Posted by Lynx69
Discuss the
xx6x range here.
This is a thread for T610/T616/T630/Z600 phones.
Please post all your questions, and information and everything about the X6XX range in here.
The Reason this thread is made is because I saw that T610/T616/T630/Z600 users will not be getting a forum like the P800/900 forum so i thought I'd make a "mini-forum" thread so everyone please help make this thread informatic and very useful for all users.
So post away.
[ This Message was edited by: Lynx69 on 2004-06-25 22:54 ]
Posted by rdnymllnsktr
Well, I've posted this elsewhere (only once), but here's my reivew of the T616 to start off the thread from Eopinions.
An Upgrade to the T68i, Now With A Fingerprint Scanner!
Okay, that's not entirely true. There is no fingerprint scanner. It'd be cool if there was, but there isn't.
But that brings us to the main negativity of this phone. This phone's faceplate and screen are SO smooth, that if you touch it, no matter how clean your fingers are, you will leave fingerprints on this phone. However, since that's the worst thing that I can think of this phone (if you are upgrading from the T68i), then this phone basically has it all!!!
However, it is kind of sad when SONY Ericsson includes a wipe to clean off the phone's screen of fingerprints.
Now, what I mean, when I say if you are upgrading from the T68i, is that the T68i has slowdown. Please read my review for full details on "Slowdown".
Anyways, if you are used to slowdown, then you will actually notice that this phone is noticeably faster than the T68i. It is not a tremendous deal faster, but it is faster. However, if you are coming from a different phone, especially Nokia, like the Nokia 6800, then you will no doubt be very frustrated at this phone, and the slowdown is something that will take a while to get used to.
Anyways, this phone's got it all. Externally, it has semi-tiny buttons, which I find that I must press with the tip of my thumb, or even my fingernail. The front of the phone that is silver and the battery cover are, I suspect, a type of metal, probably aluminum. I reason this because every morning, these parts of the phone are much colder than normal plastic.
This phone is VERY tiny and VERY sophisticated looking. Both my wife and I have this phone, and we keep them in a holster/case. However, when we take the phones out of the case, we remember just how magnificant these phones are, and we gawk at them. They have such a simple design, yet are so professional and stunning at the same time. Remember, less is more.
Okay, the front has the keypad, the joystick and the operation buttons. Now, no matter what kind of phone you are used to (SONY Ericsson, Nokia, Siemens, etc.), it will take a bit of getting used to this phone, unless you are like me, and you just seem to GET electronics.
The two top black keys are soft keys. If you look at the picture above, you will see two keys with a white line on them. The left button functions as the "Talk", and "Select" keys, while the right soft key acts as the "End" and "Options" key. No matter what screen you are at, if you push the right soft key when it says "More", it will give you a list of options that you can do. This actually is a pretty good set-up. Under the left soft key, you see another black key with an arrow making a "U-turn", and pointing to the left.
On the T68i, this is equivalent to the "End" key. However, on the T616, this button has been split into two. The "Power" button has been placed at the top of the phone, but unlike a Nokia phone, simply pressing it will not let you access the profiles. All this button does is power-on and power-off the phone with a prolonged key press. Now, with this key, you press once to go back a page, and you hold it down to return to the stand-by screen. This is simpler to do, than on the T68i, where you had to hold down the "End" key, and many people were afraid that they would turn off their phones accidentally by holding it down too long.
Found under the right soft key, the "C" button returns as the all around "Deleter" key. It retains its full glory, from the T68i. Press this button when writing a message to delete the last character written, or when on a picture, sound, or anything else that you want to delete, just press this button. If you every want to delete something where there is not the delete option (if you were to want to delete an e-mail account on your phone, for example), merely press the "C" key, and it will ask if you want to delete the item in question.
While I am talking about e-mail, I'd like to bring something up. I used to use the Nokia 6200, and still do. However, when I tried to write an e-mail from that phone, I did it from the text message menu, and did not know how to set-up my account. There was no Inbox, or Outbox, and I suspect that these were shared with the Text Message Inbox.
However, the beautiful T616, has its own E-mail section all set-up. Found under the MESSAGING section, not the Text Messages, the e-mail on this phone is just like any other e-mail account, with a "Send & Receive" option, an "Inbox", a "Compose", "Outbox", "Drafts", "Archive" and "Options" option. This is much better than the Nokias, and as long as you have an internet plan on your phone plan, your mail account will be all setup for you.
