Sony Ericsson V800 - What do you think?

[Gunner]

A lot of you will have been to Vodafone shops today, and this will be, for many, the handset that catches their eye. For those of you who either bought one or have had a play, this is the place to post your views.

Here's mine: I compared it directly to my Z1010. It's thinner, about the same weight, but the camera is in a better position, is much better quality, and the whole phone is much easier to hold. The menu's are a little over animated, but the OS is superb and the phone is very nippy indeed. Love the way downloads are multitasked - you see their progress while you continue to browse. The V800 is the better phone, but in terms of functionality the Z1010 is pretty damn similar. The V800 is pretty thin :D

Please only vote and post if you have actually experienced the handset for yourself.

[agent O]

hi abs
agree. its a smaller unit than my z1010. didnt like the way voda mess with the os tho. i think i'm gonna quit my orange trial and go back to 2g and wait for them to get the v800 in the new year asuming it comes out on orange i'll get it.

[simon69c]

Well I really like it - I think the Vodafone branding has actually been kept down to a reasonable level - the Live! button no longer completely ruins other themes. I love the animated menus and the browser is nice and nippy on the Live! with 3G. However....

All my initial mucking around was looking at what was available on the Live! content. It wasn't until later on this afternoon that I tried to set up my online Vodafone billing and was surprised when no text came through - so I tried to phone my 3 phone - didn't work (didn't even get an error message - it just dropped back to the menu I'd previously been in). Worrying I thought. It wouldn't receive incoming calls either. It appears that this is only a problem when the phone is on the 3G signal though. I tried putting the Voda SIM in my unlocked 7600 and it wouldn't register until I switched to GSM only mode and then it worked fine. When I put the SIM back in V800 it initially locked onto the 2G signal and I was able to make an outgoing call - however it then found the 3G signal and I was again not able to make any calls. I've called Vodafone about it and they have a few people with this problem apparently (unable to make/receive voice calls/texts when on 3G signal) and they are working on it allegedly.

It's all very strange because I can view the Live! content without any problems and the signal appears to be perfectly good.

I did some further mucking around with the settings and changed the data comms settings so that it was in Circuit Switched (CS) mode only and so when it dropped the GPRS signal indicator it then reported that there was no network access. Clicking the Live button forces it to look for the GPRS signal which it then finds and loads up without problems. From that it appears to me to be a problem with the CS side of the 3G as the Packet Switching (GPRS) works without a hitch.

One thing that did occur to me was the SIM. It looks exactly like a standard Vodafone SIM. I know visually USIMs do look just like normal GSM SIMs but there was no markings on it that might distinguish it as a USIM either. Has anyone else who has got a V800 today had these problems and if not can you have a quick look at your SIM/USIM and see if it has any distinguishing markings to suggest that it is a USIM rather than a SIM?

Oh yeah, the other thing which seems to indicate there is a problem is that when the data comms are set to CS & PS and the GPRS over 3G signal is good there is an additional icon on the main standby screen which looks like a small phone with a tiny red cross in the top right hand corner. I can see no mention of this in the manual and the person I spoke to on the phone at Vodafone had no information about it either. I guess it is an equivalent to 'no network access' but I can't understand why it still allows GPRS connections over 3G when the phone thinks there is no network access?

All a bit confusing! Hope it gets sorted soon because it seems like it is a trivial problem with a network setting somewhere and other than that the phone is fantastic!

[99901]

got one today, even though I thought the price at 150 was steep.
I got

400 mins Xnet
12 pound to spread between texts MMS and video
50 mins Video calling
News, footy weather and film worth 11 pound
Free music downloads until march
Free Voda Live browsing
All for 40 quid a month
Fantastic price

Now the phone

I agree the phone is very nice clean and sharp. The menu is very crisp and os is stable. Camera is very good (1.3 megapixel)
Its got a fantastic tennis game but you have to buy it after 5 plays. Loads of branding everywere

Overall I like it

I cant comment on the Voda service because I have ported my number from ORange so waiting for that.

