This is one of the few Sony Ericsson phones with “S” symbol in the beginning of the name. Announced last May, Sony Ericsson S500 is now available and we will not miss the opportunity to get you familiar with its functionality and overall performance.
Design
At first the S500 was available in two color versions: Spring Yellow (our unit) and Mysterious Green, with a very futuristic design and later two new versions were released: Ice Purple and Contrasted Copper. It is mid-level “your average phone” and is not part of either the Cybershot or the Walkman family, but still packs multimedia features.
S500 is mid-sized slider with average weight (94 grams )and relatively slim profile measuring 0.6” (14mm). It fits nicely in the hand, and for the opening of the slider, spring mechanism assists you. We don’t like that its movement is not smooth and when you open it to the half, the mechanism pushes it sharply to the end. Also, the upper slider doesn’t cover the whole bottom part, and you cannot push from the bottom, but should push the front side instead.
When closed, the phone has mat yellow finish applied to the front and back and the sides are in contrasting white. When opened, you see that the front of the bottom slider (where the keyboard is) and the back of the top slider (where is the camera) are in silver metallic color. This is unusual combination of colors which is extravagant, and makes the phone stand out of the crowd.
The display and the navigation buttons are on the front side of the top slider. The display is QVGA with 262k colors and size of 2 inches. It is bright and contrasting unit but as it was with the W910, the colors could be more and the transition from one hue to another is not very smooth.
Below are the navigation keys, including two software buttons, back (arrow) and clear keys, internet button and shortcut. Typical for Sony Ericsson, they are small but with good relief and enough space between each other. In the middle is the circular 5-way d-pad which is illuminated in signal green-yellow. Right below, located on the front side of the top slider is the loudspeaker, which is used for ringtone playback. It is loud one, but one of the tracks preloaded with the phone had noises when put to highest level.
The numeric keypad is almost totally flat and they keys are small, grouped together in rows. We would prefer them with bigger size, using the space otherwise left in areas around them. The whole keyboard is illuminated in white. Working with the buttons is easy, so one will hardly have any trouble with it – even the small selection keys are pressed without any difficulty. It is also a convenient feature that the basic operation keys are available at a closed telephone, thus making it even easier to use.
On the right is the proprietary jack, and on the left is the volume control rocker, which is the only side key. Rather strange for the brand is that this key is on the top slider instead on the bottom one. The two sides also pack elongated LED lights, which blink in bluish (theme dependent) color. When a call comes, they blink in Red-Green-Blue, but don’t indicate a missed call with any color.
The battery cover lid takes no less than the half of the phone’s back; more precisely – its lower part. It is well secured, without any instability or play and the ends are slightly curved. The pursuit of Sony Ericsson to secure it tightly has led to a fairly difficult opening – even more difficult than that of S500. The easiest way to remove it is pressing in the middle and then pushing it away with a jerk. One gets accustomed to this after a few tries, so irritation might fade away a little; and still, it is rather annoying not to be able to open your phone at the start, or open it in the end, but only after minutes of unsuccessful attempts to do so.
We noticed another, though small, inconvenience – when inserting or replacing the SIM-card one has to press it a lot to the inside until the mechanism clicks. In case you cannot rely on fingernails, you must have another object at hand in order to press it; for us the most frequently used one was the corner of the back-lid.
Interface
As the software of the phone is based on the old Sony Ericsson UI, we won’t discuss all of its features, but just some. This software almost a copy of the one of K800/K810 and is not like the newer one like in W910/K850.
We are happy surprised that this one supports flash themes, which the Walkman phones feature. Preloaded are three themes: Clarity, Everchanging and Day and Night; the latter is most interesting as it changes the main menu view to horizontal list instead of 3x4 grid, which is the standard view.
