sony ericsson tm506 reviews

• Svelte, eye-catching clamshell phone in chrome and black compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network (available in select markets)
• Compatible with T-Mobile's MyFaves service--unlimited calling to your five most called contacts
• 2-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music; M2 expansion up to 4 GB; digital audio player
• Up to 9.5 hours of GSM talk time (3.5 hours on 3G networks), up to 250 hours (10+ days) of standby time
• Includes: handset, battery, travel charger, wired handsfree headset, quick start guide

With an all around eye-catching design, the compact and stylish clamshell Sony Ericsson TM506 for T-Mobile keeps you connected to your closest friends and family members with T-Mobiles myFaves. It's also Sony Ericsson’s first handset supporting T-Mobile's HSDPA 3G network (in select markets), which provides fast web downloads and multimedia messaging. With built-in GPS and Telenav Navigator software, you can get turn-by-turn directions via voice and screen as well as see nearby restaurants, gas stations, and more. Other features include Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, memory expansion via Micro Stick Micro (M2) media, digital audio player, and up to 9.5 hours of talk time. The eye-catching, compact clamshell TM506 delivers an exceptional Web experience thanks to T-Mobile's 3G network (available in select markets). T-Mobile Service The TM506 operates on GSM 850/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. It's also compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web or downloading content from the T-Mobile t-zones content portal. T-Mobile is currently rolling out its 3G network, and it expects by year's end that its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services. Call your favorite people with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. You'll also get free domestic long distance and no digital roaming charges anywhere across the US on all calls. (All myFaves plans require a two-year contract.) Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile. Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today's hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email. The sleek TM506 comes in silver and green models, each with an ebony black front clamshell. Phone Features The Sony Ericsson TM506 proves that good things come in small packages. Its compact design fits into any pocket, purse or briefcase for consumers on the move. A thin outer display (1.1-inch, 128 x 36 pixels, monochrome) on the sleek ebony gloss clamshell allows you to glance at caller ID without having to open the phone. It also provides current time, signal strength, and battery life. The interior screen measures 2.2 inches, has a 240 x 320-pixel resolution, and supports a 262K color depth. The alpha-numeric keypad has a unique overlapping circular design surrounded by lighted accents and they have a rubbery feel for easy keying. The phone has 32 MB of internal memory, which can be expanded via optional Memory Stick Micro (M2) media, up to 4 GB in size. The internal phonebook provides storage for up to 1000 contact entries, with up to seven phone numbers per entry as well as an email address, street address, and web URL. The integrated Bluetooth technology (version 2.0) allows handsfree communication with a compatible headset as well as the ability to exchange files with another Bluetooth compatible device. And, with the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. Additionally, you can connect to your PC using infrared or USB. The 2-megapixel camera provides several resolution options for either saving for print or sending via MMS messaging. Other features include a 2.5x digital zoom (for use at lower resolutions), panorama multi-shot capabilities, white balance and brightness adjustments, night mode, multiple color effects and frames, and a self-timer. The camcorder function of the camera can shoot in two modes: for as long as you have available memory for saving or a maximum of 45 seconds for sending via email or MMS. Share special moments with T-Mobile's My Album online sharing as well as the phone's video blogging capability. The in-phone media player supports video and audio playback--supported audio formats include MP3 and AAC--and it features playlists as well as shuffle and repeat modes. It also includes a "Music Mode" that shuts down the phone functions so you can listen on an airplane or anytime you don't want to accept calls. Meanwhile, Digital Mega Bass and stereo widening combine to enhance your listening experience. The TM506's built-in aGPS (assisted GPS) navigation capability along with the Telenav application enables you to always know your location get turn-by-turn voice-assisted directions. It also provides the ability to add geotagging information to your photos so you'll remember where snapshots were taken. The phone offers a full range of email, text, and multimedia messaging options, including access to personal email viewed through the included Access NetFront web browser. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up-to-the-minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs. Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Other features include: Messaging: SMS text, MMS picture and video Email: From select POP3 email accounts T9 predictive text entry USB connectivity with mass storage capability Organizational tools: calendar, alarm clock, tasks, notes, timer, stopwatch, calculator Speakerphone Compatible with polyphonic and real-music ringtones Downloadable Java-based games Supports Exchange ActiveSync for synchronizing your Outlook contacts Bluetooth version 2.0+EDR with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BIP (for sending images to another device), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), HID (support for mice or joysticks), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), PAN (personal area networking), PBA (transfer contacts) Vital Statistics The Sony Ericsson TM506 weighs 3.6 ounces and measures 1.8 x 3.7 x 0.7 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 9.5 hours of talk time on GSM networks (3.5 hours of talk time using the 3G network), and up to 250 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as 1700/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G frequencies.

