Sony Ericsson P800 User Reviews |
| 1. Posted by SuperFOB |
Sun Apr 27, 2003 11:42 am |
The P800 puts a smile on my face the way no other device has in a long time (and I've owned a lot of devices!) It makes me happy the way my Mac makes me happy. I don't use it solely for it's amazing utility, but for the joyous user experience it provides.
I like the phone's form factor, though some will find it large compared to some of today's tiniest phones. If you carry a Palm (or Pocket PC) around in addition to your cell phone, however, you'll find your load is significantly lightened.
The phone comes with a stylish cradle, with which you can connect your phone to your PC (Mac support is coming, or so say the rumor sites). The software to synch your contacts to Outlook (or Lotus) has worked perfectly for me, though some have reported problem synching. The PIM applications on the device (Calendar, Notes, Contacts, To-do) all are easy to use and intuitive. The handwriting recognition is similar to the kind used on Palm and Pocket PC devices, so there is not a steep learning curve if you already have some background knowledge.
The user interface is elegant, and nice to look at. It's pretty obvious how to launch applications and switch between them. Tapping on the screen with the small styles attached is also very easy. Keep in mind, this device works best using a styles, so if you are someone who prefers thumb-typing, the p800 may not be perfect for you, though I hear an external keyboard is coming.
Loading software on the device is very easy, and there is an ever growing array of applications (and games!) available at the Sony Ericsson website, and at other symbian sites like my-symbian.com. Many applications are free, and most of the ones that cost money have free trials available.
Web browsing on the device is nice and elegant. No web-clippings here, you can view full web pages on either the supplied browser, or download the Opera browser for a slightly better page display. You can also access WAP sites, though who would want to given that you can view full web pages? Email is also handled well, and you can access Exchange Email or email from other POP accounts.
Bluetooth works flawlessly on my phone, and I have been able to send and receive items from my bluetooth equipped Mac and PC. I also have a bluetooth Jabra headset that allows me to roam around the room while leaving the phone in place where it gets the best reception.
The camera on the phone may be its weakness, but who buys a phone to use it primarily as a camera? It's limited to 640x480, and the quality is mediocre. In bright light I have gotten some pretty good shots, but in low light, there is no flash, and the pictures don't look great. Still, it's nice to have it available when you just *have* to take a picture.
I feel like I could go on and on about how great the phone is: you can view word, excel, powerpoint and pdf documents on the phone. You can also attach pictures to your contacts so that a friends smiling face appears in your display when they call you. For the tech-heads out there, you can even SSH from your phone to log into your servers!
The P800 has very few weaknesses, but I have had a few bugs crop up. The phone has crashed a couple of times, requiring it to be restarted. Nothing catastrophic has happened, but it was inconvenient. Keep in mind, I have installed lots of 3rd party apps, so the problem might have been due to the application itself, and not the phone.
The P800 has allowed me to reduce from 3 devices (Phone, Palm and Danger Sidekick) down to one. As the software and applications mature a little, I think this phone will only get better and better. Nothing on the market can offer its full complement of applications, and nothing on the horizon appears to be comparable either. If the size of the phone is ok with you, and you like using a stylus-based system, you should be nothing short of amazed at how cool the p800 really is. I hope you have as much fun with it as I am.
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| 2. Posted by DiscoStu |
Thu Apr 24, 2003 5:43 pm |
Pros: Memorystick Duo slot, digital camera, big screen, PC synch, MP3 player, jog dial button, Bluetooth, form factor, PDA features, internet access, color, Bluetooth, GPRS, relatively small form factor for the class, very comprehensive features.
Cons: Cheesy stylus, maximum 128MB memory capacity, sync software needs work, no belt clip, complex, expensive, large, no T9, Memory Stick Duo is proprietary, a bit thick, a bit awkward as a phone without headset.
Summary: To me, I have found this worth considering. This unit has a nice sturdy design and great features. You can download a free opera browser for it that optimizes pages to fit the screen. The bluetooth functionality works great with my Jabra headset and makes it a bit easier to deal with the slight bulk of the phone (you can keep the phone in your briefcase/jacket/inside pocket). Compared to the other phones in the category such as the palm type phones it is relatively svelt. Great bright color screen.
Some slight peeves. The stylus is a bit weak/flimsy. Some of the included software could be better. The calendar program for instance syncs with outlook but does not bring in certain fields (birthday/anniversary for instance). The calendar does not seem to sync recurring items from outlook even though it allows you to enter them.
Overall, the pros far outweigh the cons and I am very happy with the product. If you need a palm, phone, email/web access, camera and voice recorder, why not get it in one, very cool looking box.
