Sony Ericsson Vivaz Review
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Review: March 2010 |
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Last updated June 2010.
Phone rating: 
In a nutshell: The Vivaz is a
mid-priced Symbian smartphone with a touchscreen user interface
and incredible high definition video capabilities. It also comes
with an 8.1 megapixel still camera, a fabulous music player,
FM radio, assisted GPS with Google Maps, a 3.5mm headphone socket,
WiFi and a Facebook app. An excellent all-round stylish phone,
but unfortunately not always reliable. Available in Black, Silver,
Blue and Ruby Red.
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The Vivaz is a touchscreen smartphone running the Symbian operating
system. Available free on mid-priced contracts (£25 per month)
with a choice of free gifts thrown in, it's good value when you compare
it with most similarly priced phones. But Symbian isn't our first choice
of operating system when it comes to smartphones, and Sony Ericsson
isn't the most reliable manufacturer. So although first impressions
were good, the Vivaz is now attracting rather a lot of bad reviews from
our users.
The headline feature of the Vivaz is its HD video recording. It's capable
of recording super-sharp videos at 720p resolution, with continuous
autofocus, a video light and an image stabiliser. Its a pretty impressive
capability for a mobile phone, and you can easily upload your videos
to YouTube to show the world. You can also make video calls. The still
camera is pretty amazing as well, having an 8.1 megapixel resolution,
face detection autofocus, an LED flash and geo-tagging. For the price
band, this has got to be one of the best cameras available. It can't
beat the 12 megapixel monster camera of the Satio, but it comes pretty
close. So we'd say that the photographic performance of the Vivaz is
among the very best currently available.
You can view images on the Vivaz's impressive display. With a resolution
of 360 x 640 pixels, it's not quite large enough to display your videos
at full HD resolution, but it's still a very finely detailed display.
The phone is fully touchscreen operated, with handwriting recognition
thrown in as a bonus. It's a surprisingly compact and lightweight handset
too, so it's easy to hold in the hand. We found the menus pretty responsive
most of the time.
The Vivaz also comes with a great media player, and we're delighted
to see that Sony Ericsson have included a 3.5mm audio jack, so you can
plug in any standard-fit headphones for high quality audio. With microSD
memory cars of up to 16GB supported, there's plenty of room to store
your music collection, and there's an FM radio included too.
The Vivaz has aGPS with Google Maps, and a demonstration licence of
the Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation software.
HSPA provides fast internet access, and you can also use WiFi if you're
in a WiFi hotspot for extra download speed. Other connectivity options
include Bluetooth, USB and a TV-Out connection so that you can view
your photos and videos directly on a big screen. There are dedicated
apps for Facebook and YouTube too.
Battery life seems to be good, although it will be even better if you
remember to close unwanted apps and turn off Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS
when not in use.
Our first impressions of the Vivaz were very good. Sony Ericsson have
placed it firmly in the media-focussed camp with its amazing HD video
recording and all-round imaging and music capabilities. It comes with
a good range of apps, and the use of Symbian as the base operating system
means plenty more will be available for download. Some people love it,
but many others are not so happy. Read the user reviews below, then
make up your own mind.
Features of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz include:
- 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, face detection autofocus, smile
detection, geo-tagging and 4x digital zoom
- Video camera with 720p HD video recording, continuous autofocus,
video light and video stabiliser
- Video calling
- Display: TFT touchscreen, 16 million colours, 360 x 640 pixels (3.2")
with auto rotation
- Media player, FM radio
- MP3/AAC ringtones
- Speakerphone
- Voice recorder
- aGPS with Wisepilot navigation and Google Maps
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, Instant Messaging, Email with Exchange ActiveSync
- 3D Java games
- Document readers
- Animated wallpaper
- Personal organiser functions
- Flight mode
- Vibration alert
- Memory: 75 MB plus support for microSD memory cards (up to 16 GB)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, WiFi, TV-Out, 3.5mm audio
jack
- Internet: Web browser, web feeds, Google search, Facebook, YouTube,
HSPA
- Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900) plus 3G (900/2100 )
- Size: 107 x 52 x 12.5 mm
- Weight: 97g
- Talktime: 5 hours (3G) - 13 hours (2G)
- Battery standby: 440 hours
Sony Ericsson Vivaz User Reviews
Love your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other
people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this
phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so
please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive
language, and please, no advertising!
Average rating from 136 reviews:
Reviewed by Pradip Ghimire from India on 10th
Nov 2012
Good phone but there are serious problem regarding touch screen and
other is dutch language appears inspite of english when i open playnow.rest
is best.
Rating:
Reply
Reviewed by Frank from Netherlands on 18th Apr
2012
Summary: it has potential to be a good phone, but the lacking software
makes it a horrid phone to use in practice.
First the good aspects:
- Nice camera
- Compact design
- Video playback and recording quality is nice
- standardised headphones jacket and usb charging port
Then the somewhat longer list of the bad aspects:
- Symbian S60v5 OS as implemented on a non-Nokia phone means lots of
missing features of which some examples are missing of integrated SIP
VOIP and IPSEC VPN, UPNP mediarenderer, much much more as well as lacking
support in general on the software side from Sony (when it was actively
sold).
- I get intermittent crashing when using WiFi; no idea if this is a
hardware or software problem. I think the internal memory of my Vivaz
is faulty.
- Extremely poor battery life (1.5 - 2 days max without making calls
and BT, GPS and WiFi set to off)
- Resistive touchscreen is extremely insensitive. You need to push down
hard to get it to register touch. Typing SMS with T9 on a physical touchpad
is much faster than this P.O.S. touchscreen.
- Poor build quality. Random ejects of the microSD card are detected
while the card is firm in place.
I intend to never buy Sony again for cells after using my Vivaz.
Rating:  Reply
Reviewed by Mrs Cole from UK on 13th Apr 2012
I love my Vivaz galaxy blue, nothing wrong with it. The camera is realy
good. I had it for 2 years and no problem.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Mun Seng from Malaysia on 11th Apr
2012
Vivaz was good...
but not after all the problems pop out
i currently found a new problem in my vivaz
when i received messages, it doesn't show the contact name but only
the contact number...
i wondering why will this happen...
Rating:
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Reviewed by farah from malaysia on 2nd Apr 2012
i already life with my vivaz about 8 months.... i like the camera....the
phone so small...easy to carry... so cheap than another smartphone...but....
i dont understand to used the maps....
Rating:
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Reviewed by andy from uk on 30th Mar 2012
If you can resist the urge to throw the phone against a wall I would
be surprised.
Nothing works as it should.
Piece of junk.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Karl from UK on 24th Mar 2012
Love this phone, just have to make sure I close unwated apps!
