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New P800 features and capabilities...??? |
frozenwaffles
Joined: Jan 08, 2003
Posts: 122
PM |
Just wondering what you think of these new features that i think will become available for the P800 once the P900 becomes available:
1. User upgradeable phone firmware over the internet via SyncStation
2. P800 firmware enhancements that stem from P900 (as long as P800 hardware supports the feature; eg:
Comunicorder on P800 as camera hardware can record video
No new colour scheme as P800 only has 4096 colours
T9 text input
3. UIQ version 2.1 on P800 (as part of above)
4. Bluetooth enhancements, new profiles, etc (hopefully BIP and FTP)
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what sony ericsson do about this. i knwo there are currently lots of bugs in the P800 still so there will be new firmware coming out as time goes by (just like the T68i). i have discovered some bugs and suggested new features and i know that Sony Ericsson Australia said they will pass the ideas on and that there is a very good chance they will be added to the phone. lets just hope that my above list will happen and maybe some more!!! |
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drinker
Joined: Oct 06, 2003
Posts: 92
PM |
Why does everyone think there will be a firmware update to bring most of the new functionality of the P900 to the P800?
I know SE did this for the t68i upgrade from the t68m, but that was only because they were providing the features that were promised for the original t68m, but didn't manage to deliver in time for release.
The name P900 (as opposed to P810) suggests a completely new model, not just an upgrade (although we know the two are functionally very similar).
I would be very surprised if SE do provide a 'P900' firmware update for the P800 - it just doesn't make financial sense. Sure, it will keep a lot of existing P800 users happy, but it also means many of them won't bother buying the P900.
As with all hi-tech products, consumers don't expect a free upgrade to the newest device. If they want the newest gear, they have to pay for it.
If SE do eventually provide a 'P900' firmware update for the P800, I would say it is only because they want to merge the P800 and P900 code streams into one and save on code maintenance costs - they would then only have to fix bugs once, not twice.
What do you guys think? |
shorty
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
Posts: 121
From: Manchester, UK
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Drinker is absolutely correct.
I know it'd be very good of SE to give us P800 users a nice major upgrade (rather than just bugfixes) but also we aren't going to be lucky (I don't feel.. this is personal opinion).
The product is nearly a year old, it's being replaced by a model.. I just can't see SE wanting to be _that_ good to their customers. Sorry to dissapoint those hoping for a P800 & 3/4 firmware. It just isn't good business for SE.
[ This Message was edited by: shorty on 2003-10-12 18:38 ] |
gatevital
Joined: Dec 01, 2002
Posts: 440
From: Bath England
PM |
Just think of the t300 and t310 the hardware is nearly identical it is(according to a thread on esato) possible to flash a t300 to become a t310 but se seam to have said that the t300 will not have the same upgrades as the t310.
This message was posted from a T300 |
drinker
Joined: Oct 06, 2003
Posts: 92
PM |
Aside from the t68m -> t68i upgrade, has SE provided firmware updates to upgrade other models to a newer model?
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Tao
Joined: Feb 22, 2003
Posts: 11
From: Italy
PM |
no way wil se glve free upgrades
This message was posted from a P800 |
Arfi-Gorgona
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: greece
PM |
Then why i bother to buy a product from them again?this isnt just a phone its like a small pc and what is so new about this model? apart from the minor changes and the 65k?I dont see a new model here only a p800 with new software and some minor changes.And this is how it suppose to be anyway from the start a year old model with only 12bit colour when almost all the other models have 65k?Thats why i expect a upgrade to make the phone as its supposed to be from the start apart from the 65k witch is hardware and dont change. |
exodus
Joined: Jun 17, 2003
Posts: 253
From: northants
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R380 to r380e, was a major upgrade that was given for free. |
drinker
Joined: Oct 06, 2003
Posts: 92
PM |
Arfi, I don't think you are justified in expecting a free upgrade to the P900 firmware.
You compare the phone to a small PC, but even with a PC the upgrade isn't fee - if you want the next version of Windows then you have to pay for it and new versions of PC applications such as Microsoft Word are certainly not free. The P900 has a new operating system with new applications (albeit only minor upgrades). All this software development costs money and SE recoups this by charging for the new model.
