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sony ericsson m600i try before buy

sony ericsson m600i vs p910a

Can I be impressed and disappointed at the same time? I’ve spent the past two weeks trying out the new Sony Ericsson M600i GSM Tri Band/UMTS (available unlocked for about $430 USD) and while I love the form factor, touch screen interactivity and BlackBerry-inspired keypad - it’s not quite working for me. You have to understand - I want to love this device. I’m a huge Symbian and Sony Ericsson enthusiast and have been waiting for this model for many months now. I’m trying to rule out the learning curve and also the fact that I’ve had my old device, the Sony Ericsson P910a now for over two years. I’ve also been waiting all year for the Q to arrive and might even consider the new Samsung i600 or the Nokia E61. But when I had the opportunity to try the new Sony M600i - I jumped.

m600i front view

First Impression: LOVE IT.

I brought it to the office and one of our designers immediately grabbed it, took apart his device (a Sony S700) and inserted his SIM card into the new device and powered it up. We ‘oooh’d’ and ‘aaahhhhh’d’ at the smooth animation and slick interface. The size, weight and utilitarian block shape was simple, clean and something you could covet. I tried the keys and although at first awkward, I determined I could learn how to use this device. I knew I could love this model. I’m a bit unsure about not being able to take digital pictures - but willing to give it a try.

m600i keypad close up

Second Impression: STILL LOVING IT.

So now I have inserted my own SIM card and have found a blank (unused) SIM card in my laptop to insert into my old phone so I can transfer the numbers. After much trial and error I realize I need to send key contacts one by one using bluetooth from old device to new device. Now that I have my main contacts ready to go, I’m ready to take this new device out on the road. A business trip. I’ll be gone for a week - let’s see how I do.

At the airport and on the airplane (with ‘flight mode’ on) I continue to move contacts over one by one. I know there is a better way to handle this, but for this trial I opt for manual transfer. I start to play with the interface during ‘flight mode’ and see how smart the interactivity is. As an example, you can set the main number you want to see when you scroll over a contact. Then you can click to the right of the contact and scroll through all associated phone numbers while still on the main screen. Really nice feature. Built in Opera Mini browser makes the web manageable. I didn’t get 100% set up for email (yet) but the large screen is easy to read with the 2.6” display and 240 x 310 pixel resolution.

m600i sms screen

Third Impression: GETTING FRUSTRATED.

As I use this device, especially while driving, I begin to miss the quad-directional functionality of the wheel control on the left side (it is now dual-functioned) along with the soft keys. I find myself searching for a ‘back’ button - and becoming annoyed when I have to look at the screen and try and use my thumb while holding the device in one hand to ‘call’ or scroll through my address book. I find I CANNOT use this device easily with ONE HAND. It is largely dependent on the touch screen itself for commands, and most of the time my thumb or finger, smaller than most, cannot complete the desired action. FRUSTRATING!

Note to all smartphone manufacturers - make sure your smartphones work single handed. And do not rely on the touch screen (especially when too small to use fingers) alone.

Also, the ‘back’ button is at the top right - not reachable easily with thumb (see image above) and I cannot easily send an SMS through the confusing menu. The thumb dial (jog wheel) no longer serves as a back button and there are no soft keys, as mentioned before. I just want to get back ‘home’ easily.

Some other things that happened - might they be bugs?

* A vibrating alarm goes off from time to time (I think I accidentally clicked on the alarm icon which may activate this annoying feature). This ‘alarm’ cannot be turned off. No matter what I do, where I look or how I try to deactivate this using the menu and screen, I cannot. I have reverted to turning off the power now three times. I’ve shown it to others for a desperate ‘usability test’ to see if they can turn it off. It drains the batteries and appears to be some kind of bug.

* In bright daylight, the screen goes dark. This is especially annoying as I cannot see any of the icons or text on screen. The battery was charged more than 50% and it has only happened a few times so I’m not sure what causes the screen to go dark.

* I cannot easily figure out how to ‘lock’ the device. I did however grab this device from a friend and most likely am just missing support documentation, but the device kept calling my friend Leigh who overheard more than a few conversations.

Lastly: THE VERDICT.

I’m not sure this is the device for me. At least in its current state. As loyal as I want to be to Sony products (I have the VAIO laptop, a Sony digital camera, etc.) I might do some more research on the new super slim Samsung SGH i600 (using something silly called SSMT - smart surface mount technology) and perhaps readdress the Q one last time.

I need something soon - my P910a is wigging out these days, the ‘space’ bar types a ‘y’ more than 50% of the time, sendingymessages likeythisyall of theytime. And because I love moblogging and uploading photos ‘on the fly’ I really miss an integrated camera (maybe they will come out with one later?). It is too bad, because I truly love the form factor and was ready to buy - before I tried.

