Need help choosing a phone (AT&T)

[awdrifter]

My Sony Ericsson W810i died, and it's out of warranty. So I need a new phone. I plan to sign a new two years contract with AT&T, and I'm looking for phones around $50 after contract ($100 is my absolute max). Is there a successor to the W810i? Because I really liked that phone, other than it's reliability. I don't text, I don't need a touch screen. But I need it to be able to play MP3 (and preferrably videos). Thanks in advance.

[smib]

Well, this is what I found.
SE W580i - $50 up front and free after MIR.
LG Shine - $100 up front, $50 after MIR
Pantech Matrix - $130 up front and $80 after MIR.

Out of those three, without having seen any in person, I'd probably give the Pantech a go even though I've never heard of them. This is mostly because I happen to want a QWERTY keyboard, hate flip phones, and am not so keen on the Shine.

Well, it seems that I have an even worse memory than I thought. You don't text, meaning the Pantech would be of pretty much no use to you. So I'd probably suggest the W580i, though you might run into the same reliability problems. Don't get the Samsung A737. It's a good phone IMO, but the mp3 player has pretty bad sound quality.

[awdrifter]

My W810i died just over 2 years, so it I'm afraid of the W580i will have the same problem. But out of the 3, I'd probably pick the W580i and just roll the dice again.

[RoCkStaR]

Go with the SE W580i

Its a nice phone and you are already used to the SE software and it has a nice features as well, Specs & Review

[awdrifter]

Looked at the W580i specs, looks like it doesn't have the flash for the camera. I use my W810i's flash for lights many times. It's a very useful feature. But other than that it looks good.

[P5138]

I was at AT&T a few days ago because my W580i is starting to let go after a year of harsh use. The guy behind the desk said there's going to be a new version coming out soon, he even had one in the back which he brought out to show me. I didn't get much time to look at it, but it definitely looked to be less fragile than the 580i (which I adore).

If only AT&T didn't choose such crummy colors for the new version...

Found the phone on their site:
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...sku=sku3020345

It's a little expensive at $130 AFTER a mail-in rebate, but from my quick inspection it did look and feel quite a bit better and more durable than the W580 (well, except that the back on the W760a is gold, and not the orange that is on the back of the W580i).

[awdrifter]

Is the W760a the new model they showed you? Or is it some brand new model? I don't really see any useful functions in the W760a that make it worth the money for me.

[Wizegui]

I would definitely avoid the W580 unless if you are in love with it. I guarantee you, if you don't take damn good care of it, it will disintegrate in about 10 months time.

[awdrifter]

That's what I'm afraid of, the quality problems. I don't abuse my phones but I do use them a lot as mp3 players. My W810i died just after 2 years of use, so this will probably be the same. Is the W760a better made? Or should I avoid Sony Ericsson all together.

[P5138]

I own the W580, and after around 1 year of use it is soon to be in need of replacement. However, I am hard on electronics and have dropped it quite a few times from fairly high up do to my own butterfingers. (I've even changed out a wheel bearing on my car while accidentally lying on top of it) The phone still works (quite well actually) but it is starting to show wear from abuse.

IMHO I consider the Sony Ericsson phones the some of the best phones you could buy for their feature set (especially for a music phone), but they are fairly fragile and should always be bought with insurance from AT&T. Mine is a good one, but I have heard a lot of erratic reports about the build-quality like screens dying and the like. Don't forget the insurance...

I can't say if the W760A is better made, I haven't bought it yet. But it did feel a bit sturdier in my hand than the W580. It's also a little bigger than the W580 and, according to the guy at the Cingular store, the phone was designed to address the fragility issues of the W580. I know that's not conclusive, but I am thinking of upgrading to the 760A, myself, for a couple reasons:
* Full HTML Support (W580 is a little lacking with its web abilities; I can't come onto Finalgear for example )
* Built-in navigator
* Sturdier feel

I have looked around and there's also the W350 which Cingular is selling for free. If you really wanted to hedge your bets, you could get that for free, look around a bit with a new phone to tide you over and just get a better one a little later and extend the contract again. (For some reason I could swear there's a flaw in this logic...)

EDIT: Apparently, there's a mail-in rebate on the W580 that makes it free as well on Cingular's site too. So that plan also could work with the W580.

[Wizegui]

Ahhh the W350, Welcome to 1999!

[awdrifter]

Thanks for the input. I'm reading some reviews about the W580i, the reliability really scares me. Most people say their phone broke within months.

Does anyone have any experience with the Z750a? It has all the functions I need, will it be more durable?
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-pho...sku=sku2380276

[awdrifter]

I fixed my phone! I followed this guide and it worked.
http://www.fixya.com/support/t510262..._screen_cannot

No need to buy a new phone for now.

[smib]