ahem ahem

Ok ok, sshh shh. [Giving orders] Dive dive! Make 300 meters, zero bubbles, smartly. Go for ultra quiet. [End of orders]

Yeah no availability yet. Even AP is limited in quantity and only available in red. Black/dark brown is almost non-existent. I heard that it'll take another week or two for the original to arrive. Probably stuck at SIRIM or paper works for SE Malaysia.

I got it as a present and to my knowledge it is around the price of RM15xx with bluetooth headset. The shop name is in Lowyat First Floor... Gadget something. Forgot already.

Anyway to answer your questions:

1. This is one of the best parts of the phone. It doesn't get warm during recharging and when running intensive applications. At least throughout my entire experience so far. However, I have not speak on the phone for extended period of time so I am not able to comment on that part.

2. Battery life so far has been mediocre. At most is only 2 days. Probably shorter if you use it extensively.

3. There is film protector for the LCD screen but not on the lens though. It is a small area to cover actually.

I am only an enthusiast since I am owning this phone and I am happy about it. That is what I am doing here - to give the right information to future users.

Its easy. There are two ways to do it.

1. Open up your browser, connect to the internet (via WIFI or 3G/data plan), type in www.youtube.com and it'll bring you there.
2. You can use a program called CorePlayer with flv support. You got to buy it though.

Basically coreplayer will give you a better rendering quality. I've tried streaming on browser and the quality isn't good. A lot of artifacts. But my comments on coreplayer is based on assumptions from hearsay. I have not personally used coreplayer yet. So take it as it is.

So have you been able to connect to any WIFI? If you aren't, there could be a problem. Try a full reset.

But I never encountered this problem so far except for one time when i was streaming and accidentally 're-scan' for hotspots. Then it hanged. Anyway if the G900 hangs every single time we scan for hotspots, that is amounting to failure of that particular feature since we can't even use WIFI at all. That contradict its specification and white paper.

Yeah, I agree with you. SE better improve on the firmware soon if it is serious about G900's role in the market.

The original authorized units will hit stores on the 1st of July 2008. Got this information from the stores in Mid Valley today.

The WIFI is good for my unit. I don't know why others are not getting as good. I guess must be some other problem. Sometimes it is slow to respond, but not really hang. Maybe that gave users the wrong impression that it is hanged. Anyway we need more information from these users. Information too vague because they only mention hang, but not how or what they were doing during the time of hanging.

The built-in opera browser only detects youtube in its mobile version. I am not sure about the flash lite 3 thing. Mostly not because it wasn't in UIQ3 right? I hope they could introduce this in the next firmware. Then again, the chances of upgrading to UIQ3.3 is slim though.

The AP stock quantity is quite low at the moment unless you go to lowyat garage section and lowyat plaza. Most dealers don't carry this phone due to lack of confidence on its price positioning. I confirmed this with another dealer yesterday. Most are waiting till the 1st of July launch before deciding on anything. Since this is coming soon, I suggest everyone to hold off their purchase till then. If the original price is low, then you guys are in for a treat. The AP price should fall accordingly too.

The touch focus is only a software feature. In this feature, you touch anywhere on the screen and the camera will autofocus to the area you touch. This augments the default center focus point where you have to focus the center point to an object then reframe (while still holding the shutter) and then take the picture. With the touch focus, you just frame and then touch the area you want to focus on. Easy.

The camera takes good photo provided there is enough light. The downside is the blur. It is very prone to camera shake. A slight shake will ruin the picture. The problem is the shutter button is very hard to press and this shakes the camera every time you tries to press it.

I think better stick to SE X1. Touch Diamond is just a gimmick. The only specialty to it is the TouchFlo 3D UI. It is only a program so to speak. A program which you can ripped it and then install to any device that has a Qualcomm 7200/01A and utilizing the onboard ATI Imageon (to a certain extend). There are examples of these done with Touch Cruise, LG KS20, TyTN II already with limited success. With time, those 'developers' will be able to track the necessary drivers for this.

I hope you guys still remember the Broadcom and Qualcomm patent court case which is still impending. It resulted with Qualcomm giving little to non-existent support regarding the drivers for its graphics accelerator. We don't know if this Touch Diamond has necessary drivers for its graphics processor or HTC only specifically writes the TouchFlo 3D UI to use this while leaving other 3rd party programs relying on software rendering like the TynTN II, Touch Cruise, etc. We don't even know if the video acceleration is working. Maybe thats why HTC increase the clock speed to 5xx MHz and loaded extra RAM on top of 128MB to give you 192MB?

On the other hand, SE X1 will be using the same platform built by HTC, probably from the Touch Pro that is scheduled to launch soon. So there is a close resemblance of both devices which I forsee you can install TouchFlo 3D to SE X1 or the other way around (hopefully, and IF SE still stick with WM6.1).

The image stabilizer method employed is not an optical solution (as in lens compensating with gyro sensors). It is a software solution and if I am correct it tracks movement from the LiveView and then freezes frame to a slower frame rate so you can take the picture with ease. Alternatively, it tracks a smaller area of the 5MP resolution and then compensates by moving the tracked area around the 5MP resolution it is working with. This effectively reduce the quality because it has to do extrapolation.

