15 replies to this topic

[Zee]

Hi all,

I have not been on this site for quite sometime now (been really pleased with my Tanager).

I was hoping if you could direct me to the thread where they compared the actual performance of the E100 vs. the E200 here in the Philippines.      Or if no one has done that (I find this highly unlikely though) could you guys post your findings here?

I've read through 4hrs worth of posts regarding the Voyager but have not found anything "conclusive" so to speak. Plus I would like to have "our" versions compared rather than the Euro ones.

here's what I have read so far:

E200: Decreased batt life with SD cards in
E100: No problem (My E100 lasts 2 full days with my 256mb Sandisk SD card with text and calls; Batt is 2yrs old).

*is the above true for us pinoys as well?

E200: faster
E100: slower... hehehe

E200: camera ready
E100: duh

E200: inferior speakers? sound quality?
E100: I have NO complaints, better than those of ANY nokia phone. My mp3's are at 16kbs compression and the BASS booms out of my ear plugs.

I appreciate any help because I am days away to selling my E100 and getting an E200 from SMART.

Thanks!

Zee

[Geeklord]

I just got an E200. I got free from Smart since I've had the E100 for two years and beside the obvious difference that it's new and my old one was a dinged, banged and scratched excuse for a smartphone, here's what I've noticed:

Battery life: The E200 eats juice like there's no tomorrow. If I don't recharge within the day, I'd have about a bar of battery left (15-20%) by night time. And that's with minimal call, text, browsing. No music, no sd card, no screen saver, silent (no vibe) profile. However with the charger adaptor innovation, I don't need to bring the USB cable all the time, just the charger.

Camera: Image quality remains the same. But now you have the option to have low quality with 4x zoom, medium quality with 2x zoom or high quality without zoom. The fact that the camera is now internal has made the SAP comparable to Nokia Cam-Phones (we all know how it was with the E100). The record button can now be used as capture button so you can hold the phone like you would a digicam, quite a nice touch. Video wise, frame rate is greatly improved.

*on the otherhand, I took advantage of the way the E100's camera attached to the bottom of the phone--you can use it to look around corners, cubicles, walls without exposing too much of yourself or your phone--sort of like a recon instrument.

Smart Explorer: The E200 comes with its own version of this, the File Manager. Almost the same, I'm sure there are pros and cons about the UI, but so far I've found their functionality to be equally matched.

The Voyager also has a few other software pre-installed that replace the user-installed versions. again, their similar, but not exactly the same, so it takes a bit of getting used to. And again, funcion-wise, they both get the job done.

Clear Storage App: I think this serves as a Hard Reset App, but I haven't tried it out.

Java Midlet Manager: Unlike the E100, the Java apps are now quite at home with the Voyager. I haven't tried it with JARs or other Midlets

The Windows 2003 OS is also a bit more responsive than the 2002, and you can monitor how much RAM or PF you're consuming and when you need to restart before your phone hangs. Aside from that, old apps like the Addict Mobile Menu (STK Service) now has an exit button.

Inboxes are categorized to Active Sync, Email, and SMS. And you're given the option to handle multiple email accounts.

All in all, I think there are about 7 or 8 previously user-installed apps that are now native to the E200. The OS is around 15-30% faster. The Joystick and Soft Keys look and feel better. And the keypad light is now blue. I guess you could say I'm happy with my Voyager--then again, I was happy with my Tanager. If Smart didn't give it out for free, I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it.




A final note, there's an Unlock program specifically for the E200 that I picked up from one of the threads a few months back. Works for the Voyager without a hitch.

[Pondrew]

The Voyager with one of the latest Roms will outperform the Tanager in every way. Its how well it carries out some of the newer features like Bluetooth that cause the disappointment.

[Zee]

Wow thanks for that detailed reply Geeklord!     How did you get the E200 for free? Just by showing that you owned your E100 for 2yrs? Or did you have to have a minimum monthly bill or something?

