Posted by Rookwise
Good news folks. Carphone Warehouse had the C902 in store as of today (11th June) Went into the Newcastle Under Lyme branch at 3pm and they had only 2 handsets delivered while I was in there.
Spoke to the sales bloke who let me have a play with one and he tried to demo it for me. Ended up showing him as he couldn't get the camera to open. Numpty hadn't removed the protective screen cover before trying
Slide feels very easy to open. A bit too easy imo.
The C902 is quite light to hold. Screen is ok as far as I can tell. Quite clear. Buttons are very good to use.
So...If your due an upgrade. You've now got 2 places. 3Uk or Carphone Warehouse.
For those on O2 Select however. Carphone Warehouse will not upgrade you (I tried) as they dont recognise the early upgrade the O2 Select customers can have.
Carphone Warehouse said it was O2 that were not allowing them to perform the upgrade.
I spoke to O2 about this and they said that they should have upgraded me with no problems. However. Some stores (including some O2 stores) will not upgrade O2 select customers as they are not authorized to do so
While on the phone to O2 CC. The rather nice person on the other end told me that O2 actually have the C902 in 3 days ago and have now sold out. They're having another delivery tonight and handsets will be going out as of tomorrow with those who pre ordered the C902 receiving their handsets on Friday 13th June between 8am and 9pm.
While on the phone I:-
Got the C902 for free,
free 4GB memory card,
free gold insurance,
free unlimited internet access
on a 12 month contract with my new upgrade date as the 13th March 2009
Posted by dodgydodgy
What price/month did they quote you?
Mine is arriving today from CS - so some others who pre-ordered should also get theirs today.
Posted by Rookwise
On 2008-06-12 07:48:43, dodgydodgy wrote:
What price/month did they quote you?
I'm staying on my existing O2 tariff so there was no quote.
Posted by Dionasaurus
So... how's about that C905 then..?
... damn, I hate how fast techy devices upgrade.
But I thought the '5' in C905 meant it would be a clamshell form?
Posted by dualist
On 2008-06-11 21:45:15, Rookwise wrote:
For those on O2 Select however. Carphone Warehouse will not upgrade you (I tried) as they dont recognise the early upgrade the O2 Select customers can have.
Carphone Warehouse said it was O2 that were not allowing them to perform the upgrade.
I spoke to O2 about this and they said that they should have upgraded me with no problems. However. Some stores (including some O2 stores) will not upgrade O2 select customers as they are not authorized to do so
CPW are their own service provider for O2, i.e. they bill you and act as your customer service centre should you ever call. They are not the same as O2 itself - your bills come with a CPW logo on them. This probably has something to do with it.
Posted by Rookwise
Very strange as i've upgraded my O2 contract via CPW before and the bill's haven't had their (CPW) logo on.Nevermind.I get mine delivered tomorrow and will be sittin next to my SE G502 until i get time to set them up.
This message was posted from a T650i
Posted by dodgydodgy
So, first thoughts (speaking as someone who has gone form a 750, 800, 810, 850i to the C902).
The screen looks small - not just in size, but in comparison to the handset size.
The touchscreen buttons from the 850i have gone, and are only used for the camera. This is a great thing, now my ear won't be doing odd things to the menus in-call.
The OS has a load of 'location' options, but no in-built GPS which makes them completely useless. This includes the photo geo-tagging feature which you can enable and disable, but does nothing.
It seems faster than the 850i to navigate.
The buttons are shiny soft plastic. The K800 buttons which they resemble were FAR better. These have a very soft touch and are pretty nasty to use.
A few nice new touches, the web browser now has a 'mouse pointer' making it easier to select items. You can now search from the main screen for numbers just by starting to type ('smart search').
There's a whole menu for SIP settings, but I've no idea for what they are used.
RSS feeds have vanished from the messaging menus and are now with your photos and videos (hmm).
Getting the back off the phone is almost impossible.
It's very thin, feels light, fits in the pocket well, but is wider and taller than the 850i.
The LED 'flash' can be used as a light in video mode.
It's far from a massive step from the 850i, but to be honest when has SE ever made any massive steps forward? It really should have had GPS - it almost seems from the firmware that it does, but someone forgot to stick the right chips inside the phone when they were designing it.
Posted by plankgatan
some pics of my new upcoming black c902. (have to tomorow to decide). its not a bad thing to have a close friend working inside a Telia (cell phone) store
_________________
I
K850, 
W810 & 
T29
------------------------------------
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21179102@N07/
(t610, t630, k700, k750, k800, k810)
[ This Message was edited by: plankgatan on 2008-06-12 18:12 ]
Posted by G-Izzat
Hope you can take great pictures with it, plank.
