Sony Ericsson P800: A PDA That Can Do It All

The CRN Test Center has looked at a plethora of these crossbred devices, which combine cell phone service with wireless e-mail and instant messaging, but it's been difficult to find a single device that offers it all.

Enter the Sony Ericsson P800, which provides the ultimate in mobile communications and multimedia applications. Businesses both large and small, and users both corporate and personal, can find uses for the P800. Test Center engineers, however, think the P800 is best-suited for small and midsize businesses.

Most small businesses rely exclusively on POP3 functionality and ISPs to handle their e-mail. That's the environment where the P800 shines. The PDA has the ability to wirelessly access one included POP3 e-mail account and add others, allowing users to consolidate those accounts or treat them separately.

When it comes to the enterprise, key functionality for mobile devices is determined by the level of integration available to installed corporate mail systems. A device such as the Handspring Treo 300 would be better geared toward enterprise-level customers. The Treo's subscription service functions as middleware connecting a corporate e-mail server with the Sprint PCS network, and users have complete two-way synchronization for e-mail, task lists and calendars. The Treo accomplishes all of this with optional software and services from multiple carriers, while the P800 focuses mainly on POP and IMAP4 e-mail connectivity.

The P800 runs under the Symbian 7.0 operating system, the result of a joint venture among Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Psion. The Symbian OS has a POSIX-compliant interface and a Sun-approved Java Virtual Machine, and Symbian is actively working with emerging standards such as Bluetooth, IPv6, J2ME, MMS, SyncML and WCDMA.

The device also has an integrated camera, which is simple to use and requires no setup. The viewing screen is quite large, making both picture-viewing and picture-editing easily manageable. The camera's image size is up to 640 x 480 pixels with a color depth of 16 million colors (24 bit). One drawback of the camera, however, is that there's no built-in flash, so photographs must be taken in well-lighted areas. In addition, the lens doesn't have a cover, so it can be scratched easily. Users would do well to bear in mind that this is not a high-quality camera.

Images taken with the camera can be transferred easily to a PC or a Multimedia Messaging Service message. They can also be attached to an e-mail. The phone makes file transfer very simple from phone to PC. One option that engineers enjoyed using was linking photos with contacts in the phone book. When people call, their photo is displayed near their name.

In addition, the P800 features a standard audio player, which supports all audio formats, including MP3, WAV and MIDI. The PDA also can serve as a dictaphone, and there's no memory limit to that function. The playback quality was somewhat disappointing, however.

The P800 comes in only one design, which is silver and white. The internal memory is 12 Mbytes, and the unit supports a memory stick (Memory Stick DUO), which fits neatly under the stylus as external storage. Sony Ericsson even ships three extra styluses, just in case any get lost.

The device comes with the option to change into a flip-top phone that's similar to mainstream phones on the market today. The sound when using the phone is clear and loud, but one drawback is that it doesn't include a speakerphone.

AT&T and T-Mobile both support the P800. The screen, which is nonreflective and easy to view under any lighting conditions, has a resolution of 208 x 144 pixels with the flip-top closed. When the top is opened or removed, the resolution is 208 x 320 pixels.

One other thing that especially impressed Test Center engineers was the life of the P800's lithium-polymer battery. Without using power-consuming features, Test Center engineers were able to get about two days of use out of the phone. When using the Bluetooth headset, however, the charge didn't last nearly as long.

Working wirelessly has universal appeal, and with each passing day more and more people are adopting the technology. Solution providers looking to cash in can introduce wireless hybrid devices to their customers and reap the benefits. It's only a matter of time before working wireless is the preferred way of doing business.

CHANNEL PROGRAM SNAPSHOTS
>SONY ERICSSON P800
PRICE: $650
WARRANTY: 1 year
DISTRIBUTORS: AT&T, T-Mobile
TECH RATING:

CHANNEL RATING:

CHANNEL OVERVIEW: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., declined a request for an interview about its channel program. The company, however, offers support for the product through its Web site, www.sonyericsson.com. The site offers downloadable user guides as well as information on accessories for the phone.

Note: Vendors can earn up to five stars for technical merit and five for their channel program. If the average of these two scores is four stars or greater, the product earns CRN Test Center Recommended status.