On the right side of this phone, there is a button dedicated to "mMode", in other words, when you press it, it will take you to the mMode Homepage. On the left side is the volume buttons, and the dedicated camera button. Gone is the volume slider, instead replaced by a volume up and a volume down button, each labeled with either a plus sign, or a minus sign.
Above the volume up button, is the dedicated camera button. Press this button once to activate the camera (as long as the keypad lock is not on). The camera is astounding!!! It is SO clear. The camera has many details, which I will try to explain here. First off, I think that SONY Ericsson intended to have this camera used as a normal camera, in other words, you hold the phone sideways, with the camera button up, then press it, like a shutter button to "Snap" a pic. I found this out, when an interview was being done on the upgrade to this phone, the T630. It is a bit blockier, and not as attractive. However, that camera phone is intended to be used sideways, when using the camera. Pictures that are taken can be rotated up to 360 degrees, but you cannot rotate any other type of picture, for example, one that you download from the net.
When you rotate a picture, the phone places a little bar above and below the picture, as if you were watching a widescreen picture. Apparently the screen is taller than it is wide.
You can either press the "Camera" button, or you can press the joystick or the left soft key to capture a picture. Once you capture a picture, you are then taken to a screen where it shows the picture that you just took, along with a few options. The right soft key lets you discard the picture, while pressing the joystick in, lets you save the picture to your phone, in order to let you make adjustments to it, or just look at it.
The left soft key lets you send it right away, once you have selected how to send it (as a MultiMedia Message, as an e-mail, or sent via Bluetooth, or Infrared) and whom to send it to. This is what "Quickshare" is, as this phone is advertised as being a Quickshare camera. Also, if you send it as an e-mail, the phone automatically blows the picture up, to keep it from looking pixelated.
Now that I am talking about the camera, let's move to the back of the phone. On the back is (obviously) the battery cover, the camera, the rubber plug/mirror, and the SONY Ericsson symbol. Now, when you first got the phone, if it was brand new, then there was a rubber plug in the back, to the right of the camera. If you got it used, (like from eBay, or from a friend), then most likely the mirror was already in place. Well, if it's not there, and you have the tiny mirror, then take off the battery cover, and pop that little black plug out of the back. Now pop the mirror in.
When I first heard that this phone had a mirror, I thought it was the stupidest idea. I used to have the Sanyo 8100, when I was still with SprintPCS. It was a flip phone, and I was used to the LCD screen on the outside, which served as the external caller ID when the phone was closed. When you activated the camera, with the phone flip closed, the picture that your camera lens saw was displayed on the LCD. However, now that I think about it, this is the ideal way to go. It would be pointless, wastefull, and cost too much money to place a tiny LCD on the back of the phone, just for a self-portrait.
When used, the mirror is actually quite a good idea. As long as it is free of smudges, you get quite a good reflection on the mirror. However, while not a big deal, the mirror is concave, in other words, it is rounded sorryds, so you get a small distortion, like a fisheye lens. Nothing dramatic enough to mess up that picture of you, though. The camera is tiny, and the lens is sunk into the camera, in other words, it is not right up flush with the back of the phone. I assume the lens is plastic, as most camera phone and semi-cheap digital camera lenses are.
Above the camera is the SONY Ericsson logo, looking VERY pretty, if I do say so. It like the mirror is rounded out, but more dramatically. I assume that this is to keep the back of the phone from fully lying flat against a surface, most likely to protect the camera lens from being scratched.
Oh, under the battery is where you put your SIM card. There is one difference between this and the T68i SIM card slot. On the T616, there is a metal sliding piece that slides up and down to lock the SIM card in place. No more sliding the SIM card itself, and scratching the contacts!!! Yeah!!!
When you are in camera mode, there are several different effects you can perform. Most people don't realize this, but this camera, while not advertised as having this, does have a tiny digital zoom. I'd say about a 2-3 times digital zoom. The way you can tell if you are zoomed in is by the "Picture Size" indicator. When you are in "Camera Mode", there is a little icon in the upper right hand screen. It will either be an "L", or an "S". When it is an "L" icon, it means that the picture is "Large", and that you are zoomed out. In essence, you have a "Larger" picture area. When it has an "S" icon, you are zoomed in, and have a "Smaller" viewing area.