CUSTOMER REVIEW -

If you are like me, you want a cell phone that is easy to use and reliable but still does everything you want it to. The Sony Ericsson TM506 can provide relief for your connectivity cravings, just as it has for me. Notwithstanding its shortcomings, the TM506 is dependable, easy to use (but powerful), and is inexpensive. The Sony Ericsson is reliable (with regard to hardware as well as software), which is a huge factor in how I feel about it. In the last few years, I have had to replace no less than five phones because they are buggy and stop working, or just because of physical damage from being dropped onto sidewalks and kitchen floors. The Sony Ericsson is a phone with a basic flip-phone design, both inside and out, but the phone just works. It gets great signal (in places where my other phones never got reception) and I have never had to call T-Mobile customer support about the phone. The TM506 is easy to use but has many great features and applications. I am a college student, so I text message more than I talk. One of my favorite things about the phone is how easy it is to text; there are so many little things that give the phone an edge over others, such as just being able to add words to the phone's predictive text dictionary and not having an inbox message limit. The multimedia features on the phone are great; it has a 2.0 megapixel digital camera which can be used for still photos or for videos, which can both be edited right on the phone. The TM506 also has a memory card slot, so there is virtually no limit to how many pictures you can take. Probably one of the best selling points for the phone (especially for college students, but even for most people in this economy) is how cheap it is. When my last phone died, I was able to get this phone as a free replacement. Amazon.com sells the TM506 for $0.01 with a new service plan. I think it would be quite a feat to find such a high-quality cell phone for any cheaper than that. Of course, the phone has a few quirks and shortcomings. The phone doesn't have threaded text messages, which would be a convenient addition to this already great phone. The battery cover is extremely hard to get off, and the exterior of the phone is glossy plastic that smudges easily with fingerprints. The outside display of the phone is very small (displays only one line of information at a time), and the TM506 is a bit bigger than some phones out there. As for the software, it can be buggy every now and then; the phone occasionally likes to turn off in my pocket or even while I am using it. The operating system does run a little bit on the slow side, with small delays. These problems are so few and far between, however, that they should not scare potential buyers away. This phone is great. It is inexpensive but very solid and reliable. The phone packs a lot of excellent features and an easy-to-use operating system into a conservative, sturdy flip-phone design. The messaging features are great. The phone just has so many little tweaks and options that put it over the top in convenience and ease of use. If you are considering getting a phone from T-Mobile, I highly recommend this one.

CUSTOMER REVIEW -

I've had this phone for a couple months and the lag time in screens prevents me from using the phone for my job, which is frustrating when I'm trying to call clients. If you call a 1-800 # and then have to work through an options menu, you are not always able to dial the options because the screen hasn't caught up with the call. At times, the screen will go to screen saver/black, and I'm still listening to a menu repeat itself over and over because I can't dial any options. If I call a number and happen to get a busy/out of service signal, I can't hang up to make another call for a few seconds. If a call comes in and the screens are slow, I can't answer it. I'm going to call T-Mobile to see if they will help me. I wouldn't recommend this phone because of this problem.

