P800 or other handset?

iwb

I busted up my phone over the weekend so now I have to get a new one. I played with the T68i that we got in the office but it is too fiddly. We didn't try to use the organiser features but the screen is too small. It is also quite slow when it gets some emails on it. There are delays with almost any button pressed.
I sold my old iPaq a while ago as I don't like to carry it around. While lots of people prefer two devices, I don't.
Is the P800 the best of the best right now if I want the most functionality for both a phone and PDA? It is very expensive and there seems to be support problems in Ireland as it hasn't been released yet. I can limp along with my busted phone for a short while but I doubt they will release the P800 here for ages.
You guys are the ones in the know. Please tell me what you think.
Thanks, iwb.

flywheel

talla wrote up a great review of the P800 vs the XDA when he got his back in Jan so that should answer some of your Phone/PDA combo questions:
Review of SonyEricsson P800 compared to o2 xda


Last time I did a P800 demo for someone they took it to check it with their Notes set-up and ended up ordering two the next day for their MD when he had a go - so it gets a great reaction when people see how capable it is.

I find the Jot (char recognition) a bit fiddley - only 'cus i'm used to Graffiti (Palm) / Transcriber (Pocket PC) - but that's just me getting used to another form of touchscreen input and I'm speeding up everyday.

Support wise - It can be difficult to get (official) support until a phone is released by the operators here - so both Sigma Wireless (FoneFix) and Mobile Phone Repair Company don't yet offer P800 support (have asked both within the last week).

Sigma did help me out with a R520m (that was never released here) so it is possible to get support - but the P800 seems to be a bit too new for them both at the moment.

I asked about SE support for Ireland at Cebit and was told they were actively looking into setting up SonyEricsson service centres in Ireland (same idea as some shops being Nokia Service Centres) - so hopefully this will happen sooner rather than later.

You could get some end user thoughts by checking out the P800 (UIQ) forum/boards on:
http://my-symbian.com/forum/
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/phpBB2/
http://www.esato.com/board/

hth,
BrianG

iwb

Thanks Brian. I kind of remembered that post from January but couldn't find it. I is a great review and answers most of my questions.
A few more though for you or whoever:
Where is it cheapest to buy at the moment? Smithers, are you out there?
Any idea when it will be introduced by Vodafone? I would rather have one that is supported.
Any other contenders besides the XDA and the P800 in this area?
Thanks again, iwb.

kevinof

I've been using a P800 since september and I do like. I used to have a Palm but since I got the 800 the Palm is gathering dust. Ditto the comments from the other poster on service - its non existant in Ireland but will come in time.

What do I like about the phone - its got everything I need. Good pda functions, good sync tools to my laptop, audio is good, user interface is one of the better ones. I use a BT headset and can also use my wifes Nokia BT car kit.

What do I not like - size. Its big and any bigger would be a problem. However you do get a lot of phone for the form factor so you can't complain.

Battery life is not great. You need to recharge at least every 2 days and maybe more frequently depending on your use.

Camera sucks. Poor quality in any light. I hear there is a firmware upgrade which will address this (and other) issues.

I also have a 7650 and a 3650 from Nokia and these are also good but very different from the the 800. with the 800 you need to get used to using the touch screen and therefore change the way you traditionally use your phone. If you are coming from a PDA then you should have no problem.

If its a phone with major PDA abilites you are looking for then the 800 is great.

Smithers

sent u a pm mate re prices ,

iwb

Thanks Kevinof, it's good to know people are pleased with this phone. Now I just have to figure out if I can afford it:D

tribble

I've been using a P800 since september

the P800 was released in december in very limited quantities. no...?

tribble

kevinof

Released officially in March 03. Pre-release model for testing were available as far back as last August.

iwb

What about the Jornada 928 as an alternative? I know it is a pda acting as a phone rather than vice versa but it seems to be a solid unit and I like the compact flash slot for adding wifi etc.

talla

Jornada uses the same operating system as xda(Microsoft Pocket PC Phone Edition 2002) so there is very little support from Microsoft, and I found that operating system to be extremely buggy on the xda. Once Sony Ericsson get the support side sorted over here, the P800 will evolve into a must have device.