You access the picture size option through the right soft key, labeled "More", when you are in Camera mode. This is not intended as a zoom, which is probably why it isn't marketed as having a zoom, but in essence, this is a digital zoom. When you zoom in, the picture quality decreases very slightly, but not enough to annoy or bother. And besides, if you want a professional camera, then hey, don't be buying a phone to shoot high mega-pixel prints.
From the "More" menu, you can view your other pictures, change the camera to night mode, activate "Effects", change the default name of the pictures you take, and activate the self-timer.
Now, "Night Mode" is nice. And, it is not just for the night. When you are trying to take a picture in a dark area, with a bit of light, then activate this feature. It will utilize the surrounding light, assuming that you have enough light, and brighten up the picture. However, it is not just for when you have too little light, but also for when you have too much light. I recently visited Michigan in the past week of December, and it was snowy up there. Well, I wanted to take a pic of the snow, since neither my wife nor I have had any real experience in the snow, but the sun was bouncing off the snow, making the whole pic too bright (By the way, sand can also have this effect). Well, when you activate the night mode when it is too bright, it will artificially dull the brightness in the picture down a bit, and give your picture a better look.
The effects that you can add to your picture are making your picture look like a negative, making it black and white, and giving it an antique look, with the Sepia option.
The default name lets you change the name that the picture is automatically named when you save it. You can change it, but it just auto-names it until you do change it. The default name is "Picture".
Finally, there is the Self-Timer. It starts to beep after you press the capture button, but gets faster to indicate that the shot will be taken. This is more for like a group picture, or self-portrait. However, the funny thing is, is if your phone is on silent, then you will not hear the beeping, and will not know when the picture is taken. So, if you use the self-timer, also use the sound.
You can transfer anything that you make or have, and that isn't copyright protected on the T68i to the T616, via bluetooth, or infrared. You can transfer any pictures or ringers to the T616. Pictures will appear smaller, with a box around them, and rigners will sound better (not as beepy), but will still not be true polyphonic. The only thing that won't work, even though it can be transfered are the themes that you create on the T68i. If you need any help with your phone, or you would like to find a place where you can download all sorts of content for your phone, including games(!), you should check out my club at "http://groups.msn.com/CellPhoneMedia". I've got lots of stuff there that you can download to your PC, then send to your phone, either via another WAP site, or via PC to phone connection.
This phone has a Music DJ, where you can create your own music, but it isn't as good as the Composer in the T68i. I think that if they had made a composer like that of the one in the Gameboy Camera, then this would have been able to produce some really awesome ringers!!! The Music DJ has preset sounds of different musical instruments, that you just combine with each other to make each tone, so in essence, you cannot make any ringer that you desire.
This phone supports Java games, which is something that was lacking and many obsessed over wishing they had in the T68i. I've got some pretty killer games on my phone. Some of the preset games on the phone, like Mini Golf, and Fivestones (like Connect Four meets Othello), let you play a network game, via bluetooth or infrared, just like that wannabe Nokia N-Gage can.
Basically this phone has the same set-up as the T68i, so read that review to get the gist of the OS of the phone. However, a few more differences in this phone from the T68i are as follows.
On the T68i, you had to hold the joystick left for two seconds in order to access the first item on your shortcuts menu. Now, you can immediately press left, and it will take you there immediately.
When you press right, it now takes you to the desktop menu, instead of the "Find Contact" option in the phonebook. Pressing down still takes you to your phonebook, but pressing up, now takes you to the mMode Media page, where you can go to download media for your phone.
There are no longer any numbers along each menu item, but you can still press the button that corresponds with its position in the list to access it.
There are no LEDs that blink to indicate that you are gettting a signal, or that you have bluetooth activated. Instead, the LED is in the joystick, and it lights up when your phone is powered off, to indicate that your phone's battery is fully charged.
Finally, the service code still works for this phone. However, since the desktop now utilizes the whole keypad, when you press "*", you will be taken to the "Connection" menu. Don't worry, but continue entering the code. ("Right, Star, Left, Left, Star, Left, Star") where you can test the phone's different functions. You can no longer see the joystick counter, though.
