SONY ERICSSON HAZEL J20i / UNLOKCED GSM PHONE (BLACK)

I seem to be in a minority. Most phones these days seem to be touchscreens , or they have qwerty keypads. I don't like either. I prefer the normal numbered phone keypad. It's simpler to use, there's normal tactile sensation/feddback and you get T9 predictive text.

I personally feel that many of the phones are out there are not so much because consumers want them and the manufacturers are meeting demand, but the reversemanufacturers are spitting out more and more touchscreen phones and consumers are having to take them up. To me, proof of this is the Japanese market.

In Japan, touchscreen phones are the minority. For the last decade or so, Japanese phones have been far more advanced than those of the rest of the world, and they have always had phones with keypads and very large screens, be they sliders, clamshells, and even candybars. The last time a slider in the rest of the world had a "large" screen, it was the Nokia N96 and Samsung Innov8both 2.8 inches. In Japan, 3-3.5inch screens for sliders and clamshell phones have been the normal for half a decade.

Away, back to the Hazel :)

THE GOOD:

1. It's a slider with a large useable large keypad, so fingers don't keep bumping wrong keys. I like sliders and physical buttons

2. 2.6 inch clear bright screen with glass, so it's scratch resistant. It's larger than all other current sliders and clamshell screens, except the LG Joy. (3 inchlove the size, but crappy features as meant for teens)

3. Call clarity & volume is very good & I have no problems with it.

4. Texting is even better now because they have included 'conversations' as a feature. This means that all your SMS's with that person are included in a scrollable frame & you can see who said what & when, as it is dated. You don't have to go through your inbox and look up each individual message. Also, if you receive a SMS from that person while you are typing or reading, it automatically includes it, so you don't have to go out, than back in to update it.

5. Has camera for the back for photos and video, and one at the front, if you want to use the 3G features and have a vid call. I never use this feature though.

6. Camera and video are quite good. Some reviews say the video is only "adequate". I have no problem with it.

7. Reasonably fast phone. Moves between screens smoothly.

8. Good value for the price. I keep thinking back to the Nokia N95 and comparing the two.

NOT SO GOOD:

1. The theme of the Hazel is 'eco', & there are some software add on's so you can see how many steps you took today when walking, or something about some Panda. Gimmicky stuff of no real use. The box it comes it is also smaller, saving paper, apparently.

2. The keypad lighting is quite dim, so if you don't hold it up to the light at a certain angle, it's hard to see the numbers, as it seems to make the numbers look silver, blending it with the silver paint of the keypad. Also, the keypad is completely smooth, so there is no texture to differentiate the buttons for typing.

3. The MultiMedia window is unchanged from previous editions, so there's a lot of redundant button pushing, imho. E.g. If you press photos, you should instantly see your photos, right? No. You then go to another page with a whole lot of choices, most of which are irrelevant.

4. The phone doesn't look very attractive, imho. I feel this phone is substance over style. I have tried other phones which look better, but have less features, but in the end come back to the Hazel because substance is important too.

5. Perhaps the gravest mistake of all is the inclusion of earphones which are really really really pitiful quality. They are about the same quality as the earphones I got with my 1989 walkman. If you use the included headphones, you'll thiink the music player is useless. Fortunately for me, I had another set of SE earphones with their proprietary connection (yes, the Hazel has the SE connection dammit) and it allowed me to hear the true SE music player quality.

6. The last thing which annoys me abou the Hazel (which also applies to all SE phones) is the amount of screen real estate that is taken up by the showing the clock, date, alarm and mobile service provider. I think it takes up about 30% of the screen. Compare this to the Nokia N86, which is also 2.6 inch screen, but slots everything neatly into to lines at the top and bottom, leaving 85-90% of the screen free for whatever theme or wallpaper of your choice.

That's all I can think of for now. I don't use Internet, so can't talk about that, sorry folks! Hope this is helpful!

This is a tremendous phone. The best things about it are the camera, the applications, and the ability to use wifi. The GPS feature is amazing as well if you are willing to pay a bit more. I can't wait to use this phone when i travel in the future to save money on overseas expenses. Being unlocked certainly has it's benefits.

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The Sony Ericsson j20i 'Hazel' is a fine talk phone. I use my cell phone almost exclusively to talk. I have a computer to do the other applications. The phone is well built and has good feel in hand. High quality plastics are used. The sliding mechanism works well. Display is bright. Navigation is easy. Sound quality is good in both directions and callers sound normal. Design is good, however some may find it a little dated. The only complaints I have are minor. The battery is not up to the hype, although it still provides sufficient talk time for most individual's needs between charges. Hazel is from the 'Green' line of phones made by Sony Ericsson which means many other used products were recycled to help create the phone. I find being kind to nature admirable, but Sony E's audible reminder to unplug the charger when not in use to save electricity is annoying. This automated reminder reminds me of the 'Microsoft Paperclip Guy'. I nuked that bit of animation after about 3 appearances. The phone came from a third party ShopEBest.com. This company was prompt in providing me the product I ordered. The phone arrived in good working order which was a little surprising considering it rattled around in the box it was shipped in, making it prone to damage. ShopEBest could improve the cushioning within the boxes their items are shipped in. Outside of the shipping box issue, I would do business again with the company should I elect to do so. I recommend the phone.

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I used it for two years, and recently broke it very stupid way small piece a plastic got inside the slider, and cut main wire harness when I close the phone.

Great phone, I used it in my trip to NY for three days with almost no charging, and many times used GPS for long. GPS is very useful and easy to use, now I can't get to Galaxy's gps interface. Camera is pretty decent, although night pictures could be better, wifi really doesn't take much juice, but guys from tech support are useless (at least t-mobile staff), so you will need to google internet settings yourself. Although I couldn't find how to use camera (neither back camera, nor front)with Skype. Skype itself works fine. Any way I think, I even didn't use all features of the phone. And it's small. Small, and solid. Couple years ago I bought it brand new for about 170 or 180 bucks, so it totally worth the money. Actually, after Sony Ericsson it's difficult to use something else, that was second SE I had, they are way too good :-)

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The main attraction for me was the WiFi feature as I don't have data or 3G service because I really want the phone for a phone... With the WiFi I can tag along some open network (or closed network when I know the password) and use probably the best feature of this phone: the free Google Maps! It works like a GPS too. But since it is google maps, you can pan out, zoom in, move around, etc., using the phone as the most up-to-date map.

I have the WiFi add-on on my phone plan, but I could not find a new WiFi phone through my phone company.

Typing is frustrating, but it is so on any phone for me. The alarm and ring sounds could have been louder. A real manual, even in a downloadable PDF, would have been great, as the manual provided on the phone is hard to read and navigate through.

When double pressing the send button to call a recently called number, a multiple choice pop-up menu covers the screen. I could have done without this 'convenience' which does not even provided 'dial number' as an option. It takes some finger gymnastics to get the tempo right and just dial the number before the pop up covers the screen.

Reading my review one wouldn't surmise that I am happy with the purchase, yet quite the opposite, I am elated. A comfortable phone to handle, the keyboard is tacked away so you cannot dial accidentally, it has a very sensitive WiFi receiver and picks up the signal very easily. What else could I ask for!!!