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| 3. Posted by jake |
Tue Jan 27, 2004 2:58 am |
Being someone who relagates gadgets to the has-been bin very quickly, the P800 has been the best choice I've made for an everyday phone. Nearly two years after getting the SE P800, I'm still very much satisfied by its functionality and value. It has truly made an impact on my daily routine--more useful and compact than the old PalmPilots have ever been.
I've been through several Ericsson's and SE phones, including the testbed R380's which is a dinosaur now next to a P800--and this one is by far my favorite. Even with the advent of the P900, the P800 holds up very well. There is a big catalog of 3rd party software now and many are still on the way. You can even get a camcorder application (10 sec recording limite notwithstanding). The basic tools are easy to use, sync well with Windows and is hassle-free. Versatility is its strong point. With a little tinkering, you can use it to carry and read your e-books, play mp3s, games, surf the net (expensive!), email, take videos and pics, and even transfer work files (.docs, excel, .pps, etc.) from home to office or vise-versa (use that memory card like a flash drive). And, for me, its been pleasantly bug free.
The only thing I wish was different is the cover. The pseudo-mac look is about to go out the window and wished this one looked more like my ipod than my imac.
I'll probaby keep this one for a while longer, until a more revolutionary offering from SE comes around.
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| 4. Posted by anna_wakefield |
Thu May 29, 2003 10:54 pm |
I have recently bought a p800, and have now been using it for 1 week.
The great thing about this phone is, it's actually a space saver!! Although it's bigger than my beloved t68, I no longer have to carry around its CommuniCam, my Discman and CDs (as it's an mp3 player) and the PDA functions are so handy to have.
I love the polyphonic ringtones and games, and the fact that it has a potentially limitless memory expansion capability (via MemoryStick DUO) is another great feature of this phone!
The only drawback to this phone is, although you can view .mpeg video clips and send them, the camera with the phone is not a video camera. This is a VERY minor setback, I think, as I would rather have an mp3 player than a video camera any day (v. handy for the long train journeys I do every day!)
If you have the extra clams, go for one of these; hey, its the way all phones are going these days.
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| 5. Posted by Gooner |
Sun May 25, 2003 6:42 pm |
Having used all of the latest phones in the past year (Nokia 8910, 7210, 7650, Sony Ericsson T68i) it is clear that the P800 is head and shoulders above the rest. Despite hearing from many different people that the P800 is 'too chunky', i feel that the days of using phones no bigger than a match stick have passed. I like knowing that i have a phone in my hand.
The P800 has every feature imaginable, except those provided by 3G, including one of the best cameras on any phone avaliable. The camera works in and outside perfectly, and the pictures are very clear.
Transporting information from the phone to my PC couldn't be easier and this is a great feature. It allows the user to put and edit pictures on their computer, and other files (eg.MP3's) can also be passed from the computer to the phone with ease.
All other features are fine eg. calls and messaging, and the P800 works as well as any other phones. All round it is by far the best phone on the market with very few faults!!
N.B. The phone does not and cannot be given T9 nor any form of predictive txt imput.
N.N.B. Having changed from O2 to Orange i'd never look back. Due to the fact that they have cell site every 5 rather than 10 miles, Orange has better reception than both O2 and Vodafone.
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| 6. Posted by foghead |
Mon Apr 12, 2004 7:48 pm |
Things are looking up. In my previous message I complained of the ineptitude of SE customer support, and that opinion has not changed very much. However, sending the phone in a 2nd time actually resulted in them sending me a working phone a little over 5 weeks later. The phone has work fine since it was returned (the negatives expressed in my original message still apply).
A couple of additional observations:
1. SE customer support is still clueless and was unable to tell me that my phone had already been replaced and shipped back to me when I called them after 5 weeks to get status.
2. The battery barely lasts a day for even light use of the on-line services and is almost completely exhausted after two days of standby with only a couple brief phone calls.
3. No SMS template facility.
4. With the bluetooth setting to auto, it doesn't detect or use the bluetooth headset about 40% of the time.
5. Internet connections seem to be *much* faster with the P800 than they were with the t68i I was using previously. This is based on the time it takes to send an email with an image attachment.
6. The handwriting recognition software, though it does have its good points, is not as good as some others I have used, specifically Grafitti from Palm (try to make a period to see what I mean).
In summary, now that I have a phone that actually works, I am much happier with it, but for the price, it should be a lot better than it is.
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| 7. Posted by foghead |
Fri Feb 20, 2004 6:37 pm |
First off, the phone is just ok. The picture quality is not as good as some other phones of the same price or less (for example, the Nokia 6600), but it does have a lot of other neat features such as the picture caller. Another thing I don't like about the phone is the sound volume. Even with the volume up as loud as it will go, it is difficult to hear the phone ringing unless you are very close to it and it is very quiet.
