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Boasting an impressive 8.1-megapixel camera and advanced features such as face detection, autofocus, xenon flash and geo-tagging, the Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a from AT&T simplifies your on-the-go photography needs while also taking advantage of AT&T's ultra-fast 3G network. Additionally, with AT&T's 3G network, you can listen to a conference call on a headset while sending and receiving e-mail attachments, picture messages or Web pages at the same time. This GPS-enabled phone can access the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions as well as its Video Share service, which enables you to send video of yourself to another compatible phone while making a voice call. 
The Sony Ericsson C905a is an excellent multimedia companion with a 8.1-megapixel camera, easy links to your blog and Facebook, a digital audio player with Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and more. | 
The C905a is packed with advanced camera functionality, such as auto focus, face detection, and a Xenon flash with red-eye reduction. | This nicely compact slider phone hides its alpha-numeric keypad until you need it, and the lens on the back of the phone is also protected by an active lens cover. The 2.4-inch scratch-resistant glass screen provides a brightly colorful way to review your photos, and you can easily print directly from the phone via PictBridge and Bluetooth functionality. Other features include video recording (at QVGA/30 fps), Bluetooth connectivity for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, memory expansion via Memory Stick Micro (M2) media, access to mobile email and instant messaging, full HTML web browsing, and up to 3.5 hours of talk time. AT&T Services
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band 850/1900 MHz 3G network (UMTS/HSDPA), which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services. In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming. With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) While using Video Share with family and friends is a fun way to communicate, it's also very useful for business. For example, a majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so. 
Other features include Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion to 8 GB, and access to email and instant messaging. |  |  | You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search. With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Phone Features
The Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a has a unique 2.4-inch display (240 x 320 pixels, 262K color depth) made of mineral glass--the same material used in watch crystals--which offers excellent scratch resistance and is great for showcasing your photos and videos. It sits above a square navigation area that features icons around the toggle that are illuminated when the C905a is held horizontally in camera mode--so you know it's ready to take pictures even in low-light conditions. The navigation area is surrounded by two soft navigation keys, send/end keys, a shortcut key, and a clear key. To dial a number, just slide the handset's face upwards to reveal the alpha-numeric keypad. The C905a has a 160 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional Memory Stick Micro (M2) cards up to 8 GB in size. The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contacts, and it features multiple numbers per contact (as well as up to three email addresses), support for caller groups, and picture/ringer ID capabilities. Sliding open the camera lens cover automatically engages the camera application on the phone. The still camera can capture images up to 8.1 megapixels (with your choice of four resolution options and two quality settings), and it also features a 16x digital zoom, Xenon flash, and auto rotate. The Face Detection and Auto Focus capability enables the camera to detect and focus on the face of your subject rather than the background, so that you can take sharp and high quality pictures of your friends. The phone also incorporates the latest in lighting technology--Photo Flash--giving you better quality pictures even in low-light conditions. An image stabilizer compensates for those small movements, reducing the chance that your photo comes out blurred. The Smart Contrast function automatically compensates for shadows or unnaturally bright light in a shot. The BestPic function gives you nine chances to capture the precise moment you want. As well as your shot, the phone takes four images as you press the button, and another four afterwards. Pick the one you want, trash the rest. Select the Photo Fix function to improve pictures that you think can be better. In a one-click operation, brightness, light and contrast are adjusted to give you the best possible picture. If you want the people in your pictures to be happy, just activate Smile Shutter. The camera waits until your subject beams that broad grin--then it automatically snaps the picture. Finally, take advantage of your C905a's GPS location-based service capabilities by geo-tagging your photos with precise information about where they were taken. In addition to still photos, the phone can also capture video clips, with videos for messaging capped at approximately 20 seconds and those meant for saving to your PC running for as long as you have available space. It can record as a maximum resolution of 320 x 240 pixels (QVGA) at 30 frames per second (fps). Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable). The digital audio player is compatible with a wide variety of formats, including MP3 and AAC/AAC+. Additionally, you can play MPEG4 and 3GPP videos. With the TrackID service, you can identify any song that you can hear by just recording a snippet of sound using the microphone. After sending the file for recognition, you'll have the name, artist and album sent to your phone. It also includes a built-in FM radio with RDS, which displays the name of the currently playing song (when tuned to compatible radio stations). The phone also ships with a built-in email client with support for POP3 and IMAP4 protocols, while the included Access NetFront Web Browser allows you to surf full HTML web sites. It also supports RSS feeds, allowing you to use your phone to view up-to-the-minute news and other content from selected Web sites and blogs. Just subscribe to the feed and let it come to you. Support is built in for sending and receiving text, video, graphics and sound via messages. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile email and text messaging users. Other features include: - Upload photos and video straight to your Blogger account or Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and YouTube pages.
