Sony Ericsson P1 - Fifth Generation SmartPhone

by Darren

SmartPhones are not as new of a technology as some may surmise. The Sony Ericsson P1 is a great example of that fact. This is a fifth generation SmartPhone that’s coming into its’ own. Sony Ericsson needs a few hits to keep up with rivals like Nokia and LG, and the P1 is aimed at a great segment of the mobile phone market.

Let’s start with the most obvious features first:

* Pocket sized smart phone - 25% smaller than P990

* Complete mobile office - Push corporate and consumer email, WLAN and VoIP enabled

* True multimedia - 3.2 megapixel camera with business card scanner, media player and 512MB Memory Stick Micro™

The company is quite proud of the features of the phone, and think it will resonate with their target market. “In one sense the Sony Ericsson P1 is an evolution of our P-series smartphones, as it pushes forward the best attributes of its predecessors,” says Steve Walker, Head of Product Marketing at Sony Ericsson. “At the same time there are also significant improvements in design, speed and battery performance.”

This phone is big on push email and web browsing capabilities, runs Symbian O/S V9.1, and will connect using either UTMS or WiFi.

In short, the P1 is a device as small as a standard phone that offers flexible ways to work:

* Dual function keyboard - full alpha-numeric (e.g. QWERTY) text input combined with one hand phone usability
* Choice of text input method including handwriting and word completion
* Push email enabled including support for Exchange ActiveSync™ and BlackBerry® Connect™
* Integrated WLAN and VoIP enabled
* 3.2 megapixel camera with business card scanner
* Large 2.6” touchscreen with a Transflective Display that is easier to view in bright light conditions

The complete list of features and specs for the thorough:

The Sony Ericsson P1 at a glance:

Productivity/Efficiency Features

* QWERTY keyboard and handwriting text input
* Predictive text input
* Handwriting recognition
* Transflective Display for bright light conditions
* Document editors and readers
* VoIP support
* WLAN (Wi-Fi 802.11b)
* Business card scanning
* Video calling
* Calculator
* Calendar
* Flight mode

Email and Web

* Push email support provided by/licensed from;
o AlteXia
o Ericsson Mobile Office
o Intellisync
o Microsoft - Exchange ActiveSync™
o Research In Motion- BlackBerry Connect
o Seven
o Sybase/iAnywhere
o Visto
* POP3, IMAP4, including IMAP IDLE
* Opera™ Web Browser 8.0
* VPN client from Certicom

Imaging and Multimedia

* 3.2 megapixel camera with Auto focus
* Digital zoom, 3x
* Photo light
* Video recording/streaming/viewing
* Mobile TV – H.264 playback
* Picture messaging (MMS)
* Text messaging (SMS)
* Bluetooth stereo (A2DP)
* Media player
* Music tones (MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+)
* Polyphonic ringtones
* PlayNow™
* TrackID™
* 512 MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™) expandable memory
* 160 MB User Memory (internal)
* FM radio RDS
* RSS Feeds
* Picture Blogging (Free downloadable application)
* 3D games

Hygiene Features

* Bluetooth 2.0
* Infrared
* Modem
* USB support
* USB 2.0 mass storage
* Speakerphone
* Sound recorder
* Vibrating alert
* Jog dial
* Picture wallpaper
* Wallpaper animation
* Java
* Alarm clock
* Stopwatch
* PC Software
* 1120 mAh battery

Accessories

* In-Box:
o Stereo Headset HPM-62
o Desk Stand CDS-65
o 512MB Memory Stick Micro™ (M2™)
o PC Software
o USB Cable
o Extra Stylus (for touchscreen use)
o Protective Pouch
o Standard Phone Charger
* Optional:
o Bluetooth™ Car Speakerphone HCB-120
o Music Remote Control MRC-60
o Bluetooth™ Music Receiver MBR-100
o Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-GV435
o Bluetooth Headset HBH-IV835
o Stereo Bluetooth™ Headset HBH-DS980

Facts and Figures

* Operating system: Symbian™ OS v9.1
* Size: 106 x 55 x 17 mm
* Weight: 124 grams
* Colour: Silver Black
* Screen: 262,144 color TFT touchscreen
* Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels
* Size: 2.6 inches
* Networks: P1c/i: UMTS 2100-GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900
* Talk time GSM/UMTS: Up to 10 hrs/3 hrs 30 min
* Standby time GSM/UMTS: Up to 440 hrs/350 hrs
* Video call time: Up to 2 hrs

The phone will be available in select markets in Q3 2007.