Basically, you bought the P800 because it does what you want. If you want the functionality of the P900 then you will need to buy that too. I know it is a pain, but if you want the latest gadget then you have to pay for it. |
Arfi-Gorgona
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: greece
PM |
Drinker you are wrong when you buy a pc like phone you expect the phone to last and not die when the next phone appears.And tell me something if sony or any manufacture did this why i bother to buy a smart phone to last only a year ?Where is the support for the smart phone?And even if we pay for the upgrade as you said we pay but only when our free upgrades stop and i mean the 1 year free.I dont like sony or other company to mock me with this so called upgrade they ought to give to us too and just for marketing purposes they dont.Isnt enough the 800EU? And why paying for the features that the p800 ought to have from the start?The phone dont cost them more than 100$ at best they should give us the updates of the software of our phone,this isnt a new os like you said its only updated
and i dont think you paid for your updates from the microsoft do you? 
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Zhto h Arfes-gorgones
[ This Message was edited by: Arfi-Gorgona on 2003-10-12 22:56 ] |
gatevital
Joined: Dec 01, 2002
Posts: 440
From: Bath England
PM |
Are you sure the p900 upgrade will evan work on the p800? For business reasons why upgrade your p800 when you could be sold a p900.
This message was posted from a T300 |
drinker
Joined: Oct 06, 2003
Posts: 92
PM |
Arfi-Gorgona, you bought the P800 because it is a cool phone that has plenty of features. When the P900 comes out, the P800 will not die - it will still have the same functionality it had the day you bought it. SE will still provide bug fixes and provide support such as warranty repairs. Third-party app writers will still write software compatiable with the P800. The P800 won't be forgotten overnight.
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Arfi-Gorgona
Joined: Jul 17, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: greece
PM |
support is not only bug fixes you know support is the missing features too,for their own good it better give this support because they lost a great deal of credability if you ask me support is features too its the same Os so we want the upgrade as free as they should give it.And i said befor microsoft dont want money for upgrades in the same OS its free for the net and it bug fixes and features too..
Zhto h Arfes-gorgones |
drinker
Joined: Oct 06, 2003
Posts: 92
PM |
Not having owned a P800, I can't really comment too much on missing features. However, it certainly had way more features than any other phone in its class when released. When you bought the P800 you knew what features you were paying for and I would imagine that in general the P800 delivered. If you wanted other features that it did not provide then you had the choice not to buy the phone.
Anyway, I think the whole idea of comparing a smartphone with a PC is a little premature. SE and all the other manufacturers are still thinking in 'phone' mode where the customer upgrades every one or two years. Probably in a few years time we will get a phone that is designed to be upgradable like a PC and you will pay each year to get the firmware upgraded. Until then we will have to put up with buying a whole new phone every year if we want the latest technology.
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jtrascap
Joined: Apr 14, 2003
Posts: 77
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Actually, while I'm very aware of the T68/68i story, I prefer not to consider anything other than the simple fact that the P800 is more "beta 900" than anything else. Unstable GPRS and Bluetooth, vcal 2.1, an uncustomizable UIQ...I feel odd, as if I've been a tester and I'm about to be left behind without any thanks. I had expected a stable and finished system when I bought in - obviously, it's been anything but.
I'm also expecting the commodity-mentality remarks -- it is what it is, buy a new one if you want new features, etc -- and that's fine, don't feel as if you need to bash. But I do recognize 2 very stong point that could sway things in out favor:
1) I didn't buy a commodity phone. I bought top-of-the-line, and I expect better treatment as a customer (or else next time I *will* buy commodity, and likely from someone else). Extreme phone, extreme service.
2) The marketplace is driven by customer demand..and at 700 Euro a pop, people read customer feedback before buying. There has been much to enjoy but also alot to bitch over. I bet that if we cry long enough and loud enough, we can certainly get our upgrade.
Sony woun't want anything casting a pall over the P900. They might also have a hard time moving older P800s. The -Press can easily pick up on these things (especially if we mail them
Sure it's blackmail, but do we as consumers have any other venue? I think most of us would even PAY for a decent upgrade, especially if it'll correct existing issues on Bluetooth or GRPS alone. I think Sony's already going to do the right thing, but if they don't, I do think action is needed. |
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Posted: 2003-10-12 05:14