Rating:
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Reviewed by ginny bailey from uk on 22nd Mar 2012
have had the vivaz for 18 months, and it has been looked after properley,
never dropped , near water or humidity, then the charger point fell
out , took it back to the shop , they sent it away for repair , came
back saying it is unrepairable, so now have no phone only a bill to
pay each month till end of contract.
would not touch this phone again ever.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Sandra from USA on 22nd Mar 2012
The touchscreen is really bad. Shortly after I received the phone the
touch screen could not recognize the buttons. Memory fills up too fast
Rating:
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Reviewed by vince from hong kong on 6th Mar 2012
it starts itself all the time. and sometimes, it just hangs forever.
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by Tom H from UK on 1st Mar 2012
Absolutely dreadful. Had this phone 18 months and I cannot wait until
the contract runs out. The touch screen is woeful - even when it does
recognise that you've selected something on screen it seems to refuse
the command, so you end up pressing it 3-4 times, particularly on anything
using the internet. The texting is atrocious (partly down to the touchscreen)
but also the predictive text has the limited dictionary and vocabulary
of a 5 year old. The worst part about texting is how the first punctuation
character is a dollar sign - I'm from England and have never, ever used
the dollar sign in a text. So a simple full stop or comma turns into
a running battle. Every so often it freezes and I have to restart the
handset, and sometimes this isn't even after using a command function
- I've plugged it in to charge before and it wont respond to any buttons.
It's like it's trying to catch up with itself when I've not asked it
to do anything. I'm finding I need to charge it once every 2 days as
well, even if I don't use the internet.
The only redeeming feature of the phone is the camera, but then why
not just get a good digital camera and not spend £25 per month for the
trouble? Seems as if they spent all their time developing the camera
and all other functionality suffered. I wont be getting another Sony
Ericsson and I strongly urge anyone considering the Vivaz to walk away
and just use 2 cans connected by string.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Yo beti !!! from Guess what on 29th
Feb 2012
Haha bought it 2 months ago and is not charging
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Akash from India on 29th Feb 2012
It's a piece of junk. Clock is not accurate and have to change time
in every two days . Built in browser too slow. No upgrade to symbian
3 from sony ericsson besides it having better hardware than n8. Worst
customer suppprt i've ever seen. Gets too hot after 2-3 hours of continuous
use. Most of the time i have to charge it twice a day. Freezes every
now and then and have to restart it. Highly dissapointed by sony ericsson.
This is my first mobile from seand definetely the last too.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Yiannis from Cyprus on 18th Feb 2012
I hate it. Currently my vivaz is at the shop where i bought it. I told
them that i want a replacement after sending it for three times for
service with the same problem. Witch they refuce to do. Sayig me that
if it happens for 4th time then maybe they will replace it.
Terrible service , loss of time and money
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by manoj from india on 8th Feb 2012
This phone is good but somewhat its have a problem like i cant set ringtone
on my sony vivaz u5.if i try to set means its shows "file cant be set
as ringtone can anyone tell me the solution for this please.
Rating:
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Reviewed by O.E. from UK on 6th Feb 2012
I found the phone ok, it served me well for a period but the touchscreen
was disappointing.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Farhan Usman from Pakistan on 31st
Jan 2012
Sonyericsson Vivaz disappointed me. Its shape is very nice but performance
is not so good. Its has a very weak GPS receiver. Charging port of my
phone is not working properly. Touch is not very good. Its camera sucks
in low light. previously i had Sonyericsson c905, it was great phone.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 29th Jan 2012
Phone charging port has broken twice and had to have the entire phone
replaced, battery time is nowhere near the time they give on the specs.
And currently it wont tell me when I have a text or anything. Definitely
regret getting this phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Babbs Shakir from Dubai on 26th Jan
2012
Fabulous looking phone, great screen display and camera but what is
the point of it, if you cannot use it ..!!! I have had problems with
freezing and re-starting from day one, I cannot do anything on it. Even
if I try to make a call, it will re-start and does not actually place
the call. It simply does not work how it is meant to, do not buy it
unless you want to be frustrated! I've sent it back for "repairs" and
nothing has changed, I'll take it back to the dealer one more time but
I don't hold out any hope for a good result, will junk it after that
and go with a different brand.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Danny from Malaysia on 15th Jan 2012
I have been using SE Vivaz for 2 months already, a very outstanding
performance phone, the feature I like the most is the autofocus, where
you can take a picture in the newspaper and at close up, and the quality
is like a scanned picture, and the video is HD quality. Anyone having
problem with this phone I would suggest you changed the standby mode
to Basic. Do this:- 1. Go to 2. Select 3. Select
4. Select 5. Select Then the out of
memory problem will not occur anymore..
Rating:
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Reviewed by tracy holmes from england on 13th
Jan 2012
i have mixed views on this phone.the battery life is a big let down,but
also things i love about the phone,has ben sent back twice due to broken
charging port
Rating:
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Reviewed by Holly from UK on 13th Jan 2012
DONT BUY THIS PHONE! Seriously its so bad. Something always fails on
it, at the moment my camera wont save pictures. However I think the
worse thing about it is how the system is designed... its terrible!
No logic, time consuming to get around. 2 year on contract with it and
I cant give it away...
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by jaishanker from india on 10th Jan
2012
vivaz is the best in its class! Go for it
Rating: 
Reply
Reviewed by sivaram from india on 6th Jan 2012
Hi guys i also use the S.E.Vivaz U5i mobile it's well for take the snaps
and the main problem is memory card is not supported to video file morethan
6mb and some applications also not run it shows the error application
memory is full plz send the solution of my problem
Rating:
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Reviewed by Julian from United States on 5th Jan
2012
If you buy this phone, you do at your own peril. This in unequivocally
the worst phone i've owned. My touchscreen stopped working 3 months
into ownership and is having issues 6months after i sent it back to
S.E for replacement. As a matter of fact, the only thing worse than
a Sony Ericsson vivaz is Sony Ericsson customer service. Absolutely
horrendous! Its a beautiful phone no doubt. In fact i'm willing to wager
its the reason most of us went ahead & bought one. The 8mp camera &
HDvideo is great, but if u want functionality & reliability, this is
DEFINITELY NOT a phone you want.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Steve from UK on 31st Dec 2011
Unbelivable rubbish! Kept freezing, shut down of it's own accord and
now has stopped charging due to the USB port being damaged. Neither
T-Mobile or Sony want to know and can only suggest I claim on my insurance.
Not good enough! Do not under any circumstances buy this phone! It's
a shame really, it's a nice design, good size and the features work
well - when they are not freezing or the touch screen is responding.
