FAQ (Please READ THIS and SEARCH before posting)

[SharkyMark]

This FAQ has been made because a lot of the same questions seem to be coming back once in awhile.

The FAQ is a work in progress and I'll try to update it as much as I can. If you would like to add anything or see that something isn't correct sent me a personal message or email

Updated to version 1.3 on August 30th .

Firmware

What is Firmware?

Firmware is the software that makes it possible that you can use your phone. It's like the OS on a computer. Without it the phone won't work.
A few years ago phones were only to make calls. Because of that the firmware on these phones were relatively simple. These days phones have a lot more features and require more complicated firmware.

Why would I like to know the version?

The firmware version of the phones can tell you how old it is. SonyEricsson once in a while releases new firmware versions. This is done to solve problems which weren't found while testing, add new features or improve existing features.

How do I find out which firmware version I have?

To find out which version is on your phone press > * < < * < *. The > refers to the direction the menu button (Older Ericsson phones) or joystick (Recent SonyEricsson phones) must be pressed.
If the firmware version on the phone is older then the latest release of SonyEricsson you can visit a service point to have you're phone flashed. This service is free of charge when the phone is still under warranty.

Is it always necessary to have the latest firmware?

If your phone is working fine there's not really a reason to have it flashed (like they say "don't fix it if it ain't broke"). Sometimes problems might occur which weren't there before the new firmware.
If, on the other hand you are experiencing problems with your phone a firmware upgrade might be the solution to your problem.

What is Operator Firmware?

Certain mobile providers (O2, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone) replace the original SonyEricsson firmware with firmware of their own. The difference is that some icons and buttons will be changed to operator specific applications and certain functions might be absent.

How do I get rid of this Operator Firmware?

The only way to get rid of the operator specific firmware is to flash the phone with regular SE firmware. However, if you own a phone with operator firmware you are only entitled to updates of the same operator firmware. Some service points will refuse to flash your phone with regular SonyEricsson firmware. Others might not be so strict and will help you with flashing your phone with regular SonyEricsson firmware.
The reason you got the phone so cheap is because the operator pays the phone for you. In return for that they put modified firmware on your phone so you'll remember who paid the phone.

So, can I flash (change firmware) my phone by myself?

Yes, it is possible to flash a SonyEricsson phone yourself. It does require a special cable, logs (which you need to buy) and an user name and password (these can also be bought) to access the SonyEricsson EMMA server.
However, accessing the EMMA server as a non-authorized person is illegal. This site does not support illegal actions and flashing a phone by yourself will also void your warranty.

Connectivity

How can I connect my phone with my computer?

There are three ways to make such a connection. You can use a Cable, Infrared or Bluetooth.

Cable:

SonyEricsson sells two kind of cables, the DCU-10 / 11 which are USB cables and the DRS-11 which is a RS232 cable (connects to the Com port of a computer). There are also other manufacturers of data cables but, for the ease of it the FAQ will only mention the official cables.

The DCU 10 / 11 and DRS-11 can be connected  to the following phones (data taken from the SE site and consisting mainly of recent models):

Ericsson:

A2628, T28, T29, T39, R320, R380, R520, T65 & T68.        

SonyEricsson:

T68i, T200, T230, T300, T310, T610, T630, Z600, P800, P900, K700 & Z1010

In order to get a connection with the computer you will need to install the Mobile Phone Monitor. This little piece of software will tell your computer what it needs to do when a phone is connected. It also does nothing else then make the connection.
You will need additional software if you want to sent files to the phone. This software can be found in the software section of this site.

Infrared:

Most SonyEricsson phones feature an Infrared port these days. An advantage is that you'll only need the Infrared software to be able to sent files to your phone. Enable the Infrared port on your phone and align it with the Infrared port on your computer. The computer should give you a message that it found a device in range. Double click on the infrared icon and a screen will appear in which you can select the file you want to sent to the phone. Select it and press OK.
The computer will now open a connection with the phone. On some SE phones you need to accept the file on the phone (press Yes) otherwise nothing will happen.
Sometimes you won't be able to sent certain files to the phone. This could be because, the file isn't supported by the phone or the file exceeds the maximum memory capacity of the phone.
You can't do much about the first one but, the second problem can be solved. If you're sending a music file try to encode it with a lower bitrate or reduce it's playing time. With pictures you can save it a lower quality setting or reduce it's resolution.

