Sony Ericsson S500 review: Emotion vs Reason

The slider form factor debuts in the company's S line and in fact, this is the first Sony Ericsson slider that's not a Walkman. Speaking of which, Sony Ericsson S500 is a W580 in disguise. And some disguise it is: with this slim slider almost everything is staked on design. Nature-inspired patterns, audacious paintjobs and light effects all make sure the S500 won't go unnoticed.

     
Some official photos of Sony Ericsson S500

Key features

• Size: 99 x 47 x 14 mm, 94 g
• Slim slider body
• Appealing design and color options
• Dynamic themes and wallpaper animation
• Light effects
• Good keypad
• Good 256K-color QVGA display
• M2 memory card support, up to 2GB
• 2-megapixel camera
• Email client and RSS-feed reader
• A2DP enabled Bluetooth
• Quad band support, GPRS and EDGE Class 10

Main disadvantages

• Only 12MB of integrated memory
• No indicator of missed events
• Not operable without SIM
• No autofocus and flash
• No FM radio
• Awkward handling of SIM card and rear cover

 
   
Sony Ericsson S500 in closed and open position

The Sony Ericsson S line was until now reserved for the not so usual swivel handsets. A typical representative was the once hugely successful Sony Ericsson S700. Back then it was one of the first mobile phones to offer a memory card slot, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a QVGA display. It was only a couple of years ago that this phone was sold for approximately 700 Euros. Today, however, its high price topped with its huge size would have been a sure fiasco.

Size is pleasing • compared to a credit card • the retail box