I've had Sony phones in the past, always been very happy with them.
Not this one!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Tushaar from India on 21st Dec 2011
I am using Vivaz for past one and a half year now and its working great.
Though it became a problem in the middle when it fell on a metro track
by mistake. That was completely my fault, and nothing wrong with the
phone. Simply brilliant!! Greatest phone i've ever had.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Anonymous from Australia on 21st Dec
2011
This phone's camera isn't sharp. The videos taken aren't high quality
even when displayed on a computer. the phone is lagging and touch screen
sometimes unresponsive. The battery drains very quickly and the internet
browser isn't good.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by David from Belgium on 16th Dec 2011
Alright, GREAT camera. Nice phone...but there are a few downsides. First
: the lockscreen unlocks waaaaay too easy and does so in my pocket if
i don't add a lockcode. Second : batterylife is too short, 1-2 days
max ! Third : when you start recording a HD video the video tends to
lag for a few seconds right from the start, but after that there are
no problems, just brilliant filming ! I've also red something about
"breaking the backshell when opening" in a review somewhere...but that's
not true, if you know how to do it properly. Calling and stuff all goes
well, touchscreen hasn't given me any problems so far !
Rating:
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Reviewed by hatethisphone from australia on 14th
Dec 2011
I've had my vivaz for a year and it SUCKS, nothing works, even calling
or txting doesnt work, and 1 year later, it is impossible to change
the ringtone T_T many said bad phone many said good, id type into good
'problems with vivaz' and see HOW MANY pops up, trillions, its better
to get a phone without any complains..
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Julie from United Kingdom on 12th
Dec 2011
I would not advise anyone to have this phone and should have learnt
from my initial experience. I was sent this model of phone as a brand
new phone and on the first charge the insides of the phone came out
with the charger; the phone was returned and another phone of the same
make and model sent and now 14 months later I have the same fault and
'3' are saying the phone is unrepairable and say it is not noted as
a manufacturers fault and therefore there is nothing I can do. THIS
IS CERTAINLY A FAULT WITH THE MANUFACTURE OF THE PHONE; BUYERS BEWARE!!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Theo from Greece on 10th Dec 2011
Give me my money back you crooks! Take me to court! This the second
mobile i bought from you after twelve years hoping you might have gotten
better! Little did i know!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Alison from United Kingdom on 8th
Dec 2011
I was impressed at first but soon discovered some really annoying glitches.
The clock loses time and that means having to readjust the time every
few days. The headphones stopped working for radio/handsfree after about
6 months. Now...for no reason whatsover the qwerty keyboard has become
a quertz one! The Y and the Z have switched places - how random and
very annoying. I've also found that I am now unable to transfer any
new photos to my computer. The software doesn't recognise there as being
any new photos etc to transfer. The same goes for all the media transfer.
I have to upload photos to facebook if I want to transfer them from
my phone. Really annoying to discover all these faults when you are
locked in to a 2 year contract. I will be ditching this phone in 6 months
time when my contract expires and will be going for a cheaper, more
reliable pay as you go.
Rating:
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Reviewed by Sineth Umayanga from Sri Lanka on
8th Dec 2011
Sony Ericsson vivaz u5i is the best.....
Rating:
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Reviewed by Kev from U.K. on 7th Dec 2011
This phone has been useless since I bought it. When making calls it
gets very hot.It constantly loses connection during calls. Sound quality
on calls is echoy and distorted. My original purchase went crazy and
they were unable to repair it and the replacement is almost as bad.
When my contract ends I am going to drive over it with my car.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Dawn from United Kingdom on 28th Nov
2011
This is the worst phone I have had. I had a samsung before and that
was so much better. After about 9 months a part came out when I removed
the charger. I was expecting the phone to be repaired and returned but
I was told that neither would happen and Sony Ericsson were going to
charge me to have my broken phone returned. Shocking.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Andres from Colombia on 14th Jun 2010
I've been using this great phone since like 25 days ago, and I have
to say that is just BRILLIANT. It's the greatest phone I ever had. Even
tought I had for a month a 3GS Iphone, and I was satisfied with it until
I lost it. Instead to replace it, I decided go for another choice, because
always felt the Iphone just have something missing to be complete. Happily
I heard about the Vivaz when it came out, and I got in love with it.
It has everything that I need in the right meassure. Tons of usefull
apps, good response, fast performance, vivid screen and resolution,
multitasking, perfect size and weight(I don't feel like I have a laptop
in my pocket) and a camera out of competition. I heard about bad reviews
for the symbian OS and the resistive touchscreen that made me doubt
at first, but I have to say SE have made a great work on this phone
and software, and the feeling on touchscreen is a fantastic experience.
Now my friends are jealous of me because of this phone. Thank God I
lost my iphone, now those thieves have just a piece of junk in comparison
to this great Vivaz. Just good things about it.
Rating:
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Reviewed by laura from leeds on 13th Jun 2010
dont bye it i am on my third 1 in 2 weeks and they all have been doing
the same so they have 2 give me a totally diffrent phone pleas DONT
bye the vivas it freezes all the time carphone warehouse tryed telling
me it was the momery card but it ant they flashed it and sed it will
b the soft wear damm right it is i was shouting at the manager telling
him i dont want this phone for a contract phone they should take it
of the market.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Leon from UK on 13th Jun 2010
I have had this phone for 2 months and the Data Transfer/Power Cable
has torn out the connection port form inside the phone. This appears
to be a blatant and obviouse design flaw which Sony Ericsson refuse
to recognise. There are two grips on the Data Transfer/Power Cable that
grip the connection port inside the phone too tightly. After 2 months
the connection port will eventually be pulled out of the phone rendering
it useless.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Henry from New Zealand on 13th Jun
2010
Had the vivaz for 10 days before the thing looked like it crashed and
even with a full battery the phone just would not start. Brought it
back to the place i bought it from and still waiting. Phone was fun
to use till it died.. Going to stick to nokia from now
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Imi from UK on 12th Jun 2010
I am surprised that there have been so many bad reviews for this Phone,
i've had it since just after it came out and i have to say that is has
been brilliant.. The videoing and camera are amazing, i love the design,
it is the most responsive touch screen mobile that i've had yet.. and
believe me there has been a few.. i could go on and on listing its brilliance,
i absolutley LOVE this phone!!