Bluetooth:

Bluetooth is the combined result of Agere, Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia and Toshiba developing a standard that would replace cables. The technology is named after Harald Bluetooth who was a Viking and King of Denmark and was famous for his ability to help people communicate.
Bluetooth gives you the same possibilities as Cable and IR but, unlike Cable it is wireless and doesn't need a line of sight like Infrared does. The maximum theoretically range of Bluetooth (version 1.1) is 10 meters (32,81 feet). Version 1.2 of Bluetooth even has a theoretically range of 100 meters (328,1 feet). This version is at the moment only used for computer Bluetooth equipment and not for mobile phones.
The maximum theoretical transfer speed of Bluetooth is 721kbps (version 1.1,  2.1Mbps with version 1.2).
In order to get Bluetooth up and running you will need to pair two devices. If you want to sent files from your computer to your phone you will need to pair these two devices. Put the phone in discoverable mode and let the computer search for Bluetooth devices. Once the computer found the phone you will need to input a passkey. This passkey will ensure that the connection will be secure and can't be intercepted by other Bluetooth devices.
Input a key you can remember on the computer. The phone will now ask for the same key. The pairing of devices has only to be done once.
You can

Memory Sticks

What's a Memory Stick?

Memory Sticks are external memory units onto which data can be saved. The sticks come in a few different models. Basically you have the normal Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, Duo Pro and the Memory Sticks with Magic Gate.

Which one can I use with my phone?

Memory Stick:
 
Used in a lot of equipment of Sony. This kind of stick can't be used in the P800 or P900.

Memory Stick Duo:

At half the size of a normal stick these were developed for mobile use. Currently they come in 32, 64 and 128MB size. These can be used in the P800 & P900.

Memory Stick Duo Pro:

These sticks are the same size as the normal Duo's except they have a larger capacity (256MB, 512MB and 1GB). Unfortunately, these sticks are not compatible with the P800 or P900.
The new P910 does support Memory Stick Duo Pro. This means that you can expand the memory of the phone to a theoretical maximum of 1GB.

Memory Stick with Magic Gate:

These sticks are the same as the other products. The only difference is that they contain a copyright system for music. In order for the copyright system to work though you need equipment which features the same technology.
These sticks can be used (for any file) with the P800 & P900 as these phones do not have this copyright system.

For more information on Memory Sticks visit: www.memorystick.com

Service Centers

What is a service centre?

A service centre is (usually) a store that sells mobile phones and is authorized by SonyEricsson to do repairs and firmware upgrades. If you let your phone be repaired or flashed by a service point you won't loose your warranty.

[SharkyMark]

Where can I find one in my neighborhood?

It can sometimes be quite hard to find one. Not all stores have a clear sign saying that they are a service centre. Following is a list with links to addresses of service centers (or SonyEricsson distributors) from around the world:

Australia: Link
Brazil: Link
Greece: Link
Hong Kong: Link
India: Link
Malaysia: Link
Pakistan: Link
Philippines: Link
Singapore: Link
Turkey: Link

Are there any service centers in the UK?

Yes, thanks to some forum members we have two service centre addresses in the UK. These two are of course not the only two that exist in the UK but, it's a start:

Celestica LTD
Oakengates, Telford, Shropshire
TF2 9WT
Tel 01952 230 402

Fone Logistics
3 Atley Way
Cramlington, Northumberland
Tel 01670 717717

So, any other addresses?

As I'm from Holland I can give you the address I use for all my SE business:

Phoneshop
Korte Poten 5
2511 EB Den-Haag
Tel 070 4271686
info@phoneshop.nl

Tips & Tricks

Settings

What are the settings for Wap, Email or MMS for my phone?

The settings for these programs are operator dependent. SonyEricsson made a special phone setup page  were you can select which phone and provider you have. After completing the wizard the settings will be sent to your phone by SMS (text message).
If your provider isn't in the list you'll have to contact them to get the necessary settings.

Configuration

I don't use Wap. Can I use that button for something else?

Yes you can. There's a small trick which will open a new SMS (text message) when you press the Wap button. The only thing you need to do is change the current Wap homepage with "mailto:" or "sms:". Which of these two commands you have to use depends on your phone model:

P800 & K700 (tested)

Use the sms command (this will only work partially on the P800. It will take you to the message screen). If you use the mailto command on the P800 a new email message will open.

T610 & T630 (tested)

Use the mailto command.

Can I change the shortcuts on my T610 & T630?

Yes you can but, you can only change the joystick left shortcut (firmware R1L or higher). In order to do that you have to change the first item in the "My Shortcut" menu to the one you want.

Why do does a clock appear when I don't use my phone for a while and can I disable it?

SonyEricsson introduced the clock screensaver with the T68. If the phone hasn't been used for a few minutes it will start automatically. The clock functions as a battery saver and cannot be disabled.

Which phones have this clock screensaver?

