SE P800 vs. Apple Dual-USB iBook
In this corner, weighing in at 0.158kg, the Challenger, wearing light blue trunks, the Sony Ericsson P800, aka "The Symbian Smasher!"
In the other corner, the current reigning champ, weighing in at 2.2kg, the Apple Dual USB iBook 600!
For this fight, I took both to my recent Italian vacation (Italy in August? During a drought? Whose idea was that?!?). I was trying to find out which would be better as my vacation computer. Below are a few categories that were important to me. The winner in each category is in parenthesis.
1. Camera (P800)
Well, the iBook doesn't come with one, so the P800 has to win this one. However, the quality isn't very good at all. Still, it was easy to use, and allowed me to snap pictures from all over the place. If I had a real digital camera with the iBook, then the iBook would win hands down.
(I'll post an example of the camera.)
2. Internet Access (P800)
This is tricky, because I bought the P800 to get internet access for the iBook, which works as advertised. I can hook up to the internet from the iBook using Bluetooth (BT) to the P800. Since the iBook needs the P800, though, the P800 has to win this category (note to self: in addition to pool, add internet access as priority to next vacation house we rent)
3. Web surfing (P800)
P800 connects to the internet using GPRS. Depending on the network and signal strength, the transmission can vary quite a bit. Using the iBook-BT-P800 felt slower than a 9600 baud modem. It was usable, but just barely.
On the P800, I used Opera to do my surfing. The screen is very bright on the P800. I could read this in direct sunlight, laying by the pool. (The screen can double as a flashlight at night as well.) Overall, it was much faster and easier to use the P800 than the iBook. I could even get to the AI forums, although it came out a bit strangely on the screen.
4. E-Mail (P800)
I set up my .mac email address as an IMAP. Accessing it was equally easy with the P800 as with the iBook. What I didn't like about the P800 was it didn't show the full header (sender, subject) on the screen, although it had downloaded it.
Where the P800 won was when I sent pictures I had taken with it to my sister, while sitting on top of the leaning tower of Pisa, or walking along the paths at Cinque terra.
5. Games (iBook)
The P800 has a nice solitaire game that you can play anywhere. However, it doesn't have Spaceward Ho! The iBook wins handily here.
6. Writing/Programming (iBook)
Writing on the P800 using its handwriting recognition software isn't so bad, but it's slower than me typing. I'll stick with a keyboard for now.
So there you have it—the P800 is the vacation winner over the iBook, although now quite a knock out.
(The picture below was taken at the P800's highest quality setting.)
In the other corner, the current reigning champ, weighing in at 2.2kg, the Apple Dual USB iBook 600!
For this fight, I took both to my recent Italian vacation (Italy in August? During a drought? Whose idea was that?!?). I was trying to find out which would be better as my vacation computer. Below are a few categories that were important to me. The winner in each category is in parenthesis.
1. Camera (P800)
Well, the iBook doesn't come with one, so the P800 has to win this one. However, the quality isn't very good at all. Still, it was easy to use, and allowed me to snap pictures from all over the place. If I had a real digital camera with the iBook, then the iBook would win hands down.
(I'll post an example of the camera.)
2. Internet Access (P800)
This is tricky, because I bought the P800 to get internet access for the iBook, which works as advertised. I can hook up to the internet from the iBook using Bluetooth (BT) to the P800. Since the iBook needs the P800, though, the P800 has to win this category (note to self: in addition to pool, add internet access as priority to next vacation house we rent)
3. Web surfing (P800)
P800 connects to the internet using GPRS. Depending on the network and signal strength, the transmission can vary quite a bit. Using the iBook-BT-P800 felt slower than a 9600 baud modem. It was usable, but just barely.
On the P800, I used Opera to do my surfing. The screen is very bright on the P800. I could read this in direct sunlight, laying by the pool. (The screen can double as a flashlight at night as well.) Overall, it was much faster and easier to use the P800 than the iBook. I could even get to the AI forums, although it came out a bit strangely on the screen.
4. E-Mail (P800)
I set up my .mac email address as an IMAP. Accessing it was equally easy with the P800 as with the iBook. What I didn't like about the P800 was it didn't show the full header (sender, subject) on the screen, although it had downloaded it.
Where the P800 won was when I sent pictures I had taken with it to my sister, while sitting on top of the leaning tower of Pisa, or walking along the paths at Cinque terra.
5. Games (iBook)
The P800 has a nice solitaire game that you can play anywhere. However, it doesn't have Spaceward Ho! The iBook wins handily here.
6. Writing/Programming (iBook)
Writing on the P800 using its handwriting recognition software isn't so bad, but it's slower than me typing. I'll stick with a keyboard for now.
So there you have it—the P800 is the vacation winner over the iBook, although now quite a knock out.
(The picture below was taken at the P800's highest quality setting.)
Comments
Originally posted by CubeDude
You compared the function of a cell phone, albeit a high end one, with that of a laptop?
Yup. That's very astute.
Actually, I was seeing if I could get away with just using the P800 on vacation instead of bringing the iBook.
But hey, that's why we have Alien vs. Predator, Jason vs. Freddy, Arnie vs. Puny, Muscle-less Governor wannabees. Next up: MTV Deathmatch.