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K850 New UI features mini-review |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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I just ran the K850 simulator. It works very well and answered many of my questions about the K850 UI.
http://www.sonyericsson.com/t[....]=de&lc=de&zone=pp&window=popup
My impressions are the new buttons are actually sensibly placed. I still don't see why they changed them, just to appeal to Nokia users I feel. However it's not all bad.
There is still a back button, but it's on the top right touchkey (softkey) now.
The left softkey (also a touchkey) is for Media (also a new main menu item that contains shortcuts to images, music player, video player). The left softkey becomes an options button (I guess like "more") when not in standby mode. The centre touchkey is for Menu when in standby mode or normal dpad centre push otherwise. I DON'T like this, but it is a DPAD and I imagine it will be possible to rock your finger upwards to activate the centre push with not much more effort than a standard dpad. However it's still nowhere near as quick and efficient as a joystick. Oh well 
The activity menu button is now on the left (next to the "call" button), and the "c" button is next to the "end" button on the right.
In the main menu, there are some changes also:
File Manager is now in the Organiser menu (rather than in main menu)
Video Call is in the organiser menu
Radio is in the main menu
Alarms is in the main menu (waste of a menu position if you ask me)
New Menu item "Media" (as described above)
Otherwise everything is pretty much the same.
One thing about this that impresses me, SE managed to implement the dedicated call and end buttons without affecting the efficiency and fluidity of their UI. This is STILL the SE UI we know and love, it's not a Nokia rip off (despite the call and end buttons)
I would prefer the DPAD to be a proper joystick, but nevertheless my initial misgivings about the DPAD have dissolved. I now feel confident the strange dpad arrangement will be easy enough to get used to.
So overall, 9/10 from me for this new era of SE UI! 
I now officially WANT THIS PHONE BAD!!!
Update to Review
In the Messaage settings menu are two new options:
* save to: where you can change the message storage location to either phone memory or memory card, and
* categories: so you can create "folders" to store messages in, for example "friends" "work" etc.
* network sharing option to enter username and password and workgroup! Presumably the only use of that I can see is if the phone user file system and memory card are available to a PC via a PAN connection.
*Pressing the END key just once pops you back to standby screen (as opposed to the usual way of holding the back key for a second)
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[ This Message was edited by: max_wedge on 2007-10-11 15:05 ] |
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Bhavv
Joined: Jun 07, 2007
Posts: > 500
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I really believe that typing is going to be a lot easier with the d pad. One thing i hate about having to use the joystick on my k800 is reaching up to change letters and words and for spaces. Also with the back button so close to the joystick, i have a habit of accidentally pressing it while typing which is extremely annoying on forums as it cancels my message. Im actually quite relieved i havnt pressed back while typing this message lol.
The joystick is also a complete pain to use, it keeps pressing by accident while scrolling or presses the wrong way. D pad for president! |
Supa_Fly
Joined: Apr 16, 2002
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From: Toronto, Ontario
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Haha .. I KNEW SE wouldn't mess around with the GUI ... and I knew Max would come around ready to love this phone.
1st on the LIST:
Mod the Alarm from the main menu - put it back into Organizer.
2nd:
When someone goes into their Contacts its most likely to...
A) Make a call
B) Edit an existing Contact
C) Add a new Contact
D) Send a contact elsewhere (BT, SMS, MMS, EMail)
E) or Conference a call, or to a lesser extent change to SIM/Phone Contacts.
Thus, SE should MOVE the Contacts to the LEFT side of the 3 soft-touch keys ... right about the CALL button. This makes for VERY quick call access. Sure it'll be negligable but not everyone is equal size digits or may have a broken hand.
3rd:
Standby Soft-Key user changeable by the 1st Firmware revision ... and KEEP this ability through Firmware lifecycle. Even if just to change the Media selection to a user chosen selection.
@Max .... shame on your for doubting that SE couldn't keep the GUI when adding Call Buttons. You forgetting the basic core of ALL SE menu's came from Ericsson's in which like the T39m/T-18z HAD call buttons?!