Currently the T68, T68i, T610, T616, T630, T637 and K700 have this clock screensaver.

Operator Name

The operator name in my screen is messing up my nice wallpaper. Can I remove it?

No, unlike Nokia phones you can't  remove the operator name by simply downloading a program.

So I am stuck with it?

Well, nothing is impossible but, it requires some serious knowledge of programming language and some luck. Take a look at this page. It explains how you can remove the operator name or change it into anything you like. Remember though that this is at you own risk and could mess up your phone.
Another, less drastic way, to remove the operator name is to make the area around the name the same color. This will only work when the operator name is only one color.

Charging

How long should I charge my phone?

When you charge the phone for the first time let it charge until the battery icon is full. Charging the phone any longer isn't of much use as the phone cuts off the power once it detected that the battery is full. This is also a safety feature which prevents the phone from overcharging.

Can I charge my phone at any time I want?

Most recent SonyEricsson phones use Lithium Polymer batteries. The advantage of this type of battery is that is has no memory effect. You can charge it any time you want without losing capacity. This doesn't mean that you should charge your phone after every call you made.
Lithium Polymer batteries do also have some limitations. After 500 - 1000 charges the battery starts to loose it's capacity meaning that battery live won't be as long as it once was.

Repairs

Can I change the housing of my SonyEricssson phone?

Unlike Nokia the phones of SonyEricsson weren't made with changeable covers.

So, it can't be done?

SonyEricsson puts the housing together so, it's not impossible to change the housing. You do need some special equipment to be able to remove the current one and replace it with a new one.

You can buy this equipment for example from GSM Support

Led's

Something is flashing on my phone. What is it?

Older Ericsson phones and some SonyEricsson phones have a LED (Light Emitting Diode) which give an indication of the status of the phone:

Green flashing:

The phone is on and connected to a network.

Red flashing:

The phone is on and has a low battery.

Red continuous:

The phone is off and charging.

Green continuos:

The phone is off and done charging.

Blue flashing:

The phone is on and Bluetooth has been activated.

Blue flashing (rapidly)

The phone is on and a Bluetooth connection is active.

[SharkyMark]

Mobile Phone Systems

How is it possible that I can't use my GSM mobile phone in every country?

Different countries use different systems. The type of system depends on the costs to implement a system, availibilty, technical knowledge and so on.

GSM (2G)

GSM which stands for Global System for Mobile communications is a wireless system that allows it users to make voice and data calls. Data can be sent over the network at a speed of 9.6 kbps.
GSM has the most subscribers of all systems. Around 1 billion subscribers (as of the end of January 2004) have access to it.
GSM uses four different frequencies. You have 850, 900, 1800 and 1900Mhz. The 850 and 1900 Mhz bands are mainly used in the American territories.

GPRS (2.5G)

GPRS which stands for General Packet Radio Service makes it possible that large amounts of data are sent over a mobile network at speeds that are three to four times higher then regular GSM connections. The theoretical maximum speed is 171.2 kbps when using all eight timeslots. GPRS allows users (for example) to surf the internet without having to wait ages before a page loads.
A GPRS connection is always on but, only used when the user receives or sends data. This system, called packet switching, is very efficient and allows large numbers of users to share the same bandwidth from a single mobile cell (within the cells limit).

HSCSD (2.5G)

HDCSD which stands for High Speed Circuit Switched Data is used to enhance the data services on GSM networks.
HSCSD allows users to send and receive data at three times the speed of normal GSM connections. Data can be received and send at speed up to 28.8 kbps.
Many providers are upgrading their HSCSD service to support  speeds of up to 43.2 kbps.    

EDGE (2.5G)

EDGE which stands for Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution is a 3G technology that's capable of delivering broadband speeds to mobile phones. EDGE has been developed to add more advanced services to existing mobile networks.
With EDGE mobile operators can add 3G type services to their existing GSM mobile network  

W-CDMA (3G)

W-CDMA (also known as UMTS or 3GSM) which stands for Wideband Code Division Multiple Access is a 3G technology. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 2 Mbps users will be able to use video on demand, video calls, high speed multimedia and mobile internet.
During the start up of 3G networks most phones will support both GSM and 3G service. This will ensure that the user will always be in reach of a network and can make calls or send data.

So, that cool phone I saw in Japan can be used outside of Japan?

No, Japan uses a very different system compared to what other countries use. You can't use it (at the moment) outside of Japan.

With the introduction of 3G networks in other countries it could become possible (theoretically) to use a Japanese phones outside Japan.

Alright, Japanese phones won't work. How about phones from other countries?

