song ericson k850i.Is it anygood?

Sephiroth_dude

Hey
Was thinking of buying this phone over the weekend,was just wondering if anyone here has it?and if so is it a good phone?would ye recommend it?


cheers :pac:

jcrowbar

hey,
ya it's definitely worth buying. had it before i upgraded to the iphone and couldn't have been happier with it. the camera is top notch.

i would invest in a memory card, but these are much cheaper these days.

Ah-Watch

ya its definately a good sorry excellent phone!!! I'm undecided on whether to get the iphone or this. im leaning more in this sony ericcson direction

Sephiroth_dude

this is touch screen as well I think :pac:

Davexirl

I upgraded from the K800i because I was very happy with Sony Ericsson but this time I am not that happy, I am very dissapointed with the camera, any picture I take at night with the flash on it comes out too white or else just black. I thought the camera was much better on my K800i than the k850i. I have had the phone off for repair twice. Once cos i dropped it and smashed the screen (which was my own fault) and the second time because the touch screen buttons started pressing on their own so the phone was usless. But it came back from repair dine. I wouldnt recommend it, I just think there are a lot better phones out there for the price you will be paying. I am sorry i didnt get the N95 instead back in November when I bought the K850i.

ablelocks

Davexirl wrote: »

I upgraded from the K800i because I was very happy with Sony Ericsson but this time I am not that happy, I am very dissapointed with the camera, any picture I take at night with the flash on it comes out too white or else just black. I thought the camera was much better on my K800i than the k850i. I have had the phone off for repair twice. Once cos i dropped it and smashed the screen (which was my own fault) and the second time because the touch screen buttons started pressing on their own so the phone was usless. But it came back from repair dine. I wouldnt recommend it, I just think there are a lot better phones out there for the price you will be paying. I am sorry i didnt get the N95 instead back in November when I bought the K850i.

this seems to have happened to many k850 owners - reading the K850i thread on avforums put me right off buying it. I got a k800i instead as a stop-gap until the black n82 comes out.

skywalker

Im awaiting delivery of a k850i from ebay. Wish I hadnt read this thread now.

unreggd

spec wise its great, but i heard its pants as it has A LOT of issues

Best bet is the K800i
Has all the bells and whistles, and its still the best camera phone on our market imo

billbond4

Pity the C902 isnt out,its the same as the K850i but its thinner

Sephiroth_dude

I already have the k800,great phone,did the k810i ever come out over here?

billbond4

The K810i never came out over here.

If you get the K850i, you should get the latest firmware which makes it a lot better, and there should be new firmware coming in a few weeks which may have the face detection feature on the camera.

Sephiroth_dude

hmm,I'll probbly still get it id say,try it for myself.any other opinions?

billbond4

Yeah goto carphonewarehouse or an o2shop and give it a try.
The semi touch screen takes a bit of getting used to.

I have the SE K850i for 6 months now and its a nice phone, and buy your memory cards online, the MicroSD is nice and cheap now

Sephiroth_dude

I actually have a 1gig card I brought for my k800,would that fit into the k850i?

billbond4

Yip the K850i takes both an M2 (from your K800i) and the MicroSD cards
(though not at same time)

skywalker

billbond4 wrote: »

The K810i never came out over here.

If you get the K850i, you should get the latest firmware which makes it a lot better, and there should be new firmware coming in a few weeks which may have the face detection feature on the camera.

Theres a few posts on that thread linked above saying the latest firmware significantly decreases battery life. Have you noticed any issue with it?

billbond4

Yes there was an issue in a previous firmware version, I have R1EA037(latest) and the battery issue is fixed in that.

CtrlSource

i bought one last Saturday and so far, so good

Really like the phone. Have been a loyal Nokia owner for the last c.10 years and this is the first time i've gone to a different brand (my last phone was an N70).

Haven't looked at any of the photos i've taken on a pc monitor yet, so i reserve judgement on cam quality. Also, have noticed that the right touch button seems a little unresponsive when unlocking the keypad. Not sure if it's just the way im pressing.

Can't give a complete judgement after only a few days, but am certainly giving it a thumbs up based on initial impressions

Sephiroth_dude

How much did you pay for it?what shop did yo get it in?

billbond4

CtrlSource wrote: »

i bought one last Saturday and so far, so good

Really like the phone. Have been a loyal Nokia owner for the last c.10 years and this is the first time i've gone to a different brand (my last phone was an N70).

Haven't looked at any of the photos i've taken on a pc monitor yet, so i reserve judgement on cam quality. Also, have noticed that the right touch button seems a little unresponsive when unlocking the keypad. Not sure if it's just the way im pressing.