Posted on August 26th, 2006 in Thoughts
Tagged as , , , , , ,
Written by Kelly Goto

23 Responses to “sony ericsson m600i try before buy”

Comments

  1. Jeffrey Chiang says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Ah..maybe it’s time for a low-tech switch. A simple phone that just looks pretty.

  2. Jared Benson says:
    August 26th, 2006

    I find it interesting (read as: somewhat disappointing) that the UI designer for this device still placed key functionality in the softkey region, despite the fact that there are no softkeys to speak of on this device.

    With a touch-screen interface, I’d expect that new opportunities in the UI would open up, allowing perhaps to put some of those key functional buttons in context of the selected item.

  3. Kelly says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Jared,

    I completely agree. It is disappointing that one-handed functionality and a complete dependency on the touch screen seems to be the focus of this device. Although the form factor is fabulous - Sony Ericsson has taken a step backwards in my opinion and the soft keys and 5-way functionality of the wheel is really missing. And where is the camera?

  4. andrew berglund says:
    August 26th, 2006

    hey Kelly

    the SonyEricsson P990i is the way to only go - get mine soon…

  5. Andres says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Hi guys, where can I submit news tips to Go To Mobile ?

    Best.

    AR

  6. Greg Fields says:
    August 26th, 2006

    I feel your pain KG - I tried out this device on a beta, really wanted to love it, but didn’t. It fell really short on the types of things I need from a device, like mobile internet, email, SMS, IM and phone. These guys are definitely on the right track though. The platform could integrate a camera easily, and the other issues will hopefully be ironed in the next rev … guess we both have to wait.

    For now I’m testing a MotoQ …. which is another story:-).

  7. Kelly says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Greg - let me know how the motoQ works for you - I might be heading in that direction myself. I have always had faith that Sony (especially) would learn and improve upon user experience - and have been EXTREMELY disappointed in a lack of ‘best practices’ especially for this target consumer - wired, (often tired) and needing their information to be immediate and accessible. Also - none of my old connectors worked for the new device, which has always been such a great attribute of SE products.

    Andres - please email me at kelly(at)gotomedia.com I check that the most often. Would love to discuss. Also, I am making GREAT EFFORTS to focus on mobile more full-time moving forward and hope to publish to this blog on a regular basis.

  8. Greg Fields says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Hi Kelly - I’m actually going through an observational review of my experience with the Q from a perceived vs realized usability perspective over at my blog. I’ll be walking through OOBE, through some basic tasks that a target customer would want to complete (email, ringtone, sms, IM, network setup, etc.) and chronicle my experience along the way.

  9. Kelly says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Greg - would love to read your findings. Also it would be good after we’re done with our reviews to post a ‘best practices’ posting (can be both of our blogs) on ‘smartphone’ devices and possibly looking at Symbian/UIQ vs. Window’s Mobile (?) what do you think?

    ANDREW - do you really have yours and are you using it? I am a SONY LOVER and cannot ‘quite’ get into the new device. :-(

  10. Greg Fields says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Kelly - sure thing. That sounds like a great idea.

  11. Soo says:
    August 26th, 2006

    i’ve been waiting too, for a symbian sony ericsson phone with a camera…i tried out the M600 as well, but i really want a camera so i didn’t buy this. your review also really convinced me that it’s not the phone for me!

  12. Anders Borg says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Some comments on the entry and the other comments.

    “the ‘back’ button is at the top right”

    True, as a softkey, but it’s also right beside the Jog Dial as a real key. I always use that. More annoying is that in the browser you _have_ to press on a softkey to step back. If you press Back you leave the browser. Not very smart.

    “the UI designer for this device still placed key functionality in the softkey region”

    Even though this is primarily for software compatibility reasons, it’s also very practical. Positioned softkeys would require a rewrite of all the applications, and honestly I find that it works quite well to touch the softkeys with a nail. Haven’t done that while driving though.

    There’s no such thing as one UI designer, unless you intentionally abstracted the whole thing. It’s one UI team at SE, one team at Symbian UIQ and teams at several different application developers, hence a lot of people that need to agree on things. Considering how little smartphones sell (read: generates very little revenue), I still think they did a reasonable job. Yet of course it could have been better, especially in the areas of base functionality … like telephony. If anything that should have been a no-brainer to use.

    One thing I clearly didn’t like was that all applications are so ‘heavy’ that it takes forever to just start the messaging application for sending an SMS (and sometimes it even crashes). Also, as I subscribe to 3, their portal page always pops up in the browser, which takes time from what I really want to do (which is definitely not to use 3’s portal). This must be the same for P990i unless it’s got a much faster CPU.

    “It fell really short on the types of things I need from a device, like mobile internet, email, SMS, IM and phone”

    The P990i runs the exact same software. Did you mean from a UI perspective?

    Lack of camera: I agree. That’s a check box item today, but if it had made the device considerably thicker I understand SE’s choice.

    I agree the user interface paradigm could be generally improved, but that probably requires another UIQ version, as it affects everything.