Very impressed and very good value.
BTW
you only get the deals in store

[Gunner]

Killahurts - You have voted that you didn't like the Sony Ericsson V800. Have you actually been to the Vodafone shop today and tried one? You haven't posted your reasons :\

I did state that this is a poll for people who have tried the handset.

Thanks to the others - interesting comments. I agree the Vodafone branding can be intrusive, but I also think it has been kept to a reasonable level on the V800. Just wish Voda's coverage was better... but that's for another thread!

[simon69c]

Ah-ha. Well I knew that would happen if I put a post about the problem - it just seems to have been corrected :) I can now call and text normally - Yay! Now to find a victim for a video call. Anyone fancy testing out an on-net and/or cross-net call?

[Killahurts]

Absolutely all i have to say is surprisingly SE London is full of Vodaphone stores as you well know...

Is there any reason why you chose to ask just me?

[Gunner]

Yeah, you were the only person that had voted no, but hadn't substantiated. I'm more curious as to what dissatisfies you about the phone. I'm keen to gather opinions about how this handset is being received. I'd also be very grateful for your comments, haveagoade. I can't get a balanced view if only those who vote yes post their reasons ;)

[Dazwantanuphone]

i dont know if its just the fact ibe had a crappy nec for ages now but this phone does everything i want, also ive had no probs with 3g coverage even tho ive been travelling a lot

The handset is light and reasonably attractive and the camera flash is great for comming home late and looking for your keys

all in all a very tidy phone and for 50 quid i really cant argue with the value either!!

[simon69c]

Who on earth is voting that they don't like this phone?! I'm genuinely interested in your reasons because I can't see how it can't be considered superior to every other 3G handset* currently available in the UK? If this is just the '3 is great and I don't care whatever anyone else says' crowd being petty then it really is rather sad. This phone may well be available on 3 in the New Year anyway - and probably massively subsidised.

We've seen reasons from those who have liked it and those who have bought it - it would be helpful to see why those who don't like it voted the way they did.

Edit: *OK maybe a slight exaggeration - I can see why some might want PDA functions - but certainly better than all the other clamshells.

[chaslam]

I agree. As much as I like three and would like to stay with them I am seriously considering moving to vodafone because to the handsets. Ok it will have to be a good offer (we all know it wont be cheaper then three).

[Gunner]

Ok, six voters like the phone so far. Five of those six have posted their reasons.

Four voters voted they didn't like the phone. No reasons why have yet been posted.

3GScottishUser - You voted that you liked the handset. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

colonel, frazzel, haveagoade, Killahurts - You all voted that you didn't like the handset. I'd be interested to hear your responses too, if that's possible.

chaslam - I'm so tempted too :( Grr! I seriously can't take out *another* contract though. While definitely not cheaper, apparently the Hero tariffs available in-store (and some of the other tariffs) are actually very similar to Three's. They're cheaper than Voda 2G tariffs. You also get a lot of extra stuff, including video minutes.

[chaslam]

Yes I am going into town on saturday so I will see what they can offer me. It is really strange today as as much as I tried I just couldnt get the V800 out of my mind! It is like it is controlling my mind!
Also I have just noticed that it says king pin below my name? how odd! Admin must of done this as I didnt do it.

[frazzel]

I voted that I dont like like the phone, as I personally thinks its ugly. Also just looks to plasticly, and that I am a fan of SE but this one does not do anything for me. Yes I had a go on one in a vodafone store!

[Killahurts]

Same as frazzel the black buttons on silver look naff and plasticky- even worse than 3s motos and I'm no fan of their looks either.

Also know someone at work who has bought one and I dont think the sound quality on calls is too hot either - may just be his phone but quality is better on my LG.

He also hadnt thought of buying a 3 phone having been a Voda customer basically all his mobile life but when we compared costs he's thinking of giving up his Voda phone (under 14 day grace period) and switching.

We'll see if he does that.