Can't give a complete judgement after only a few days, but am certainly giving it a thumbs up based on initial impressions

Yeah I thought touch keys were unresposive until I updated the firmware,so there is an option to make them vibrate when you touch them, so it makes them feel more responsive.

skywalker

Oooo thats a nice feature alright. I just read it has something called smart dial, like if you start tapping in someones name e.g. 533 for lee, it will start searching the phonebook for any entry with those numbers. Clever.

billbond4

Yeah thats a nice feature too.

I use Opera Mini a lot, and you can have a shortcut to it using the shortcut key too, nice little feature not on the K800i

Sephiroth_dude

whats opera mini?and where did you get it?

billbond4

It allows you to view full web pages, but it shrinks down the size of them and corresponding the data you use.
Goto mini.opera.com using your phones own web browser and download the application (currently 4.1)
Its very good

Sephiroth_dude

ah ya,sounds cool,must get that,when I get the phone .

The tax man

billbond4 wrote: »

Yeah I thought touch keys were unresposive until I updated the firmware,so there is an option to make them vibrate when you touch them, so it makes them feel more responsive.

Is your K850 unbranded? I've an O2 branded 850,on the latest firmware,even went through the update process out of interest but that option for the touch buttons isn't available for me.
Does yourself or anyone out there know if that option is unavailable in certain circumstances.

BTW software loaded....1200-4400
R1CA037
071012

Pansy Potter

whats the best place to buy this phone?

billbond4

The tax man wrote: »

Is your K850 unbranded? I've an O2 branded 850,on the latest firmware,even went through the update process out of interest but that option for the touch buttons isn't available for me.
Does yourself or anyone out there know if that option is unavailable in certain circumstances.

BTW software loaded....1200-4400
R1CA037
071012

You have the second oldest Firmware for the K850i, in R1EA031 the option of vibration of the touch keys was introduced.
I debranded my phone when I got it from davinciteam.com cost about 10e. btw you will loose EVERYTHING on the phone when you debrand initially,so you should take a backup of the phone ( also have your SIM card and memory card out of the phone when you debranding,just to be safe)
Once you debrand your phone you can use the SE Update Service (for free) to get later releases, with new functionality and bug fixes.

billbond4

Pansy Potter wrote: »

whats the best place to buy this phone?

I got mine from O2 online, was very quick, they were giving away a free digital photo frame with it a while ago

CtrlSource

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

How much did you pay for it?what shop did yo get it in?

Paid €195 (on upgrade) in the O2 store on Henry Street

billbond4 wrote: »

Yeah I thought touch keys were unresposive until I updated the firmware,so there is an option to make them vibrate when you touch them, so it makes them feel more responsive.

Hmm, interesting. i've got used to them a bit more. Will think about updating the fw if i'm still having an issue

billbond4

195€ is good, I paid 280€ for it when it came out in December.

The tax man

billbond4 wrote: »

You have the second oldest Firmware for the K850i, in R1EA031 the option of vibration of the touch keys was introduced.
I debranded my phone when I got it from davinciteam.com cost about 10e. btw you will loose EVERYTHING on the phone when you debrand initially,so you should take a backup of the phone ( also have your SIM card and memory card out of the phone when you debranding,just to be safe)
Once you debrand your phone you can use the SE Update Service (for free) to get later releases, with new functionality and bug fixes.

Jesus,the o2 firmware is well out of date according to that site. Might just get it de-branded. Always got my previous SE phones sim free so updates were never an issue. Thanks for the info billbond4.

billbond4

No hassle.
I think its always worth debranding the operators in Ireland always seem to be very slow in updating the firmware from when they get it from SE.
Seemily there is a new version coming out "soon" that will have face recognition when your in camera mode and you will be able to change the layout of the main menu.

Sephiroth_dude

im getting my today from vodafone,cant wait

The tax man

One more quick question for you billbond4,where to get a username and password from that site? Downloaded the client and read the flash instructions and it says "Also make sure you have secured a username & password on www.davinciteam.com" Is it given to you when you buy credits? Can't see any links to register with them.

billbond4

On the main page, buy now!! is the link
10 credits is what you need to flash a K850i phone

Yes when you get the email from them, it will have a user name and password in it,
(your username wont change in the future, but the number of credits you have will change depending on how much you use it)

Have a look at their document on the main page it tells you exactly what to do.
: Getting started ::
-» Flash A2 / DB3150 Phones

You will need to get the
K850i Red CID52 1202-5694 R1EA037 CUSTOMIZED UK/ BLUE
(you will see this option in a list in the davinci client)

Sephiroth_dude

do i have to debrabd my fone so in order to be able to download stuff and update the lastest firmware?