  13. Anders Borg says:
    August 26th, 2006

    … and the size matters in this case. The form factor is really nice considering it’s a ‘mobile computer’. A lot of bang for the size/weight.

    No one commented on the left/center/right-press keypad. I’m starting to get used to it. I write faster on a Nokia Communicator, but those are also more bulky. I tend to hold the M600 with both hands and then use my nails to press at the sides of the keys. Good enough for shorter messages, notes, etc.

    You should be able to find my own review of the M600 at my site.

  14. Greg Fields says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Kelly - quick note that I wasn’t able to get past Task #1 - Turn on Device on the Moto Q before experience the “black screen of death”. Looks like my observation is on hold:-).

    I’ve posted a picture of the locked screen at http://urbanusability.blogspot.com.

  15. Grant says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Kelly - thanks for the review, as it validates most of the points that pushed me away from the m600i. Its lack of EDGE data support (c’mon, SE, think of the Yanks!), frequent bug reports and so-so usability drove me away. I my runner up was the Nokia E-70 (pocketability ruled out the E61), but I found a winner in an unlikely place - the new BlackBerry 8100, aka Pearl.

    I’d never used a BlackBerry, but it’s hands down the best mobile email device I’ve used so far. As soon as PocketMac gets off their collective behinds and lets me sync with Address Book and iCal, I’ll be a happy man. It’s quad-band, unlockable and truly pocketable, though it lacks the m600i’s touchscreen. (Not a T-Mobile employee, just a satisfied user, promise!)

  16. Kelly Goto says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Grant - there are a lot of blackberry lovers out there. we’re testing some mobile apps on these and they are running pretty smoothly. I haven’t gotten used to the keypad entry (and it looks like I won’t for a short while) but very interesting you turned towards the 8100/pearl.

    Anders - thanks for your point-by-point follow up on some of the details I posted. Mostly I was referring to the lack of consistency from a former SE P10a user to a new SE M600i user and the differences in some of the behavior of the wheel toggle (no longer 5-way) and dependence on the touch screen. I feel it is a fair comment, however if this was my first use of the device rather than as an ongoing SE user, my experience might have been slightly different. I did like the concept of the 3-way key/keypad and feel it would not take too much getting used to for quick text entry.

  17. tony says:
    August 26th, 2006

    I just picked one up a few days ago. I have been using an MDA but wanted to try a non-Windows phone, and something smaller to boot.

    I am a heavy SMS user due to my work so this is the feature I’ve used the most over the past few days. It’s rather annoying that it takes three “clicks” from the main screen to just get to sending an SMS, and at least two more to select a recipient (or recipients). There is some lag between screens too, and so far I’ve noticed that typing while lagging doesn’t work (this does work on the MDA).

    I’m a bit mad because all the reviews I’d read rated the messaging capabilites of the phone as very good. On the MDA it takes two clicks and altho you can’t create message groups, you can quickly enter recipients as it auto-completes names.

    The keylock thing you mentioned is also somewhat of a pain. I press * and then “lock keys” at the bottom right corner of the touchscreen. It wouldn’t be so terrible if it wasn’t JUST from the main screen that you can do this. They should just have an on/off button like most other smartphones.

    The keyboard is going to take getting used to, that’s for sure, but it’s servicable. Coming from a full thumboard I’m a little spoiled. In the few days I’ve had it tho I’ve gotten alot faster on it.

    I’m going to give it a try for a few weeks and see. If anything I may just go back to the MDA, which after the recent firmware upgrade seems to run a bit smoother.

  18. Jeffrey Chiang says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Just a tip. I found that holding the back button will toggle keylock.

  19. Wiktor says:
    August 26th, 2006

    My friend got this wonderful phone. We were sharing a hotel room during a weekend in Budapest and his wonderful W600i keept ringing all the time. I thought that I was paranoid or something, he was checking his phone and couldn’t find how to turn the dam thing off. I almost flashed the f***** phone in the toilet.

  20. Anton Tan says:
    August 26th, 2006

    Sony erricsson m600i LCD quality is BADDD !!!!! I’ve bought it, when i try for 2 weeks, it’s hang, like something always press on bottom right. I returned it, and they replace it with the new one.

    I’ve used for 3 months, and now, guess what ??? The touch screen is not function totally….

    BADDD BADDDD BADDD !!!!! DON’T BUY THIS PRODUCT !!!!

  21. Ayo says:
    August 26th, 2006

    People can’t be this stupid can they?
    This is one of the best phones I’ve owned and trust me, I’ve owned PLENTY.
    Its a business related phone with many tech features. The writer CLEARLY was out of his depth with this phone and yes, a quick read of the user instruction manual would have cleared up so much of your confusion on using this device.
    And as for the person who couldn’t figure out how to turn off their phone or put it on silent/vibrate…I honestly don’t have words for you.
    Remember folks…high tech isn’t for everyone.

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    August 26th, 2006

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