Panasonic X700 Smartphone

The Panasonic X700 is powered by Symbian OS v7.0 (Series 60), and is a combined mobile phone and PDA.

This is a tri-band clamshell GPRS phone with built-in software to allow direct access to Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. It supports the MiniSD memory card format.

• Includes Quick Office (for viewing and editing of Excel, Word & PowerPoint) and Photobase for image editing (redeye reduction, warp , crop, etc)
• Connectivity: USB, Bluetooth, IR
• Memory: Supports mini-SD cards
• Size: 97 x 49 x 23.9mm
• Weight: 107g

Available - Now (January 2005) - free on o2 and Vodafone tariffs from Phones 4 U

Software for Symbian OS phones is normally supplied using a Symbian installation file (with a .sis extension). This is a single file that contains the components needed to get a piece of software installed and ready to run. A SIS file can be run on a Symbian phone (e.g. from the Inbox or via a file manager. It can also be run via the PC connectivity solution that was supplied on the CD with the handset. Assuming you have a SIS file on your PC/Mac (either downloaded from the Internet or on a CD), the ways to install a SIS file onto your handset are as follows:

• Beaming - Beam the file to your handset from your PC using Bluetooth or IR. If you don't currently have the ability to beam files to the handset via Bluetooth (either from another handheld device or from a PC), then you may wish to purchase an adapter for your PC (this means you'll be able to install software, backup and synchronise data between phone and PC) - See our Series 60 PC connectivity page for more.
• USB cable - Your can connect your phone to your PC via Bluetooth or using a USB cable.
• By email - The alternative, is to email the file that you're trying to install, typically a SIS (Symbian installation file) to your own email account, and then use your phone to logon to your email (details) and download the SIS file as an attachment into your phone's Messaging Inbox.
• Via memory card - There is another alternative for users of phones that take memory cards by transferring the SIS file to the handset via the card slot and a PC MMC Memory card reader. Copy files onto a memory card from your PC, and then insert the MMC card into your handset.

The Panasonic x700 can connect to a PC via a USB cable, Infrared, or over Bluetooth. Here is a summary of how to connect to your PC.

• IR connection. From the phone, select 'Connect | Infrared' to turn the phone's IR on. Line up the phone with the PC infrared port, and Windows should detect the phone. Then, use the supplied software package to select the file you want to send to the phone. For more on IR, see our PC connectivity page
  There are several IR adapters available, including the pictured 'USB-IRDA Adaptor' from Maplin Electronics (Cat no: RV88V).
• Bluetooth connection. From the phone, select 'Connect | Bluetooth'. Turn Bluetooth 'On', then move to the second tab by moving the joystick to the right. This should show you all Bluetooth devices in range. If your PC isn't shown, select 'Options | New paired device' and let the phone search for the PC connection. When the phone and PC are paired, use the supplied software package to select the file you want to send to the phone.
  If your PC doesn't support Bluetooth, then you can add it cheaply and easily using a USB Bluetooth adapter. We recommend the Belkin USB Bluetooth adapter available for around £15 from amazon.co.uk.
  For details of Bluetooth, see our Bluetooth page, and for help connecting, see our PC connectivity page
  
• Memory card reader. If you don't want to beam files from your PC to the phone, another option is to make use of the MiniSD card slot in the Panasonic X700. Get hold of a Memory card reader for around £20 and copy files onto a card plugged into your PC. Find out more on our Memory card page.

Files beamed to the Panasonic X700 can be found in the Messaging application, in the Inbox folder

If you've got an old mobile phone handset that you're no longer using... do your bit for the environment, and recycle it safely. You'll also make some money when you send your old handset back.

Don't leave it in the back of a drawer - see if it can find a new lease of life, and pocket you some cash.

For a summary of the best deals on making cash from your old handset, try the comparison search tool at www.sellyouroldmobile.co.uk

Hotmail and AOL use proprietary email systems, as opposed to the more common POP email systems - this makes it tricky to access mail on a Series 60 device. For email on the move, consider using a standard POP3 provider such as BT Yahoo (see setup details) that offers free email accounts that can be configured on a Series 60 phone.

If you really want to use Hotmail or AOL, see our Series 60 FAQ on this subject.