PS I badly want this phone too, and OT this month is taken me that much closer to owning the BLUE model 
|AppleTV2|iPhone 12Mini 256GB|iPad Pro 256GB| Previously ...  K750|Z500|Z520|K700|K790i|K850i, :Ericsson: T18z|T28World|T36m x3|T68m (Ericsson, not the rebranded T68i). |
Duran
Joined: Aug 25, 2006
Posts: > 500
From: Netherlands
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Why cant i use the 1-9 keys to navigate through menu's????
If i press 5 in the main menu it goes to messages but then when i press 1 it doesnt go to .
I really hope this is just a flaw in the simulation... |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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On 2007-10-11 06:11:06, Prom1 wrote:
Haha .. I KNEW SE wouldn't mess around with the GUI ... and I knew Max would come around ready to love this phone.
@Max .... shame on your for doubting that SE couldn't keep the GUI when adding Call Buttons. You forgetting the basic core of ALL SE menu's came from Ericsson's in which like the T39m/T-18z HAD call buttons?!
shame on you for thinking I would ever seriously doubt SE's commitment to the GUI. 
Actually. I was a little concerned about the dpad thingy (until I realised there actually was a centre button - just not in the actual "centre"  ), but I never really believed that the call and end buttons would seriously compromise the GUI. Remember I'm a T28 guy from way back - and even through the change to picture phones SE still managed to keep the wonderful GUI philosophy of Ericsson.
My only concern was that SE would have listened too much to the nay sayers who waste this forum's time continually singing the praises of Nokia (whilst steadfastedly claiming they aren't Nokia fanboys) and castigating SE for not considering their personal preferences as a commandment from God.
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goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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On 2007-10-11 08:13:14, Duran wrote:
Why cant i use the 1-9 keys to navigate through menu's????
If i press 5 in the main menu it goes to messages but then when i press 1 it doesnt go to .
I really hope this is just a flaw in the simulation...
Do you have a K850i? Are you saying that the keypad shortcuts in the main-menu are no longer there?
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mswallis
Joined: May 23, 2003
Posts: 460
From: England
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He's talking about the simulation on the SE site. Appears to work OK for me on the simulation though. |
jeebus444
Joined: Jun 22, 2007
Posts: 43
From: Canada, Eh?
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quick question on the actual phone, as I don't think you're able to do this on the sim, but what is the short-cut for the keypad-lock? I wanna be 100% ready for this phone as soon as I take it out of the box. |
goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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Ah, thanks. *Breathes out again*
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gola
Joined: Jul 17, 2007
Posts: > 500
From: South Africa
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On 2007-10-11 10:19:39, jeebus444 wrote:
quick question on the actual phone, as I don't think you're able to do this on the sim, but what is the short-cut for the keypad-lock? I wanna be 100% ready for this phone as soon as I take it out of the box.
lol,i don't think it will be that bad and don't forget to charge it first
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[ This Message was edited by: gola on 2007-10-11 12:46 ] |
max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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something cool I discovered! You can change message save location to memory stick! Whoot! Now I'll be able to stop being so uptight about keeping my messages copied to pc. Crikey, I could end up with tens of thousands of messages on my memory card. I wonder if it affects performance as did the K750 hack for unlimited sms storage (until memory is full)?
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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The emulator can change wallpaper too
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max_wedge
Joined: Aug 29, 2004
Posts: > 500
From: Australia
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Oh yeah, and it seems you can add categories for messages as well (I updated the review on the first page.)
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rockerZ
Joined: Mar 11, 2007
Posts: 423
From: Dubai
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Hey Max,
Have you got the K850 ??? |
goldenface
Joined: Dec 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Liverpool City Centre
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The UI feels really easy to get used to accoarding to that simulator. I'm also pleased to see the back 'function' still there, so it hasn't really be discarded, just moved.
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Posted: 2007-10-11 00:48
K750|Z500|Z520|K700|K790i|K850i, :Ericsson: T18z|T28World|T36m x3|T68m (Ericsson, not the rebranded 