And on a general point I dont like the aggresive marketing on Vodas phone. You flip open you get the latest promo for Bridgette Jones flick and the phone then proceeds to tell you your nearest cinema with the film on and how to buy tickets.

Aggresive marketing that I can do without...

[simon69c]

I've not seen any marketing that I would cal aggressive (no more so than 3 anyway) - had a couple of introductory MMS explaining the services I had and when you go to the Vodafone Live! homepage there is just a small banner at the top with the latest content they have and then immediately links to their normal content. I don't see how this is any different to Today on 3 and at least you get the links to things you actually want off the first page as well.

I suspect Orange's effort will be the best effort of the lot as in the past I have always preferred Orange World and they way it auto-customises the home-screen to the things you normally look at and gives you the option of adding particular shortcuts of interest as well.

Well I can appreciate that the aesthetics might not be to everyone's tastes but I personally really like the look. The shiny black is reminiscent of the T610 and the blue lit keypad is really nice. I really like the feel of the phone in the hand as well - it seems balanced just right when it is open. To be fair i haven't made that many voice calls on it so far but I haven't had any issue with the quality when listening to people's answer phone greetings.

[frazzel]

Well yes vodafone do put too much rubbish on their live phones. I was one of the poor soles who had one, t610 greatphone. But with voda customisation, it made it run slow and kept crashing. I went through 12 phones because of this!!! SO myself I prefer a phone to left as it should do like when it leaves the factory!

[chaslam]

I havent heard much about open internet access on vodafone. Can you get this as it just sounds like threes walled garden?

[Gunner]

Of course there's open access :P

Browsing within Live is free. Browsing outside live is charged at Vodas standard rate, deductable from the free Extras packs.

I have SIM-Free T610 frazzel, they're horribly slow anyway ;)

[simon69c]

I had a Voda Live! T610 once and took it back because of the horrible branding (got it later on Orange which was far better). Believe me if the V800 was as bad as that it would have gone straight back! The menus are far faster than any SE I've used before too - and they are all nice and animated too. The 3d game engine is also amazing.

[frazzel]

Well as its still a new bunnie I would be hesitant to be give it anything as in how it is to use, might be a few bugs hidden somewhere!!!

WATCH OUT!!! That wee Vodafone bug is coming soon to a voda 3g phone soon ;)

[99901]

Its very annoying that all the 3 lovers are slagging a phone off that is far superior than any phone up to now that has been brought out on 3.

I think that 3 content is good, but the customer service and call dropping is the let down.

Come on Face it Voda and orange will rise above because of the phone quailty and networks.

I did sum it up the other day. The people on 3 struggle to get on any other network so they chose 3.

I love the fone and I think it is very good

[jayd]

Not superior to the new Moto a1000 im afraid. Still if people don't like the phone they are entitled to say so, me personally i am excited about the phone as im a huge fan of SE phones but its not for me as im very happy with my new A1000. As for struggling to get on any other network, not me, i've been with Voda and Orange and don't have a bad thing to say about them as for 3 im now very happy with the service i've been with them from near the start and the improvement has been amazing for a new network, second to none in fact i don't need data services and have a pc to surf the web and cables to upload to my phone if need be, so 3 meets my needs of a (now) reliable service with cheap calls and a great phone ( A1000 ). Each to there own but 3 suits me.

[frazzel]

Im not slagging vodafone, im just saying I dislike the handset. iI had a vodafone contract once, but quite happily left as they charge way too much for some of their services!

[chaslam]

The people on 3 struggle to get on any other network so they chose 3.

I love the fone and I think it is very good

SORRY! Are you saying that everyone on three cant get onto the other networks? I can get onto any network of my choice but I choose three because of the advancing technology and the cheap contracts. I have been with three for nearly a year and personnally I think they are really good. I can appreichate that people have had problems with three but I havent. The three network is just like all the others so if you are on three I dont see how you cant get onto the other networks! Also you say that all three lovers slag off the V800. Well I like it and am even considering moving to vodafone for the best 3G phone out (apperently!). Acually, I might just stay with three with the "far superior" A1000 as I might not be able to get on to vodafone as I am on three!!! (sarcasm by the way!)