Here are some more tips for your phone:
-when the display is dark, you can get just the clock to illuminate by pressing one of the volume control keys on the left side of the phone
-the left joystick motion (from standby) leads to the first command located in the 'My shortcuts' list, and can be customized
-from standby, you can go directly to the contact list by pressing a key corresponding to the first letter in the name of your contact, and keeping it pressed (i.e., pressing 5 will open the contact list at 'J')
-you can get the phone to switch profiles automatically (e.g. change to meeting profile) if that meeting is scheduled in your calendar: just change the 'Profile Switch' to Auto in your calendar's 'options' submenu
-from most places/programs, pressing the 'Back' key and keeping it pressed will take you back to standby.
-in camera mode, you can (1) toggle the picture size by pressing 1, (2) toggle 'night' mode by pressing 2, (3)cycle between effect by pressing 3, (4) toggle between self-timer off/on by pressing 4, (5) adjust exposure/brightness by moving the joystick up/down, (6) adjust color saturation by moving the joystick left/right
-you can add text labels to your pictures or add lines or simple geometric shapes to the smaller sized pictures by going into 'edit' mode while looking at pics in your 'My Pictures' folder
-you can access your phone number and other information by pressing the volume keys on the side of the phone while phone is in standby
-if you need to refer to something frequently (shopping list?), you can write up a note, and 'post' it. This will essentially make it your background in standby mode, and you can see it from standby and during calls etc.
-no, there is no point to the 'colorbug' game (I think) other than showing you how clustering programs work
-you can attatch a carrying strap to the phone by opening the battery compartment, and hanging the strap through the hole in the bottom shaped like a ' [ ' turned sideways.
Back on with the review now.
The bottom port still works with many of the items that could be used with the T68i, like the MP3 player. The T616 can also use a flash attachment, made just for that phone. In addition, it can also utilize the laser pointer and the blue glow light, originally created for the T68i. Almost any accessory that was made for the T68i can work with the T616. However (though it should be quite obvious), the camera attachment does NOT work with this phone.
The built-in bluetooth works wonderfully, however, and it works very well with my bluetooth headset. The phone communicates very well, and I rarely have a communication problem when communicating with other devices linked to my phone.
Finally, as an added bonus, want to take AIM with you whereever you go? Well, yes, one way is to set-up your AIM buddy list through your phone. However, you can make it so that you have the actual AIM, complete with the AIM graphics, and appearance.
If you have a SONY Clie PEG-SJ30 Handheld, then you can download the AIM program from either "www.aim.com", or from "www.freewarepalm.com" (not sure where anymore, though, sorry). You can then connect the SONY Clie PEG-SJ30 Handheld with the SONY Ericsson T616, and go online, and have access to your AIM buddy list, and everything. Oh, by the way, if you have a Nokia, you can do this also, as long as it has either bluetooth, infrared or a cable (you just need some way to connect the SONY Clie PEG-SJ30 Handheld to the phone), however, the connection may not be as stable.
I have noticed, that while the SONY Ericsson seems to have slowdown, it seems to have the most stable phone OS system when communicating with other devices. Don't ask me why, just smile and get the phone, knowing that you're gonna get one of the best phones on the market.
One interesting thing to note is that this phone is sort of a world phone. SONY Ericsson built this phone after they created the T616. The T616 was made for International (for outside of the US) use, but could also be used inside the US, in limited areas. The T616, however, was made in reverse. It functions on the 850/1900 frequency, which is the US's frequency. However, it can also function on the 1800 frequency, which is international. Unfortunately, it does not also function on the 900 frequency, so when you are out of the United States, then you are limited to being able to use your phone in only the 1800 frequency range.
Ethan
Posted by Lynx69
A big long, but thanks.
I dont think I have anough time to read that now so i'll read it later.
Posted by Louie Talan
The white t610....
Posted by Lynx69
Thats very nice
_________________
Roses Are Red, The Grass Is Green, I Like Your Legs, But The Best's In Between.
_____________________________________________
Dont hate the player-Hate the game!
