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“I recently recieved a Sony Ericsson T200 as a free...”

written by digi-man. on 09/11/2002

Good Points
Small form factor, sharp display, very light weight

Bad Points
Poor menu system, not enough "goodies", inconvenient access to most features

General Comments
I recently recieved a Sony Ericsson T200 as a free gift from my service provider for not switching to a competitor. My first impression upon seeing the phone was "WOW" (especially the amazing blue screen). But having used it for a few days now, I'm starting to find that it's not a very user-friendly phone.
To begin with, the phone's menu system is very awkward to use. Many frequently used features are hidden deep within the menu system or require excessive key presses to access. Speed-dial, which is a convenient feature on most other phones, requires an odd setup of having to copy and order contacts on the SIM card. Other features, such as keylock are not well planned out... The two-key sequence to unlock a the keypad are very close together and can easily be pressed by accident. There are other annoying features as well, but these examples give an idea of how poorly the user-interface was designed.
In addition, compared to other phones on the market (many cheaper ones included), the T200 doesn't really offer many "extras". There is no real ringtone feature... only simple beeps. The composer is very limited and many other phones in this price range offer poly-phonic tones. The games are really quite substandard and not very enjoyable.
There are, however, some select things about the T200 that are good. The overall look of the phone is quite sleek and modern. It is impressively light weight; you'll hardly notice it in your pocket. That might not be such a good thing as it's easily forgotten. The screen really is sharp and clear and the blue light is fantastic. However, I don't feel the phone really exploits the display to its advantage. Finally, one of the useful features on the phone is WAP-over-GPRS with the one touch button.
In conclusion, the T200 didn't live up to it's first impression. While it is stylish and attractive, and certainly has the hardware to make a good phone, the software and user-interface need drastic redesigning. I would not recommend this phone and I'm glad I didn't have to pay anything for it. :-)