Rating:
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Reviewed by QK from UK on 12th Jun 2010
i realy liked this phne til yday it wont turn on its makin me crazy
nd nw it wnt charge but IT WAS was a cool fone!!! B4 THAT IS
Rating:
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Reviewed by rachel from uk on 11th Jun 2010
loved the phone but it only lasted just under 2 months before the charging
port stopped working and Sony Ericcson claim that its unrepairable under
the warranty! i really loved the phone but now i'm left without one
and i feel that saying its not under warranty after 2 months is just
not great...you really would not expect this from a brand new phone
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Prashant from UK on 10th Jun 2010
Worst phone of all times, shame on Sony for releasing such a RUBBISH
mobile. The UI has a mind of its own, the sensor is over-reactive. The
display keeps on flashing, the mobile keeps rebooting on its own! the
pictures/video came out blurred intermittently, moble heated up when
making calls lasting more than 5 minutes! I have switched 3 mobiles
from Phones4u and given up any hopes on this phone. Software reset did
NOT make any difference. This phone deserves -5 stars for its performance.
PLEASE DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PHONE!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Bee from Germany on 10th Jun 2010
Never have i posted a review or anything on the net but this phone made
me do it..Totally disappointed...the first month i was pretty satisfied
with the phone..i was pretty damn excited about this phone especially
because of its HD videos and awesome pictures BUT after a month, the
touchscreen is gone. i cant do anything now, i cant even enter the PIN
coz the middle-part of the screen is automatically being pressed all
the time...so its like 555555555....Despite of its pretty low battery
life, freezing of the OS from time to time and soo on,i was quite happy
about the phone....well, i´d say, i shoud´ve bought a 10¤
phone and use it for yearss and a digital cam...DON´T buy this
phone!!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Jocelyn from The Netherlands on 10th
Jun 2010
i got this phone for like 2 months and i used the camera for 2 weeks,
caus my phone will get jammed if i push the button to use the camera.
i went to the store and they said that i should update my phone every
now and then. so i did, for like 4times and my camera still doesn't
work. i bought this phone just for the camera. furthermore, i need to
charge the battery in half a day, the phone is very slow, the sensitivity
of the screen is very low so on so on so on so on not recommended
Rating:
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Reviewed by Haf from UK on 10th Jun 2010
Since i could not afford an iPhone, I settled for a Vivaz. Everything
was fine for the first month but now this is not the case. First, the
battery life is awful. I having to charge it everynight literally. Second,
the touchscreen has a life of its own, it just does not respond to my
commands. Third, the phone just turns itself off randomly and takes
forever to turn back on. And finally the quality of the case is poor,
very badly scratched. In a nutshell: The Sony Vivaz is rubbish.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Chris from UK on 10th Jun 2010
Not sure what's up with this phone, some love it, others hate it. Maybe
there's very poor quality control, and a lot of bad phones get through.
I bought this phone after using a W810i for the last 4 years and having
no problems, and having an older Sony Ericsson previously that was completely
hassle-free. I wanted a contract with everything included, and wanted
a good camera and video - hence my choice of a Vivaz. The phone has
everything I want, but only when it works; It froze 6 times on the first
day I had it, and 4 times in the following 3 days. Since then, it has
crashed at least twice every week since then. When using the internet
or phone calls, or when doing anything else for more than 5 minutes,
it gets literally too hot to handle, and usually crashes soon after.
The longest I've managed to get the battery to last is 2 days, and that
was with absolutely no usage whatsoever. Other than that one time, the
battery has only lasted between 30 minutes-18 hours. The touch screen
is far too slow, as is loading of menus, applications etc. The phone
lock is great to turn on, but far too easy to unlock, and frequently
does when it's in my pocket - hasn't cost me anything though thankfully.
The camera button also works when the phone is locked - Ironically it
also crashes, freezes and runs out of battery frequently when the camera's
running. The accelerometer is too slow to make it usable. Cannot turn
the light on without the camera running to use it as a torch. Volume
is too quiet. Camera sound cannot be turned off. Cannot be charged with
a non-Sony Ericsson charger. I lost mine briefly once and had to turn
on my computer every time i wanted to charge it. The back cover WILL
break soon because you have to bend it to take the battery out - a regular
occurance. I think I have listed all of the faults I've encountered
now, but I've probably missed a couple. All-in-all, this phone is actually
brilliant. But that brilliance only lasts 5 minutes between faults.
It has all the potential to be the best phone I've ever owned, but it
just isn't reliable enough to make it humane to recommend anyone to
buy it.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Debbie from UK on 8th Jun 2010
I've bought Sony ericsson for my last few phones, but am disappointed
with this phone. The battery only lasts 2 days which is terrible, the
phone has died on me twice because of this!! Plus when taking calls
it is very "echoy" and the phone gets really hot! I'm really gutted
because I was really looking forward to having this phone!
Rating:
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Reviewed by Vikki from UK on 7th Jun 2010
Normally I don't bother reviewing things like this, but I'm so disappointed
with my phone that I felt I had to. I've never had a 'smart phone' or
indeed a touch screen phone before, but I've used a lot of friends'
ones, which encouraged me to get one for myself, and sign myself up
for my first contract. Biggest mistake of my life! I'm now stuck with
a useless phone and paying twice as much as I would have if I were still
pay as you go. The screen of my Vivaz is ridiculously scratched, after
one month. I have not dropped it or mistreated it, or even kept it in
my pocket. There is no obvious cause for these scratches, so it must
be a very weak screen indeed. It constantly lags and freezes, turns
itself off, or doesn't respond to my touch at all, whether I am pressing
hard or soft on the touch screen. As somebody else has said, it takes
ages to turn on and a long time to even figure out if it's turning on
or not. Poor battery life. Very little functionality. This phone seems
to be capable of little more than you would get from some £30 phones
out there. The camera is good. I love the picture quality, but that
is truly the only good thing I can say about this phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Tim Wade from United Kingdom on 5th
Jun 2010
The sony ericsson vivaz is the worst phone on the market i am sorry
i got this phone i had nothing but problems with it never buy this phone
it is rubbish!!!!!!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by THE DON from YORKSHIRE on 4th Jun
2010
At the end of the day people can say whatever they like, but if you
like the phone, it does what u want it to do, and is reliable etc, functioning
properly, the rating system shouldnt bother any1. this applies to any
phone really if u think about it!
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Reviewed by Infected-Spirit from England on 4th
Jun 2010
Wow thats all i can say for vivaz. I almost gave up till i installed
SPB mobile shell 3.5, how cool is this cheers Ashpool2000 its a deo
for must have apps.
