Sony Ericsson P800 Reviewed

Ch_Omega writes "For all those who have been waiting, there is now an in-depth and detailed review of one of the most anticipated connected handhelds of 2003, the Sony Ericsson P800, over at Infosync. Does it live up to the hype? According to the story, the answer is yes." I've been lusting after the t68i for awhile, but maybe I'll wait for this one. It just looks so cool!

Comments

Howard Stern Is My Cousin

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

I've used this and it was okay - I don't really have any need for making constant phone calls so the dual purpose of the device isn't really of interest to me. What is troubling and why I wouldn't buy this is that the only memory expansion you can use is the Sony Memory Stick - a proprietary memory device. What this says to me is that Sony wants to control the price of any future add-ons for the phone and that, in all likelihood, they're going to consistently steal my money! In some instances, you're forced to deal with proprietary formats due to lack of other choices, but in this case, I'm sure I'll be able to find a PDA/phone that uses SD or MMC.

Wow

[zaren]

I was originally going to be posting about how that's an insane price to pay for a cellphone, but after reading the review...

damn, that thing looks cool, not just in appearance, but feature-wise as well.

It still seems to be something of a steep price to pay for an integrated cellphone / pda (after not having a cell phone since getting rid of my TracFone last year, any price seems too steep for me), but it's still very interesting, and I wouldn't complain if one found it's way into my pocket.

Opera on the p800

[Bj�rn]

According to The Register you will be able to download Opera for the P800 on Monday. Sounds cool, but I wonder about how the web will look on such a small screen?

Re:Killer App ??

[mgs1000]

Picture Messaging is huge in Japan

That doesn't mean it will be big anywhere else.

Plain 'ole SMS has been huge in Europe for years, but people in the U.S. rarely use it.

It just looks so cool!!

[ites]

Yeah, why not just carry a plastic replica if you want something that looks cool. Too small for a PDA, too large for a phone.
I've been using a wireless bluetooth headset for the last month or two, and this is a much better indicator of the future of mobile phones.
Split the headset from the phone, and you get something more practical: a larger box that can do more and that you do not have to lift to your ear like a small well-designed brick.
And... which you can actually write on with your stylus while you are making a call.

Get on with it already.

[johnlcallaway]

All I really want is a goddamn phone. I like my Palm just the way it is. And my camera.

Did you ever notice that most cell phone commercials now don't even talk about the PHONE!!!! All I really need from my cell phone I got in the cheapest one out there. Then I bought a serial cable so I can upload/download phone numbers a couple of times a month. Sure, USB or Bluetooth would be nice, but data really doesn't change that much.

What is with all this "Let's put everything into one device" anyway. How many of you geeks buy all-in-one entertainment systems? Or TVs w/VCRs and DVDs in them?

Answer ... none of you, because then when the next-big-thing comes along, you couldn't change just that one piece. When surround sound came out, I bought a new receiver, and then slowly added more speakers. I just bought a new DTS receiver, and guess what ... my speakers, DVD player, VCR, CD player, and TV all work just fine with it. I looked at some of the all-in-one units and they stunk. They were all missing features that I could only get my buying the individual components.

OK .. I'll admit the cheap TV/DVD over the hot tub is kinda cool, but you only use it a couple of times a week and can live without all the neat features. You wouldn't watch The Matrix on it, would you??

So .. phone company...sell me a phone to make phone calls. I'll take care of finding the best for the rest.

Re:Get on with it already.

[matthew.thompson]

Hmmnnn. Do I want to carry a phone, a palm, a laptop. OR do I want to carry a PhoneDA and a Laptop.

My working life is spent with my laptop open on my desk, on my lap, on the train, in hotels etc - as such it is great. I connect into servers and configure stuff and fix problems - through my mobile or through a fixed phone line. But one thing it's crap for is storing my lists for shopping, phone numbers for quick reference and being used in cramped conditions - and I'm in those most mornings on the train to work.

I've already ditched the lead from the laptop to the phone using Bluetooth and that's a big enabler - if you've ever tried plugging cables in or lining up IRDA devices whilst on your lap or holding both with one hand while you use a stylus in the other you'll know what I mean - but this isn't enough.

I would dearly like a single device which keeps my in touch in the most basic ways - voice, SMS and email - and stores all the notes with a relatively big screen and easy text entry. A standard phone doesn't cut it but a PhoneDA does. I've looked at the Treo but it's a little clumsier than the P800 looks.

As for replacing it when the next big thing comes about, I do that with a single PDA or phone anyway - it's no more expensive (£299 for the P800 - £298 for a Palm Tungsten T, phones are usually free for me)

Re:Get on with it already.

[macpeep]

The way you're bitching, you'd think that phone companies no longer make "normal" phones. That's simply not true. In fact Nokia just recently announced a phone (http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,4582,00.html) that is much MORE simple than any of the recent low end models of theirs. In fact, most phones of most manufacturers are very low end and doesn't have much more than basic features in them.

Having said that, I think it's a little sad to see you being so locked on a word; "phone". Think of it as "device" instead. In addition to the low end models mentioned above, these companies also make some devices which not only have phone functionality but also other stuff. For example, they have a large screen to make using email and the web easier. They have a camera, so you can send picture messages with MMS to friends ("Look, we're here in Thailand. Doesn't it look nice? Too bad you couldn't join us!" or "The bar is crowded and we're having fun!! You should come here! Here's what it looks like right now!").

Oh, and of course you don't HAVE to buy these devices. If you're happy with your old phone, just keep it.

Security lies in multiple devices

[panurge]

I really don't like the idea of entrusting my digital everything to one small box that has "steal me" written on it in big letters, (especially when you cannot use all the functions simultaneously). After a period of deep initial suspicion I've been doing some evaluation on Bluetooth recently and it seems to me like the connectivity idea in that is much more sound. Bluetooth headset, phone with sensible keys and a small, greyscale display giving excellent battery life, PDA with a decent screen and processor (it doesn't have the same standby power needs as a phone because it isn't always listening).
And, as for cameras, even with the small image sensors of digital cameras you need quite a large zoom lens for good pictures. To me it makes sense for someone to produce a good quality camera for which you can use your PDA as the monitor screen, something better than the optically poor add-ons we have seen so far.

It seems sensible to optimise the gadget for its function and enable the gadgets to talk.

If they also had a common battery charger and interchangeable battery, I guess that would be functionality heaven. Your PDA would be able to use expensive mobile phone connectivity only when necessary, otherwise using the local wireless network: I can't see a phone manufacturer wanting to allow that any time soon. So, although this thing looks like a v. cool gadget, I remain unconvinced.

Re:I have one

[Rogerborg]

Symbian is appalling! It's desparately in love with itself and its own idioms, and re-implements everything. "typedef void TAny;", for god's sake, not to mention the tortuous try/throw/catch replacement and cryptic error cleanup. The documentation is truly dreadful: everything returns "KErrNone or another of the system wide error codes", but no hints as to what error codes or under what circumstances, you have to use an undocumented feature to translate error returns to comprehensible values, getting network support in the emulator is a lottery, the develop forums are full of questions but no answers, you have to jump through hoops to fake global variables...

Put it this way. If you never intend to develop for any other platform, then Symbian is worth investing in. If you only plan to live for one human lifetime, then get a P800 (they're superb) but don't waste your life trying to develop for it.