| Sony Ericsson T100 |
| General |
| Network | Gsm 900 / Gsm 1800 |
| Announced | Q4, 2002 |
| Status | Available |
| Size |
| Dimensions | 99 X 43.5 X 17.7 Mm |
| Weight | 75 G |
| Display |
| Type | Grayscale Graphics, 4 Shades |
| Size | |
| | - Blue Backlight
- Downloadable Pictures |
| Ringtones |
| Type | Monophonic |
| Customization | Download |
| Vibration | Yes |
| | - Ringtones Can Be Assigned To Phonebook Entries |
| Memory |
| Phonebook | 100 Entries, Photo Call |
| Call Records | 20 Received, Dialed And Missed Calls |
| Card Slot | No |
| | - 10 Sms Templates |
| Data |
| Gprs | No |
| Hscsd | No |
| Edge | No |
| 3g | No |
| Wlan | No |
| Bluetooth | No |
| Infrared Port | No |
| Usb | |
| Features |
| Messaging | Sms, Ems |
| Browser | Wap 1.2.1 |
| Clock | Yes |
| Alarm | Yes |
| Games | Yes |
| Colors | 4 - Icy Blue, Gentle Gold, Fresh White, Soft Silver |
| Camera | No |
| | - T9
- Calculator
- Calendar
- Stopwatch
- Picture Editor |
| Battery |
| | Standard Battery, Li-po |
| Stand-by | Up To 200 H |
| Talk Time | Up To 4 H 30 Min |
|
Sony Ericsson - T100True blue with the Sony Ericsson T100
Major features
Dual-band compatible phone (GSM 900/1800)
Four-level greyscale screen - producing greater-detailed graphics
WAP over CSD
SMS/EMS messaging support - with T9 predictive text input
Standby wallpaper and “sleep mode” features
Basic organiser features - with timer and stopwatch functions
CLI pictures feature
Melody and picture editors
Problems/Issues?
Lack of height on numeric keypad buttons - hard to press at times
Poor choice of location for built-in microphone
Sales package (should contain):
1 x Sony Ericsson T100 handset
1 x lithium-ion battery @ 650 mAh (BST-26)
1 x travel charger
1 x T100 user manual
Overview
Sony Ericsson’s brings contemporary looks into the equation for its latest model, the T100 (and not to be confused with the Samsung model - which has a similar designation). Breaking away from the traditional Ericsson “look and feel”, this model is targeted towards first-time mobile users and current low-end users - meaning that it won’t cost the Earth to own one!
New/outstanding features
What’s most interesting about the Sony Ericsson T100 is its new styling. So far, it’s either a facelift of a previous model (T66 to T600) or just modifications in current designs (R600 and T200). But at the end of the day, it retains the traditional, basic functions and features that you would find on most of their current and existing handsets.
Take a closer look!
Physical aspects
Using a somewhat similar finish to the current T68i and T300 models, the Sony Ericsson T100 comes in either a soft blue or orange finish for its buttons and areas bordering the greyscale LCD screen. Two thin rubber linings on the left and right sides assists the user in handling the phone, where the back is actually shaped quite differently as to the looks of the front.
It may seem to onlookers as being quite flat - but on closer inspection, the Sony Ericsson T100 does come with some of the slightest curves both on the front and back surfaces of the phone. The design of the keypad is orientated more towards this design than overall usability, which I find to be of greater importance (see “problems/issues” section).
On the top side of the Sony Ericsson T100 is a strap/lanyard hole. Given the light weight of the phone and its unique styling, hanging it around your neck isn’t such a bad idea.
User Interface & display
For illumination, the Sony Ericsson T100 uses blue and orange backlights for its LCD screen and keypad area respectively. On turning on the phone I found a wallpaper of a diver and fish displayed, probably to coincide with the blue backlight which aims to give that underwater effect. As for the soft orange backlight for the keypad, I found it to flicker slightly (noticeable when you wave the phone in front of your eyes quickly).
As with all current Sony Ericsson models, the T100 is no exception in retaining the same user interface (UI) for its menus and functions. If you’ve previously used an Ericsson/Sony Ericsson phone before, you will have no problems navigating - while new users shouldn’t have too much of a hassle in getting use to things.
Making and receiving calls
The Sony Ericsson T100 is like any other mobile phone when it comes to making and taking calls. For some, its flat surface on the front of the handset may take some getting use to by your ears.
Audio through the earpiece was alright - but I did get one or two complaints of echoing. This did not occur to all my calls - but probably when I was not holding the phone the best way possible. With its microphone located at the front instead of the base (next to the charging/headset slots), one may experience muffled and excessive noise from it brushing across the skin on a user’s face.
