PDA or phone? You decide... (Sony Ericsson P900)

Member Name: Kotimana

Product:	Sony Ericsson P900
Date:	27/10/04 (349 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Docking Station, MP3 ringtones, Included accesories

Disadvantages: Memory expansion, Slow transfer rate (USB)

This phone is excellent value for money, even when I bought it on contract for £250 in April this year.

The first positive aspect of the package is the inclusion of the data cable/docking station, a faeture often overlooked by phone manufaturers. The included software and updates available for the SonyEricsson site allow PC synchronisation and backup of the data on your phone. Even better is the online availability of phone software updates, no need to take your phone to a service centre. The other connectivity options are Infrared and Bluetooth for PC and headset connections. Bluetooth is a big let down as it hs very limited range and cannot reach when your headset is on the opposite side to where you have the handset clipped.

Mp3 and video playback is excellent, even through the internal speaker. I have not used the earphone socket as it has a fiddly rubber plug which looks a little fragile for repeated use. As with all multimedia applications you only get out as good as you put in, clear 128kbs recordings work great, it will play higher sample rates but you are limited by the available memory. Also note that while playing mp3s you will get a slight stutter in playback as the screensaver starts (i have disabled mine)

As a phone this one excells, contact information is very detailed, add a picture as many mumbers as you need for each, their e-mail address and specify individual ringtones or arrange in groups. Mp3 ringtones are something I personally prefer and any mp3 you upload to the phone can be selected as a ringtone. Voice dialing is relatively easy to configure but can be choosy at times (never call when you have a cold :)) and of course the speed dial option is available. As a tr-band phone it has the international flexability if needed

Messaging is simple, with predictive text input T9 and the onscreen keyboard option you can quickly send texts and MMS to single or multiple contacts. Wth an available e-mail acount you can even send your picture to your friends without pictur messaging phones, and besides that it's also cheaper.

Surfing or WAP is as always not an alternative to PC browsing but navigating with the P900 is easy and fluid, use the stylus or jog dial to navigate through the miniweb.

If you suffer from poor memory then this is the phone for you. Not only do you have a fully functional alarm with three availale slots (daily or working days cobfigurable) but you have a fully configurable calander for reminders, birthdays setting for odd repeats like 4 weekly is easy.

The 65k colour display is crisp and clear, while the camera is relatively poor in output for more than snapshots. This, so far has always been the case for 'camera phones'. Considering the other features of the phone this is relatively minor, if you want a digital camera then get one, they're designed for high quality images. The included carry pouch is adequate and sturdy my only concern being the open top which may allow moisture exposure to exposed controls. Tey even throw in a dust cloth for those sticky finger print you may leave on the touch sensitive screen. The touch screen is of course the ig tech attraction, with some practice, and small fingers, you can easily operate this feature without the supplied stylus (also supplied 1 spare) but for ease of use, especially the on-screen keyboard, the stylus is the best option.

The P900 is not a games machine, however I have tried the VRally and the game works smoothly, the control method, touch screen and key combinations are tricky but with practice can be very entertaining.

Minor flaws not addressed in design move from the P800 is the lack of Memory Stick Duo Pro support. This has been addressed in the P910i but at the cost of battery life. The 128Mb expansion limit is minor because the space allows for and entire movie (MPEG4 or .3gp), a music video and 8 mp3 files. If you want a multimedia player there are several available for that purpose, this is after all a phone.

Used sparingly this phone will last 1 week, even with bluetooth enabled, unlike kwadhwan1 who may need to enquire on a new battery. By sparingly I mean about 30mins of calls for five days with occasional (1-2) mp3 playbacks daily. The phone has fully configurable power options to limit the time the screen and backlit keypad stays illuminated.

Summary: