Unlocked Cell Phones - Customer reviews - Sony Ericsson K550i Unlocked Cell Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, Memory Stick Micro Slot--International Version with Warranty (Silver)


Sony Ericsson K550i Unlocked Cell Phone with 2 MP Camera, MP3/Video Player, Memory Stick Micro Slot--International Version with Warranty (Silver)
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Manufacturer: Sony Ericsson Mobile

List Price: $299.99
Our Price: $201.11
You Save: $98.88 (33%)
Refurbished Price:
Used Price:


Average Customer Rating: -

Product details

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Spotlight customer reviews:

Name: A Customer
Location: USA
Date: 2007-12-23
Customer Rating: -

Summary: Small package, fully loaded.
Comment: The k550 is a perfect option if you want a phone that does a LOT of things, but you don't want something larger or more complex than a normal phone.


Display:
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The TFD display is visible in sunlight and doesn't have any trouble displaying full colors without weird shadows or streaks. The screen resolution of 176x220 seems to be plenty. Some larger phones go as high as 240x320, but 176x220 is a lot for a phone that is still small.


Size:
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Barely more than half an inch thick, and about the same profile size as many other non-folding phones.


Call sound quality:
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Overall sound quality is very good. The sound isn't squished to the higher frequency end so people with lower-frequency voices actually sound like themselves. I have used louder phones, but none with better overall quality, and this phone is loud enough.


NetFront web browser:
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This embedded browser is better than any I have previously seen in a non-PDA phone. It does a great job of re-arranging websites for single-column viewing (Smart Fit, as they call it), but can also display websites very accurately in their natural format. It can even display horizontally and zoom out to view as much as half of a full website on the phone's display.

However, browsing most websites will still be faster using Opera Mini, which reformats websites on Opera's proxy server first so your phone does not have to download as much. Opera also has the advantage of the page-up/down scrolling with the left/right navigation keys.


EDGE Data Speed:
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It's faster than standard GPRS, but it isn't miraculous and it can't overcome the delay connecting to the network each time a new page is requested. Don't expect it to change your life, but it's nice to have.


2-Megapixel Camera:
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- In addition to a higher resolution than common phones, it has autofocus (instead of fixed focus). It even has a macro option, and can take clear pictures from as close as a few inches.
- As with any camera phone, it isn't a replacement for a "real" camera, but I will upload some pictures rather than try to babble in length about it. It's better than most.
- One issue with the camera is the shutter button. It is extremely easy to press to the first stage (for focus), but is very hard to press to actually take a picture. This can be worked around by just using the menu button instead.


REAL Email Client:
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The phone can send and receive email for almost any email account. It can be set to check automatically for new email as often as every 5 minutes, or only when manually told to. It also has the ability to send emails with attachments. These options do not require paid email service from your wireless carrier as long as you already have full data access.
If you want "push" email (new messages sent to your phone automatically, without having to check for them), the phone also has that ability, as long as your carrier supports it. I have not tested the push feature. Whichever option you use, it is much more convenient than logging into a WAP website to check email.

Note: I was initially able to receive email, but not send it. I had to fill out the outgoing name/password in the "advanced" menu, even though it says to only use it if the outgoing server needs a different password (mine does not, but the phone wouldn't work without it anyway). All OK now.


RSS Feed Reader:
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If you don't know what RSS is, it's a way of downloading news updates from your favorite websites directly to your phone. If you do know, you will love this.

It is NOT the same clumsy RSS Java application included with some previous models. The RSS reader is part of the k550's messaging features, and can be set to update automatically. The phone displays an icon on the standby screen when it gets new updates, and the new stuff is right in the messaging menu next to SMS and email.

If a website has a proper RSS link anywhere on the page, even if you can't currently see it, the Netfront browser knows the RSS link is there and an RSS icon appears above the "more" softkey. The "more" list will then have an option to add the website to your RSS list.

The phone came with some RSS feeds already added, but some of them were not valid. Make sure you get current RSS links if there is a problem.


Customizable shortcut buttons:
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+ Two half-circle buttons on the keypad, in addition to navigation key shortcuts
+ The left button goes to your WAP homepage. Any bookmark can be set as the homepage.
+ The right button brings up a list of customized shortcuts, along with a handy tabbed menu for other things.
+ The phone will not allow shortcuts directly to an application, but you can select a shortcut to the organizer's application list, which is just the application file folder.


Organizer:
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+ Includes Sonyericsson's well-designed calendar, tasks (with reminders), notes, and alarms.
+ Any sound file can be selected for the alarm clock.
+ Voice notes are not an official organizer feature, but there is a sound recorder in the "entertainment" menu.
+ Unit converter (eg, yards-to-meters, grams-to-ounces, etc) is not built in, although there is a free Java application on their website.


"Issues:"
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The number keys are very narrow and feel weird at first. I have adjusted to it though. The key illumination is also difficult to see sometimes because the numbers themselves are illuminated against white background.

The battery cover is a delicate thing to remove, and it has to be done to remove the memory card.

If you download a file with the same name as another file you already have, the phone will not allow you to change the name before saving it. You have to either overwrite the old file or delete the new file you just waited several minutes for.


Name: Philip
Location:
Date: 2008-10-18
Customer Rating: -

Summary: This phone was defective
Comment: Got a defective phone. The Sony Ericsson K550i is horrible. Kept dropping into this "Emerg. Calls only" mode and was unusable.

Amazon was great about the return though. Got a full refund plus refund of shipping costs. Kudos to Amazon.