Another down point is that when using image stabilizer, flash will be permanently disabled (for some reasons). If you're in a low light area, the camera is forced to lengthen the exposure by slowing down the shutter. In the end, you still get a small amount of camera shake. Anyway, using the camera without light can reduce the contrast of the resultant picture. Better use flash. Also it doesn't have best pic and I don't know how to operate the 3-pic-panaroma mode. Doesn't work.

Yeah I have heard about it too but don't know how true it is. It would be nice if it can support Flash Lite 3 in future software updates. However, I read that Flash Lite 3 is part of the roadmap for UIQ3.3. If this is true, we might get a nice upgrade to UIQ3.3 but I doubt this is likely. Crossing fingers though. I really hope I am wrong.

Well both phones are originally manufactured and assembled from Sony Ericsson's subcontractor. The only difference is the price and after sales support that you will be getting. I think we already have enough postings to discuss about AP vs Original. It is not like the olden days where AP is like water goods. Technology has been so advanced, we get a lot of stuff from the other parts of the world quickly now. Different region? No problem, we can reprogram it to have local software and content.

So far I can testify a few shortcomings on its assembly quality. I have seen both phones including mine to have the following:

1. When you shake the phone, you'll hear a minor shaky sound. That is the sound of a 'loose' camera lens and autofocus mechanism's free play. There's no problem with it, it takes good pictures and the sound goes away when you autofocus it. However, when you release the button, it is loose again. I guess this is natural.

2. Squeaky rear battery cover. That seems to be norm for a lot of phones today. If you study the way the back cover is capped onto the main body, you'll know why.

3. Small gaps on the black plastic casing on the top side of the phone (near the stylus and the other corner).

Other that that, the phone has been very solid and its weight is pretty pleasant when held on the hand. I guess we can't expect perfection. I am extremely interested with Samsung's i900 Omnia and I wonder how is its assembly quality. Must be good for the price.

Very nice finding there. Thanks a lot!

But anyway I am not worried about the picture quality. It is not top notch but it is decent enough. However, I expect AF quality to improve in later firmware updates. I don't know if you notice, when you autofocus the camera, even though too close, the center focus point still indicate green. This is very misleading because you'll never know if it was able to autofocus too 100% sharpness. You can't tell from the LCD screen. I hope the firmware update will solve this.

SE X1 is indeed a nice phone but I am worried that it might be overpriced. Right now the only differentiating factor of Windows Mobile-based smartphones are their customized UI and transitions. Specification wise and feature wise is the same because they all runs on WM. We could ripped them into CABs and install them across different WM phones. It is the UI that sets them apart. So far I am convinced with Samsung i900 Omnia's TouchWiz UI. It completely replace WM default menus (which is dry and boring) and gives them 'Apple' like transitions. HTC Diamond's TouchFlo 3D is only a homeplug UI, when you go deeper into WM you're back with its old UI. I am worried that SE X1 might be like this too.

Yeah the SE G900 comes with chinese input and character recognition. It all depends on the CDA list and customization finalized on the firmware. Just insist on having this feature when purchasing so that the seller could reprogram the phone if required. When you're done, you can update regularly with SEUS. It'll work like they belong to local original units.

Actually AP or not, they all come from the same factory. Maybe there's a conspiracy that some early production phones that does not satisfy strict (I mean very strict) QC checks are all flooded in the AP market. That is why you see AP units coming into the market long before the original units are launched. After some time, production quality stabilizes and with time the AP units will be of the same 'quality' like originals. That could be the reason I can think of.

But anyway mobile phones are quite good in built quality nowadays. We're should be more worried with the software/firmware of earlier units. However, we can get them updated when new ones are made available. So there is really nothing to worried about. Better worry about getting a phone that you regret or don't like. Hehehehe!

This post has been edited by davidmak: Jun 29 2008, 10:58 AM

The price is around RM13xx to 14xx for AP. Price of original unit is still unknown. However, the original unit is expected to be launched on the 1st of July 2008. It may however affect AP price.

Well G900 has more interesting features especially the UI and the WIFI. The most important advantage is that G900 is only a few hundred dollars more expensive than G700 which makes it rather worth an upgrade.

RM1700? Is this AP or Original unit price? If it is original unit price, then it is worth looking. AP price is only RM13xx to 14xx. Take note that the SE Bluetooth headset HBH-PV708 is included as standard accessory. Please insist on getting the full set. I already saw people selling full package at RM13xx. 1GB M2 card is not really expensive nowadays. In fact, 2GB M2 card only costs around RM60 in Low Yat. Add another RM40, you get a 4GB M2 card already which is very worth it.

I foresee the G900 as an ideal device for installing programs, games, music and video. So 2GB (despite being the standard nowadays) isn't really cutting it already.


Anyway as for programs and games, all UIQ (and some S60) applications and games can be installed. All previous SE UIQ devices like P1i, M600, W960, W950, etc games can be installed. Besides you also have a large collection of JAVA J2ME games and applications available. I am already playing 'photohunt' on my G900! Hahahaha! Very arcade like.