Posted by Plemix.com
After the G700, then G900, then, C702, then W760i, and then the last one from Sony Ericsson that we arranged the photo session for, is the new Cyber-shot C902. Since I have had too many photo sessions for unboxing lately, I am really confused with all the features and functions of phones now. But getting the new C902 on hand, the elegant design refreshes me. And the phone is really ultra thin, at only 10.5mm thick. As a 5 mega pixel auto focus with face detection camera phone, that is really impressive.
Standard stuff: a Battery, a Charger, a USB cable, a handsfree, CD and Manual.
M2 Card slot is located inside the phone. You have to take out the back cover to switch cards. Also worth to mention the back cover of the phone is framed with metal. The same material as what you have seen in the picture. May be the phone is too thin, a plastic back cover cannot provide enough protection for the phone.
Very standard phone layout. The LCD screen is not very large at all.
The back of the phone. Very clean design layout. 5 mega pixel phone… wait, where is the camera?
You have to slide open the phone to reveal the hidden camera. The blue light only light up for a few seconds when we slide open the camera door. The slide design is like the old 110 film cameras that we have to slide open the lens to take photos.
The keypad layout and navigation pad is clean and clear but a bit boring.
New Sony Ericsson Menu and icons.
First of all the camera phone is very thin. And the side trim design is nice… at least this is what I think.
Face detection in action. Same as the C702, the face detection is not as fast as the cameras but still working well. Also on the top and bottom of the LCD display frame, there are 8 camera shortcuts keys that you can touch directly to toggle them on and off. They are heat sensitive sensors with haptic feedback. This design is indeed very nice.
Actual photo shot by the phone in an indoor office lighting environment. Since the flash light can only trigger automatically by the phone itself, we cannot test a flash on photo for you.
Another shot. I may say the photo quality is still not matching the Nokia phones like the N82 or even the 3.2 MP N78. Am I the only one?
The look of the phone is very nice. It is thin and reasonably small in size. The UI is very user friendly and photo taking with this auto focus, face detection phone is very easy. Just the picture quality, in my opinion, of Sony Ericsson phones are not very satisfying comparing to Nokia’s making me think what does it mean to put a Cyber-shot brand on the phone.
Posted by G-Izzat
The design is really nice. Really unfortunate about the camera quality though. Do hope someone who just bought the phone can take some pictures with it. Good pictures, I hope.
Posted by xell
This phone seems to have an Adidas co-branding judging from the box & manual
:lol:
Posted by technical-expert
Any one who has got the phone kindly upload ur photos here
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=171299
Posted by Rookwise
Mine arrived this morning.First impressions are that the weight feels the same as my T650.There is the usual O2 branding on the phone.Namely the startup/shutdown screen,screensaver and theme (will be removing them tonight with Davinci).Buttons are a good size and you have to press firmly to use them,I like the metal battery cover idea.Not liking the memory card position.It's still on charge so will have a play later tonight.Contents are CST-75,basic handsfree(not earbud but 3.5mm),USBcable,battery,cd,phone.
This message was posted from a T650i
Posted by se_dude
please post some pics then..
Posted by Rookwise
Here ya go
Pictures taken with my
T650
First pic shows the C902 on top of its box along with the Sony 4gb M2 that o2 put with the phone
The rest show a comparison between the W910, C902 and the G502
Posted by dcbastable
Finally got my C902 today and i have to say that allthough i think it is an improvement over the K850i, i'm still a bit dissapointed about the overal picture quality. I just feel that it is what the K850i should have been at launch last autumn and is therefore not cutting edge. It's better than the N95 that i had but the pictures don't take my breath away like when i first got my K800i. I'm also dissapointed at the lack of an M2 card. I bought mine sim free from CPW and was told that they only supply M2 cards when you take out a new contract.
Posted by Rookwise
I was also suprised not to find at least a 256mb memory card in the box.Good job O2 are offering a 4gb one with the phone.
This message was posted from a C902
Posted by jmcomms
I've been playing with the phone quite a bit today, but the biggest test for me was seeing how slow it operates when using stereo Bluetooth. Since the K850/W910, right up to the W890, all the new platform handsets have been AWFUL (even with successive firmware upates).
I am presuming the C902 has a faster clock speed or different processor, because it's faster anyway - but more importantly - it doesn't slow down hardly at all when streaming music. So, you can now play music through headphones or a home speaker system and use the phone without cursing. The media player is quicker too, and I've got one of the brand new high-speed SanDisk cards (8GB) and it's just fine.
The only test left to do is to see if video can play with the sound in sync, with or without Bluetooth audio. If it passes that test, it's going to be the best non-smartphone Sony Ericsson ever (at least until the new kit is unveiled on Tuesday!).