[Gunner]

Thanks for the comments so far.

Interesting comment about the buttons. They did strike me initially I must say, but once I started pressing them I was reassured. The phone just felt so solid, a big break from some of the plastic SE has been pumping out just lately.

It's quite a different design, and I can see why people would look at it and dislike it. Functionality wise it seems fantastic, best SE I've used (non-smartphone). I'm interested to see what faults are documented here over the next week or two.

[pure ginge]

i wouldn't say I'm a three lover, but i do like three in a general way :S

But i seriously want this fone........the white version (just looks far sleeker)
I'll just bore u with the reasons why
expandable to 1gb....perfect for mp3's, and many a drunken picture
the use of 6 led lights for the 1.3 mp camera....come on how crap is the a835 camera
its a reasonable size......unlike my pocket boner aka a835

actually the a835 isn't that bad...(its damn good) but i had its time in the sun, so three buy some WHITE v800 when the vodafone exclusivenss runs out and 3sellernw....u know my number buddy, get it sorted!!!!

[uk2004]

got the phone yesterday and when i got it home i found that the camera didnt work. went back to the shop today and they said they would replace it but didnt have any more in stock so it will either be tomorrow or next week when i get the replacement phone. was a bit annoyed after the amount it cost. i also couldnt make/receive calls on the 3g network yesterday but it seems ok today. havent had a chance to have a go of all the features - i'll wait til i get my new phone.

[Tom.]

Well I had a quick play with one today, and it was fantastic. I'm definitely buying one. Very slick, and 240hours standby! Thats even better than my old 6310i

[simon69c]

i also couldnt make/receive calls on the 3g network yesterday but it seems ok today.

I think that was an issue for a lot of people - me included. I'd been so busy playing around with the Live! stuff I hadn't even realised the call/text problem until mid-afternoon. It had sorted itself by early evening though - I think they forgot to flick a switch when they turned the network from trial to live so that although packet switching on the 3G network was fine (browsing on Live etc.) anything circuit switched (calls and texts) couldn't access it. Not had a problem since then though.

[Gunner]

When Three launched it used to take several days for all the services to be activated. First 2G services would start working, then various bits of 3G. I'm guessing it's just taking a little while to get everyone provisioned. Sorry to hear about your camera uk2004! That kinda thing is normally what happens to me! ;)

[chaslam]

I have voted yes. I went into my local vodafone store today and I had a look. I was impressed but then the E1000 caught my eye. I 3was even more impressed with this! The large, colourful display, the great camera but mostly the size!

[Swiss]

Impressed with phone so much so that I bought it....but the one I've bought is faulty. It doesn't recognise my SIM or the test SIM in the shop that I returned it to. And since they have sold out I have to wait for a replacement to be sent to me by courier on Monday morning. From the reaction in the shop I'm not the only one!

[Killahurts]

Do you mean you're not the only one with that problem?

[Hokalus]

I had a play with the v800 in the local Vodafone shop earlier. Before seeing it in person I was dubious about the aesthetics, it really does look much better in real life.

Now if only the local area was covered at the minute... According to the sales person the only real 3G coverage in the area is at Meadowhall :( (Didn't get a signal in the shop here in Rotherham anyway...) . Roll on 2005

[99901]

I had a play with the v800 in the local Vodafone shop earlier. Before seeing it in person I was dubious about the aesthetics, it really does look much better in real life.

Now if only the local area was covered at the minute... According to the sales person the only real 3G coverage in the area is at Meadowhall :( (Didn't get a signal in the shop here in Rotherham anyway...) . Roll on 2005


Hi

I get signal in Sheff and some places in Rotherham. Its very patchy but better than promised

[Alba]

I went yeasterday to the vodafone shop to have a play with it.Im very impresed!Reasonably small size,very attractive,perfect picture quality just like i did imagen it.Havn't paly with v.life yet.I will get my SY V800 next week from carphonewarehouse because im going through an upgrade.I will bring my opinions again when i start using this phone.

