Connectivity and web
Bluetooth is of course present and supports both OBEX and headsets, including A2DP for listening to music on a wireless headset. In terms of data connectivity the handset sports GPRS and EDGE, which isn’t bad going for a lower end handset. The handset isn’t really built for extensive web browsing so it’s doubtful whether the lack of 3G would be felt here. Being a lower-end handset it’s also worth pointing out that many of its likely buyers are probably not going to be terribly interested in the more advanced features 3G brings.
The browser is the standard Sony Ericsson browser, which does a reasonable job of displaying pages. The browser isn’t designed to handle full web pages and trying to browse anything too complex is likely to end in frustration, and of course there is no Flash support. WAP sites and mobile versions of web pages should work fine and there are no real complaints on that front. The default page is Google, which is rather handy I suppose although I imagine that individual networks will probably change the homepage to their own portal. Also of note is the inclusion of an RSS reader, which is a nice addition to the handset in that RSS feeds are a great way to keep up to date with your favourite sites without having to browse to them. This is especially beneficial on a handset like the W380i, which doesn’t have the browsing capabilities of higher end handsets. The RSS reader feature is accessed through the Messaging option in the main menu.
It’s a shame that Sony Ericsson doesn’t bundle Opera Mini with its handsets because it is a much more capable browser and provides a much better browsing experience. It’s a Java application so it will work on just about any mobile phone, even at the low end of the market.
The phone book is par for the course and whilst there is nothing truly exciting here, it’s a well designed feature with useful options. The phone book can store up to 1,000 separate contacts and 2,500 phone numbers, which should be more than adequate for all but the most socially active. Each phone book entry can have a plethora of data added to it, including things like work and home addresses; website, and so on. Each contact can also have a unique ringtone. Overall it’s a simple feature that packs quite a bit of punch.