Finally, the flash is very bright, but only at short range, which means it isn't as good as Xenon - but certainly better than I thought (and MUCH better than it was in prototype form). I can't find the torch feature though, which is odd when you can use the LED for video recording.
(Oh, and as for the memory card, well why would you want a paltry 256 or 512MB card? It would just get binned. Far more sensible to ship with no card and then you can buy (or get bundled) a decent sized card like 2, 4 or 8GB. It's just like any digital camera these days)
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2008-06-13 23:59 ]
Posted by Bonovox
I think this phone is ugly and looks like nothing new from SonyEricsson. I still stand by the N82 as the best.
Posted by jmcomms
The N82 is an excellent phone, don't get me wrong, but it's not very good looking (the black one is better, mind).
You really must see the C902 in the flesh. Although I originally said I thought the G900 would be better (and I might still think that when I get it), the final production model is solid.
However, the biggest improvement is the updated UI that is smoother and faster than before. Obviously it's not a smartphone, but it still does pretty much everything you could want.
When I sat on the train tonight using Opera Mini (but the built-in browser is excellent too) to check some pages, while listening to music with my wireless headphones and adjusting the volume on my Bluetooth watch (what a geek!), I thought about what I'd be missing out on if I got a 3G iPhone next month!!
That's why I like the C902 a lot more than I thought. It's about far more than just imaging.
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2008-06-14 00:06 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Johnathan Morris i always buy What Mobile great mag.
Posted by Spyra
N82 is a great phone, but its too ugly and too thick....
if only they had a new designer and made is like 13mm thick with a touch screen.....G900 would fall flat on its face
Posted by MrLee
Just got this phone today, can you actually change the messgae alert to anything other than the factory ones? I can't find a 'set as message alert' or an option to change to anything other than 'Message Alert #'
Have I missed a very obvious option?
Oh, and hi!
Posted by Rookwise
Scroll down past the default message alerts and you will find what your looking for at the bottom of the menu
Posted by MrLee
I did that, all I have in that menu is No sound, then Click, then Message alert 1 through 6, then Magenta. No option to pick an mp3 from the Media list
Posted by jmcomms
The last one can be changed (the left hand soft key changes to say 'Replace').
It's a little confusing and I'm surprised SE hasn't made it much more obvious, especially as you can't then play the custom tone to preview it!
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2008-06-14 19:50 ]
Posted by MrLee
Changed it!!! Took a load of pics with it today. Video quality is excellent IMO. Very pleased with it (even more so now my only minor quibble has been resolved).
The keypad is going to take some getting used to I think.
Posted by jmcomms
A couple of days and I'm sure you'll be used to it.
The C902 does seem to be going back to the good old days, where everything is done right.. although I'd have liked the return of a play/pause button on the side (even though all the buttons have to be low down on account of the sliding bit).
While we can argue that the 5MP sensor isn't great, this phone has so many other improvements that I think we can finally say the K800/K810 has found its true replacement.
I'm excited about the 8MP phone to be announced next week, but I do think this is an ideal form factor and the slider design may not work as well.
Posted by hwars
@MrLee
And not to forget that now you can make custom msg alert for specified contact too.. An improvement from new A200 platform..
Posted by ashyk36
very nice phone. would have got one but i think im going to hold out for g900i??
BTW is ther a C902 vs g900 forum?
Posted by Toney_Ericsson
Can anyone confirm what comes in the box with the C902? Just I'm wondering if the Sony Ericsson Desk Stand CDS-75 is meant to come with it or is this an accessory in all cases?
Posted by Rookwise
Box contents were described in an earlier post. Box contents are: phone,battery, CST-75,DCU-65 and instructions.
This message was posted from a T650i
Posted by Rookwise
Oops. Forgot to mention the pc suite and the basic wired headset with 3.5mm adaptor. No memory card or desk stand is included which is a shame really.Anyone thinking of using a T650 stand (CDS-71) will be disappointed as the C902's fastpost is jus a few millimeters too high.
This message was posted from a T650i
Posted by amdx2
you guys so lucky... i talk to vodafone nz and they have no clue when its coming out here.. i think a year or 2 since they just started selling k850i
Posted by jmcomms
When I saw the C902 and the G900, I thought the G900 would be the better phone. It has the innovative touch-focus feature and the benefit of the UIQ interface that (while not brilliant) gives you the scope to expand a lot more.
The home screen with the panels is also a very nice feature, and even though the C902 is faster than earlier models, the G900 is still quicker and better for managing multimedia.
THAT SAID, now the final C902 has arrived and I can see how solid it feels and how slick the revamped UI is (plus the new tweaks and improvements), I think it's a tough call to decide between them.
Of course, I've not got the G900 yet to do a proper side-by-side comparison. However, I've fallen in love with it and even if the G900 is capable of doing more, there's very little you can't do on the C902.
Posted by Targett
Waiting of rmy delivery, should arrive tomorrow! Can't wait to try it out
Replacement for many K850 deaths so also hoping it doesn't have similar problems!!!
[ This Message was edited by: Targett on 2008-06-15 23:49 ]
Posted by jmcomms
Look at the various K850 threads and it was amazing just how bad this phone was from day one, and many months after. It wasn't until the more recent firmware updates that it got sorted, but it's still anything but perfect.
The C902 hasn't given me any problems yet - not even a reboot (my W890i liked to restart quite a bit). It really has amazed me how stable it is - and so unlike Sony Ericsson of late.
Let's hope this carries through to future products, like those unveiled on Tuesday.
_________________
Jonathan Morris
Editor, What Mobile magazine - the UK's leading mobile phone magazine
www.whatmobile.net
[ This Message was edited by: jmcomms on 2008-06-15 23:52 ]
Posted by Rookwise
Oh dear.Used mine for one day and its kept in a case when not in use. Opened the slide for the camera today and there's loads of dust on the screen side. Didn't notice any on the camera side though.
This message was posted from a C902
Posted by jmcomms
Yes, it gets everything caught up in it!
Posted by Rookwise
Only thing i'm waiting for is for expert shield to make a screen protector or invisable shield to do something. On the dust side. I've got a small soft hobby paintbrush that should do the trick and check the phone every 2 days to clean it out.
This message was posted from a C902
Posted by Targett
It arrived today. yippie!!!
I'm liking this phone already
Posted by Rookwise
Just been messing with the service tests and tried the LED Illumination. Looks like the camera flash has 2 colours. One the usual while light and also an orange one. Wonder what function the orange led has as it cant be seen when the camera cover is closed. Make sure the camera cover is open when you do the LED Illumination test and you will see it after the blue strip lights up.
Posted by Dionasaurus
I'm thinking that orange LED is probably just a retina scanner to unlock the phone.. or perhaps simply an X-ray LED.
Posted by jmcomms
On 2008-06-18 02:25:25, Dionasaurus wrote:
I'm thinking that orange LED is probably just a retina scanner to unlock the phone.. or perhaps simply an X-ray LED.
Yes, I think it is one of these - and also a way of telling you when the battery is low!
God only knows why they bother to 'hide' a red/orange LED on all their phones (well most of them) and not use it for anything useful - perhaps as an option of showing when you're in coverage, or when you've got a missed call/message.
It would be especially useful on the handset that use displays that can't be kept on in standby (for power saving reasons) so you would know the phone was still actually on and working. It's a feature that has been present on Ericsson handsets for years, and then gradually disappeared from the non-smartphone models and later the smartphone models.
Posted by G-Izzat
Anyone going to do a review on this phone?
Posted by dodgydodgy
I've had a couple of random reboots with the phone, but nothing too bad as yet. I guess it's only the first FW for this handset.
Got to say I'm REALLY happy. Yes, I'd love A-GPS, yes I'd love a better flash, yes I'd love a larger screen - but it's SO slim, and really seems fast to use.
My best SE phone yet (and it's my sixth).
Posted by jack854
Just got this phone it replaces my old friend K800i I have had for 16 months. I do like the look of this phone and seems easy to use.
Will be trying it out a lot this weekend
Posted by kiwi45
Is there a sleep mode clock on this phone?
Posted by Sator1973
Hi all,
what bothers me (again) on this phone is the small size of the screen (same as K800).
And also this phone, like all the other Cybershots, seems to make nice snapshots, but I guess almost every 5MP compact camera does better, even the very compact ones (shops don't even sell them anymore, mine does great macro's).
So imo the cam is just an extra, not really a feature. Buy a digicam as an extra if you want a good camera.
My K800 also makes good snapshots at 3.15 MP and I always resize them when editing. I planned to replace it for more than a year, lately with a W890(or maybe W910), but after checking my provider's site (again), I saw this C902 thingy, same screen size as W890 , comparable specs, 'better' camera.
But then, suddenly, there also were W760, G900 , G700 on the free market. Damn, because SE makes it so hard to choose, it took me a sleepless night to compare the whole sh*t on the web.
So eventually, I decided to go for the G900, not because of the cam, but because of screen size (2,4"), touchscreen with symbian UI, webbrowser and yeah! WIFI! About to get it next week.
Maybe I seemed a bit negative above, don't get me wrong, I'm very into SE. I only compare SE phones with SE phones. But those into photography should now that a phone cam could never compare to even a compact cam.
Too bad SE doesn't manufacture customized phones, because I would also like faster internet on my G900 (3.5G or what's it called), and GPS, but for that I'll get the HGE-100. Outdoors I always use my headset anyway.
I guess I'm too off topic now so bye.