The P990i is the upgraded version of the very successful P910i PDA-style smartphone, and incorporates a number of new features, including 3G, WiFi, an upgraded camera and an FM radio. In fact, the P990i has just about every imaginable feature. It's the ultimate phone! Or is it?
As soon as the P990i was announced, it was obvious that Sony Ericsson had taken away one of the most popular features of the P910i - its huge screen. The P990i has a smaller screen, with a full QWERTY-style keypad in the lower half of the device. This design has split the P-series community. Some like the new design, or are willing to tolerate it: many hate it. The P990i also has a downgraded version of the popular jog-dial control. The P990i has a 3-way jog dial instead of the 5-way jog dial used on the older model. This was done apparently in response to user feedback, but judging from the user reviews below, it's another unpopular decision.
The design of the P990i incorporates a conventional numeric keypad which can be flipped open or removed to reveal the full QWERTY alphanumeric keypad beneath. In addition to key-based data entry, the p990i has a touch-sensitive screen with a stylus to operate an onscreen virtual keyboard. Most users seem to prefer this to the real keyboard. The phone also has support for handwriting recognition. The 3-way jog dial can be used for scrolling and selecting and most phone functions can be accessed without opening the flip.
The P990i uses the Symbian 9.1 operating system, making it into a powerful multi-tasking device. Sony Ericsson intended the P990i to be a genuine mobile office, and the device really does come close. An advanced contacts and calendar application is incorporated, which can be wirelessly synchronised using WiFi/Bluetooth. With every conceivable type of connectivity included (3G, wireless LAN, Bluetooth, USB, infrared and Fast Port) you can connect to any other device and use the phone as a high-speed wireless modem to connect your laptop to the internet. The USB connection supports mass storage and drag and drop functionality.
The P990i is the first 3G P-Series, and it supports the full range of 3G functionality, including video calling as well as fast internet access. There are two cameras on the P990i: a forward-facing camera for video calling, and a 2 megapixel camera on the rear. This is the same type of camera first used in the Sony Ericsson K750i: a 2 megapixel camera with autofocus, a photo light and a digital zoom. It makes the VGA camera installed on the P910i look like a joke. The phone is supplied with Adobe PhotoShop 2.0 Starter Edition, for editing photos on a PC. A novel business application that make use of the camera is a card scanner that uses the integrated camera together with OCR software to store digital versions of business cards in phone contacts. There's more functionality in the P990i that you can shake a stick at. Examples include a high quality music & media player with support for Bluetooth stereo headsets, an FM radio with RDS, a speakerphone, a polyphonic ringtone composer and 3D Java games. Push email gives secure access to corporate or personal email, and a document viewer lets you both view and edit attachments. An Opera web browser is included, and there is support for RSS feeds, VPN (Virtual Private Network) and even virus protection, file encryption and a built-in firewall. The internal memory is 60 Mbytes, with a 64 Mbyte Memory Stick PRO Duo™ provided, and this can be expanded to 4 Gbytes. Memory Stick Duo™ is also supported.
As this is a Symbian-based phone, there are plenty of third-party applications available. Sample applications supplied include Audible (download and listen to spoken editions of books, magazines and newspapers), SlovoEd (multilingual translation tool), IntelliGolf (golfing assistant) and WorldMate (travel information service).
Features of the Sony Ericsson P990i include:
- 3G smartphone (Symbian 9.1)
- 2 megapixel digital camera with autofocus, 2.5x digital zoom and photo light
- Video camera (30 frames/second)
- Display: TFT, 262,144 colours, 240 x 320 pixels
- Stereo music & media player
- Stereo FM radio with RDS
- MP3 & AAC ringtones
- MusicDJ (polyphonic ringtone editor)
- Messaging: SMS, MMS, email
- Speakerphone
- Conference calling
- Sound recorder
- Caller ID (photo ID)
- Advanced personal organiser functions
- 3D Java games
- Flight mode
- Vibration alert
- WAP 2.0, GPRS
- Memory: 60 Mbytes plus 64 Mbytes Memory Stick PRO Duo™ -also supports Memory Stick Duo™
- Connectivity: Bluetooth, USB mass storage, Infrared, Fast port,
- WLAN 802.11b
- Triband plus 3G
- Size: 114 x 57 x 25 mm
- Weight: 150g