However, the problems with this phone are not isolated to the picture quality or sound volume, it is buggy unreliable, and Sony/Ericsson Customer Support (SECS)is completely useless.
Many times before the phone quit completely (more on that later), the phone would hang or just go through the motions of making a call without actually doing a connect; when the latter happened, it also could not receive incoming calls or SMS. When either would occur, I would cycle power or remove the battery to get it functioning again.
However, two weeks to the day after I bought the phone, it quit working completely. Attempts to power it on yielded only a small vibration. I contacted SECS, they issued a repair authorization (RA#) number, and I sent it in to them (at the cost of close to $30 USD for next day plus insurance). I waited for 3 weeks and the phone was still not returned. I called SECS to ask the status and they said to call back in a week if I still did not receive it. After 4 weeks, I asked SECS to escalate the problem. What that amounts to is they have a supervisor call you back the next day and tell you nothing new: my phone has been received at the repair center (FedEx told me that), and it has not been returned (Duh!). No ETA as to when it will be fixed. In fact these bozos couldn't even tell me if they were waiting for a replacement part or a replacement phone. Totally clueless.
Attempts to escalate the problem higher were unsuccessful. SECS personnel seemed to well trained to not bother management with customer problems. After many calls, threats, and rude behaviour, they gave me the name of someone that is supposidly in charge, but refused to give me a phone number to reach him (Albara Moya). Instead, I was given a FAX number to FAX him instead. So I write a memo detailing the problems I am having getting my phone back or any sort of status and sent it via FAX. I asked for confirmation of receipt, but as I suspected, the FAX machine at the other end is in all likelihood, connected to a shredder as it has been several days with no reply, call, or any other acknowledgement.
But then yesterday, my phone arrived by FedEx; a full 6 weeks since they received it at the SE repair center.
That is the good news. The bad news is, the phone is still broken and will not power on. Dummy me. And here I thought all along that they would have at least tried to power on the phone during the 6 weeks they had it in their possession, and make some small attempt to fix it. But then again, I should not have expected after dealing with the incompetence of SECS that their repar center was any better.
So I called SECS again today, in the faint hope that they would do the right thing and stand behind their warranty and replace the phone, but alas, I was told that all I could do is send the phone back to the repair center (another $30 out of my pocket to do so) and repeat the process again.
I still have not decided what my next course of action will be (any suggestions?). But what I have decided is, this will be the last product I purchase from Sony/Ericsson (I have purchased 6 Ericsson or Sony/Ericsson phones over the last 4 years). My recommendation to anyone considering the purchase of a Sony/Ericsson product to take into account the total lack of accountability the company has in dealing with customer problems.
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Consumers interested in the Sony Ericsson P800 also considered these cell phones: |
Technical Specifications |
| Network: |
GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| Form Factor: |
PDA / Symbian OS 7.0 |
| Dimensions: |
117 x 59 x 27 mm |
| Weight: |
159 g |
| Antenna: |
Internal |
| Navigation: |
Touch Screen |
| Battery Type: |
1000 mAh Li-Polymer |
| Talk Time: |
13.00 |
| Standby Time: |
400 |
| Memory: |
32 MB |
| Expandable Memory: |
Memory Stick Duo |
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Safety |
| Radiation (SAR): |
(0.64 W/kg) |
| |
Imaging |
| Main Screen: |
4096 colors (TFT)
208 x 320 px |
| External Screen: |
 |
| Camera: |
0.3 MP / 640 x 480 px |
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Audio |
| MP3 Player: |
 |
| FM Radio: |
Accessory |
| Speakerphone: |
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| Push-To-Talk: |
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Multimedia |
| Wallpapers: |
208 x 144 px |
| Screen Savers: |
208 x 144 px |
| Ring Tones: |
24 chord |
| Themes: |
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| Games: |
J2ME |
| Streaming Multimedia: |
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Messaging |
| SMS: |
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| EMS: |
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| MMS: |
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| Email: |
POP3 / IMAP4 / SMTP |
| Chat: |
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| Predictive Text: |
Handwriting Recognition |
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Applications |
| Phonebook Capacity: |
1000 |
| Calendar: |
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| To-Do List: |
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| WAP: |
2.0 (HTML / XML / cHTML) |
| Voice Commands: |
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| Calculator: |
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Connectivity |
| Bluetooth: |
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| Infrared Port: |
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| High-Speed Data: |
GPRS (Class 8) |
| Wi-Fi: |
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| GPS: |
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| PC Sync: |
SyncML |
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More Information |
| Website: |
Product Website |
| Discussion: |
Sony Ericsson Forum |
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