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Reviewed by Mr B from Scotland on 4th Jun 2010
Love everything about this phone, stop moaning everyone, you have all
obviously been given a duff handset! Mine works excellent and love everything
about it. Ok i'ts not exactly an iPhone but it does the job it says
on the tin. Pictures are amazing and when downloaded from the phone
to the computer they look awesome in HD! I really can't fault this phone
at all, also the best thing about it is how light and small it is, it
just slips in and out of your pocket with ease. I cant wait to take
my Vivaz on holiday :) Get the Vivaz folks, you certainly won't be disappointed,
all the errors in all SE previous handsets example C905 have all been
ironed out, at last a phone that can handle the OS :)
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Reviewed by Sarah from UK on 2nd Jun 2010
Had my vivaz about a month and am very happy with it. Only downside
that I've had so far is that I have to charge it every 2 days(and thats
without leaving it on all night) whereas my last SE would go for a week
or more before needing a charge. Love the qwerty keyboard. Giving the
phone 4 stars but hoping it will go up to 5 if the battery life improves.
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Reviewed by leo from uk on 1st Jun 2010
Hi every one notice the Sony Ericsson Vivaz worse phone ever I advice
you dont go for Sony Ericsson Vivaz is very bad phone keep geting frozen
and stupid touch vedio, HD is all lies not good quality wifi rubbish
the phone been made in cheap quality all plastic!!!! you will regret
to get vivaz:(
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Ashpool2000 from England on 1st Jun
2010
My girlfriend got this phone about a month ago, and I've played with
it a lot and think overall it's a good phone, with HD video being the
standout feature which is very impressive for a phone! Some advice...as
well as downloading opera mobile straight away,you just need to get
SPB mobile shell 3.5 which has just been released for symbian...download
free trial from www.spbsoftwarehouse.com (go to it on the vivaz browser
and click "download sis" button) This basically revolutionises the vivaz
user interface and is like having a whole new phone. Any ui problems
people are having are pretty much addressed by this piece of software,
and it's so nice to have a bit of eye candy(3d graphics, transitions,
multiple homescreens) on a symbian device for a change! Highly recommended
even if it is a bit pricey at about 20 quid...try the free trial first!
My girlfriend really likes her vivaz now, but still wishes she'd gone
for the desire!
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Reviewed by Eleni from Greece on 31st May 2010
This phone is by far the worst one I've ever had! I got my first Vivaz
phone two weeks ago and immediately I started experiencing problems
with it. I hadn't owned a touch screen phone before for comparison but
it was frustratingly slow. Also, I'm sure that the screen freezing for
a second, then displaying small icons, then freezing again and finally
displaying normal sized icons whenever I tried to access the menu is
not normal behaviour! Plus, at times it was impossible to answer an
incoming call, as I had to press on the answer button repeatedly before
it responded and when it did, the screen blacked out for a second before
the call was answered! Also, the sound was really low, even though I
turned it up to max. As if that wasn't enough, the Sony Ericsson PC
Suite didn't recognize the phone, so I couldn't synchronize my contacts!
I had two Sony Ericsson Walkman phones and three Ericsson phones a few
years back prior to the Vivaz and I never had such problems! After contacting
the Sony Ericsson service line and updating the phone's software, which
solved absolutely nothing, I returned the phone to the store. A few
days later I was notified that I could get a new phone, which of course
means that the phone did have an actual problem (If there's no problem,
Sony Ericsson doesn't accept the return)! I made the mistake of believing
the store staff that it was a unique incident and I decided to give
the Vivaz another try. I got my second Vivaz phone on last Wednesday
and returned it on Thursday for exactly the same reasons. As I expected,
I was notified today that I can get a new phone. I' m now looking for
a new phone, which is definately not going to be a Sony Ericsson and
I advise everyone to Keep away from the Vivaz as well!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Peter from Poland on 30th May 2010
this phone is so full of shortcomings that it's even hard to list them
all here...very enoying lack of battery level indicator! impossible
to set your photo to fit as wallpaper! gr8 camera etc etc but battery
to weak to handle it, very quiet phone calls and music player, worst
way of sending and receiving via bluetooth in compare to f.e. k800i
where you could see and tell progress in receiving and here you get
a file as a text msg and many other things that make your life harder
for that money you can easily get something better
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Reviewed by peter from united kingdom on 28th
May 2010
If your looking for a phone with voice dialing dont buy this phone,vodafone
are mis selling this by saying it has this feature, It also has a rubbish
signal.Am going to return to vodafone as it was mis sold.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Stephen from UK on 27th May 2010
The Vivaz is terrible it gets so hot it gives me a headache. A wow camera
but its main function is as a telephone and that its not!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Hope from England on 26th May 2010
I got this phone, and i would recommened it highly! i have just got
one problem, it dosnt tell me i have a text, or show any sign or me
having a text.
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Reviewed by Melissa from England on 26th May 2010
I have just purchased this phone, and i am more than happy with it,
the camera is superb, the touch screen is very easy to use. Although
it does feel slightly plasticy it is very light weight and not bulky.
Would def reccomend this phone, especially if your looking for a camera
phone.
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Reviewed by Stu from England on 25th May 2010
It's rare that I write phone reviews, however this Vivaz has been such
a let down actually feel obliged to warn other people against making
the same mistake I did. First thing: This is not marketed as a smart
phone, but that is what it is, as it runs symbian. Do not get this phone
if you don't want a smart phone. Second thing: If you want a smart phone,
still don't get this. Symbian is AWFUL. Android is getting all the hype
at the moment, and of course there is the iPhone, but this is really
bad. Why do I hate it?: * Keeps turning off in my pocket * Keeps freezing
and needing to be restarted * The menu layout is totally unintuitive
* Text message is impossible * Whilst trying to send a text message,
a call came through. Because I was in the text message screen I couldn't
answer the call. * Sound quality is bad. * Do you need more points?
I have plenty. At first I couldn't believe the problems I was having,
and had vodafone change it for another. That's arrived and is just as
bad. I've just emailed them and requested a W995 or an Elm. This has
put me off touch screens for life! The only advantage is: yes, the video
quality is good. The X10 is soon to be upgraded to HD video as well,
but he Vivaz e has a radio, the X10 doesn't, plus the X10 gobbles battery
life. In short, if you want an everyday phone that doesn't need constant
charging, certainly don't get this. If you're not worried about battery
life or FM radio, get an X10. If you want a phone you can use as a phone,
get anything other than this.
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Reviewed by Sasha from UK on 24th May 2010
When I got the phone I was quite pleased based on its looks BUT it felt
very plastic. The touch screen is slow but worst of all, the phone heated
up after 10 minutes of talktime. It was very uncomfortable that I sent
it back. Due to it being unsatisfactory it was not worth exploring more.