[Hokalus]

Hi

I get signal in Sheff and some places in Rotherham. Its very patchy but better than promised

Thats good news :)

[3gtrooper]

Well have to say this, I went into look at the Moto V980, but once I had both in my had I had to have this phone!

Having had a three phone or seven, I have to say this is a breath of fresh air, it looks better than the junk 3 has had, well apart from the LG's.

When you open it I think it looks smart and well made, and guess what, great call quality, good battery and no calls being dropped, and I am not in a great 3g area!

Apart from fun trying to find drivers for the modem on the phone for my Mac, no problems.

I love the internet unrestricted!

Rock on Vodafone!

Oh one more thing too, it only costs £20 to unlock a handset on Voda, even a new 3g one and they can do it at the store, makes a change not to have to phone India and pay £150!

[MJH]

Well finally got my number ported over today and had my first play with the phone, it is utterly fantastic :)

I had my first video call with a mate on 3 and was chuffed to bits with the quality.

Streaming is fantastic and really fast.

abs, this is the best decision I ever made.

[Gunner]

Really glad MJH :) Keep us posted on how the experience goes.

[deron]

I like this phone a lot.

Got mine yesterday and it feels like the spritual successor to my z600.

Makes the same satisfying click as well. I like my z600 and this is obviously a lot better. It's bigger, but slimmer as well.

Just got investigate the movie playback now...back to playing.

[Zopyrus]

Regarding the Recieving/Outgoing calls and Text problems on this phone, do you still have it? Because I use the LG 8110 right now and that problem is ALL OVER MY A$$, I hate it so I want to buy a better phone, then I saw this one SE v800, is it worth the change since they both are 3G ? Will it work?

[simon69c]

I only had a call and text problem on the first afternoon I got the phone - and that wasn't a handset problem but one with the network. I've not had any problems since then. Call and text problems will rarely be a handset issue - it is probably the network you are on that is at fault.

[deron]

No problems here either. Only thing I've had to do was ring up to enable my mms.

Been to Prague for the weekend and it was working fine no probs...Took a few nice photos with it too...

Had a 3 phone for 7 days and sent it back due to network issues. One thing I am curious is how the network works.

Are voice calls 100% 2g or does it switch between the two?

Keep teasing my mate with the Mellor goal. How he hates me...

[simon69c]

Are voice calls 100% 2g or does it switch between the two?

Well that's an interesting question. I had assumed that it switched between the two networks according to coverage, however someone claiming to work for Vodafone is suggesting that all voice calls are routed via 2G. This seems a trifle bizarre to me and quite a few others on here - I'm not sure if we have 'proof' one way or the other at the moment. I can appreciate that it may well be possible for this to happen but I am at a loss as to why they would do this - unless of course they haven't managed to resolve voice call handover issues between 2G/3G and are therefore playing it safe by having all voice calls on 2G for the time being.

[deron]

Well are there any obvious quality advantages to having voice calls on the 3g network?

If not it would make perfect sense for them to keep their core service 100% reliable, then have to keep dealing with drop out issues.

As a 2nd question how does 3 work? Does it chop and change between 3g and 2g?

[simon69c]

Well are there any obvious quality advantages to having voice calls on the 3g network?

If not it would make perfect sense for them to keep their core service 100% reliable, then have to keep dealing with drop out issues.

Well the 3G network should offer better voice quality - but the main driver for using it is that there is so much capacity available on the 3G network compared with the 2G one and as such is cheaper in a "%age load on the network" sense (these savings won't be realised until sufficient numbers are using the 3G network though). The technology is already there for not having drop-out issues (especially when one company has an integrated 2G/3G network) - it appears the voice calls always on 2G claim may well have been incorrect anyway judging from some users' own tests.

