Sharing The Gadget Love

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I’ve started a weekly feature where I will post a mini review on a phone that I’ve used for 2 days instead of my usual 2 weeks. These phones are typically not the latest and greatest models (except for my first review of the HTC S620 and this week’s review of the i-Mate JAQ3). They are phones that I purchased to review but for some reason or another never made time to do so. A comment was made that I should sell or give away these phones to you guys instead of letting them live a lonely life in my gadget drawer. At first I felt selfish and thought NO, I don’t want to do that, I want to just keep them. But then I realized that it’s a real shame to do that if I’m not going to ever them.

gadget drawer

I don’t want to sell these phones because that would be too much of a pain. So I’ve decided to give away the ones that I know I’ll probably never use again (sorry, that doesn’t include the HTC). First up is the Sony Ericsson w810i! If you want me to send you this great little phone with the original box and all the included goodies, just respond to this entry with a comment. It would be nice if your comment was interesting or useful, but that’s not a prerequisite to win the phone. On Friday (3/2), I’ll pick a winner at random from one of the people that posted a comment to this entry. Good luck!

55 thoughts on “Sharing The Gadget Love”




  1. Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
  2. It is a bummer that Judie has not updated her gear diary in a logn while. Long time reader and have never commented before. While I wouod love to be considered for one of your thumb board phones, I have always wanted to tool with an Ericsson. Thanks!

  3. Hey Julie,
    Very generous of you to raffle off your wares. But on my end, to not feel overly guilty (if i were to win the draw)….i can write you a review of the new phone i just ordered, the soon to be released motorola rizr-Z6.

    “aint karma a bitch?”– (from My Name is Earl)

  4. If you laid all of those phones end to end, just how far would they stretch? And the combined processing power and storage would be a challenge to many PCs I bet.

  5. Hi, Julie! I definitely wouldn’t mind having a w810i 🙂

    I currently use a 2-year old Motorola, but I hear that the Sony Ericssons play much nicer with MacOSX and other Bluetooth applications.

  6. Julie,
    This is quite a collection – and you’re going to use each phone for a couple of days? Cool!

    You’re right the Sony Ericssons phones are feature rich – still surprised you’re giving this one away. Are you now squarely in the smartphone camp?

  7. Hmm, seeing the good ol’ visor edge brought back fond memories. 😀 A w810i will definitely reduce the bulk in my pocket as I don’t have to bring a separate MP3 player!

  8. Wow so many phones!!! I wish I could buy them all. If you have all these phones, I cant imagine the gadgets you own and the huge storage area for them.

    BTW how do you dispose of unused/broken gadgets in an environment friendly way ? Or do you have a GADGET for the disposal :):)

  9. Abdul Sami Mughal

    GOD… i saw the topic.. and immediately wanted to post a reply… of course… 😀 … hehehe… and somehow my ISP saw that and wanted to forbid me having the pleasure… 😀

    I used to have a Sony Ericcson T930, and even though it does have a 930 after the T, it was an old spec model… however, i got to trust the Sony Ericsson brand. Currently I am using a T-Mobile MDA Vario…

    Comments… well… to be honest I would love to grasp the opportunity… I can even write down a full detailed review for you if you like… after 2 odd weeks of usage??? I am an avid music listener… and textin and phon calls are a daily must, so I should be able to cover everything…

    Anyhoo… all depends on you 😀 !!!

    YAY For julie 😀 😀 😀

  10. Julie:

    Although selling all the stuff is a pain, why don’t you “auction” it off to the person who would donate something to charity? It could be money, or it could be time. “Winners” would have a moral responsibility to confirm to the group of dedicated Gadgeteer readers that they complied with their pledge. Attached photos would be great, too. Show the world that gadget geeks think of something besides new hardware (and sometimes software).

    Since I can’t donate blood to the American Red Cross any more (bout of hepatitis in the Middle East years ago), I would send them a $50 check on behalf of The Gadgeteer.

    Cheers,
    Leo

  11. What a drool inducing photo for any gadget lover! I alternate now between my Treo 680 (that I absolutely love – I’ve had some variation of Palm product for 9 years) and a Motorola RAZR for when I don’t need the PDA functionality (say, a day at the beach).

