SPV E200 VS. P800/P900

[Guest present]

Been having some problems with my P800 - the camera button has died and also the 'phone' function seems to be messing up leaving me with days worth of missed calls so I'm considering swapping it for something like the Orange SPV E200, as apparently the P900 doesn't fare much better (and costs loads more).

Can anyone who's had practical experience of both the Sony's and the Orange phones let me know what they think of the SPV range/ the Windows platform?

I use the P800 for a lot of PDA type things and use Projekt, an Outliner program for a lot of tasks - I also like the large screen and quick text entering - how does a phone without a stylus compare?

Many thanks,

Bill.

[Guest chucky.egg]

I've had P800, P900, E100, E200 and now C500

I would personally never have an E100/E200 again, especially when you see the advances in battery life and size on the C500. On the Symbian side I loved my P900, but got bored with it (and having to have a second phone for times when I didn't want to risk damage to the P900)

I'm struggling to get used to having just T9 again, after a year with a stylus, but the C500 is just miles better than the E100/E200 in terms of reliability (so far at least - but my E100 could barely last a day without hanging and the C500 hasn't hung once so far)

I don't know about all the features of Projekt (never used it) but there are a few slightly-advanced task list apps that you could try.

On the C500 screen size, and readability in bright sunlight, are both good. Battery life is BETTER than the P900. T9 is a pain, but I'll get the hang of it again (actually the problem I have isn't T9 as such, it's not knowing what entry method I'm going to get on any given text box - sometimes its Abc, sometimes abc, somtimes t9 and so on)

Get a C500 from Orange and you have 14 days to try it out and you can just hand it back if you don't like it. I think you might well find you keep it.

[Guest markd66]

I've had the SPV, E100, E200 and P900 (currently using the E200 & the P900). The P900 is currently my primary work phone and gets a lot of use.

For me the biggest advantage of the MS platform is a practical one - the ability to work the phone one-handed. My biggest frustration with the P900 is the fact that UIQ makes it seem like a PDA with a phone grafted on - if I could access all the features of the phone with the flip closed it would be fine but I can't and I find this very frustrating at times. As I'm (seemingly) forever on the move, I'm rarely in a position where I can call or text using both hands - tried using handwriting recognition in any form whilst you are walking or carrying a laptop bag?

Battery life - well I can kill the P900 battery inside a day. I'd say it's on a par with the E200s on current firmware, at least for my usage pattern.

The Outlook integration of the P900 is pretty good - on a par with Activesync apart from the annoying "contact access" prompt which I know isn't SE's fault. Oh and the "synchronisation completed" box is kinda annoying.....

Both UI's have their quirks, in a sort of IE vs Firefox vs Opera kind of way. One big problem I have with the P900 is the memory limitations (128Mb memory stick & 16Mb internal is a big restriction for me).

The P900 has the edge when it comes to dealing with multiple mail accounts - but only with the flip open. With the flip closed the P900 is a royal pain for messaging e.g not able to select delivery reports.

Both platforms have their issues with software & reliability - there are days when I can crash the P900 just by using the built-in calculator app. FWIW my P900 doesn't seem any better built than my E100 or E200 - both side panels started to creak after only a few days use.

So for me it really comes down to not being able to live with a stylus/phon e combination on a day to day basis. The SPV just suits me better. On those occasions where I can use the stylus (planes & trains) the P900 works well and the ability to add diagrams to notes is handy.

If I could get my unlocked E200 to actually accept my Voda SIM card then I would be using the E200 every day - no question. Once there's some progress on the C500 dust issues, and an unlock method is available, I'm sure I will be trading in the E200.

Cheers, Mark.

[Guest present]

Hmm, a lot to think about there, many thanks for your comments. Know what you mean Mark about the stylus thing, but I do find it well handy for text input when I CAN use it, it's much quicker than a keypad. Shame no-ones made any other phone-sized phones with a stylus.

What are the 'dust issues' on the C500?

I'm on a Pay as u Go a/c so no upgrade possible for me at the moment, I'm just looking at 2nd-hand phones at CEX, doubt they have the C500 - so it would have to be the E200 for me. My main concern is that the E200 would just be a lot more of a hassle to use as a PDA, bunging reminders in it, appointments etc - how do you find it for that?

Cheers!

Bill.

[Guest markd66]

The C500 dust topic is here.

I don't have too many problems with entering stuff - on both platforms I tend to stick to a few key words for reminders & appointments, and then I might add detail once the item has been synced to my laptop.

T9 on the SPVs is far more intuitive (at least for me) than the implementation on the P900.

Just out of curiosity, not considered the M1000/XDA II?

Cheers, Mark.

[Guest present]

Thanks Mark, I guess I'll just have to try it myself!... any makor gripes about the E200 I should look out for?

XDAII looks nice but I really need something that's more of a 'phone' I can stick in my pocket :)

Cheers

Bill.

[Guest martin]

Thanks Mark, I guess I'll just have to try it myself!... any makor gripes about the E200 I should look out for?

XDAII looks nice but I really need something that's more of a 'phone' I can stick in my pocket :)

I would go for the SPV C500 just for the 200MHz processor alone. E200 will be much slower when it comes to mutimedia type apps.

C500 is definitely pocket sized :wink:

Unless there is a specific reason for wanting the E200 :?

[Guest present]

Naa it's just the money I ain't got much to spend on a phone right now. Plus that C500 dust business looks like a bit of a headache.