- Accelerometer auto-rotation--Enjoy your pictures in portrait or landscape mode. To move between modes, simply rotate the phone and the picture follows.
- Photo feeds--Use Photo feeds to check your own and your friends' blogs. Access them all from one place: your phone's Media photo album.
- Flight mode allows you to safely use the non-wireless functions of this phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight
- Mobile Email and Instant Messenger for quick and easy access on the go (instant messaging via AOL, Windows Live, Yahoo!)
- USB mass storage capabilities
- Access to YouTube streaming videos
- Video Player with support for MPEG4, AMR, H.263, WMV file formats
- Organizer tools: calendar, calculator, alarm clock, tasks, timer, notes, stopwatch
- Personalize with downloadable games, graphic, ringtones and applications
Vital Statistics
The Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905a weighs 4.8 ounces and measures 4.09 x 1.93 x 0.71 inches. Its 950 mAh lithium-polymer battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 350 hours (14.6 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's 850/1900 MHz 3G frequencies (UMTS/HSDPA).
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 Good camera but heavy for a phone |
| Review Date: March 9, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Yardbird_88, LA |
| I got this for my wife so she doesn't have to carry her camera, like 2 in one. However she is complaining that the cell phone is too heavy & bulky, also be aware of the center data button that will cost you everytime you unintentionally touch it. I just called AT&T to block out the data services. Wish Sony can make it thinner. |
Good phone, GREAT once treasure-like features unlocked
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| Review Date: February 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: W. C. Park, New York, NY |
I have had this phone for over a month now.
I was always looking for an all in one device that does everything well...
Unfortunately, such a device does not exist.
I would ideally like to have music player, phone, internet device and camera at all times.
Now, this isn't going to replace your camera (if you know you're gonna be taking pics... i.e. going on vacation)
but for those times when you don't have one but kinda wish you did, well you're in luck.
It takes decent photos, has useable flash, but no optical zoom (fine by me)
I had already ordered the phone (no data plan required for "subsidy") even before finding out about the disabled features.
The most interesting feature of course was the wifi.
I had some skepticism, but after having "debranded" the phone, i can verify that yes, it does work, and yes, it is really easy. Aside from wifi, getting rid of all the AT&T medianet and all that garbage in the menu was also nice. Some additional camera menus became available as well as ability to use mp3s as ringtones.
Overall, very happy with the phone. My only regret is that the phone does not have a QWERTY keyboard... I text a lot... or i used to.. now when i get texts.. i just sigh and try to put off replying for as long as possible
Pros:
Decent size, not too big, not too small.
Camera lens cover/slider
Excellent screen, great resolution and brightness
I can take at the worst halfway decent pics anywhere I go
Good call sound quality
Cons:
What the heck is with this M2DUO garbage, i have so many micro sd cards already...
NO HEADPHONES INCLUDED also you HAVE TO USE a proprietary jack... which also seems to enable FM radio... (i don't care about the radio)
Prepare to spend the extra dough for the M2DUO card (this is like a must), and the headphone (seems to come with 3.5mm adapter) and be prepared to send very boring texts. But, you will get wifi without having to pay for data, a decent camera (excellent by phone standards) and an overall very attractive well built phone |
Not satisfied
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| Review Date: February 10, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Shah, |
I placed an order for a new contract and a sony cybershot phone - what i received was a phone with scratches and LOADS of contact information. I HAD NOT ASKED FOR A REFURBISHED phone. i wanted a new piece - imagine! i buy the phone as a gift for someone and he opens up to find a used Phone!!!
It was extremely embarassing |
Not Quite Up to Expectations
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| Review Date: February 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: C. Geary, San Jose, CA United States |
I was in the market for a new phone & read the overwhelmingly positive reviews on this one, so bought one. I can't honestly say I'm happy with what I got. There's some bugs that are really annoying. My previous phone was a Sony Ericsson 580i with ATT service, which was really good. I could get 5 bar reception anywhere, even in basements of hefty buildings. This C905a phone has serious reception problems. I guess they skimped somewhere in the antenna or receiver, nonetheless, reception drops constantly, even if I'm outside. I live in the heart of Silicon Valley, not out in the sticks, so I shouldn't be having this problem. I travel by train daily up & down the valley & there's bad reception where ever I go. Can't blame ATT because my other phone worked perfect, & I see all the folks with Iphones on the train having no reception problems at all.