The only thing that bothers me is the battery life... is there any way to "fix" that for sure? I mean, if I delete the caller id thing, would that improve the batt life or is it really the SD card?

If not for the built in cam and blue lights hehehe, I would not consider trading my E100 for the E200.

Thanks all!

[Geeklord]

I'm glad I could be of some service.

As for my freebie, I opted for the SAP two years ago when I got my Addict Mobile Plan. So this month when my two-year lock-down contract expires, they entice me to stay with the same plan by offering a variety of phones for free. Like I said, I was happy with the Tanager, and I wouldn't trade my old Tanager for a new Nokia ever. But since they offered an E200, what the hey. The catch is that I'm once again on a two-year lock-down contract with Addict Mobile/Smart. Well, I've had no problems with their service so far so I got the Voyager

Regarding the battery life:  I know that with nokia phones that you have to "prime" the brand new battery by charging it for 8 hours for the first ever use. Well, when I got my Voyager, it was suspiciously charged, so I skipped the 8-hour priming. What I've noticed since then (I've had it for about two and a half weeks now) is that the battery life is improving. But I can't substantiat this with a controlled test of any kind. just an observation.

About bluetooth. remember a few months back, there was a virus that infected nokia phones via bluetooth. Are our phones in danger in anyway from such threats? I haven't really used the bluetooth because of this.

By the way, it was hard to part ways with my Tanager  

Edited by Geeklord, 14 April 2005 - 10:14 AM.

[Pondrew]

Bluetooth itself drains the battery on the E200 alot quicker if left on so you're best leaving it off until you happen to need it. With regard viri and bluetooth, there's not been any instances on the Smartphone that I've heard of...

Zee: Removing Caller ID will improve the battery life but the SD card causing drain problem was solved in all the later roms and the battery life out of the box WILL be better then the Tanager (as long as Bluetooth is off), just not by much!

[Zee]

Pondrew, on Apr 14 2005, 18:33, said:

Bluetooth itself drains the battery on the E200 alot quicker if left on so you're best leaving it off until you happen to need it. With regard viri and bluetooth, there's not been any instances on the Smartphone that I've heard of...

Zee: Removing Caller ID will improve the battery life but the SD card causing drain problem was solved in all the later roms and the battery life out of the box WILL be better then the Tanager (as long as Bluetooth is off), just not by much!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Cool then... could you show me the light and way to the "right" Rom version to load and how to do so? I've been so pleased with me Tanager that I have not visited this site for a year now, thus have lost all know how on updating the Rom version and which version is the best one. Hehehe... thanks in advance!

@Geeklord... My 2.5yr contract ends in a month, do I wait for them to "entice" me with a free E200 to stay with them or should I go ahead and ask them to give me one.     Hahahaha...

One more question... how about the joystick? is the one on the E200 better? Mine started to go on the fritz about a few months ago. You know, the kind where you want it to go up, it goes right, etc...  

[Geeklord]

Smart has an on going program that offers you certain phones free for certain plans. (i.e., the voyager is free with the P1,200, but you have to pay P5000 if you're on the plan 800). And once they notice that your contract is about to end, they will contact you to avail of their "retention program". If you don't want to wait for their "enticement", then just go ahead to a Wireless Center and tell them that Smart already contacted you. I doubt if they'll know the difference.

The joystick was a popular complaint for the Tanager. So far there is no indication that the joystick hardware of the Voyager is any different. I had the same trouble with my E100. So I'm taking care of my new one by not putting it in my pocket, using the keypad whenever that option is available for the app, and cutting down on games.

I found another thread that discusses the difference between the Tanager and Voyager, but it's 2 years old. I don't know if it will help you any. anyway it on page 2 or 3 of the forum index of General Pinoy.

Here's another improvement they made with the Voyager: When you assign a speed dial to a contact or app, then moved the app or updated the contact, Speed dial automatically corrects itself for you. cool.

[Zee]

Thanks for all the info...

I have a few more though if y'all don't mind...