As a 2nd question how does 3 work? Does it chop and change between 3g and 2g?

3 does chop and change, with chop being the operative word ;). If you are in their coverage when you start a call it will be routed via their own UMTS network (as it is far cheaper for them); if you move out of their coverage then the call will be dropped as the handset re-registers onto O2's 2G network. If you are outside 3's 3G coverage when you start a call then any voice calls will be routed via O2's 2G network and will stay there, even if the phone moves into 3's 3G coverage. The phone will switch back to 3G when the call ends.

[Gunner]

As opposed to Vodafone 3G of course, which will seamlessly switch you between 3G and 2G depending on what is available without you even noticing.

It doesn't make perfect sense to keep voice calls on 2G. The networks have massive extra capacity on their 3G networks and they will want to use that extra capacity in areas where their 2G network is under strain.

I daresay more intelligent load-balancing/switching will take place between modes in the future, until GSM is eventually taken out of service.

[simonlant]

what are the other themes like on v800, ive seen the voda one, can you change them? does it have that slinky bubble theme?
the guy in the shop wouldnt let me change them when i was having a demo :(

[simon69c]

It comes with 4 themes on the handset (Power Saving, Rouge, Vodafone Live!, Vodafone Rings) and three more on the memory stick (Blues, Dor, Kila). Blues, Dor and Rouge are different colour versions of the 'slinky bubbles' theme. You can always get more anyway.

[mikez]

Well I had a quick play with one today, and it was fantastic. I'm definitely buying one. Very slick, and 240hours standby! Thats even better than my old 6310i

240 hours if you strap it to a transmitter element and don't do anything with it.

With a few minutes of calls, a few SMS and a few video streams per day I'm getting 2-3 days battery life.

Mike.

[freddyg]

Hi Chaslam-how you doin? I really love the look of the SE V800 but I have zero 3g voda coverage in my area so I wouldn't get the benefits of their 3g services right now. At least there appears to be seamless handovers from 3g to 2g which is a BIG plus over 3 as I have recently moved to a new house and the 3 coverage is very wobbly indeed and continually drope calls when moving from 3g to 2g. I think I may take a peak in the Livingston Voda shop tomorrow but I won't be buying it right now as I have 5-6 months remaining on my 3 contract.

[Bryan]

I picked up one of these just after xmas, my friend works for vodafone so always manages to waive any upgrade costs etc so the phone was free and got an excellent calling package aswell. The phones features are really good the best i have seen for a while, and very fast. I am allready on my second one though after 6 days as the external screen had a bit of an issue and give up on me, first of all it went a bit mental with lines all over it and going in and out of focus, then it just died, to their credit though they just give me a new one, now questions, they even let me keep all the old phones extra's memory card, USB cable, charger etc, handy as now have one for the office and one for home...

I go through phones like a baby through nappies and I really like this one... buy it ..

[Gunner]

The poll appears to agree with your conclusion. The vast majority of respondents either liked it or bought it, which is nice to see. Thanks to everyone for their votes and opinions :)

[shaznizzle]

im juz crazy about it.. i dont hv 3G in my place and vodafone... but i bought it... haha! even without 3G man.. the phones surely beats most phones out there.. to gd to be true.. finally a taste of some japanese quality phone.

[chaslam]

Hi Chaslam-how you doin? I really love the look of the SE V800 but I have zero 3g voda coverage in my area so I wouldn't get the benefits of their 3g services right now. At least there appears to be seamless handovers from 3g to 2g which is a BIG plus over 3 as I have recently moved to a new house and the 3 coverage is very wobbly indeed and continually drope calls when moving from 3g to 2g. I think I may take a peak in the Livingston Voda shop tomorrow but I won't be buying it right now as I have 5-6 months remaining on my 3 contract.

Hi freddy, Im fine thanks you? Sorry my reply is a bit late lol. I really like the V800 but is strange. One of my mates has a V800 and all my other mates are saying that its huge. Then I show them my A1000 and they say how small it is!! I do like it though.

