Sony Ericsson P910a Review

The Sony Ericsson P910a is a no compromise solution to the hassle of carrying a PDA and cell phone. Its looks great, works well and shows you have style.

Summary

A fully functional, hybrid PDA cell phone has been the holy grail of portable device for developers in both arenas. Consumers are tired of lugging around five different devices just to walk out the door in the morning. Whether the wildly successful PalmOne Treo, the business class RIM Blackberry, and or the slow-to-start Windows Mobile, cramming them all into one device has resulted in unacceptable compromises in size, functionality, and performance.

 

Enter the Sony Ericsson P910a. This Symbian-based Smartphone packs every feature a power user could want: full PDA-phone functionality, VGA camera, Bluetooth, removable storage, a large, clear, bright screen, as well as a flip down keyboard and handwriting recognition. All that in a compact, easy to use, true Smartphone interface.

Features and Design

 

The P910 comes in 3 varieties: the a, c and i models. The P910a version operates on the 850/1800/1900MHz bands (Cingular), the P910i operates on the 900/1800/1900MHz bands (T-Mobile), and the P910c operates on the 900/1800/1900MHz bands (Chinese carriers). U.S. customers looking to purchase the P910 will not find it at their local storefront. This leaves them with two options: order unlocked versions directly from Sony Ericsson, or from an online dealer. You will NOT find it if you walk into your local storefront, which means that you won’t find any activation deals or rebates. Regular firmware and software downloads are available at the Sony Ericsson website only.

 

The dimensions of the P910 make it small enough to fit into a pocket, but large enough that the screen is easily readable. The external phone keypad is backlit and folds down to reveal a non-backlit QWERTY keyboard. The attached hinge feels strong, but is likely to wear with use. Included in the package contents is a replacement bottom so that the user can remove the keypad entirely and operate the phone more as a ‘smart-PDA’. Talking with the keyboard open results in a very smudgy screen – one reason we liked the flip down design. Also, flipping the screen down activates the speakerphone which was loud enough for our tastes and very clear.

 

Along the left edge is the power button, wired headset port, and IR port, along with Sony’s ever-present jog dial. The top is clear of all buttons and ports, giving it a clean metallic look. The right side contains the Memory Stick Pro Duo slot (a token 32MB MS Duo card is included), the camera button and the desktop button. The bottom edge contains the Sony Ericsson proprietary ports for the A/C Adapter, headset and the desktop cradle. On the back of the phone there is the VGA camera lens with a mirror for taking self portraits, and the connection for an external antenna. Aside from the flip down keypad, the front has two indicator lights. One for Bluetooth connectivity and the other being power/message indicators. Folded, the screen is 1 ¾” wide x 1 ¾” tall, and open, the screen measures 2 ½” tall. The disc shaped USB docking station that comes with the unit concerns us slightly. The only support propping the P910 up is the angled force on the dock connectors at the bottom.

Conclusion

 

The Sony Ericsson P910 is an excellent all around performer. Unlike competing products, the P910 runs an OS that was built for smart phones from the ground up, and the interaction between the applications makes that apparent. While the application selection is somewhat limited compared to the Palm OS and Windows Mobile based options, all the essentials are covered, as well as a host of integrated multimedia capabilities. Once our issues with synchronizing were resolved, it was smooth sailing. We highly recommend this phone for gadget lovers, business users, and people looking to ditch their PDAs and cell phones for an integrated smart phone.

 

The Sony Ericsson P910a is a no compromise solution to the hassle of carrying a PDA and cell phone. Even though every convergence device must make sacrifices, we found the cell phone functionality undiminished, and the PDA performance everything we need for everyday use, plus more. The built in camera is adequate for quick snaps and movies, and MP3 playback is integrated well with the rest of the phone. The flip down keyboard is functional and convenient, and the handwriting recognition is excellent.

 

Pros:

 

- Full PDA functionality

- Clear, easy to read screen

- Integrated camera

- Good call quality

 

Cons:

 

- Buggy synchronization software

- Limited software available

- Poor tech support

- Hard to find

 

Accessories and Software

 

Included accessories consisted of the phone itself, USB docking station, replacement bottom edge (discussed earlier), stylus, stereo headphones with built in mic, 32MB Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick Duo to Memory Stick Adapter, cleaning cloth, and belt clip case. Applications include Phonebook, Datebook, Tasks, Calculator, Web browser, QuickWord (MS Word viewer), QuickSheet (MS Excel viewer), PDF+ (PDF viewer), Sound recorder, video and photo capture and viewer, MP3 player, Alarm Clock, Chess, Solitaire, and File Manager. The File Manager can be used for installing zipped applications, such as NES emulators, expense trackers, and Opera’s web browser. Themes can be downloaded to change the appearance and ring tones. The background can be customized for open and closed flip use, with the closed flip background supporting animated gifs. MP3 ring tones of any length are supported, but only the first 10-15 seconds