Another problem I have is, while the phone is supposed to multitask, I cannot be on the internet & make a phone call at the same time. If I try, my net connection terminates immediately. So much for the company's claims. Another problem is the battery life. If I get on the net, the battery will last about 1.5 hours, and it gets so hot it concerns me that the phone will melt. You may have read the battery cover is hard to remove. That's a gross understatement. With the directions right in front of me, it took an hour of constant sliding pressure before it began to move. Come on, Sony-E, do you really think that's reasonable? For those of you who have these phones, I discovered I could slip the blade of a pocket knife under the edge of the cover & pry the sucker off quickly, which I discovered when the phone's OS froze in net mode & I couldn't even terminate it with the power off switch, & the phone reached somewhere around 130 degrees. I then had to pop the battery out while the power was on as my last chance to stop phone Armageddon. In other words, this phone can be a safety hazard.
Other phone features are good & I really like them. The user interface is very intuitive & you can figure everything out very quickly. It has the same layout as the 580i. But heck, the problems of this phone spoil anything else good about it. Don't buy it. Thumbs down! |
if you want wifi and no data plan then this is your phone
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| Review Date: January 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Pramit P. Parikh, |
I wanted a phone that could sync my gmail, google calendar and contacts, has a GPS/AGPS, has Wifi and doesn't require a data plan. Well after all the research this is the one I got. I must say that I am not disappointed. This phone does it all. You can browse internet while you are on your couch away from your computer using Wifi. The synchronization feature works great with google email, contacts and calendar. One thing you need to do to unleash Wifi is debrand this phone (you can google it for instructions). I did it using A2uploader. It is very very easy but if you still think it is not your thing you can pay money and get it done through DaVinci.
There are other good reviews here that tell a lot about other features on this phone so I don't need to write it all here but again if you want google, Wifi, GPS and no data plan this is your phone (8.1 MP camera is of course a plus :-)
FYI, you will most likely buy memory stick M2 with this product. So add the cost of that on top of it. |
A solid phone
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| Review Date: December 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dustin F, |
This is an excellent phone for those trying to choose a subsidized 'free' phone.
PROS
It has a very good camera, easily on par with most digital cameras that aren't in the hundreds of dollars. No optical zoom, of course, but it takes fantastic indoor pictures with its excellent Xenon flash.
It has a wifi radio inside, but you have to flash the firmware to use it, thanks to ATT being silly. This is not hard to do. If you are computer literate, use A2uploader, and if you aren't, use the paid Davinci service. The ability to surf the internet when I'm at a hot spot, for free, is a fantastic bonus. As a 'dumbphone' all the service contracts are much cheaper for this unit, but it has more functionality than many smart phones.
It has an FM radio (requiring headphones for an antennae). And a XMB style media player. It plays movies, music, all that, in good fashion. It uses DLNA to trade movies with my PS3. It can output video to your TV if you get the cable. [I was in error here. It outputs still pictures to your TV with the cable, and Audio, but not video. sorry].
It has a great screen for a phone this size, with the mineral glass that will keep this thing scratch free for years. Hardest screen material in the cell phone business.
Also, this is just a solid feeling phone. It's plastic, but it's a good weight. I like the size a lot (it's a bit larger than my last phone, but it is very pocket worthy. Not too thin!
It has a GPS, but I haven't used it. When you debrand the phone, the GPS is usable without data, but you would need a navigation program like wayfinder. [I've used the GPS somewhat and find it to be pretty effective. It tags your photos with the location taken and it works well with various GPS apps available on the internet. It's not even close to a replacement for my conventional GPS, though.].
CONS
AT&T does not include headphones! That's nuts. Sony Ericsson uses a proprietary plug for headphones; that's lame too. You should buy some from Amazon. AT&T also does not include a Memory Stick Micro (and the phone uses a proprietary storage card). With the excellent camera, this was a very silly choice. You need one. Lastly, the AT&T branding is lame. A loud video when you start up and shut down the phone? I usually shut down my phone when I need it to be QUIET, AT&T! Disabling Wi-Fi is extremely anti-consumer.
Oh, and I have to recharge this phone every day. The flash bulb and wi-fi use more power. If you only make calls, this will go a few days between charges. |
If you intend to use the camera, beware...
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| Review Date: November 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: David Verdugo, |
I bought this phone so that I would not need to bring my Sony 8.1 mp Cybershot wherever my wife and I went that we might like pictures of. No, I wasn't expecting QUITE as good of photos, but I was expecting an acceptable facsimile. Since the SE is branded "Cybershot" and has an 8.1 mp camera listed in its specs, I don't think that was an unrealistic expectation on my part.
When it comes down to it, this camera is downright terrible. I don't know how other people use it, and I was able to coax a FEW 'okay' pictures out of it, but when you have something this bulky (and it is indeed bulky), you would expect it to take more than a 3-4 'okay' pictures out of over 120.