I would not recommend this phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Steve from UK on 24th May 2010
THE WORST PHONE I HAVE EVER OWNED. Don't buy it! The phone gives me
a constant headache. Its poorly made, very cheap. It is not durable,
the text messaging is impossible, the connections are slow. I am despiratly
trying to give mine back to Orange. I have never had cuch a terrible
phone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by David from UK on 21st May 2010
Heap of junk, don't buy especially from CPW who don't give a damn once
they have your money tried to tell me the handset had to be sent away
when it was two weeks old. freezes constantly. no network connection
constantly displays "emergency calls only" screen is terrible very poor
user interface can't be seen in sunlight I HAVE HAD ERICSSON PHONES
FOR OVER TEN YEARS NEVER AGAIN AVOID AVOID AVOID JUNK save your money
this is the worst phone ever and CPW the worst shop ever
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by jcvd from europe on 20th May 2010
Hey the vivaz phone is amazing i have no problems with it at all it
looks amazing and its nice size too and it beats the iphone 3g and 3gs
in most things like a better camera 8.1 mp against iphones 2.0 and 3.0
mp a better video camera 720 hd and a way better battery life.Will i
continue?ok its more compact then the iphone with its size and its not
a brick becouse it only weighs 97g.Some people are saying it feels cheap
how does it with its sleek design and smooth finish also its shiny and
the blue at the side makes it look luxury.The menu is nice and the texting
on the phone is easy and with few options so at the end of the day its
one the best sony ericsson phones out at the moment with xperia10 thank
you sony.
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Reviewed by Conor Crozier from England on 20th
May 2010
Only had the Vivaz for a few days, and haven't had a major problem with
it yet. First touchscreen phone and internet for me. Very pleased with
the touch, i've adapted already, and the internet if very fast, facebook
and youtube are perfect. It has froze while i've been on facebook twice,
but that's not a problem. Also, the battery if sort of poor; i uncharghed
it at 10am, watched one youtube video, went on facebook a few times,
played with it a bit, sent numerous texts, and it's now on 30% battery
at 9pm :(, but according to the above reviews, it gets better!? I haven't
used it for it's full potential as i am a mobile internet virgin, but
i'm sure there are no problems. Would definately reccommend, especially
to people who aren't complete tech heads (no technology is perfect).
Will post more if anything fails. x
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Reviewed by Orange Vivaz from UK on 20th May 2010
I bought this phone based on good reviews, were they reviewing the same
phone?! The iPhone is just too big for me and the Vivaz seemed ideal.
I can honestly say the Vivaz is the worst phone I've ever owned. My
kids cheapo phones perform better than this. A list of issues... - Sluggish
performance, makes it hard to do anything, esp. Texting - Dull screen,
cannot see it outside, you have to take it somewhere dark - GPS does
not work and I signed up for Orange maps £5 per month wasted - Battery
life is terrible and no warning that the battery is low. It just turns
itself off - Takes too long to start up and when you turn it on there's
no indication if it's starting up or not - Screen and case got scratched
on day one despite me being careful with it - HD Video recording is
glitchy, unlike the TV advert
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Andrew from England on 19th May 2010
I have had three faulty phones in a month. The touch screen packed up
on the fist one after 3 weeks the second developed a software fault
after 3 days. the third developed the same software fault with in 4
hours. It a nice phone but I have had enough
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by JC from Philippines on 19th May 2010
I got mine two weeks ago just because my 2-year old W910 broke down.
I was thinking that I'm willing to sacrifice the SE interface for Symbian
because the features are cool based on reviews. But the set back, aside
from the slow system, is that IT RESTARTS EVERY 5-10 MINUTES WHENEVER
I'M IN A WIFI HOTSPOT! I regret buying this. I'll go back to my Walkman.
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Reviewed by Kat from UK on 18th May 2010
Got this phone 8 days ago...took it back after 2 days as it kept freezing
when i tried to text and you might aswell hit it with a hammer to get
any response fron the touchscreen!! Had it exchanged for another to
find exactly the same problem plus it was cutting off my calls. Exchanged
it again 3 days later and sad to say the same thing is happening with
this phone. Today i am taking it back AGAIN and hoping i will get a
samsung jet, which my daughter and friends have and say its fantastic.
So disappointed in this phone. Ive had better phones for less than 50
quid!!! Would not recommend it obviously!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Nic from Scotland on 17th May 2010
The phone looks great but is rubbish, its very slow and the touch screen
needs to be pressed very firmly and more than once, the lay out is not
impressive as well as the poor speaker quality when making calls. the
camera is impressive when in good light but when it is dark the flash
light is not very powerfull. i definately would not recommend the vivaz
to anyone
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Bob from England on 17th May 2010
got a phone on contract and not happy with it. only had a few weeks
and screen badly scratched just with keeping in pocket and nothing else
in. cannot use through the day outside as you cannot see the screen
at all in any kind of sunlight. definately wouldn't have bought and
only took it as it was on contract. been offered £200 for it so might
sell and buy a Sony Ericsson Elm
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Reviewed by Casanova from UK on 17th May 2010
Hi there, ive got this phone on an upgrade for £20 a month on a 2year
contract, which gives me 600 mins, unlimited texts and unlimited internet.
Fair deal or could be improved by haggling? Your thoughts please. Seems
like an excellent phone, streets ahead of its range with the 8MP cam,
and HD video.
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Reviewed by Adam from UK on 17th May 2010
I only had this phone for 2 days and it completely broke! I put it on
charge and it wouldn't turn back on. I found it very unresponsive, not
very user friendly and the sound is terrible. I have now sent it back.
Don't not buy this phone unless you want to spend all your time shouting
at it!!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by peter from united kingdom on 16th
May 2010
I have had sony ericsson phones for many years and am sorry to say the
Vivaz is the 'worst' phone I've had. When i turned it on for the first
time,it did not ask for contact transfer so i had to do it myself,only
to find each contact displayed 3 or 4 entries when only 2 were on sim.
When i looked into phone a bit more,i found it has nokia software making
it a non-user friendly phone for my Sony Ericsson SIM. When i usually
have no problems at all. Voice dialling does not work correctly on blue-
tooth.I got this phone on 15/5/10 and have put it back in the box to
collect dust on the 16/5/10. Still using my old W595 phone.I only got
this phone because vodaphone do not have the W 995 on there list.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Angie from UK on 14th May 2010
So I upgraded to this phone a few months ago and I absolutely adore
it. Sure, it freezes sometimes and has it slow moments but it more than
compensates for it with its amazing feature. It's whole look is amazing,
as it the HD camera. This is my first time with a touch screen phone
and i have found it really easy to text and adapted to it within 3 days.
The screen is responsive and the features are above and beyond what
I expected AND the extra plus is the battery life is very impressive.