If the price is accurate, then it will strengthened AP's price. RM13xx-14xx will give it a good advantage and maybe prompts sellers to not drop price any further. I think a good RM300-400 will be an encouragement for prospective buyers to choose AP over original. Lets wait for more reports on the official price.

The N82 is also a good imaging phone. But I don't fancy the candybar design which tries to be N81-ish but without the slider.

Yeah yeah! Its called Crazy Spot. Another game would be Hexxagon Labs. Which is something like checkers where you tries to conquer as much space as possible. It is also like the games we used to play during secondary school using Mathematics sheets.

Yeah, better get the BT since M2 card is quite reasonable in price. However if you have a bluetooth headset already, then you can consider topping a little to upgrade that 1GB to 2/4GB M2 card. These days sellers are very flexible and tries to accommodate different requirements of customers.

I have had good experience with COMSAT before. They have 1 year warranty on the LCD screen too. Handset is more than one year and 3-6 months for other accessories. I have heard good things about CSL too but I am not sure if they do carry this model.

Yes, thats correct. Safer that way. Anyway before purchasing, check and double check all the features are working properly especially the LCD screen for any dead spots, keypads, and the touch screen. Open up the notes program (the first button on the top left). Use the stylus and draw around the whole screen to check the touchscreen. This is to check for dead strips of touchscreens.

Both the usual M2 and Ultra M2 will work for G900. However, the speed/performance boost is as much as what is supported on the G900's internal memory card controller. So far the speed for the usual M2 is quite fast on the G900. I would commit for capacity rather than speed for now. Anyway if you're the type that likes to swap M2 cards around and use an external card reader for read/write large files, then an Ultra M2 would be nice.

Well Symbian OS executes a program faster than WM actually. Maybe because each Symbian OS (be it S60/UIQ/etc) is tailored to a specific phone architecture. WM however caters to a wide audience. Don't get me wrong, the OS is tailored and optimized for a phone too. But the applications by 3rd parties however are hard to control. Maybe that could take anywhere between 1 to a few seconds for application launching. But I have to agree that WM's OS is more complex and demanding due to its resource requirement.

Actually the UIQ interface has been the same for many generations now. It has been touched up and optimized for G900 especially with the addition of panels, smoother transitions, better thumb/finger operation, a nice camera interface and inclusion of Media Center. However, much of the other interface remains the same or somewhat simplified. I don't think the themes could do any change because currently, G900 do not support Flash lite on its wallpaper/home screen. So Flash UI remains the impossible at the moment.

This post has been edited by davidmak: Jul 2 2008, 07:40 AM

Actually I wonder whether you guys have seen the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1's user interface on youtube. So far we only saw the panel interface. If you would look carefully, the transitions are still pretty laggy. Apart from that, its back to the old old WM boring interface.

HTC Diamond and Samsung Omnia so far earns the effort for hiding most of the WM's interface with their own UI. So I won't say X1 is the best now. It is still unannounced and that means its still in development stage. Anything can change now. SE already canceled a few models so... there's no tell it might cancel more models. But so far, if X1's video preview is of any indication the UI isn't better than the available choices now in the market.

Actually the interface response and speed has much to improve and I foresee software updates to further optimize it. But for an UIQ interface, it is the fastest I have seen or used. The G900 will be good enough as of right now. If you have been using Symbian OS phones before, they're more or less the same. They don't have fancy transitions, S60 OS don't even have transitions. Only UIQ has it but very basic ones. I long for the day Symbian OS both S60 and UIQ can support Flash UI. It'll change everything. Just like it is changing WM which used to be a boring home screen and now to an advanced fancy UI.

The SE G900 does not have GPS, not even the P1i and W960i. I don't remember any of its UIQ-based phones have GPS feature built-in. The Google Map for Symbian is available for download free of charge. Now this is a native symbian application which is great and stable. The default application supports GSM triangulation in the form of approximate location feature. It'll roughly tell you where is your current position. If you need detail information, no doubt a GPS is required.

You can get an external GPS bluetooth receiver for around RM250~ and install your choice of navigational software. I've did this and it works great.

Well if you have been checking the sales thread, I am getting rid of my phones hahahaha! Well, actually I like the G900 a lot but I got the red one which doesn't suit me. The APs don't seem to have black the last time I checked. Now I am checking for good deals for HTC Diamond. Will still get a G900 in the short future, probably for my wife. She wants it black too.

Before I got accused of changing phones as often as I change underwear , I usually get an ultra-high-end phone every 2 years. Thats just me though. Just too bad we don't have mobile plans like in Singapore. I remember Maxis and Celcom have one of these offers 5-8 years ago. But its a double rip off because you pay for the plan and still pay a hefty sum on the phones which is supposed to be heavily subsidized. End up only cheaper by a few hundred dollars. Now APs are quite reliable, so might as well get those and not bounded by contracts. Then again, Singapore's call rates are more expensive than in Malaysia.

Yup, it was ripped out the G900's ROM. In fact, you can have Walkman 3.0 installed on P1i too! Hehehe