Sony Ericsson P1i

The Sony Ericsson line of smart phones have long had a loyal fan following. The P990i was announced about a year before market availability, but when it did go on sale at the end of 2006, interest was still high because its features were still not outdated. Though it pushed the right buttons among the tech-geek crowd for its features, users were soon disappointed to find that there were quite a few bugs in its built-in software. A quick Internet search will bring up criticisms of the UIQ 3.0 implementation not only on the P990i, but also on the M600i and W950i.

While there have been firmware upgrades, users of those smart phones were recently up in arms because of talk suggesting that there would be no more development and bug fixes on UIQ 3.0. Shortly after, Sony Ericsson announced one more firmware release for the P990i and W950i devices in August, though none was promised for the M600i.

Reviewed here is the latest P1i, one that moves away from the form factor of the previous P-series devices significantly. It uses UIQ 3.1, which will enjoy the bulk of development efforts from firmware and software developers.

Design
The mobile phones in the P series have always been somewhat bulky. The last few models had flip-out keyboards, the last two of which, the P910i and P990i, had both a QWERTY and numeric keyboard each. That added to the size significantly, not to mention that the main chassis of the P series smart phones have traditionally been quite thick.

That has now changed with the P1i. Those familiar with Sony Ericsson's UIQ models will find that it looks more like the M600i than any P series device. This is thanks to its compact form factor as well as the exposed QWERTY/numeric keypad. Instead of a plasticky housing, the P1i has a matte metallic finish around the edges with a piano black gloss around the sides and front. The back, which is where the camera lens and battery cover are, has a different rubbery texture but is also in black.

Compared with the M600i, the P1i has a much more solid feel to it. This is not just because of the material used but also due to its heavier weight. The reduced size and weight compared with the P990i will surely appeal to some who stayed away from that model because of the form factor.

Sony Ericsson did not include a full QWERTY keyboard on the P1i, but instead put all the letters and numbers in 20 keys. Most of these keys rock left or right to serve as different letters. For example, the top left key is used for both the Q and W letters. Rocking it left will get you the former, while rocking right will type the latter. The center portion of the keypad has numbers in red laid out just like a regular numeric keypad for use in the phone application and when filling out fields where numbers should be entered.

While such a keyboard layout saves space, it takes some getting used to. Essentially, typing a letter becomes a two-step decision. First, you decide which button to land your finger on, then which direction to rock the thumb toward. You could just land your thumb on the side you want and press it immediately, but that means there is very little room for error when it comes to the position of the thumb tip, a real challenge for those with large fingers.

A scroll wheel is found on the left side of the device, meant for use with the left thumb. A back button below that makes it easy to get out of applications and menus. On the other side, there are shortcuts to the Web browser and camera application as well as a slot for the M2 memory expansion card. The single connector at the base of the P1i allows for charging and syncing, and lights up either green or red depending on the charging status of the battery, a helpful indicator to determine if it is time to disconnect after charging. As we have come to expect from Sony Ericsson's smart phones, an anorexic stylus can be removed from the top left-hand corner of the handset.