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Reviewed by Dipak from UK on 12th May 2010
I upgraded from Orange and I've had this phone for about six weeks now
and haven't really had any major problems with the phone. It's actually
been one of the best phones I've owned! The phone has frozen once or
twice but that's all. The touch screen is responsive although texting
can be a challenge if you're not used to touch screen phones. The battery
life has been excellent, I've found myself charging the battery every
4/5 days which I think is quite impressive. For those experiencing problems
with the battery life, try closing the apps once you've used it and
turn 3G off. I did exactly that and it's been working perfectly fine,
even when it's been in use. The applications on the phone are very very
limited and not fantastic but as a HD camera phone, the quality of the
pictures and video is absolutely stunning, by far the best quality I've
seen on any phone so far..the pics I've taken have come out very sharp
and crisp, exactly how I would have wanted them to come out. Also, the
flash has to be turned on manually and turned off using the options
whilst taking a picture but I've found it fairly good in a dark environment.
For me, this phone gets 5 stars! It's absolutely stunning!
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Reviewed by billy from uk on 11th May 2010
i got this phone after upgrading my contract with orange, i am so dissappointed,
the camera is shocking unless your in bright conditions as it does not
seem to have a flash, the sound recording while shooting videos is terrible
as you cannot hear a thing, the clock keeps losing time and forever
needs resetting, the phone did not come with wisepilot preinstalled
and i cant seem to download it from anywhere, there were no preinstalled
games, the touchscreen is very unresponsive, the music player loses
sound all the time and doesn't have an equalizer built in. All in all
this is one of the worst phones i have ever owned and would not recommend
it to anyone.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Paul from Wales on 11th May 2010
For Tommy. Go sign up at umnet dot com they got games and apps for vivaz.
If anybody on here has an idea why my battery is so poor possibly solution
to getting longer life i'd appreciate that info. Thanks. Ps i've drained
and charged for 12 hours when first purchased and once more a week into
use. that made no difference
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Reviewed by tommy from uk on 9th May 2010
i wasn't sure whether to get this phone because of having the satio
and that let me down in the beginning but S/E sorted out most of the
problems by giving out firmware updates so i thought you know don't
judge a book by its cover so thats what i done and do you know i'm glad
that saying is around because the not only is the cover excellent the
story is great the phone has everything and the reception is great on
the phone never drops a bar for me. i do miss the camera on the satio
though that camera was perfection although i prefer the sensitivity
of the touch screen on this phone im in love with it it's all round
superbness .the only thing i don't like is the fact there are very few
apps for the vivaz and thats its only let down for me if any one does
know of any apps then please give me a link
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Reviewed by Bella from United Kingdom on 9th May
2010
I wish I hadn't bothered. I wanted a simple(ish) phone that made calls,
had a decent call volume, could send texts easily and take a few pictures.
Texting is a huge pain. It misses letters more often that it gets them
right when I hit the screen. The call volume is shockingly bad. I mean
bad. I live in London and there is constant noise on the streets of
course. I now feel I can't make a call unless I'm somewhere quiet and
even then it's nowhere near the volume of a much more basic phone I've
had. I've had the phone 3 months and it has developed a problem with
feedbaack about 5 minutes into a calll. I hear what I say about 5 seconds
after I've said it as the other person is also talking. This is a constant
issue and is not affected regardless of where I ring from. The camera
is ok. IIt's a bit slow to respond but the pictures are good as is the
video quality. The lens is not protected and is flush with the back
of the phone so I'm waiting for the day when it gets a scratch and ruins
all pictures. The fact there are NO cases other than those annoying
little socks makes it almost impossible to protect your phone. YouTube
comes ready installed. The quality is abysmal. I mean really bad. Don't
think it will be anything along the lines of the iPhone quality as it
certainly is not. I do like the size of the phone. I have had 2 iPhones
and it has always been the size that bothered me. The Vivaz is very
tidy. All in all I would not recommend this phone if you want/need a
phone that responds quickly and is a master at even the basic functions.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by maggie from england on 7th May 2010
read all these reviews - and decided to go for it.. am very pleased
i did !! never had a touch screen phone before.. and i found this one
very very easy, responsive.. great colours, screen is bright enough..
pictures and video's fantastic and clear, no problems at all.. at first
the interface was a bit confusing, apps all over the place - but once
i re jigged to my liking - no problem !! texting i find easy, qwerty
keyboard function big enough ! i can hear calls coming in, and though
the speaker is loud enough.. sometimes it does sound a bit fuzzy.. but
not a problem at all !! some apps you touch once, some twice.. i never
know which is which, but i'm sure i'll get used to it (again, not a
problem !!).. it hasn't crashed on me yet !! i can upload my pics to
facebook straight away, phonebook is very easy to use..and have downloaded
my hotmail account - again, this is quite easy.. connecting to internet
is a bit slow.. gliding through the pages is ok.. i love the gps too..
battery life seems to be getting longer for some reason (not complaining
!).. re the key lock - is fine - you really have to press the camera
key down quite hard for it to overide the key lock.. so i've never taken
any pics with it being in my pocket !! i might have more of a problem
with skinny jeans though :-) when you get a new text message - you can't
see who it is from - but i think there is an application that can sort
this out ?? need to check.. such a brilliant phone - great design..
and way way smaller and sleeker than the bulky i phone :-)
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Reviewed by Michael from england on 6th May 2010
Well What can i say .. i read reviews and did some research and i upgraded
my phone on o2 to the vivaz i took it out the box thinking it was metal
only to find out the whole phone is plastic after taking the battery
cover off a few times it starts to creak move etc and the actual phone
itself creaks the screen is good but the homescreen can be confusing
at times the camera is amazing but the speaker is so small and squashed
up when you have it full volume it sounds rubbish the earspeaker which
you listen to calls to crackles and the buttons especially the menu
button feels like its about to fall off also the lock button wobbles
about and is barely a button atall i DO NOT reccomend this phone i have
sent it back and changed it to the samsung jet ultra which ive had for
a week its amazing and much more sturdy and has more features than the
vivaz
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Scott McLeod from Scotland on 5th
May 2010
My Vivaz overheats when i phone people and the back (because it is metal)
turns very hot. other than this it's a great phone all round :).
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Reviewed by Bob from uk on 5th May 2010
After my original review on 04 april I have now been using this phone
for over a month, and my first immpressions were good but now I dis-like
this phone. I have had sony ericsson for years and most have been great
and reliable but the vivaz is the worst s.e. phone that I have owned.
