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Sony Ericsson P800 Smart Phone
It does everything but make the tea, but is the p800 as good as Microsoft’s big rival?
Wave your arms in the air and scream “hallelujah”– Sony Ericsson’s P800 has finally arrived. T3 has been banging on about this smart phone since issue 74, but problems with the software have prevented it from going on sale until the end of January. So, has it been worth the wait? Kinda.
The P800 can be used to send and receive emails, text and picture messages, browse the Internet, store addresses and phone numbers, manage calendar dates, make task lists, play audio and video and, umm, make calls. Seven months ago, it sounded like the best thing since sliced bread. Since then, Monsieur Gates has spoiled Sony Ericsson’s party. We’ve seen Pocket PCs that have phones inside them, such as O2’s xda (T3 76, 4/5) and HP’s Jornada 928 (T3 77, 4/5), plus the Windows-powered Orange SPV (T3 80, 5/5), a mobile phone that runs Microsoft’s Smartphone 2002 software.
Flip the P800’s keypad downwards, and you’ll discover that this is much more interesting than your common or garden moby. Underneath is a large touchscreen measuring three inches diagonally. It’s possible to access all of the phone’s features with the flip open or closed; when it’s closed, you use the keypad and the five-way Jog Dial at the side. When it’s open, you simply stab at the touchscreen. Sony Ericsson provides a toothpick-like stylus, but it’s handy that there are three spares in the box, as we suspect that you’ll lose it quickly.
USING AND ABUSING
The interface is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of usability. When the P800 is in ‘phone’ mode (with the flip shut), it’s as easy to use as any other Sony Ericsson mobile, as the menus follow a similar layout. In ‘PDA’ mode (with the flip open), things are less straightforward. Sony Ericsson has utilised a rather curious collection of icons, some of which bear little relation to their function. The text- based system employed on Orange’s SPV is much more obvious.
Integrated into the shell, at the rear, is a digital camera. You can use the colour screen to frame the shot, and press a button on the side to take the picture. Picture quality isn’t particularly amazing, but neither is it with any other phone camera we’ve seen.
Data and applications are stored on the internal 12MB of memory, with an extra 16MB available on the tiny Memory Stick Duo card that slots into the side. Sony Ericsson expects there’ll be loads of applications available to install on the P800 from other vendors, partly because it supports the popular Java programming language. One example is the entertaining Men in Black game provided on CD.
The P800 wouldn’t be much of a smart phone if it couldn’t synchronise, and while it can do this over Bluetooth and infrared, the most used route will be via the USB cradle. The software can synchronise calendar dates, emails, tasks and addresses with PCs and Macs. It does the job, but it’s not as easy to set up as Microsoft’s ActiveSync, and there’s no free copy of Outlook 2000, unlike with the Orange SPV.
CHUNKY MONKEY
Our biggest problem with the P800, however, is its size. As so often in life, it’s not so much the length or depth that’s uncomfortable; it’s the girth. Man, this thing is wide – you don’t notice it so much initially, but the longer you hold the phone against your ear, the more it starts to get on your tits.“Why not just use a stereo hands-free kit?” you ask. Well, you could, as there’s one in the box, but as always, you’ll look like an arse.
Comparing different classes of phones and PDAs is always a risky business, but we’re going to stick our necks out anyway. As far as we’re concerned, the P800 is better than O2’s xda or HP’s Jornada 928 because the battery lasts longer: the xda’s lasts for up to 3.5 hours of talking, compared to a maximum of 14 hours on the P800. Plus, although we’ve complained about the P800’s size, it’s still possible to hold it to your ear without looking like a complete idiot.
We prefer the SPV’s size and weight, but not its ergonomics. The SPV’s advanced features are easier to use, but basic phone stuff is more straightforward on the P800, plus it’s quicker. The camera is much better on the Sony Ericsson phone, and the handwriting recognition is great. But ultimately, the P800 is just too damn fat to lov
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Posted: 2003-06-01 20:10:06
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Why make two threads with the same shit?
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Posted: 2003-06-01 20:12:43
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just to rub it in.....lol........... jokes,if fits into two catogries does no tit?
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Posted: 2003-06-01 20:24:51
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yeah, we get the point, you don't have to double-post.
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Posted: 2003-06-01 20:50:10
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oh dear.. attack, attack, attack.. all i ever seem to read on esato these days..
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Posted: 2003-06-01 21:03:09
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Quite true Ed..
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Posted: 2003-06-01 21:54:17
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