SonyEricsson P800 - What's Hot & What's Not ...
ngws 30th Dec 2002

Operation

Sony Jog-Dial

    Previous/current owners of the Sony Clie series of PDAs or the old Sony C & Z series handphone will have no problem getting used to the Sony Jog-Dial. The one on the SE P800 is the latest variation ... It's a rotating 5-way thumbwheel (Up, Down, Front, Back and In) and is actually pretty easy to use. I would actually prefer a separate 'Back' button like those on the latest Clies ....

Standby Mode (Keypad is closed)

    In standby mode, the phone displays your favorite wall paper (Size 208x144) and your pre-set list of applications or utilities (in details later) presented in icons. When the keypad is closed, navigation is possible via. the Jog Dial ONLY. The info bar is at the top showing the signal and battery level. Sadly, the wallpaper can ONLY be displayed when the keypad is closed. Not withstanding this, the P800 accepts wallpaper in following formats : jpg, bmp, gif, mbm, png and wbmp.

    The selected application is highlighted with a 'blue shadow' as shown in the 1st pic. Selecting the last Applications button will bring down a short list of installed applications.

Active Mode (Keypad is open)

    Once the flip is down, the display switches to a large display mode. It exposes the graffiti area (for handwriting recognition) when you start an application (Calendar etc) which requires data entry. This is a lot like like those found on Palm PDAs. If you notice, this large display mode is basically an extension of what you see when the flip is closed ... 

    In this mode, both Jog-Dial & stylus can be used concurrently. *See the black triangle by the side .... it defines the graffiti area*

Phone/PDA Mode (No Keypad)

    The keypad can be removed if the user chooses to do so. With the absence of a physical keypad, you need switch on the 'virtual keypad' before you are given the option to use it. 

    Once it's 'ON', you will see a icon and tapping will bring up the virtual keypad. This is similar to those dialer softwares found on the market. I am not very comfortable with 'studs' punching at my screen :)

Power Button

    Pressing the power button will bring you to the Flight mode, Phone Off etc menu.

Menu View

View Options

    Like the Nokia 7650, you have a choice of icons or list view. You can navigate through them swiftly with the use of the Jog Dial and a stylus. 

Application Shortcut Toolbar (Keypad open)

    The SE P800 has an application toolbar across the top of the screen which works in much the same way as your PC shortcut bar. This toolbar can be customized to show (up to 5) of your preferred applications or utilities. The 6th and last button on the toolbar CANNOT be removed and is in fact the 'Menu' or what SE calls the Application Launcher, which holds and lists all installed utilities and phone functions. The toolbar is a bonus over the 2 programmable shortcut keys on the Nokia 7650. *Note: The current toolbar at the top is displaying what you prefer and set*

Application Shortcut (Keypad closed)

    In this instance, you can only choose (up to 5) of your preferred applications or utilities when the keypad is closed.

The 'All' Key

    The 'All' key on the SE P800 is actually the 'Filter' key which allows you to view specific applications in a specific category e.g. Business or Tools etc. For illustration, we open Contacts to show you the point.

The 'Edit/View' Key

    The 'Edit' is like the Options key found ton the Nokia 7650 which brings down additional items like Help, Preferences (pertaining to the individual applications), Sorting orders etc. Again for illustration, we use Contacts for a comparison.

The 'Application' Key

    In the keypad opened mode, the 'Application' key give you the option to install or uninstall applications.

    Once again when you are in the individual application, e.g. Contacts, clicking on the Contacts will bring down a menu for creating a new contact, finding a contact etc. This is scenario is similar to all applications in the SE P800.

Info Bar

    The Info Bar at the bottom of the screen shows a wealth of info. From L to R. Current signal strength (GPRS on top), QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth status, MagicWord 'ON', New SMS/MMS/EMAIL, Internet connection, Volume control (Multimedia), Clock and Current battery strength.   

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