First as Rob has stated the key lock is almost non existant. I have
tried differant cases with no luck, the phone just keeps un-locking
from camera/video keys or the resistive touch screen. (capasative would
not suffer this prob.) Phone also turns itself off prob from keys becoming
un-locked. Tried Nunlock app from play now but that drained battery
and kept freezing the phone so got a refund from sony ericsson after
I complained. With other annoying software glitches, (I.E. when in camera
mode, view finder/screen will flash the menu screen for a couple of
seconds randomly whey trying to line up the perfect shot,) even after
a software update, bugs still there. I now dis-like this phone and will
be getting rid of it as soon as I can find a buyer.
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by Rob from UK on 4th May 2010
Fell for the HD recording, which is cool. But the screen is completely
scratched up already, it looks like I have owned it longer than the
iPhone 3G I had for 18 months prior. The single most annoying feature
of this phone is also no doubt a good idea for some people.. When the
keypad is locked it is possible to access the camera or video function
by holding down the shutter button. So if you have the phone in your
pocked with a wallet or anything else that could push the Shutter button
for with the camera or videa it bypasses the screen lock, the amount
of times I have killed the battery by this unintentially happening and
taking numerous pictures or lengthy videos of the inside of my pocket
is beyond a joke! If only there was a function to turn this off! I'm
going back to my iPhone!
Rating: Reply
Reviewed by lucy from uk on 4th May 2010
overall pretty pleased only fault is media player volume as i am used
to my walkman phones .
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Reviewed by Russ from England on 29th Apr 2010
I spent hours reading reviews and trying to decide which upgrade to
go for having had 18 great months with my se c905. My choices were :
iphone, vivaz, experia x10 and nokia x6. I had the iphone for a week
and sent it back mainly because it had no radio other than through the
internet. I ruled out the experia for the same reason and it's such
a big handfull of a phone !. I read on this site about problems with
the x6, so ordered the vivaz in blue from o2 ( lovely colour !). I'v
had the phone a week now and am a fairly heavy user of basic functions,
ie call's , texts,internet and various apps. I don't use the camera
much, but it seems fine with good quality pictures. I missed a few calls
first day due to the ring volume, but changed the tone to 1 of my own,
and haven't missed any since. Battery seemed poor first couple of days
but now lasts a good 30 hours. The touchscreen is very clear ( set brightness
to max ) and is easy to use and not over sensitive, it takes a while
to get used to it if you'v not had 1 before. Texting is easy and you
can get a free app that displays the name on screen when it arrives.
The phone has never slowed down or frozen at all and dosen't seem to
have any problems. You do need to make sure that you fully exit functions
when your finished with them or they continue to run hidden. All in
all I'm happy with the vivaz and it does everything it says with ease.
Unless your looking for a super mini computer in a phone, I'd say you
won't be dissapointed with this phone.
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Reviewed by Babaa from UK on 28th Apr 2010
I loved this phone when I saw it and all it had to offer but once I
started using it I found that when it was charging and while in a conversation
the top of the phone, where the earpiece is, becomes so hot that it
burns. It was sent back to be examined and hopefully repaired, but it
was returned with the same problem. I've had it for less than a month
and have enjoyed its beautiful design and ease of use, after some practise.
The aps are cool. The touchscreen lets me down occasionally when it
freezes, but I can overlook that. The pics shot with the 8.1mp camera
aren't as good as Sony sez they would be. Not by a long shot. The speakerphone
volume is really lacking even when up fully. That disappoints as I'm
deaf in one ear and need to use that more often than not. But the fact
that the phone heats so much, with no obvious solution in sight, is
becoming the biggest downer of all. The size is perfect for my small
hands and the weight makes it easy to pocket carry. I don't want to
give it up but it looks like that's my only solution.
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Reviewed by Sarah from Uk on 28th Apr 2010
Love the stylish look of the phone, Although the camera isnt very responsive
at times. And im not sure if its the phone or my network O2UK but my
texts just randomly stop sending every now and then and just save to
the outbox, Not sure if anyone else has had this problem?
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Reviewed by darryl long from uk on 28th Apr 2010
love it
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Reviewed by david muthami musyoka from kenya on
28th Apr 2010
the best phone in performance with a nice touch
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Reviewed by Emma from UK on 26th Apr 2010
As a life-long Sony Ericssonite (?) I love this phone!! I got the Nokia
X6 but sent it back after a week due to the misguided promise of BBCiplayer,
not to mention the annoying navigation system, the fact it feels like
a brick.. so many issues! The Vivaz has an amAzing camera, and you can
personalise to your heart's content. The only thing I will say, is when
you get a text it just says '1 new message' rather than who it's from,
a small but annoying thing! If you love sony e you will love this, otherwise
you might have some complaints as a non-user/believer! But as I should
be doing more productive things than writing this review, it just goes
to show how great this phone is - give it a go! :D
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Reviewed by sss from europe on 26th Apr 2010
if somebodys vivaz is going slow delete things of the phone memory and
it will be back to being brilliant i got worried whem my vivaz whent
slow but when i deleted some pictures sounds that were on phone memory
it became fast again vivaz is outstanding full stop.
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Reviewed by Rich from UK on 25th Apr 2010
Now where do i start with the vivaz, i bought one on the release day,
the phone is pretty reliable as far as modern phones go, but there are
a few things i really really cant abide by :- 1. Why in god's name have
Sony Ericsson started to use symbian s60, it's a god awfull slow buggy
operating system made by Nokia 10 billion years ago, having been a Sony
Ericsson user for nearly a decade i was expecting the traditional Sony
Ericsson layout, instead i have what appears to be another version of
a Nokia. 2. It feels well made but very very plasticy and attracts alot
of finger prints, 'mine being a black version' 3. They boast about the
HD video recording and 8.1mp but it only shoots in 4:3 in 8mp mode where
as in 6mp it shoots in full 16:9 yet another let down, along with it
having a poxy LED flash. However i really do like the design the back
reminds me of my long ago w800, which brings back a few nice memories,
the battery life is really really good, even using it alot, i can still
go 3-4 days without charging the phone, if they had of used traditional
sony ericsson layout or android the phone would have been perfect, however
they did not, which leads me to my final conclusion, if you can cope
with Symbian s60 go for it failing that, then don't because like me
you will hate it for it, i will shortley be selling on my vivaz for
the HTC desire or Xperia X10, i award the vivaz 4 stars.
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Reviewed by karl from england on 25th Apr 2010
this is a briliant phone no one can complain it is everything you would
want or need it just all there it amazing does not freeze or nothing
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Reviewed by Cath from UK on 24th Apr 2010
Got this phone a week ago and it went back yesterday!! I had it on upgrade
from a C905 - it doesn't do half the things that the C905 did. Really
disappointed with it. I think it would be fine if you're not used to
good SE's but I'm swapping for the W995 and hopefully will have more
joy!
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