I've read that some MMC's/SD cards don't work with the Voyager, how true is this?

I have the ff:

512Transcend MMC
256 Sandisk SD card

Can I use both on the voyager?

Where do I get the ROM upgrade so that my Voyager does not eat up all the juice of my batt when I have one of these memory cards plugged in?

Thanks!

[gpcarreon (MVP)]

Check this post for e200 ROM feedbacks:
http://www.modaco.co...=0

Here you'll find donwload lnks for old e200 ROM installers:
Click Me

[Zee]

Thanks pzee... so, i'm assuming the smart ROM upgrade is the best/right one?

Can anyone confirm that the following cards are compatible with the Voyager?

512Transcend MMC
256 Sandisk SD card


Thanks!

[gpcarreon (MVP)]

If you have a spare cash, wait for the release of O2 XphoneII (same specs as C500 runnig 2003SE). You could make a pre-order via the airfagev site or wait for Smart to release the phone (at a higher plan though).

Why such an advice? The 2003 SE's battery/power performance is much better than the e200.  

Sorry to spoil this thread with a 2003 SE info.

[Zee]

Hi, I just purchased my very own Voyager...

1) The battery dies fast...

I have bluetooth turned off. What else do I need to do? As per the comment above I need to upgrade my ROM and this would fix it... how do I do that and could anyone be nice enough to direct me to the correct ROM upgrade to extend my batt life?

2) I don't see an option where I can delete all my sent SMS, if I install the one I had on my SAP1, would that work?

3) The battery charges but the LED indicator only shows up as red, even after 2hrs. I have no problem with this since it seems to be a cosmetic problem but if there is a way to fix it, I would gladly appreciate the input.

4) Is there a way to copy all my sim contacts to my phone memory?

That's it for now... thanks in advance!

[Pondrew]

The red recharging light won't go out? Suggests the battery might still be taking on charge. Bear in mind that even once the phone starts reporting 100% battery in task manager it is still charging until the charging light goes out.

With regards improving the battery life, it was suggested a while ago that giving the phone a long charge (until it says full and then some...) before reinstalling the rom (maybe an opportunity to update if you're not on the latest rom) ensures the battery life is optimal.

Aside from that, the main culprits for running down the battery quickly are apps like Caller ID and the poorly implemented Bluetooth.

To import numbers from sim to phone you'll need a Sim Manager. In the UK we were able to download one free using the Orange Update on the phone...

Edited by Pondrew, 06 June 2005 - 09:51 AM.

[Zee]

So how do I deactivate the caller id thing? I already have bluetooth turned off.

Which ROM upgrade should I install? Can you provide me with the link?

Thanks

[Geeklord]

Zee, on Jun 6 2005, 06:58, said:

Hi, I just purchased my very own Voyager...

1) The battery dies fast...
2) Delete all my sent SMS,
3) The battery charges but the LED indicator only shows up as red, e
4) Is there a way to copy all my sim contacts to my phone memory?

That's it for now... thanks in advance!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

1) From what I've noticed for the past couple of months, battery life improves after a while. Nowadays, I can listen to MP3s for almost the whole day, provided I don't make calls or texts. As for not heavy calls and sms, I can go on for about a couple of days before I need to plug it back in.

2) to delete sent sms:
go to inbox and select "0 Account/folders" from the menu.
You'll see SMS, ActiveSync and whatever account you have created (I have email)
Highlight SMS and press (right softkey) folders
Now you can see all of your SMS folders and delete each one.

OR

Press start and look for Space Maker app.
On the menu, you'll have the choice to delete all/read sms and email.
You can also erase call history, speed dial and/or voice notes from here.

3) There was a tweak awhile back on the SAP1 on how to change the speed of the LED blink. Maybe the people who thought of that can help you with changing the colors.

4) From what I've read in the other threads, you can't. Unless you find a similar application to SIM Manager from SAP1. What you can try is to copy that app to your voyager. Hey it's worth a shot.