    I’m curious, too, how you (and anyone else reading this post) dispose of electronic gadgets? I work in environmetal cleanup, and this issue is a HUGE worldwide problem.

  12. To answer a couple comments…

    Yes, I’m firmly in the smartphone camp. I much prefer carrying around 1 device instead of 2 these days :o) That said, I still enjoy playing with feature phones from time to time.

    Regarding gadget disposal, it’s easy for me… A couple of times a year I clean out my gadget cabinets and take sacks and sacks of things in to my day job where all my co-workers can fight over them. I also give a lot of things to my family and friends.

    Leo, I love your idea of ‘playing it forward’. :o) I actually ask people to do this all the time when they email me asking about a product I have reviewed and then I turn around and send it to them. Once they get it, I ask them to do something nice to a stranger. :o)

  13. Wow, that phone would solve so many of my current “problems” my car was broken into and my back pack was stolen out of it two weeks ago and I lost my Ipod and my Digital camera, both were older but still, this one little device could replace both of them fairly well until I can obtain newer versions of each. Thankfully I had backed up all of my pics and songs just 4 days before, ocd ftw! Thanks for maintaining a great site that I check all the time for new gadgets and info, always entertaining and interesting!

  14. I recommended this phone to a friend who now loves it, but I can’t bring myself to buy it at full price (currently in a contract). This would certainly fix that. Thanks for the chance.

  15. I didn’t see anyone post about this but for those that wish to dispose of working phones or even phones that could be fixed, there are many charities that give these phones to battered women so they can call 911 only in case of emergency. Just a thought.

    The picture of the phones in the drawer makes me feel much better. I thought I had a lot.

  16. I’m ready to leave Verizon behind and give the gsm world a try. I’ve always thought that Sony Ericsson makes some really cool phones and would love to have one.

  17. Come on now……I know what you are doing.

    You are trying to get those people who lurk through your columns, reading your reviews and drooling over the latest and greatest gadgets, to register and post. I am disappointed to find out you think we can be bought off with a phone!

    WELL JULIE, I registered on your blog and I have just one thing to say to you.

    Please pick me!!!

  18. I have no better reason to want this phone than my Moto SLVR’s keypad just started flaking out and I really don’t feel like endenturing myself to T-mobile to get a new phone.

    That, and I’m somehow drawn in my the orange. I don’t know why.

    Keep up the great work!

  19. Hey Julie! I have a drawer just like yours. Only mine is full of
    crappy OLD cell phones and chargers that belong to who-knows-what.
    Anyway, I’d sure like to try that Sony Ericsson w810i out. I know
    it’ll look great in my drawer in a year or two. Thanks!

  20. I would absolutely love any cool cell phone that can be used on T-Mobile. I actually just got an MDA for my 50th birthday (it was a present even though I found it and bought it)… but my son is using an old phone that doesn’t always work. He would be the envy of all the other kids.

  21. Julie,
    I like Leo’s comment with a mix of pay it forward – I think my 82 year old mom-in-law would enjoy audiobooks on the Sony and yet have a decent phone to make her calls rather than the cheap phone she got stuck with. I’d like to make a $50 donation on behalf of the Gadgeteer to your charity of choice – an animal shelter perhaps?
    Kerry

  22. Expecting my second child, my budget for gadgets has been severely restricted. Now all my gadgets look like baby toys. =)

    I’m still using a hugely old Nokia on a GSM network, would love any phone that works as a phone, but I’d love to be able to take pics of 2 year old and new baby when we’re out and about, how cool would that be.

    Thanks for the great reviews, it’s nice to know what phone I might be able to get in the future.

  23. Julie, Jason’s post reminded me of the first thing I thought of when I saw your phone drawer – my gadget drawer.

    Could be an idea for a future competition – pics of/what’s in your gadget drawer. You’ve already covered the gadget bags… What do you think?

  24. Hellenek:

    That sounds like it would be fun for a future contest. :o) I’m actually gearing up (pun intended) to launch a new contest soon. Look for it hopefully next week!

  25. I would happily assist “the gadgeteer” review this… or any phone you decide to send. and, as an added bonus, i’ll even let you know how well it meshes with my fancy schmancy jawbone headset

    oh please, oh please, oh please!