Messaging
Again, the traditional SMS and EMS messaging standards are supported on the Sony Ericsson T100 - with the added ability of being able to send long text messages (combining several standard-sized SMS messages as a longer one), group messaging, and the ability to edit graphics and sounds with the picture and melody editors respectively.
Build quality
No complaints here - the Sony Ericsson T100 is very solid indeed. You can’t get it to squeak or rattle under normal circumstances. The external battery locks into its slot perfectly, where it can be removed in a jiffy!
Battery life
On average use, a full charge should yield you approximately 2-3 hours talk and 3-4 days standby time.
Major features...
Dual-band compatible phone (GSM 900/1800)
It may seem that all Sony Ericsson phones are going tri-band. But at the end of the day, the perception on low-end users is that they probably won’t travel the world with a T100! Both the standard GSM900 and GSM1800 frequencies are supported, which is used throughout GSM-enabled Asia-Pacific and European countries. For people in the US, you may be interested to know that a GSM 850/1900 version based on the T100 will be released in early 2003 - dedicated to the North American GSM market.
Four-level greyscale screen - producing greater detailed graphics
A 4-grey LCD screen provides that added bit of detail to EMS pictures, animations and standby wallpaper graphics. Although it does not make much of a difference with text-only displays, the difference between black-and-white and greyscale graphics are prominent enough to the naked eye.
WAP over CSD
Basic WAP support is provided on the Sony Ericsson T100 - supporting GSM data connection speeds of up to 9.6 kbps.
SMS/EMS messaging support - with T9 predictive text input
The Sony Ericsson T100 has the ability to send and receive SMS- and EMS-based messages - with features such as concatenated (long) messages and group messaging (sending one message to a list of recipients). The T9 predictive text input system is also supported, allowing for quick and efficient composition of words and phrases.
Standby wallpaper and “sleep mode” features
A standby wallpaper feature is available which displays a graphic in between the operator name on the top and date, signal and battery level indicators at the bottom. Should the phone remain unused for a bit longer, it will go into “sleep mode” - where only the bottom row of information is displayed. This assists in conserving battery life leading to longer standby times.
Basic organiser features - with timer and stopwatch functions
It’s not intended for the business professional. But the Sony Ericsson T100 does come with the odd set of organiser features - including a day/week/month view calendar, once-only and recurrent alarms, calculator, built-in 100-number phone book, and topping it off with timer and stopwatch functions as well.
CLI pictures feature
In addition to possibly having different ringtones for different callers, the Sony Ericsson T100 also allows a user to assign a picture to a specific caller or number either entered manually or obtained from the phone book. CLI (caller line identification - or caller ID) pictures share the same library of graphics used by the phone’s EMS messaging function.
Melody and picture editors
You can also edit ringtones, CLI pictures, and EMS sounds and pictures by using the internal melody and picture editors available to its user.
Problems/Issues?
Lack of height on numeric keypad buttons - hard to press at times
Overall design seems to be of greater importance than usability on the Sony Ericsson T100. In conjunction with the smooth surface of the button on the keypad, coordinating your thumb (or thumbs when messaging) becomes a menace - where just trying to keep good traction on the keys is hard enough, let alone trying to press those keys properly.
Poor choice of location for built-in microphone
The Sony Ericsson T100 does not follow in the tradition of its predecessor models of having the built-in microphone located at the base of the phone. Sure, having it on the front of the phone may produce better audio results - but there were also many situations that excessive noise was being passed through the microphone because it came with contact with the skin on the face, which generated unnecessary background noise.
And should you decide to “shoulder” the phone (that is, hold the phone between your ear and shoulders), the microphone may become covered by your face leaving the person on the other end of the line listening to your muffled voice instead.
Problems/Issues?
Lack of height on numeric keypad buttons - hard to press at times
Overall design seems to be of greater importance than usability on the Sony Ericsson T100. In conjunction with the smooth surface of the button on the keypad, coordinating your thumb (or thumbs when messaging) becomes a menace - where just trying to keep good traction on the keys is hard enough, let alone trying to press those keys properly.
Poor choice of location for built-in microphone
The Sony Ericsson T100 does not follow in the tradition of its predecessor models of having the built-in microphone located at the base of the phone. Sure, having it on the front of the phone may produce better audio results - but there were also many situations that excessive noise was being passed through the microphone because it came with contact with the skin on the face, which generated unnecessary background noise.
And should you decide to “shoulder” the phone (that is, hold the phone between your ear and shoulders), the microphone may become covered by your face leaving the person on the other end of the line listening to your muffled voice instead. |
| Common misspellings on this brand: ericssxon , ericssln , ericssdon |
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