The tax man

Good man thats cleared things up. Had a funning feeling you'd be given something when buying credits but just wanted to make sure.
I'll give it a bash later on so. Thanks again for the info and which file to use.;)

billbond4

Yes, Irish operators dont keep up to speed with the releases of the Se firmwares.
So if you want to keep up to speed you will need to debrand.

Sephiroth_dude

could I just bring into a unlocking shop or sumthing let them do it?thats the same as debranding ya?

billbond4

Yes its the same, as the firmware is wiped, but to unlock a K850i, its very expensive, 30 to 50e (I think)
If you got a k850i from O2 they will give you unlock codes over phone.

Might be no harm to ask in a phone unlocking shop anyway

The tax man

Well took the plunge and went ahead with a de-brand. Very simple process really. Easy to use little program.Must say without that file you gave me billbond4 I'd be still scratching my head wondering which to choose.
I backed up my phone memory and card before the process but I didn't loose anything really. All my added themes and ringtones were still on the phone. I lost any games I've added but I don't care about them,most were crap anyway.:D
Love the vibration on the touch keys btw.

billbond4

Cool, glad it went well for you. Yeah there is some big list first time i did it i was scratching my head at the list.

skywalker

Well I got my k850i the other day. First thing I did was upgrade it to R1EA037. Seems to be working fine alright. Some lovely little improvements on this model, like the ability to set a recurring alarm for midweek mornings only. The media manager seems much improved too. And the much awaited return of the torch feature. The pics Ive taken so far, while looking lovely in terms of detail, seem very dark. Has anyone come across the optimal settings for the camera yet?

I got an invisible screen protector for it too (martin shields one) Id recommend that as the phone collects fingerprints as if they were a CSI tech. Not so bad with the protector on it, but still makes it look grubby within 2 seconds of handling it, they really should have changed the finish on the phone.

The laser theme looks really nice on it. As does the camera shortcuts. I want to get the max battery life so Ive turned off the 3G reception as Im on meteor so Im never gonna use it anyway. Ive got rid of the animated wallpaper too. Any other tips?

Sephiroth_dude

What do you go into to download firmware?also im with vodafone prepay so Do I have to debrand my phone first or sumthing?

skywalker

I installed the pc suite that comes with the phone, theres an updater program on there that guides you through it. Im not sure whether it being network locked will complicate matters. Give it a shot I guess.

CtrlSource

skywalker wrote:

And the much awaited return of the torch feature.

Where?

The pics Ive taken so far, while looking lovely in terms of detail, seem very dark. Has anyone come across the optimal settings for the camera yet?

Yeah i've noticed that too. Seems to depend on distance from the subject and how the flash bounces. i haven't spent enough time trying to work it out yet...

I got an invisible screen protector for it too (martin shields one) Id recommend that as the phone collects fingerprints as if they were a CSI tech. Not so bad with the protector on it, but still makes it look grubby within 2 seconds of handling it, they really should have changed the finish on the phone.

Thank you, i thought it was just my grubby paws! i like the finish on it though. It doesn't seem too easy to scratch either. If only it wasn't so attracted to the smudges and prints

leche solara

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

do i have to debrabd my fone so in order to be able to download stuff and update the lastest firmware?

Yes whatever way Vodafone have it locked when you try to upgrade firmware you will be told you already have the most up to date firmware. You will have to debrand it to upgrade firmware.

skywalker

CtrlSource wrote: »

Where?

Its under organiser > light & its brighter than ever

CtrlSource wrote: »

Yeah i've noticed that too. Seems to depend on distance from the subject and how the flash bounces. i haven't spent enough time trying to work it out yet...

I was playing around with it, & it doesnt seem like you can set it to flash everytime from what I can see, the only settings I could get were autoflash, red eye reduction, or off. Red eye reduction seems to take much better shots than autoflash, surprisingly. This is with all other settings set to auto.

CtrlSource wrote: »

Thank you, i thought it was just my grubby paws! i like the finish on it though. It doesn't seem too easy to scratch either. If only it wasn't so attracted to the smudges and prints

Well its not that I dont like the finish, it looks lovely, its just horribly impractical. Its the same finish as is on the ps3, but on a device you hold every day it just doesnt work. Can you imagine how grubby this phone is gonna be in a years time :eek:

CtrlSource

The torch is deadly! When i woke up this morning and was playing with my phone i found it (thanks for the instructions anyway) and yeah it's really bright. The SOS mode is gas - first there's 3 quick flashes, then 3 slow!

skywalker

I have it set as one of my shortcuts. I figure whenever I actually want it, Ill want it to be easy to find.