Phonebook
The Phone Book is a traditionally good with a capacity for entering 1000 contacts with up to 5 numbers each, though not exceeding a total of 2500 numbers. However, there is the unpleasant drawback of searching by the first name only. As with most of the models of this manufacturer one can add detailed information to each contact, enabling easy access to all important data, concerning your acquaintances. You can also add voice dialing, up to three e-mails and one web-address, a picture, a ringtone, and even more useful information to each contact.
Organizer
Sony Ericsson have taken care to provide you with an organizer, featuring an abundance of functions indeed, so that you could put your everyday jobs in order and not forget anything important. Calendar, Tasks, Notes, Synchronization, Timer, Stopwatch, Calculator and Code Memo, and are all at your disposal. And before hearing the question where exactly to set the alarm, we will note that it is not to be found in this submenu – it occupies its own place in the main one. Up to five alarms can be set with the additional options of picking a different signal for each as well as setting them to go off on certain days of the week or just once.
The remaining functions of the organizer are standard and well-known from previous models of the company, so we will not discuss them.
The phone features about 14 MB free built-in memory (depending on the installed software) and an option to add a Memory Stick Micro (M2).
Messaging
The Messaging menu is the one that we are accustomed to seeing in most Sony Ericsson models, providing the opportunity to create text, multimedia or voice messages, as well as e-mails. In order to keep you informed on the latest news at all times, you also dispose of an RSS reader. Sony Ericsson S500 is a quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) GSM/EDGE device, which allows for its trouble free use everywhere – in the USA as well as in Europe and the rest of the world.
Connectivity
In order to exchange data with a computer, you can rely on several options. For wireless connection, there is the Bluetooth v2.0; the cable from the set will do as well.
Camera
S500 has a 2-megapixel camera, providing maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels. The image quality won't surprise, but won't disappoint either. The camera would've definitely been better with a LED flash and autofocus, none of these is available unfortunately. Setup options are extensive as usual, including night mode, white balance, panoramic pictures, and user-configurable exposure compensation. One thing that hasn't changed is the video resolution. Videos are recorded in 3GP format, with resolution at the mere 176 x 144 pixels.
Multinadia
The S500 music player filters music files by ID3 tags and is compatible with virtually all available formats. Running in the background is not a problem for it, either. Loop and Shuffle modes are available, as well as a stereo enhancement and equalizer setting. It is not a Walkman player though, so don't be looking for the shake control. Track ID is missing too. The biggest letdown is the absence of an FM radio. Comparison here is totally in favor of the Sony Ericsson W580 Walkman.
The earphones enclosed in the retail package are standard quality. We regret to say they stand no comparison to the headset that ships with the W580 Walkman phone. Should you want to use a headset of your own, you will need to buy a 3.5mm jack adapter. Another entertainment feature is the standard video player. It plays videos in 3GP and MP4 format and supports full-screen mode. Already standard inclusion features for Sony Ericsson, the MusicDJ, PhotoDJ è VideoDJ applications are also at hand in the S500, allowing users to play with pictures and video recordings, and create custom polyphonic ringtones. The phone also offers two Java games: a version of the famous Tetris and a game that tests your ability to quickly calculate various geometric patterns.
The data technologies S500 supports are GPRS and EDGE, both Class 10. Bluetooth and the enclosed data cable are the data transfer alternatives. Mass Storage mode is available too. A CD with software is included in the retail package, offering PC Suite used for synchronization, Disc2Phone for transferring music, a video player, and a photo editing application. The Sony Ericsson offers a standard Access NetFront internet browser.
Conclusion
Sony Ericsson S500 is a mid-range slider of slim design and daring exterior, which offers very standard, not to say unoriginal, functionality. Available for around 225 Euro, the S500 is easily challenged by a number of Sony Ericsson models offering respectable functions in this price range. Which way you will go is just up to you. Comparison with Sony Ericsson W580 is inevitable; paying a little extra to get this exciting Walkman is an option worth considering. The S500 will easily appeal to the senses, but the Walkman W580 could well be the more reasonable option. FM radio, fitness application, superior headset, and a 512-MB memory card are enough features to make the Walkman phone worth the additional investment.