First you will have to verify that the phone you want uses the same cellular system as the one in your country. A lot of countries around the world use the GSM system. However the frequency they use can vary per country and you have to make sure that the phone operates on one of these frequencies:

Europe

900Mhz

Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Ireland, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Monaco, Andorra, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Vatican City, Slovenia, Malta, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Albania, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldavia, Turkey, Cyprus, Russia, Iceland, Faroe Islands.

1800Mhz

Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Iceland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Vatican City, Slovenia, Malta, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Turkey, Russia.

CDMA

Romania.

UMTS

Monaco, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Germany, Italy, Vatican City, Sweden, Austria, Finland.

Africa

900Mhz

Morocco, Canary Islands, Western Sahara, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Sao Tome & Principe, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Conga, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Tunisia, Malta, Libya, Chad, Central Africa Republic, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Seychelles, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, La Reunion, Mauritius.

1800Mhz

Canary Islands, Equatorial Guinea, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, Malta, Zaire, Tanzania.  

Middle East

900Mhz

Syria, Lebanon, Isreal, Palestine, Jordan, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Saudia Arabia, Yemen, Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman.

1800Mhz

Syria, Georgia, Kuwait.

Asia

900Mhz

Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, Mongolia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Phillippines, Brunei.
   
1800Mhz

Maldives, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, Philippines.

UMTS

Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong.

Oceania

900Mhz

Papua New Guinea, Australia, Micronesia, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tonga, French Polynesia,

1800Mhz

Australia.

CDMA

Australia

1900Mhz

Guam, Samoa.

UMTS

Australia

North America

1900Mhz

Canada, Greenland, Bermuda, Mexico.

Central America

900Mhz

El Salvador, Panama, Cuba, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Curacao, Aruba, Guadeloupe, Martinique.

1800Mhz

Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Trinidad & Tobago.

1900Mhz

Belize, El Salvador, Nicarague, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Curacao.

CDMA

Guatamala, Honduras.

D-Amps

Cuba.

TDMA

Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, st. Kitts & Nevis,  Domenica, st. Lucia, st. Vincent, Grenadines, Barbados, Grenada.

South America

900Mhz

Venezuela, Argentina, Suriname, French Guyana.

1800Mhz

Suriname, French Guyana, Brazil.

1900Mhz

Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Argentina.

TDMA

Colombia, Uruguay.

CDMA

Uruguay.

No Registered Cellular Services

Guinea Bissau (Africa), Eritrea (Africa), Comoro Islands (Africa), Bhutan (Asia), North Korea (Asia), Palau (Oceania), Mariana Islands (Oceania), Nauru (Oceania), Tuvalu (Oceania), Solomon Islands (Oceania), Marshall Islands (Oceania), Kiribati (Oceania), Cook Islands (Oceania), Bahamas (Central America), Haiti (Central America), Montserrat (Central America), Ecuador (South America), Galapagos Islands (South America), Easter Islands (South America), Guyana (South America), Falkland Islands (South America), South Georgia (South America).

There's something about the phone being a triple band phone in the user manual. What does that mean?

These days most phones support more then one band so you will be able to use it in different countries without the need to change phones.
There are some small differences between Europe and the US (the US has started recently to use the 850Mhz frequency for mobile phones):

Europe

Single Band

The phone uses the 900Mhz frequency.

Double Band

The phone uses the 900 and 1800Mhz frequency.

Triple Band

The phone use the 900, 1800 and 1900Mhz frequency.

Quad Band

The phone uses the  850, 900, 1800 and 1900Mhz frequency.

United States

Single Band

Not Available.

Double Band

The phone uses the 850 and 1900Mhz frequency.

Triple Band
The phone uses the 850, 1800 and 1900Mhz frequency.

Quad Band

The phone uses the  850, 900, 1800 and 1900Mhz frequency.

[SharkyMark]

Alright, the frequency should work in my country. Anything else I should take a note
of?

Yes, there are some other things you should take note of. The manual that comes with the phone might not be in your native language.
This should not be a problem as SonyEricsson has an excellent support page. On this page you can find user manuals in many languages.
Another problem might be the warranty. If you buy a phone from abroad it might not yet be released in your country (maybe it will never be released in your country). Because of that the support of SonyEricsson in your country officially doesn't know it exists.
If your phone starts to develop problems they might not be able to help you. In that case you'll have to send it back to the dealer you bought it from and let them solve the problem. This could mean that you won't see your phone for a few weeks or months.
The last thing you should pay attention to is the phone charger. These days most SonyEricsson phones come with an universal phone charger which means it adapts to the voltage when you plug it into an power outlet.
However, it could be that for some reason the phone charger has been adapted for the local market. This could mean that it accepts a higher or lower voltage then that is available in your country. Plugging a phone charger into a power outlet with a lower voltage won't do much damage. Nothing will happen as the charger needs a higher voltage to work. The other way around should be avoided at any cost as it will destroy the charger and possibly the phone also.
The easiest way to avoid any of the above described charger problems is to buy a spare charger locally. This will work with any SonyEricsson phone in the world (excluding Japanese models).

