Walk and Talk. Review on Sony Ericcson R306

This is my fourth sony ericsson cellphone. The last one was K 750i. It was a good phone. After three years of use the camera button and the joy stick stopped working, besides the battery was weakening. I wanted to get a sony which had the following features1)Keypad protection 2) good loudspeaker 3) good looks.

All these features are available on R 306. The clamshell design protects the keypad, screen and the joypad. When closed the status of the phone is visible on a small LED screen which is bright and sharp.Besides the radio can be shut on-off and tuned without opening the flap.

The radio requires the headset to be connected. This philosopy of design coveys that the user of this phone should primarily be a radio listener and should be able to receive calls comfortably without opening the flap. This function of the phone is well executed and the caller name is shown on the small LED screen outside the flap. Sony has a sense of design but has lost sense of manufacturing quality. The first set I brought had to be returned within 24 hour as the battery was not charging.

One India(the dealer) was prompt enough to replace it. The battery of the next set does not last beyond two days. The battery is nowhere near Nokia hand set. Besides be warned, main LCD screen eats up a lot of power. Also note that the phone cannot be synchronised and has no music player. Also people intending to use it for gprs surfing with MTNL/BSNL connection are in for a rude shock as the setting are neither preloaded nor available.

I used the phone for two months. The loudspeaker and ear piece started crackling. Sony took a month to repair and the status remains the same.  In the sony service center there were clearly many people who were annoyed as their phone was periodically have problems.The customer care executives take 5 days to revert back on any complaints. The software is slow too. Overall I am dissatisfied and will never buy a sony phone.