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K700i observations (with a T39m spin. |
mers
Joined: May 05, 2002
Posts: 116
From: Malta
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I got a K700i a few days ago from Hong Kong, and I'd thought I'd share my experiences and opinions, good and bad, so far. I used to have an SE T39m before this (so I'm comparing this with one of the best albeit older phones ever made). These aren't in any order, just what comes to mind first.
1. The pictures don't do the K700i justice. You have to hold one of these things to appreciate it. Solid construction, huge display, the brushed aluminum and charcoal grey and black and silver meld together beautifully. It's just the right weight ... substantial but not heavy at all.
2. The screen is bright and has excellent resolution. Some of the themes and games really show it off too, especially Flo with its animated background and Tennis in Java3D. And I foresee some gorgeous themes for the K700 in not too long. 
3. The difference between pressing the joystick and moving it is very subtle. This is gonna take some getting used to. Then again, the T39 didn't have one.
4. The phone has rebooted itself twice, both times for no apparent reason. The only thing in common was I was using the Waip theme ... it hasn't rebooted in Flo. That's just an observation, not a cause.
5. I've decided that I can't stand the keypad light and I can't get used to it. It seriously looks pink, and completely throws off the aesthetics of the phone. I'm hoping they'll either dim the light in the next firmware or allow you to turn it off (when the keypad is locked, the display and keypad light up at half brightness). I think it's just the colour of the plastic used to make the keypad. So anyone know service menu locations already?
6. While we're talking about the keypad, I'll set some people's minds at ease that although it's small, it's not difficult to use (this coming after four years of using the arguably perfect T39m keypad). If you're using two hands, you have nothing to worry about. If you're using one hand, I don't like how space is the # key. It's too close to the edge of the phone and it's the most commonly pressed character in an SMS. The T39 had it on the 1 key, which made much more sense. You can also space by moving left twice on the joystick though (which is problematic, see next point). I think that I can get used to that. This isn't an issue if you're left handed ... I think I'm gonna become left handed
7. And while we're talking about writing, my BIGGEST peeve about the phone is this. When you're writing, alternate T9 options are brought up in a menu above the message. That's ok because none of us ever look at what we're typing. But what I DETEST is that you have to use the joystick to change to an alternate option (e.g. of -> me). This sucks to no end. Having to take your fingers off the keypad should be a well known taboo when it comes to designing T9 layouts. It slows you the hell down, and it's annoying. Even worse, you have to keep reorienting your hand when you finally do select an option because of the small keys on the K700.
With the T39m you'd chose an alternate option by pressing zero. This makes so much more sense, and helps you write faster. And to top it off, the 0 key does nothing on the K700, other than writing a 0 (which the T39 could do by pressing and holding, just live every other key). So SE, if you're listening, make 0 select alternate T9 options! NOW!
8. You've probably seen enough photos and videos taken by the K700 already, but what you might not know is that it has a nice night mode (larger aperture I imagine),
and quite a bright light which helps if your subject is a few feet away. It's no flash, though, but it's great for dark bars
9. The four joystick directions are associated with four shortcuts. What I didn't know was that all four are customizable, unlike T39m which is only one of 2.
10. The right selection key brings up quick access to silent mode, turning on bluetooth, phone status (still accessible from volume keys), and shortcut configuration from the standby screen.
11. Although you can get to the camera from the menus, it's nice that you can press the camera button to get there right away.
12. The darts game is a complete waste of time, the MusicDJ is also a complete waste of time but in a wonderful way! It's loads of fun. Generated midi files are not playable on a PC for some reason, but the preloaded ones are.
13. I've been reading about lag worries. I haven't experienced any.
14. Bluetooth is an absolute breeze. The software that comes with the phone, on the other hand, blows goats. There are actually people who don't use Outlook (e.g. Mozilla Thunderbird). Anyway, I'm using float's Mobile Agent and my TDK dongle drivers combined with XP. It all works well. I use FMA for contacts and standard Bluetooth networking for most everything else. My only qualm is that FMA doesn't yet write to the phone book's address and notes sections, and doesn't interface to the K700's battery information well, but time should change this. Still, a big thanks to all the developers of FMA. Your work is much appreciated.
15. Speaking of address books, when the hell will SE learn that people can have more than one mobile and more than one home number? They need to take a page from Nokia's book which lets you add any number of phone numbers of any type to a name. Sigh.
16. Although the phone has a key lock function, it's unlikely any of these keys will ever be pressed by mistake. It's a firm keypad (which is a good thing). A click sound (a la T39m) would be nice now. Thus far, the K700i can either stay silent on a key press or play a tone.
17. The radio has a nice interface, but even though I understand why the handsfree is required as an antenna, it completely defeats the purpose of having a radio. How many people carry their handsfree with them? And if you have a bluetooth headset, then what? SE didn't think this through ... I think it's just included for gimmick value I think. They should have really put in an internal antenna. At best, let's hope the next firmware version will at least not make it mandatory for the handsfree to be plugged in. If we get crappy reception, so be it, but at least we can try.
Alright, I have a woman to meet.  Hope some of you find this helpful. I wanted these observations to be something you won't find in a pamphlet but might be good to know. I'll update the thread as things crop up.
Take care everyone, let me know if you have solutions to any of my complaints,
Ciao, mers
[Edit: Did I post this in the right place?]
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[ This Message was edited by: mers on 2004-06-25 05:15 ] | |
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mobilityman
Joined: Dec 21, 2002
Posts: 4
From: Perth, Western Australia
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Hi Mers,
These observations are much appreciated. I too have had a T39m and also a Z600. My question is what is the K700 like as a phone? The T39 had great audio and reception. How do you find the K700 in these two areas?
Thanks
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GOwin
Joined: Jan 17, 2002
Posts: > 500
From: .uʍop ǝpısdn s&
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I suggest you add your review to this thread
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Access the forum with a mobile phone via esato.mobi
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Posted: 2004-06-25 06:00