  26. Julie,

    I have been reading your site for many years, and have gotten many great tips from your awesome reviews. I would LOVE to have the SE W810i phone. It is one of the only ones I’ve seen that lets you create your own ringtones. The 2MP camera would be cool too. This coming from a 45-year-old who didn’t get a cell phone until last year!

    I have used PDA’s for over 10 years, and have had many versions of Palms, but never a SmartPhone.

    Thanks for running this contest!

    Steve Skyrm

  27. Julie, you are the gadgeteer, spent so much of your hard earned money for gadgets, and now you are giving it away, that’s the true gadgeteer! I salute you!

  28. Greetings from Kentucky!

    The-Gadgeteer is one of my usual stops for reviews on the latest toys, er tech tools.
    I have been on T-Mobile for over 5 years and although I really like the service, they still lag behind on the latest handsets. I had a Sony Ericsson T610 and really liked the menus, but it gave up the ghost and I ended up with the ever popular Motorola RAZR. This is a nice, thin phone, but I hate the software – menus and general UI – and especially dislike the phone book. One person – many numbers/email addresses versus the lame RAZR one name – one number.

    Fortunately the RAZR (and also the W810i) work with iSync on OS X, so it is not so bad to sync the RAZR, Palm TX, iPod, and Mac. But I really would like to return to an SE handset….

    Thanks!
    Fernie

  29. I’d love a phone that’s natively compatible with OS X, unlike my Sony Ericsson z525a. Thank’s for the chance.

  30. Whoa! Looks like you need a bigger drawer or have many more giveaways. A friend has one of these. ‘Think I might like it. How about a deal… I am traveling in sunny and warm Maui right now. Will trade a coconut for the W810i? Deal???

  31. I don’t know w810i, but I hope it has a better battery life than older model. I have a k700i and one-two days (with heavy use) is the best I can do.
    Bye.

  32. Pick me! Pick me!

    No, really, I would love to see how well this new Sony Erickson blows away my wife’s Sprint Fusic!

    Thanks for being so generous, too … so very nice of you …

  33. cough cough

    I know I haven’t been that active in commenting, and I’ve only been registered for a small amount of time, but I’d like to thank you for taking my comment to heart. 🙂

  34. I don’t seem to see my post, so I’ll try again…

    If I won, I’d give this phone to my daughter, Amanda, who turns 13 on 3/2. She’d love something like this, so please, pick me (really, Amanda)!

    Christopher Spera

  35. Chris:
    You had me scratching my head trying to find your original post as I remembered seeing it. I finally found it… You actually replied to the original w810i post instead of this contest post :o)

  36. First time I saw this phone was traveling through the Himalayas with and Australian, an American, an Israeli and a Dutch fellow. Sounds like a bad joke eh? The Dutch had the w810i filled with Dutch tecno. Alhough I’m not a big fan of Dutch tecno it was a nice change from the blaring Bollywood the bus drivers inflicted on us.

    Keep up the good work.

  37. Julie,

    Quite a nice phone my son has bothered me off and on about it since he first read about it. So if you choose me you will my 14 year old son the envy of his friends and classmates.

    Thanks,

    Kirby

  38. wish I proofread this stuff befroe posting. The second sentence should have read .

    So if you choose me you will make my 14 year old son the envy of his friends and classmates.

    Kirby

  39. Julie,

    My colleague from Hong Kong has been encouraging me to buy the new Sony Ericsson w810i as I am looking for a quality quadband phone. But I’ve been turned off by the price.

    He just introduced me to your site. If it’s not meant to be, could you recommend a quadband phone with good reception. I don’t need a lot of add-ons.

    Thank you

    Daniel

  40. This phone is one of the cooler one’s I’ve seen. I use XM exclusively in my car right now and love being able to see the artist and title for whatever is playing. I think RDS would be a great feature to have. Now I just wonder if any radio stations in my area use it…

  41. I have had the same phone for over 6 years. I would love to have a phone with a mp3 player built into it. Love your site Julie….

  42. Nick Ellsworth

    Don’t some companies just send you the products to review but then you have to return them? Or is that just… other review/stuff sites?

  43. Sure, companies send me stuff to review. But I also buy a lot of the items you see reviewed here.

    The wall of PDA project is sitting on the back burner. This past summer I finally figured out how I am going to mount them and bought the supplies. I still need to get some paint and a free weekend to actually follow through.

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