[ This Message was edited by: Lynx69 on 2004-04-08 04:19 ]
Posted by kasei
i will see it on pc.. the review is very interestin.. thanx rdy
Posted by kimcheeboi
The t61x guide for nokia users and blondes! :-D
Posted by vanquish
@ kimchee
that is not funny
there will be some people in this world that will take offence of that remark. sure, you can choose nokia, but you cant choose blonde hair naturally.
i am sorry to seem so uptight but it is true.
_________________
Sony Ericsson - Yours to create
[ This Message was edited by: daredeviluk on 2004-04-08 13:55 ]
Posted by Lynx69
Lol Kimchee i think you hit a nerve
....who know whats changed in the R4c fw from the r3c fw?
Posted by masseur
R4C003 is out for T610/30 is the thread discussing this version but member mwarner made this post recently which sums up nicely the changes between the versions
Posted by kasei
The same firmware for t610 and t630?!
Posted by Lynx69
Thanks...I need to wait a few days until the nearest service centre opens again :|
Posted by Atlis
How is it with firmware for Z600, last was R5B, is there a newer one?
Posted by Kris
How do I check the SW version on my Z600?
Posted by Atlis
It's as easy as that: * > * < < * < * Explanation: <> stands for arrow, * is a star. ;-)
Posted by Sammy_boy
Hi! I have recently bought a secondhand T610, which I believe was made 6 months ago (says '03w45' behind the battery), could I take it to a service centre and get it's firmware upgraded under the warranty?
I don't have a receipt for the phone, with it being secondhand, and it has all that nasty Vodafone Live! firmware on it; I'm looking to get it's updated and rid of that Vodafone customisation.
Posted by Atlis
@ Kris - sorry m8, it's: star, right arrow, star, twice left arrow, star, left arrow, star
Posted by johnnie
Is there any WAP that i could get some free games for Z600
Posted by Atlis
Yes, there are many of em.
Posted by Vlammetje
http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=38222&start=87 refer to that thread for free contents.
@ ?? erm.... the fw upgrade question: officially you will have to be under warranty and have to provide proof of that (ie the bill) to get a free fw upgrade. Sometimes they don't ask though, so you might just get lucky. Where I live... they will also do free upgrades outside of warranty if it's to fix a small bug on the phone (like crashing or hanging or such) but this is purely at the technician's discretion
so always be nice to the technician 
(even if you have to invent a problem )
Posted by Lynx69
@Sammy Boy
They might not belive its still under warranty without the reciept but if you say to the technician that your phone crashes and slows down a lot then they might do it free but in the UK it doesnt really cost too much, I have seen on threads I have looked at before that it might cost between 10-20 GBP but do a search. As for the Vodafone live FW they might give you original FW if you are really nice to them.
Im scared that when I get mine flashed they might flash it with Vodafone FW because the phone I got on contract was with Vodafone but they gave me an unbrabded phone and im worrying that the service centre might see that its on Vodafone and flash with that FW, has anyone experienced this?
Posted by Sammy_boy
Thanks for the advice - All I need to do now is find my nearest
sevice centre! Will see what I can get away with!
Posted by Lynx69
You can call 08705237237 in UK to find out where the nearest service centre.
Posted by Lynx69
What is "my friends"?
Posted by masseur
taken from the
product page
My Friends
The My Friends feature allows you to choose how to communicate with your favourite contacts - text message, picture message, email or voice. My Friends is an extract of your phonebook displayed as a graphical list of your favourite contacts.
If your operator provides an Instant Messaging service, My Friends automatically expands into a full-blown Instant Messaging application that allows easy chat with friends or using a chat room. Discover mobile Instant Messaging, where you can see who's online. Both you and your friends can use pictures and text to say what you’re up to
Posted by Atlis
Could be said better... But does anybody really use this feature?
Posted by Lynx69
Thanks but do you know if o2 has this and if t610 does and do i have to activate it...i cant see the pic as i am on wap
Posted by masseur
don't know anything about O2 but T610 (and Z600) doesn't have my friends. T630 is the first model with it.
Posted by harvey172
That my friends thing sounds pretty good. Wat other foods have it?
Posted by jplacson
Is it possible to swap the cases of the T630 with the T610? I like the T630's features, but prefer the T610 casing.
Posted by Lynx69
Would it be possible to get My Friends for the T610 through a FW update in the future?
