Long-Term Review of the Sony Ericsson W800i, and Nintendo DS (originally posted March 16, 2007)

Before I start this review, let me say that you shouldn't be reading my blog anymore. 'Coz it's just gonna start getting boring and boring-er. In time, it will get corrupted by technology related posts and you'll get I dunno... nauseous? This warning doesn't sound threatening but I'm sure as hell that you're gonna close the tab anyway (or press back). But for those wanting to see how a person lives with a cellphone like the W800i or a handheld like the DS, you can read on I guess...

the sony ericsson w800i long term review
1 year after purchase

When I purchased it, it was one of my most dear possessions. After a year, it has experienced 1 memory card replacement (it was probably my fault), 9 accidental (but minor) falls, a few scratches and a wiped out joystick (which i guess, what all W800i units succumb to... it's still manageable though). But I still have lots of fun with this phone especially because of it's (still) long battery life (but it has slightly reduced from charging), great file support (I use the m4a format or AAC as iTunes calls it), clear LCD, good Internet (due to my downloading of Opera Mini) and well, my 2GB memory stick upgrade (the phone supports up to 4GB memory sticks). No, it doesn't have 3G but it (still) works. Due to my excessive strap playing, it (the strap) snapped and I have yet to try putting a Bluetooth headset on it (though many say it doesn't work on the BlueTooth enabled phone).
I still plan to use it for years... or maybe until the joystick gets totally broken. (I will never buy a phone with a joystick again)
If you just bought a W800i, be warned not just about the joystick, but also the music transfer software. It doesn't work at all. Buy a USB Bluetooth instead because the USB manual file transfer isn't effective either.

Nintendo DS long term review

1 year 3 months after purchase

It all actually depends upon the game whether the life span of your DS will be long or short but this isn't really the case here. It is advisable to buy a DS lite instead of a first generation DS since, for starters, the DS lite is lite-r than the original DS. Anyway, my first-generation DS is still working and its battery life's shortening wasn't really noticeable even with many charges, it has endured several falls, mostly minor, one time it almost got run over by a Honda Civic near Starbucks. Anecdotes aside, the first-generation DS is actually quite more durable than the lite version, so if you opt for a brighter screen and a better grip on your stylus (among other DS design improvements on the lite version), go with DS lite. If you want durability, you'll have to pay the price of having a handheld that doesn't really fit in your pocket because the first-generational DS is quite bulky, but still there are those benefits in the long run...

(NOTE: This post has been proofread from the original post found in my Friendster blog.)