Smartphone noob needs a few questions answering..

[Guest Daedalus]

Hi, I don't actually have a Smartphone yet, but I plan to get the Orange SPV e200 within the next month or so, but I need to know a few things about it first.

1. I've seen a bar at the top of the screen on all SPV's that basily has 5 or 6 icons for commonly used programs/function. I'd like to know if a) this is customisable (i.e. can I change what programs/functions are displayed there?) and ;) how do you access that bar? Is it just a case of pressing left or right from the standard Home screen to highlight the right one?

2. Can the left/right/up/down buttons be assigned to particular functions? For example, on my Nokia, left takes me to a new SMS, which I use very often, right takes me to my Calender, up takes me to my recent dialed calls list and down takes me to my contacts.

3. Will any of my Pocket PC 2002 programs work on the phone, whether it's locked or not?

4. Has anyone actually used an SPV e200? I'm feeling very positive about it in whole, but theres one tiny little thing bugging me. The joystick. I've used the e100 in the Orange shop and I got on with that fine, but although everywhere I've read they say that the e200's joystick is great and way better than the e100's (which many people seem to dislike), I still feel from what I've seen on the close-up pictures that it might not have a very large range of movement and may be tricky to use. Can anyone put my mind at ease by writing how they thought it was?

I'm not new to this stuff in general. I may be only 18, but i've been working for a high street mobile phone retailer for 18 months and I've been doing some heavy research on the e200 for the past month, and up until October I used to have a Pocket PC (2002), which is in some ways similar to the Smartphone 2002/2003 software.

Anyway, I've babbled on long enough now :lol:

Hope some of you can help, thanks in advance if any of you do reply.

[Guest awarner [MVP]]

Welcome to the site :lol:

1, a, Yes b, have a look in the customisation section for ideas you need to

learn how homescreens are written (xml)

2, No

3, Not really, some apps may work but the screen size difference is the main problem. Also the phone would need to be application unlocked first.

4, Can't say yet as I'm still waiting to get my hands on one :( but I do not see there being a problem.

5, Rule number one have fun ;)

[Guest Daedalus]

Ok, but assuming I'm using the bog standard skin that comes with the phone, how do I access the bar at the top (what ever it's called...)?

Like I said, do you just press left or right etc from the idle screen or what?

[Guest statscat]

THe homescreen is the idle screen as it were.

You can move left or roght across the icons. On the E200 the "plugins" below change, you can move down into those by moving the joystick down, if you click "fire" or action as it is called, the app or link pointed to is run as though it were from the main menu,

its a great way to access phone features and really easy to use.

(SPV, or E100)

The E200 homescreen looks like it rocks.

[Guest Daedalus]

thanks, both of you, for the information. much appricated :lol:

I'll post back when I finally get one, but I have no idea how long thats going to be.

Actually, while I'm here, does anybody actually have any idea as to when Orange will release it in the UK? It's my 18th birthday next Friday, so I aim to get it a week or so after that. Any chances it'll be availible by then?