Sony Ericsson Z520 / Z525
Cingular Stores have it... unless they sold out like mine did!
So I went to my local (Orlando FL) Cingular corporate store last night, and they FINALLY got the Z520a in that day. I got the last one! WOO HOO! Not sure when they'll get more in, but I'd be hoping it'd be soon.
It was $89 after mail in rebate, and re-signing my contract.
I am upgrading from a Motorola V600 which I had since they came out almost 2 years ago.
Just a few Pro's and Cons in comparison:
Pros
+Reception. I get bars in places my V600 never had reception. I was in my work's cafeteria today, and I've never had service in there. All of a sudden my phone rang, and I had 3 bars. Say what you will about that loop antenna, but hey, the more bars the better 🙂
+Styling. This phone is sharp. LOVE the twinkling light effects.
+User Interface/Address Book. Kicks Moto's behind.
+Keys. The BIGGEST thing that I LOVE about the phone are the keys! On my V600, my pockets would always press the side volume keys, thus turning my vibrate into ringer. Not good for when you're in a meeting! Won't happen with the Z520a. Also, LOVE the fact that the camera button requires you to hold it for a split second to activate. No accidental activation! GREAT idea! Phone can quickly go into Silent by holding the # key down. At first I was dissapointed that I had to open the phone to put it in/out of silent, but then I realized I didn't have to worry about my pocket taking it out of silent like my V600 and it was all good.
+Bluetooth. Had NO problems pairing this phone with my computer for file transfers, or to my new Jabra headset. It takes forever sometimes to get the bluetooth working on the V600.
+Vibrate AND Rings. Okay, so this sounds like a DUH thing... but for some reason the V600 can't vibrate and ring at the same time. I like the vibrate and ring because if its muffled in my pocket, and its a loud environment, I can still get my calls.
+Size. It's slightly smaller than my V600, but so much lighter! My V600 feels like a brick in comparison.
Now here's the downside:
-Outer Display. Love that it's in color, but the colors are washed out. Can't read the battery meter. Also, when it goes into standby, the clock is small and unreadable. My V600 has a large clock, and full status meters. Also, oddly enough, when the phone is closed, and the backlight is on, the main display remains ON, and displays a white screen. Then, when you open the phone, it's white, goes dead, then goes fully on. Very weird.
-Inner display. I'm REALLY disappointed in the quality of the display. Maybe I was spoiled by the super high quality of the V600's high-res display. They are the same size, but the V600 has much higher amount of pixels, producing a much higher quality picture.
-Speaker. One of the things I liked about the V600 is that the speaker was LOUD and robust. The Z520a speaker is kind of wimpy in comparison. I've only had it for 22 hours so far, so we'll see. As long as I can hear it from the other room, that's all that matters to me.
I haven't used the camera, and since I've only had it 22 hours, I haven't tested the battery life just yet. Overall, despite the displays shortcomings, I really like this phone.
-Tyler
It was $89 after mail in rebate, and re-signing my contract.
I am upgrading from a Motorola V600 which I had since they came out almost 2 years ago.
Just a few Pro's and Cons in comparison:
Pros
+Reception. I get bars in places my V600 never had reception. I was in my work's cafeteria today, and I've never had service in there. All of a sudden my phone rang, and I had 3 bars. Say what you will about that loop antenna, but hey, the more bars the better 🙂
+Styling. This phone is sharp. LOVE the twinkling light effects.
+User Interface/Address Book. Kicks Moto's behind.
+Keys. The BIGGEST thing that I LOVE about the phone are the keys! On my V600, my pockets would always press the side volume keys, thus turning my vibrate into ringer. Not good for when you're in a meeting! Won't happen with the Z520a. Also, LOVE the fact that the camera button requires you to hold it for a split second to activate. No accidental activation! GREAT idea! Phone can quickly go into Silent by holding the # key down. At first I was dissapointed that I had to open the phone to put it in/out of silent, but then I realized I didn't have to worry about my pocket taking it out of silent like my V600 and it was all good.
+Bluetooth. Had NO problems pairing this phone with my computer for file transfers, or to my new Jabra headset. It takes forever sometimes to get the bluetooth working on the V600.
+Vibrate AND Rings. Okay, so this sounds like a DUH thing... but for some reason the V600 can't vibrate and ring at the same time. I like the vibrate and ring because if its muffled in my pocket, and its a loud environment, I can still get my calls.
+Size. It's slightly smaller than my V600, but so much lighter! My V600 feels like a brick in comparison.
Now here's the downside:
-Outer Display. Love that it's in color, but the colors are washed out. Can't read the battery meter. Also, when it goes into standby, the clock is small and unreadable. My V600 has a large clock, and full status meters. Also, oddly enough, when the phone is closed, and the backlight is on, the main display remains ON, and displays a white screen. Then, when you open the phone, it's white, goes dead, then goes fully on. Very weird.
-Inner display. I'm REALLY disappointed in the quality of the display. Maybe I was spoiled by the super high quality of the V600's high-res display. They are the same size, but the V600 has much higher amount of pixels, producing a much higher quality picture.
-Speaker. One of the things I liked about the V600 is that the speaker was LOUD and robust. The Z520a speaker is kind of wimpy in comparison. I've only had it for 22 hours so far, so we'll see. As long as I can hear it from the other room, that's all that matters to me.
I haven't used the camera, and since I've only had it 22 hours, I haven't tested the battery life just yet. Overall, despite the displays shortcomings, I really like this phone.
-Tyler
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