From what I have gathered, this phone absolutely cannot focus on anything at night. So if you want to capture your night out on the town, the pictures are going to be as blurry as your memory. Also, if you plan on using the flash on anything with eyes, expect to see the worst red eye of your photographic life. Even in well-lit rooms after multiple pictures, people and pets alike had solid-red pupils. Every. single. time.
I toyed with all the settings, gave it my best effort, but when it comes down to it, I understand the basics of using a digicam, and although this phone says Cybershot right on it, don't expect anywhere near that level of quality or functionality. I posted what was happening on the AT&T forum, and received similar complaints from another user who guessed with great accuracy what kind of situations I was trying to use the phone in. This was not a defective model, the phone really does have concrete limits to how far you can push it.
I am happily returning it to Amazon and I'm going to pick something else out. It's a shame, because although bulky, it's an aesthetically pleasing phone. Still, I don't have much use for all the advanced features of phones these days (if it texts, that's all I need), but this one seemed to call out to me to replace my actual camera. We aren't quite there yet, it seems. |
Very short battery life
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| Review Date: October 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: julia2006, |
I just got this new phone. The phone features are OK. But It has very short battery life even with verylight use. Here are the samples:
The first day I used at work place (I made 5 calls, receive one text meesage, I explore the new features, menu, and setting about 5 mins. I did not watch video or listen to audio. The phone ran out battery and shut itself off at about 5:30pm even before I back home.
This is first time, I face battery problem. Before SE c905a, I used Samsung blackjack. I can take many pictures as I want, I can shot hours long video, I can play games hours, I never worry about the battery. I only need to charge once every couple days. When I was on vacation oversea for 3 weeks. I shut off the phone and on once a while. It still has battery when I came back.
I never thought about the battery probem until I got this new phone SE C905a. I was every excited to get this phone because the good views from pervious viewers. However, I am very disappointed because the battery for the phone can not make it through normal daily use. I am not the type of person who talks on the phone for hour long. I just wonder if the person take long on the phone, the battery shut itself in the middle of talk, why people want to buy this kind of phone no matter how good the features are? The phone should be a usable phone first before any features. I am very disappointed about this phone because of the terriable battery.
Update on 10/9/2009
I have been tried to switch the batteries between the two new c905a phones. It seems one of the battery something wrong. It did not get fully charged. I talked to AT & T, they will ship to me a new battery.
The good battery will last through the day if no WIFI on. With 100% at 8am, I will get about 40 to 45% left at 8pm with several calls and 20 to 30 minutes play card game which I consider ok as a basic phone. It will make sense if SONY Ericsson makes extended battery for this phone since it has good camera feature with flash. So people do not need to worry about ran out battery when they take photos. I will not mind to spend extra $ for extended battery.
Since the people in previous review already talked about some good features, so I do not repeat here. I like to mention one of feature I do not like. The calendor appointment reminder make a very short and soft alart, and it only sounds once. You may not even notice in a noise environment. I could not find anyway to change to different alart tone or make it sounds longer or louder. You can choose the alart for alarm but not for calendor appointment. This is quite inconvenient. I rely on much on appointment alart to remind me the appointments. The Samsung blackjack will keep alart with the alert tone you selected until you dismiss it. I hope SE will improve this feature in later software update.
Other than battery life (which limits the use of camera and video recording) and calendor alart, I like this phone. I want to change to 2 star from original 1 star.
Update on Oct. 14, 2009
The replacement battery from AT $ T also act like the "good battery". With play game for 45 min, no any phone call or did not connect to Wi FI, the battery ran from 100% (at 7am this morning) to 81%. With one phone call about 2min and two calendor reminder now when I am editing the post at 2:44pm, the battery is at 53%.
So C905a is battery eater, I need to charge my phone every night with light use. Even without any phone call or any activity, the phone is in standby, the battery will be about 75 to 80% at about 8pm. I do not know how SE calculate up to 14 days of standby time (is it meaning the phone turn off?). |
Just Love it!!
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| Review Date: August 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Hemant Jindal, Cupertino,CA |
Free WiFi, GPS and Great Camera. Flash will just blind you!
As mentioned by other reviewers, This phone is just great after unbranded. And unbranding is real simple just three simple steps.
1. Download A2Uploader
2. Put the the version number in a xml file
3. Enjoy! |
the sony ericsson c905a
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| Review Date: August 15, 2009 |
| Reviewer: jeffrey davies, |
| the sony ericsson c905a cell phone has every thing you need in a phone and camra i love the FM radio and mp3 player, i use alot. this is the best phone from sony ericsson you can also sind picturs to facebook and to any blog and as well snapfish |
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