Operator Services

There are so many different types and services mobile operators provide. What do they all mean?

You are right, there are a lot of different services around the world. Here is an explanation of  the most used ones

Calling

I don't think I have to explain much about this one. This makes it possible that you can speak to other people through a mobile phone.

SMS (Text Message)

If you can't call or don't want to you can always sent a SMS. SMS stand for Short Messaging Service and allows you to sent a text message of 160 characters to another mobile phone.
Recent mobile phones give you the option to sent long messages. With this option you can make a message as long as you wish without having to worry about the 160 charater limit. The phone just starts with a new message when you reach the character limit without the user having to go through the hassle of making a new message. Be warned though, you are sending multiple messages and will be charged for multiple messages.

EMS

EMS stands for Enhanced Messaging Service and is basically a SMS into which you can add animations, ringtones, black and white pictures and format your text. In order to receive an EMS message you need a phone that support the service. Non supporting phones will only receive the text part of the message.

MMS

MMS (sometimes called Picture Messaging) stands for Multimedia Messaging and allows you to sent (color) pictures, ringtones, picture / text slides,  and videos to phones that support the service. Most mobile providers sent a SMS message with an internet link when a MMS message is sent to a non-MMS mobile.

WAP

WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol and is a slimmed down version of the internet specially developed for mobile devices. This means that you won't find any high resolution pictures, animations or sparkling colors. WAP provides information without whistles and bells. Because WAP has none of these features you can visit a WAP page on a standard GSM connection.  
However, WAP didn't become the big success the industry hoped for. Due to the lack of any real interactive content, high costs and using a difficult programming language not a lot of people used it. With version 2.0 (which looks a lot like iMode) the industry hopes to make a success out of it.

iMode

Like WAP iMode is a cut down version of the internet. Using iHTML (cHTML) iMode was launched in February 1999 in Japan. iMode (unlike WAP) does support color images and interactive content. It became a huge success in Japan with 42 million subscribers (summer 2004).
These days you can also use iMode in certain European countries and although it's not as big as in Japan (4 million subscribers) it's not a disaster either. The main problem is that the official supported phones aren't the most fashionable.

Voicemail

When the person you are calling can't answer the phone, has his or her phone switched off you can still leave a message. Like an answering machine voicemail enables you to leave a spoken message. Once the person you have tried to call is available he or she will be notified of the voicemail.

Cell Broadcast information

Cell Broadcast Information is a system that can display a variety of information on the screen of your mobile phone. This can range from news about the weather or traffic to just displaying the area code you are in. This service is operator dependant

Screens[/b]

What type of screen does my phone use?

There are different types of screens. The latest phones mainly use TFT screens. Older models however use different screens.

Monochrome

This type of display consists of 4 colors of grey. These type of screens are found on the older Ericsson phones like the T39, R520 and R380. Some clamshell phones also use this type of screen for the small display on the outside of the phone.

LCD

LCD which stands for Liquid Crystal Display is made out of two sheets of polarizing material with a liquid crystal solution between them.
An electric current which goes through the liquid crystal solution causes the crystals to align so that light cannot pass through them. The principle is the same as found in the shutter of a photo camera.  

STN

STN which stands for SuperTwist Nematic is a type of LCD which twists liquid molecules causing the display to have a sharper contrast and better viewing angle. The advantage of this type of screen is that it's cheap to manufacture and consumes very little power. A downside is that ghosting can occur.
STN screens are mainly used for phones which have a display that is capable of displaying 256, 4.096 or 65.000 colors like the T300, T310, T68 and T610.

TFD

TFD which stands for Thin Film Diode uses diodes which are placed between two thin pieces of glass and placing them on the screen. The advantage of this technology is that the refresh rates are much higher (compared to STN screens) and power consumption is as low as that of an STN screen.
TFD screens are mainly used for phones which have a display that is capable of displaying 65.000 colors like the Z600.

TFT (Active Matrix)

TFT which stands for Thin Film Transistor is a type of LCD screen which uses one to four transistors to control each pixel on the screen. This makes the TFT screens faster, brighter and more colorful . The downside is that TFT screens are expensive and use much more power.
TFT screens are mainly used for phones which have a display that is capable of displaying 4.096, 65.000 and 260.000 colors like the P800, P900, K700 and Z1010.