[freddyg]

nice to hear from you at last Chaslam! Glad you like your A1000. I haven't had a play with it myself so far but been reading mixed reviews of it in a couple of mags recently. I now only have 4 months of my 3 contract left and quite looking forward to see what will be available at that time. Will keep you posted on what I do next!

[Bobajobbob]

The V800 is OK. Nothing truly special but not too shabby as a basic phone all the same. Having said that my first one had a connectivity problem which meant it seemed to only connect to the 3g network and not to GSM which made it practically useless given the reliability and distribution of the 3g network at the moment. My second one seems to work OK but in fact most of the time I disable the 3g network for reliability issues. I don't feel like I am losing anything by disabling 3g to be honest.

I haven't tested the vid phone because I don't know anyone else with a 3g phone. This would be one of the only reasons for me to turn 3g back on at the moment. Using the phone as a modem with my powerbook woudl be another but even then you are limited by the bandwidth of bluetooth so it isn't such a huge leap from GPRS.

The branding is a bit of a pain in the butt and is really unecessary in my opinion as vodafone live really has nothing to offer anyone older than 12 years old. I'm sure this will improve but at the moment it just seemed to be infested with pay services and I will never pay for basic web info just because it is on my phone. Music and ringtones are of no interest either. If I want them i will transfer them from my PC and in fact the DRM issue pretty much means I will never use it as a music player because it is too much hassle.

What woudl be of interest would be more video and Tv live streams but only for the cost of the data. Not with another attached £1.50 or whatever they are currently dreaming of.

Thats my two cents on 3g funcitonality. I like the design of the phone itself though the black one looks dirty immediately. I woudl go for the white one for this reason if you get the chance. Unfortunately my white one broke and was replaced with black. It seems well built and the screen is very clear. The camera on the other hand does not live up to 1.3MP Sure the pictures it takes are 1280x1024 or whatever but they are not especially clear. Camera could do a lot better.

For me the V800 it is a bit too much form over function but that is of course only my opinion.

[freddyg]

A friend was looking to get a new phone so I suggested a 3g phone so we both went along to our local shopping centre for a browse. I was very impressed by the Moto E1000 as it had a fantastic screen and brilliant sound. I asked to see the V800 on demo and I was quite disapointed. It's screen seemed alot smaller than the Moto plus the actual size of the V800 put me off-it's huge! I had forgotten just how big a phone the V800 actually is and having been slagge doff for my "brick" NEC E616 in the past I thought it best to leave the V800 to history. I ended up getting a Moto E1000 after my pal got one from a special promotion that was on. It really is a good phone with the only downside being battery life-2 days max is all I have achieved-but then I did add Video Value to my deal and have been downloading like crazy!. Love the full screen option it has too!

[freddyg]

The V800 is OK. Nothing truly special but not too shabby as a basic phone all the same. Having said that my first one had a connectivity problem which meant it seemed to only connect to the 3g network and not to GSM which made it practically useless given the reliability and distribution of the 3g network at the moment. My second one seems to work OK but in fact most of the time I disable the 3g network for reliability issues. I don't feel like I am losing anything by disabling 3g to be honest.

I haven't tested the vid phone because I don't know anyone else with a 3g phone. This would be one of the only reasons for me to turn 3g back on at the moment. Using the phone as a modem with my powerbook woudl be another but even then you are limited by the bandwidth of bluetooth so it isn't such a huge leap from GPRS.

The branding is a bit of a pain in the butt and is really unecessary in my opinion as vodafone live really has nothing to offer anyone older than 12 years old. I'm sure this will improve but at the moment it just seemed to be infested with pay services and I will never pay for basic web info just because it is on my phone. Music and ringtones are of no interest either. If I want them i will transfer them from my PC and in fact the DRM issue pretty much means I will never use it as a music player because it is too much hassle.

