Sony Ericsson P800 smartphone

Sony Ericsson P800 is a tri-band mobile phone suitable for global roaming. This handset combines a phone with PDA functionality, and one important design feature is that the phone’s alphanumeric keypad is on a Flip section, which can be used in either an open or closed position. When the Flip is closed the keypad is available for use, but it partially covers the screen to give a reduced size display, and when the Flip is opened this exposes the whole screen and offers many more functions to the user. A further option is that the Flip section can be completely removed from the handset body, and you can then set the phone to display a “virtual flip” where the screen displays an image of the removed flip (so giving the appearance that it is still present).

Sony Ericsson P800The Sony Ericsson P800 is loaded with lots of useful applications and features, some of the more significant being its support for Bluetooth™ connectivity, GPRS and HSCSD data handling technology, WAP browser, MMS multimedia messaging, streamed audio and video, video record download and playback, MP3 player, memory card slot for a Sony Memory Stick Duo™, a sound recorder, voice control, speakerphone for hands-free conversations, enabled for Symbian and Java™ software platforms, full e-mail client, and polyphonic ringtones. It even has a Flight option so that you can turn off the phone’s radio on aeroplanes, while still being able to make use of the phone’s PDA facilities during a flight.

The Sony Ericsson P800 has a very large TFT type LCD Touch-screen (touch-sensitive screen), which has an excellent 208 x 320 pixels of resolution and the capability to reproduce up to 4,096 different colours. You can use your fingers to operate this touch screen, although a stylus tool is provided to allow you to more accurately select the options from the screen menus, and the stylus is also the tool to use when writing alphanumeric characters onto the screen. The phone’s Jotter application is a notepad that enables you to use the stylus to write text or to make drawings, and there is built-in handwriting recognition software provided in order to turn your scrawl into printed text.

As you might expect with such a sophisticated model, the Sony Ericsson P800 has an integrated camera that can take still pictures as well as video. Three picture sizes are supported: VGA (640 x 480 pixels), QVGA (320 x 240 pixels), and QQVGA (160 x 120 pixels). Pictures taken with the camera may be modified using the phone’s picture editor, and then they can be either used as wallpapers in the phone, or sent to your contacts via an MMS message. There is also an integrated night mode feature to enable pictures to be taken in poor light conditions, and a timer and mirror help with the taking of self-portraits.

The Sony Ericsson P800 supports video and audio streaming and so you are able to make use of live links, such as those to news, sports and entertainment sites. With its video facilities this phone can act like a video camcorder, as well as having the ability to download video clips over the air. The MMS capability also means that you are able to send and receive messages containing video, pictures, sounds and text. The advantage of MMS will be obvious to anyone who wishes to share their special moments - recorded in video, still pictures or sound - with friends and other contacts. The phone’s QuickShare™ system makes the sending of such content easy.

There is also good provision for those who want to use the Sony Ericsson P800 as a mobile office assistant, as it is pre-installed with document viewers for Microsoft® Word™, Excel™ and Powerpoint™, and Adobe’s® Acrobat™ PDF™ files. Another essential business feature of this phone is its built-in e-mail client, allowing you to send and receive e-mails on the move using the standard e-mail protocols of POP3, IMAP4 and SMTP. Video clips, pictures, sounds and other files can also be attached to e-mails in the usual way.

A selection of polyphonic ringtones come preloaded in the phone, but more of these ringtones are available to be downloaded from various sources. You can also use any MP3 music file stored in the phone as a personal ringtone, or you can take recordings made with the phone’s sound recorder and use these as ringtones as well.

The Sony Ericsson P800 includes a MP3 player, so giving you the opportunity to enjoy your favourite music while you travel around. This player allows you to set up your own playlists, and to choose from the usual standard options you would expect to find in good music machines, such as random or repeat play functions. This music player provides you with the possibility to download MP3 tracks and other types of music files via Bluetooth™ or infrared links.

Storage is not a problem either because, although the Sony Ericsson P800 has up to 12 MB of internal user memory available, it also has a slot to insert a Memory Stick Duo™. This provides you with the extra capacity to store as many as you need of pictures, video clips, MP3 music files, voice recordings, as well as games, applications and computer data. You can build up your own mobile music library of MP3 tracks, or carry around all your important files stored on several Memory Stick Duo cards. The phone is supplied with a 16MB Memory Stick Duo™, although Memory Sticks of up to 128 MB are supported. The Memory Stick Duo format also provides an easy method to move large files from one phone to another - or to a PC.

Being Java™ enabled the Sony Ericsson P800 can run a wide range of applications and games programs, and more of these can be downloaded when you want to use something new. This phone also uses the Symbian v7.0 Operating System, which means that it has a Windows-like operating environment, and this provides you with the means to use third party applications that work with the Symbian system.

The Sony Ericsson P800 has a combined HTML and WAP browser, allowing you to browse web pages in colour, to make use of secure banking and shopping, and to view formatted web content. The Opera browser, which adapts web content to the P800’s screen size, download speed and resolution, is included on the supplied CD.

With the Sony Ericsson P800 there is a choice of connectivity options available: you can choose to connect via Bluetooth™, infrared or cable, and it is then easy to exchange images, sounds and other files by using the simple drag and drop method. You can also share your video clips with PCs or other devices via Bluetooth™ or infrared link. The integrated Bluetooth™ technology enables you to make a wireless connection by radio signals to other Bluetooth phones, computers and PDAs within a 10-metre range.

This phone also has infrared wireless connectivity for a “line-of-sight” link up with compatible devices, or you may choose to make a standard USB or RS232 data cable connection. The Sony Ericsson P800 is plugged into the supplied SyncStation desk stand when you need to make cable connections, and this cradle establishes the link to the cables connecting the phone with the other equipment. Whatever method you use to interface with other PCs and devices, once connected you can synchronise your personal information and exchange files and data with that equipment. For compatibility with the standard personal information programs, the P800 will work with Microsoft® Outlook™, Lotus Notes™ and Lotus Organiser™, and it also supports remote synchronisation using SyncML™.

Sony Ericsson P800 phone specification

Sony Ericsson product page

Manual and phone support

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Last updated 30th January 2008, 14:39 GMT