Sony Ericsson C905a User Reviews

There are only 2 short comings to this phone. The first is that it's not a smartphone so your internet browsing is limited to mobile sites. No pandora, etc. The plus side of that is that on AT&T where you can't get unlimited data plans on smartphones and the minimum plan they offer is $25, the unlimited data for a non-smartphone is only $10 a month. You can go on facebook and youtube all day so that's pretty good. The other drawback is the charge port. The connector for the charger is so awkward. It feels like you're breaking it everytime you use it. And worst of all there is no 3.5mm headphone jack. What you can do is buy an adapter for it which is bulky and fragile but by doing so that means you can't listen to music and charge your phone at the same time since it's the same port. Such a terrible design. That said, the speaker on the phone itself is incredible for a cellphone. To date I've never heard anything clearer or louder. Also, there are some metal trimmings around the lense cover that got caught on my pocket and bent. The pieces are very sharp. The only fix is to rip them off completely. As far as I can tell they serve no function. It had a few great apps too. Music ID ahead of it's time, email, needforspeed, a garage band clone, etc. 8.1 mp camera, best I've ever seen. Never froze. MicroSD means good storage. Battery life could have been better but I charge my phone every night so it was good enough for me.

It's now been available close to a year on AT&T, and nearly 2 years abroad - but still there is nothing out there that matches this phone for what it is.Obviously the camera is the main feature.  The idiotic fetishism that most people have with megapixels does unfortunately mean that the count is a bit too high in this phone too -- ideally it should be around 3 or so for its optics.  That said, the optics are better than on any other cell phone on the market: The 5.91mm focal length translates into an image sensor size of 1/2.5" at a fairly standard viewing angle -- same as in most digital compact cameras.  (In contrast, the Nokia N95 had a 5.6mm focal length, the N97 has 5.4, and ironically, the N86 8MP has a 4.6mm focal length, which it compensates for in part by a wider viewing angle.  For reference, the iPhone's focal length is about 3.8mm).    Add the Xenon flash - and you have by far the best camera phone on the US market today.(The Satio also has a 5.91mm focal length, but unfortunately has increased the megapixel count to 12, and so the dynamic range/color reproduction will be flatter, it will be more susceptible to noise, blooming and other artifacts, etc).Other than that this phone is quite a powerhouse, though most of these requires debranding the AT&T firmware back to original Sony Ericsson firmware.    Once you do,  you will find that it has more features than most other phones out there, including many smartphones, and implements those features in a very complete manner (without many bugs, for instance):WiFi, with network sharing (can share filesystem over CIFS/SMB, as if it were a Windows file server). Nice included goodies: TrackID™ music recognition, GPS tracker (to record/plot movements, speed, etc), WalkMate (step counter), Google Maps, YouTube player,  Karsparov Chess, etc.GPS performs very well. Included WayFinder navigator with turn-by-turn directions has more POIs in the USA than Nokia Maps, for instance.Good e-mail reader.  Natively supports IMAP IDLE (push mail), as well as Microsoft Exchange, though no Global Address List or accept/reject support for meeting invites.Can run applications as wallpaper (e.g. WalkMate or "PIMWallpaper" from Sony Ericsson)Very nice media player.  Supports most formats including MP3, AA3/M4A, WMA, etc.  Integrates over the air podcasting (subscribe from the web browser); podcasts are automatically  downloaded in background without need to keep any applications open.   Excellent Bluetooth audio support.  No skipping/hickups (like on most Nokias).  Shows currently playing track on compatible car stereos.   Holding down prev/next steering wheel controls does rewind/fast forward within current track.  Remembers position in song/playlist after restart.Excellent overall Bluetooth support.  Send/receive files, browse phone filesystem, etc.  On the Mac, this can be done without installing any additional software.  Tether with a computer over Bluetooth DUN/PAN or USB.Excellent multitasking - including J2ME applications (e.g. Opera Mini, Audible player, Unyverse, etc. can all run simultaneously).Sturdy.  Screen is indented, and does not break/scratch easily.The screen is a bit small-ish (2.4") - but it is used quite well. 

I would recommend this phone if you some extra discretionary spending money you don't know what to do with.  Makes for a fun toy.  Not great for heavy everyday usage because of its fragility.  Expensive monthly contract costs. 

First and foremost you need to de-brand and unlock this phone via davinciteam.com.  This is the best phone I have owned, great camera, GPS, 3G, Wi-Fi(when de-branded), tons of apps, awesome Facebook App, too many to mention.  I've read reviews from other users of this phone and they talk about the camera not taking good pics at night, well i'm not sure what the heck they're talking about because my C905a takes unbelievable pictures day or night.  Great call quality, incoming or outgoing and video calling once the US accepts it.  Stereo bluetooth, push email support, over the air software updates, youtube streaming, this phone just about does it all!  Auto-rotation for pictures, media player, internet, and also a few apps.  I just love the phone and recommend it to anyone, go get it, you won't be disappointed.