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< Esato Forum Index > Sony Ericsson / Sony > Symbian phones > Some questions on the p1i Bookmark topic

Hey guys, basically I'm due an upgrade of my phone in just over a month and I started to have a look around. The p1i instantly caught my eye, and it looks like a cool little phone.

I was wondering if any of you guys have it and would be kind enough to give your opinions on the features and usability of the phone. I heard some negative comments about the jog dial.

I was also wondering what applications are available for it, and if it's possible to design your own themes for it using the Sony Ericsson Theme Manager? Is it possible to set mp3s as ringtones and as message alerts?

Is it possible to record phone calls, and if so, does it still feature the irritating 20 second beep that appears on the k610i? Do you tend to have to keep it in the case all the time, to avoid damaging the touchscreen? I saw some crystal snapcases for it on ebay, but they don't seem to protect the screen itself.

I also noticed the O2 Xda Orbit, O2 Xda Trion and n95 while I was looking around the o2 site. I've always been a sony ericsson man, but if I was getting glowing reviews of another phone I would consider switching over. Anyone got any experience with one of these, and able to compare it to a p1i?

I use my phone for a lot of calls, a fair bit of surfing, the odd game/photo/song, might start using it for email. I like the idea of having applications available to me, but I'm not really sure what is available for the p1i, so maybe someone could clarify for me.

Oh and I also heard about this 'fring' program - am I right in thinking that if you were able to connect to wifi, and you install fring, that you can make free skype calls? Or would your calls still be charged in some way?

Thanks guys!

[ This Message was edited by: jeemer on 2007-09-07 11:15 ]
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Posted: 2007-09-07 12:14:09
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I have the p1i and its the first phone that hasn't had me asking for more. Sure, there are phones with better features, bu to me the p1i is a real all in one phone.

The keypad takes some getting used to, but it only took me a few minutes to be typing full speed on it. It's deffinitely more cramped than the larger keypads like on the HTC phones, but its comfortable all the same.

Usability of UIQ is very similiar to Series 60, but I find with UIQ3, to do one thing, there can be many different ways to approach it and you can use most common functions anywhere thanks to the status bar on top.

Everythin is logically placed, but you will find yourself going into the menu's a lot for advanced functions.

Most complaints you will have are with the keypad(its a love it or hate it affair), the jog dial(if it was a five way it would be better, but if you've used a blackberry you'll feel right at home) and the lack of hardware buttons(you can't choose the left and right sofgt-keys without using the touchscreen)

All stuff you get used to within a day or so.

You cannot record phone calls as of now. Sony locks this for security reasons.

You can design your own themes but you cannot change menu icons easily, though you can easily change the shortcut icons on the stand-by screen.

The touchscreen is very durable. Shows fingerprints when the backlight is off, but I have no scratches on mine yet, even without a case. its recessed so unless you have something actively scratching it or keys in your pocket, it'll be fine.

You can set any playable media file as a ringtone or alert.


Having used all the phones you've mentioned, its upto you which one you will lean towards. if your looking for a media phone, theres nothing better right now than the n95. The p1i is good, but not as good.
For business the O2s with keyboards are deffinitely better, but windows mobile is a pain in the ass to use compared to series 60 and UIQ3.
The middleground is the p1i. Good for business, good for media. Like I said earlier: There are phones with better features, but the p1i is the real all-in-one phone.

Applications wise, there are a fair share of aplications now available on UIQ3. Not as much as on the other systems, but almost everything apart from an IR remote is available.

Fring is totally free. Skype to skype is free, but like skype, skype to landline is not.

You will of course be charged according to your data plan, but thats dependant on your service carrier.

Be careful of the wifi though. when it works, its great, but the phone is a little picky when it comes to lesser known routers.
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Posted: 2007-09-07 15:46:02
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^I agree with above.
I personally dont like windows mobile.

I find the P1i VERY easy to use, and multitasking is great!

The keyboard does take getting used to but the predictive text helps a bit with speed.

Its a very well rounded device imo

You wont be disappointed

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Posted: 2007-09-07 21:03:30
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^+1 - well said.

I suppose that one thing to consider is.. how much you're prepared to tinker with the phone, though. I'm not the best one to speak on what's "too much" when it comes to that - but there are problems with any smartphone that you don't have on a dumb one. (..Usually, anyway.) So far they haven't been worse than what a reflash and a reformat would fix for me - but there are more complex tasks and more complex problems. For instance, on SE's jp phones with a single thread multitask, you would generally be unable to run something you didn't intend in the background, that would constantly drain power. That kind of limitation is gone on UIQ, for good or bad.

Still, when things work as they should, the p1 is pretty impressive when it comes to stability and multitasking (.. not to exaggerate, but basically, it wipes the floor with anything else of smartphones I've tried, when it comes to these things. I mean, actual multitasking, and not just context switches - it's excellent). So there's definitively some thought that went into it that way, at least..
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Posted: 2007-09-07 22:44:52
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Predictive text is wholly unnecessary when you have a QWERTY keyboard. I've never used it on any phone but would certainly ditch that method with the P1's keyboard.
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Posted: 2007-09-08 00:10:37
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Thats a matter of preference. I keep the predictive text on since its non-obtrusive. It usually suggests the right words so I can just press ok and continue typing which is great for longer words, but for shorter words/words not saved I can just type normaly since the p1i's predictive text doesn't force you to stay with the words saved in its dictionary like on phones with alphanumeric keypads.

Plus the P1i predictive text usually completes sentences for me bu suggesting the next word. So for example, I type often to my girlfriend and instead of having to type 'I love you' each and every time, I can just type and then press OK two times to get the other words. Yes, I'm a lazy boyfriend.
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Posted: 2007-09-08 09:59:19
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Don't let your GF find out.
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Posted: 2007-09-08 20:51:42
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its a gud phone well worth the price just that camera bug that it

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Posted: 2007-09-08 21:57:12
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