back in October 07. Must mention that im not the type of person to be swayed by good looks.the functionaltiy of a gizmo always impresses me more.but this was one of those buys.i guess, that just hooked me.lol.! The first thing that hits you about this offering from sony ericsson is that its one of those’haute couture’ phones. my phone is in the mysterious green color scheme.and its rather elegant! A very very good looking phone and im not the only one saying this.check out some international blogs on the s500i and you will be surprised at the numer of people so totally in love with the way the phone looks! whats more the gadget has a natural element as well. If you
look at its overall style & design(including its colour, internal patterns
and materials used for creating a smooth and extremely desirable handset), it
shows some closeness to nature. The smooth slide-opening mechanism adds to the
beauty of this sleek mobile handset. Beneath the slider lies the sleek
keypad that makes it even more fashionable. Measuring just 99 mm x 47 mm x 14
mm and weighing merely 94 g, the handset is very handy and comfortable and you
can carry it easily in your pocket, purse or hands. Moreover, the ever changing theme.one of the highlights of this phone is an absolute knock out and a visual delight(it changes with time) and the changes are minute and intricate! Also the phone has slider lights on the side.they come in different colours and this is the first model to have 18 different colours.!
All this does not mean that the s500i is all about looks and low on features.this is one of those few phones out there to strike that rare, almost perfect blend of good looks with exciting features(all you ugly PDA phones out there, take a hint . lol)! for a start the camera is a very sharp, a built in 2 MP which includes dedicated menus, 4X zoom and a direct interaction with the messaging features! you can also enjoy video streaming and video recording and blog your pictures.as and when!
The
handset provides you with non stop fun & entertainment. You can play your
favourite tracks, as the built-in music players is compatible with Bluetooth
stereo. The sound quality is superb(no surprise-its sony ericsson) and the interface is simple and to the point. You can download and store your desired music on your mobile phone and
use it as your personal MP3(throw in a 2gb memory card and you won/t really need your ipod). The handset comes equipped with the PlayNow
download service that lets you download your desired music in just 3 clicks.
The phone supports MP3 & polyphonic ringing tones which can be changed to
suit the user’s style.
The
S500i also includes the Access NetFront web browser alongwith RSS feeds so you
can surf through the web, check, send and receive emails while on the go. You
can connect your phone to your PC and enjoy exchanging photo or music files
between compatible devices using a “drag and drop” method. Enjoy faster
data-transfers with the EDGE high-speed technology and wireless connectivity
between devices with this Bluetooth technology enabled phone. You can use a
USB-cable for connecting to the devices that lets you transfer data via a
cabled-connection. About 370 hours when the phone is in standby mode or
approximately 9 hours during talk time is provided by the fully charged battery.
The S500i is a quad-band phone that provides you with roaming across the world
that will make automatic switching between different network bands.
The only downside to the phone, for me atleast, is the fact that my key pad buttons cracked(sniff sob sniff).in about a month after I bought it.a little research and I realised that this is an established problem wth several s500i’s(mysterious green). Apparently its the result of a chemical reaction caused by the green paint on the keypad. Sony Ericsson claims that the presently manufactured models have no such problem!
Apart from that.no Other issues.its a bloody good looking phone.which does most things reasonable well. .it does feel a bit placticky.but the build quality is good and the slider mechanism is smooth and fluid.! so if your fed up with ugly phones and are looking out for something really sleek and loaded at the same time.look no further.its the s500i for you.!