CUSTOMER REVIEW -

This is a solid phone that has many (but by no means all) of the niceties of a smartphone, but it's inexpensive up front and lets you keep your monthly phone bill significantly under $100. Every few weeks, the interface gets slow which requires a reboot to get back to normal, and the sound is a little quiet. Still, I think this phone is a very good choice in the "free phone" category. EDIT: If you have this phone with t-mobile, and you're willing to mess around a little, the tutorial at the following link worked very well to upgrade/debrand the firmware. Now the FM Radio, GPS, Google Maps, sync contacts and calendar with Google, etc... all work, plus the phone interface feels a little snappier. As sketchy as this sounds, you have to disable virus protection during the procedure. It worked for me... [...] (The following review was written before I upgraded the firmware, so this reflects my experience with the phone in the state the phone was in when t-mobile sold it to me.) Pros: -Good construction. Not as nice as the Motorola W490 I had before, but still feels very solid after spending a few months in my jeans pocket. I like the glossy black finish, looks nice. -Great battery life. I talk for hours on my unlimited numbers; I'd really believe the ~10-hour talk time it's rated at. -Beautiful screen. I don't think I've seen a nicer one in a flip phone before. Viewing the pictures and videos taken with the camera is great, and websites look really nice too. -Nice camera. 2 megapixels is enough to take acceptable photos for screen display, but I don't think they'd print well. Awesome for sending picture messages. -Takes good short videos. They look nice on the screen or computer, and the recorded sound quality is actually very nice (no hiss). -Web browsing on this phone is as good as I've seen with a flip phone. It only adds $10 a month for a data+text plan, or $25 for unlimited. (I use the $10 plan...) -Gmail. This phone works with the gmail java application, and it's just wonderful to have real e-mail in my pocket. I don't type very many messages since I'm not too good at the txt typing on the numeric keypad, but it's awesome for reading messages. -Google maps. This phone works with the google maps application, which is awesome for searching for businesses or getting a quick idea of directions somewhere. -Media player. The built-in Sony media player is awesome. It organizes your songs by album just as accurately as my iPod does, and it has very good audio quality over the headphones. You need an adapter, but the in-ear earbud+micrphone set that I ordered for $5 or so is amazing. When you get a call, the music stops, you start talking through the microphone, and then when you hang up the music picks up right where you left off. Just as slick as an iPhone... -Nice calendar, contacts, and alarm clock. It syncs via bluetooth to the Apple address book and iCal. -I tether my Macbook for internet access through the phone. (I'm actually doing that right now...) I haven't gotten it working with a Windows or linux laptop though...but it should be possible if the Mac can do it out of the box with no fancy configuration. Cons: -Sound quality is so-so. The phone is quiet, and the speaker phone is so quiet you have to be home alone in near silence to use it. -Acts strangely sometimes with my Motorola bluetooth headset. (Maybe if I bought a Sony one..?) -Non-standard charger. They aren't very expensive to order online in this day and age, but it's annoying to have to buy new data cables, chargers, and headphones for every phone again. -The user interface randomly hangs sometimes. If I'm using an application or the music player, about once every couple weeks the phone gets really slow, and I have to restart it. Not a big deal, but it happens... -Doesn't sync with iTunes on my Mac, but it would if I bought Salling Media Sync. (I haven't...but the unregistered version of it works alright.) -No "apps." You can run a lot of the .jar old-school mobile phone programs that are out there, but I feel a little left out every time I hear about a cool iPhone or Google Android application that comes out. But, this is true of all of the other "free phones" out there, so I can't really complain.

CUSTOMER REVIEW -

The layout and design of the phone is pretty good. Good battery life, and nice extras like the camera. The downsides; the volume of the earpiece is too low, the volume of the speakerphone is too low, the OS can get really slow. All unfortunate but livable. And then there is the unacceptable; the phone will just "shut off" from time to time. We made sure the battery was seated properly but, still, it just shuts off randomly. My wife has missed several important timely calls because she thought the phone was on and it was not. Also, it seems to drop calls when coverage is fine. Not sure if this is the phone or T-Mobile. I would not buy this phone again.

CUSTOMER REVIEW -

Bad bluetooth connectivity. I used the same bluetooth headset on other SE phone with no problem and this phone just refuses to maintain a stable connection. Also, this is the only SE phone that doen't allow you to sync your contacts and calendar with a Mac PC. The menu is extremely slow. You press a button and it takes about two seconds for something to show up and I dont have that much media on it. Overall a below average SE phone. Wouldn't recommend if you are looking to upgrade to a better SE phone. Forget about texting, it is a nightmare! How dumb for them to put the power button right below the # key. You use the # key 99% of the time to enter a space when you text. And because the power button is right below it, you will accidentally hit the power button, at times shutting down your phone. I would lower the rating to one but I'm too big of Sony Ericsson fan to do so.