The Newest Member of My Gadget Family: Sony Ericsson P990i

An Unbiased Review.. and comparison with P910.

I have had the Sony Ericsson (SE) P910i for the last two years. Got so attached to it that didn't change mobiles last year. So when the next version was announced by SE I knew they would create something special and I also knew that I would want to get my hands on it.Finally by the Grace of God (and bit of my hard work) I was able to get it last Friday (22nd September). This is a review on the usability and not the technical features and specs. of the phone. I think for most people its not the technology but the usability that matters!

So lets have a head to head: P910i vs P990i

Feature: Ease of Use - Flip Closed.

Winner: Debate rages on but my money is on P910i. The 5 way JogDial (reduced to 3 way with a seperate 'BACK' button in p990i) was just too easy to use. While the 'BACK' button takes a bit getting used to and overall it is easy to use, it just doesnt beat the 'all in one place' feel of the 5 way JogDial. (For newcomers to the P series.. the 5 way JogDial allowed you to go back out of menus which has now been converted into a dedicated button just below the (new) 3 way JogDial). Also the old JogDial was easier to get at whereas the new one is encased in the body and a bit smaller..

The metallic keypad of p990i feels much better though! Let see how it lasts the test of time (and use!). BUT the naviagtion key on the numeric keypad is hell to use! The central selection key is so small that I end up pressing one of the direction keys instead!

Flip Closed (p990i on right).

The Tiny selection key!

The JogDial (p990i above, p910i below).




Feature: Ease of Use - Flip Open (including keyboard).

Winner: p990i. The new bigger keyboard is much easier to use especially since it within the main body of the phone and not on the flip. This means you can use the keyboard easily with one hand. Also the new backlight for the keyboard was one of the things I missed the most in p910i. Just like with the p910i the keyboard in p990i is well designed and the key layout is also good.

The Keyboards (note the nice blue backlight on the p990i).

Feature: Display Quality

Winner: p990i. The new display is sharp and vibrant (see next section).



Feature: Look and Feel of the User Interface (Software)

Winner: p990i. The UIQ 3.0 based interface is stunning. The difference in graphics is similar to the difference between Windows 98 and Windows XP. All the icons are textured and really smooth looking. In p910i the menu graphics were good but the lower level graphics were bit flat looking.

Graphics (p990i on the left).

Feature: Look and Feel of the User Interface (Hardware)

Winner: p910i (in my humble opinion)
This is mainly because with p910i the screen was much bigger, memory slot easier to access and the separate bluetooth indicator light was really handy. In p990i there is just one light which starts to blink when you have a missed call or new email.
Style wise the p910i had a much better looking body. Sorry to say, but to me p990i looks like a fat bar of chocolate. Well, didnt buy it for looks..
Also one of the MAJOR issues is the hard to use Memory Slot. I think SE people thought you would 'install and forget' the external memory card 'coz once inserted and locked the Memory card is very difficult to unlock and take out. The main reason is that the Memory card slot is recessed into the body (just like the JogDial!).

P910i (note that is the normal locked position of the memory card - it has NOT been unlocked!)

P990i memory slot (note the recessed slot)

Would like to mention one thing though, even though the p990i is heavier than p910i (by 5 grams) it feels lighter. Maybe SE has done something about the distribution of mass within the phone.

Finally I wish they had given a 3.5mm headphone jack in p990i since it is much easier to just switch headphones rather than carrying around the handsfree.


Other issues:

CONNECTIVITY

BLUETOOTH (including A2DP), INFRARED, WiFi (802.11b only), USB

Left to Right Icons: Cellphone signal bars, 3G connected, WiFi connected, Globe: Connection Established (on WiFi), the Battery Indicator, Task Manager.

One of the strongest selling points of the p990i (if it had been launched in First Quarter of 2006 like planned!). But I was quite surprised that the WiFi was not upgraded to 802.11g especially since other devices (such as imate JASJAM) already offer it.
One good thing is that within the USB option you can enable 'charging thru USB' so you dont have to cart around the adapter everywhere, nor invest in a seperate USB charger. Very useful for people who hardly ever travel without their laptops. The USB data cable of course is provided with the phone!

WiFi connectivity is quite good for a device this size even though the WiFi indicator gives no indication of the connection strength! The only problem is that the browser restricts the full usage of WiFi. The phone should have come with an inbuilt streming media player so that one can access Internet Radio Stations thru WiFi or 3G.

The SE people just have not given enough software along with the phone to utilise the advanced connectivity options. The software included is the usual selection you can find in any good phone such as Document Readers and (being a game freak) just 2 lousy games! One good piece of software (though not unique to P990i) is the RSS Feed Reader. Great for people who want to catch up on the news.

Main Menu

Multimedia (note the RSS Feed Reader - also found in K800i)

'Entertainment' CRAP GAMES! P910i had Chess!

'Office' No special PDA software in there!

Tools.

The inclusion of A2DP means you can use Bluetooth enabled headphones with the p990i to listen to music (like a normal headphone!) and at the same time use it like a handsfree. The only problem is that dual mode Bluetooth headphones (stereo music + handsfree) cost about 100 pounds a piece!


THE TASK MANAGER

Quite a deadly piece of enhancement this one. Unlike the old p910i, most programs on p990i don't exit when you receive a call or an sms. In fact most programs (like the Web browser) don't have an exit option! So you have no other option except to use the Back button to go to the main menu. This leaves the program open and if you keep doing this it will leave you with a long trail of programs in the task manager which you need to go and 'End' one by one, kind of like in Windows when a program hangs you can end it thru Task Manager.
This not only slows down the phone but also makes the whole UIQ 3.0 experience weird.
Maybe I am doing something stupid (if YES then please do let me know!) or else SE need to come up with a solution for this.


THE FINAL WORD

So all in all there are lots of good as well as bad things about p990i. While discovering each new feature made me squeal with pleasure (like a small farm animal I admit!) at the same time certain glaring mistakes made me groan with pain (especially the Memory Stick slot and the tiny select key!)
In making this phone SE designers seem to have gone 10 steps forward but they have also taken 1 step back which will keep it from becoming the best PDA phone of its time (atleast in my books!).

This phone is selling like anything, but that is mainly due to:
1) Hype generated by SE (drawing upon the success of the previous P series phones).

2) Delayed launch (by more than 6 months!).

3) Limited supply of hansets.