Posted by Milky_cookies
The latest firmware for the z600 is r5b... One question how do you hangup without opening the flip. The way the manual says it doesnt work.
a official pic of the z600
Posted by rdnymllnsktr
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No, they won't remove the customizations. Getting rid of the branding involves a little bigger process than simply flashing new FW on it. Unless they are a friend who works there, they will not get rid of the unbranding, as this process is entirely different. They must put a new GDFS onto your phone, rather than just the AVR and the SBN files onto your phone. I don't even know if they would know how to do it.
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No. All you can do is to replace the screen with a TFT screen, then flash it with T630 FW.
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They won't flash it with Vodafone branded FW. All they are doing is flashing it with updated FW. The FW is in a different section of the phone, than where the branding is. If you come into the store without branding, you'll leave without it. If you come into the store with it, you'll leave with it.
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Yes, it's been done.
Ethan
Posted by Sammy_boy
Hi! I have a T610, and recieved a message from my service provider today (O2) that was some kind of advert for downloadable games. The problem is, that when i exited the message, there's this small text-message style envelope in the corner of my screen that has a little 'W' in it in the '@' style (if that makes any sense!) How do I get rid of it!? It won't budge!!
Posted by Lynx69
Just keep looking through your messages and look at em all or just turn phone of then on again.
Posted by MW
does anyone have the phone # to find out the where the closest service center is in the u.s. i'd like to update the fw on my t616.
Posted by sn3ipen
You can always check the number at se's official site.
Posted by MW
last time i checked their site it didn't help, coudn't find any service #.
Posted by Lynx69
Try doing a search or email sony ericsson but it will take maybe a week or more for them to reply
Posted by jani-panda
hi. just have a few questions.
i have a t630. besides the phone unit and charger, what other accesories should be included when you buy the phone? what games should already be included or embedded on the unit?
that's all for now. thanks for any info you can provide.
Posted by rdnymllnsktr
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Where do you live? I might be able to help.
Posted by MW
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Where do you live? I might be able to help. |
in the st. louis,mo area
Posted by xtokiyax
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In mine, all I got was a charger, the handset, battery, and the handstrap, and the usual - warranty, T630 software, manual, etc. I was quite pissed, considering the T610 came with a earpiece and a cloth.
Or have I been cheated?
The games are... Q*bert, HoneyCave (or somethign)< Alien Scum, Minigolf, and of course VRALLY...
I'm highly unsatisfied with how little was provided in the kit.
Posted by Vlammetje
you bought a phone though. not a phone + strap + earset
Here phones come with a charger and that's it.
Posted by rdnymllnsktr
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Darn, I live in Texas.
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Do you know how to read an instruction manual? Messages >> WAP Push >> Clear Push.
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You know why you got a cloth? It's cause the black part of the T610 is so smooth that you get fingerprints on your T610. Many people didn't like that, so you should be happy you didn't get a cloth, your phone's lower maintenance.
Geez, WTF does it matter that you don't have so many stuff anyways??? Look, at least you've got the damn phone, right?????
Posted by Lynx69
Lol EASY now
Edit: Yay its the fourth page.
_________________
Roses Are Red, The Grass Is Green, I Like Your Legs, But The Best's In Between.
_____________________________________________
Dont hate the player-Hate the game!
[ This Message was edited by: Lynx69 on 2004-04-16 14:04 ]
Posted by xtokiyax
rdnymllnsktr, how enlightening.
Here, let me enlighten you further. A cloth can be used to clean smears off the phone's screen too. It's not solely for fingerprint cleaning, ya?
Anyway, for those who own a t630...
In the camera, under the photo size options, if i choose LARGE size, (288 x 352), and i turn the camera around to take a picture of myself, what i see on the mirror is what really comes out in the picture
however, if i change the settings to SMALL size (120 x 160), what i get is an optically zoomed picture of what i see in the mirror. basically, I get a really zoomed in picture or what i see in the mirror. is this supposed to be?
Posted by Lynx69
Basically when you change the size of pic its a sort of zoom function.
Posted by xtokiyax
so, in other words it happens on your phone too!
Posted by xtokiyax
Another thing, how do I use the P800 syncstation to connect my phone to the comp and load themes up? is this possible?