What woudl be of interest would be more video and Tv live streams but only for the cost of the data. Not with another attached £1.50 or whatever they are currently dreaming of.

Thats my two cents on 3g funcitonality. I like the design of the phone itself though the black one looks dirty immediately. I woudl go for the white one for this reason if you get the chance. Unfortunately my white one broke and was replaced with black. It seems well built and the screen is very clear. The camera on the other hand does not live up to 1.3MP Sure the pictures it takes are 1280x1024 or whatever but they are not especially clear. Camera could do a lot better.

For me the V800 it is a bit too much form over function but that is of course only my opinion.

Hi Bobajobbob
If you fancy trying out videocalling I can help you out as I have free minute sin my 3 plan. Let me know if you are interested.

[agent O]

I had forgotten just how big a phone the V800 actually is and having been slagge doff for my "brick" NEC E616 in the past I thought it best to leave the V800 to history. I ended up getting a Moto E1000

V800
Size Dimensions 102 x 49 x 24 mm
Weight 128 g

E1000
Size Dimensions 114 x 52 x 23 mm, 105 cc
Weight 140 g

How is it huge? i assume you mean when it is open? who carries a flip phone open in there pocket? if you ended up getting the E1000 you ended up getting a phone even more huge than the V800. :confused:

[freddyg]

I meant when you open the V800 it seems huge. I would feel very self conscious opening the V800 in public whereas the Moto E1000 just seems like a standard candy bar style handset. Don't get me wrong-I love flip phones and really wanted to get the V800 when it was launched but close up I just got put off with its size when opened out.

[simon69c]

I haven't tested the vid phone because I don't know anyone else with a 3g phone. This would be one of the only reasons for me to turn 3g back on at the moment. Using the phone as a modem with my powerbook woudl be another but even then you are limited by the bandwidth of bluetooth so it isn't such a huge leap from GPRS.
Well under normal conditions, a bluetooth connection should be providing more bandwidth than your phone's 3G connection. Besides, you can always connect via USB instead which will give you plenty of bandwidth.

If you fancy trying out videocalling I can help you out as I have free minute sin my 3 plan. Let me know if you are interested.
Are those crossnetwork video minutes? Last time I looked (which to be fair was several months ago), 3's inclusive video minutes were for 3-to-3 only.

[Bobajobbob]

Thanks for the offer of video call. However I think I will buy my wife a 3g phone and lose my virginity with her so to speak!

I really think that Orange's buy one and get one free is an excellent way fo marketing these phones because otherwise the advantages really aren't that obvious.

Thanks for the suggestion of using the USB cable for maximum modem bandwidth. Being very thick I hadn't considered that though obviously bluetooth is more convenient on the road.

I don't know why I thought that 3g offered greater bandwidth than is possible over bluetooth. It must be somethign that someone told me once and I ahve remembered it as "fact".

What are the theoretical maximums of both?

[sngd2.1]

i've had 5 Se phones. the t68i, t300, t610, z1010, and v800. and so far i can't fault the v800. it'll be even better when i upgrade my firmeware to z800 this week.

the v800 is like the z1010 but improved in every way, size, looks, content, and battery power etc. anyone who previously owned a z1010 but now has a v800 will understand...

[agent O]

the v800 is like the z1010 but improved in every way, size, looks, content, and battery power etc. anyone who previously owned a z1010 but now has a v800 will understand...

INDEED!!!!!

i now have a orange z1010 that wont get used!!!

[paul2004]

I want to give some input from a South African perspective. I have just got my V800 (2 Weeks ago) and the phone is really great. Zippy in all aspects and the os is great. Vodacom SA's 3G coverage is OK, and I am sure that it will improve in time to come. I was also in 2 minds whether I should get the SE V800 or Motorolla E 1000, and I am glad I went with SE, especially after trying out my friends Motorolla E 1000.

Congratulations SonyEricsson

[Azurael]

It needs a higher resolution screen... I don't want to use any other phones after my E1000 now :D