Sony Ericsson have reason to pride themselves as being at the forefront of mobile communication design after releasing handsets that have continually broken new ground.The new Sony Ericsson P1i is their latest smartphone offering with full PDA functionality and new high speed connection options.
Sony Ericsson have been producing high quality PDA smartphones for over 4 years, their first model was commonly classed as groundbreaking integrating new features that could only be found in the bulky laptops of the day.
The manufacturers first model was called the Sony Ericsson P800 and was produced in the companys trademark green casing. The unique new features that this model offered over other mobile phones were full support for document viewing and email attchments and a dual flip design that allowed the user to use the handset whilst closed as well as open for text input.
These may not sound like momentous steps forward today but this was cutting edge technology squeezed into a phone that was no bigger than the normal dimensions of other phones of its time.
Realising the success of this new form of communication, Sony Ericsson released further models with even more features and technology. The next model to appear was the Sony Ericsson P900 followed by the P910 and more recently the P990i.
As the new models emerged they continually became smaller, lighter and more feature packed, offering everything one could expect of a PDA plus the integration of Bluetooth support for wireless connections, high quality digital cameras, further support for pocket edition software and high speed connections to the internet for browsing and downloading emails.
Sony Ericsson had in effect created the ultimate mobile office, something that could not be achieved with a normal laptop and connection.
The latest edition of the smartphone range is the new Sony Ericsson P1i, an unmistakable direct upgrade to its predecessors. The overall design has only change a little with sharper, more defined corners and a new ‘brushed steel’ effect casing. The weight of this new handset has also been shaved down from 155g of the P990i to 124g and the phones dimensions have shrunk from 114 x 57 x 25mm down to 106 x 55 x 17 mm. Despite the reduction in size this is by far the most powerful smartphone that Sony Ericsson have released to date. 3G support has been intergrated for broadband speed download of new mobile content such as new applications and email attachments plus access to the latest news and sports headlines, movie trailers and music videos.
The built-in camera has been upgraded to 3.2 megapixels with digital zoom and flash and now there is a secondary camera solely for face to face video calling via 3G. Other features include an advanced Music Player, FM Stereo Radio, and the all important handwriting recegnition software giving the user quick and easy text input.
The connectivity lines have opened with WiFi and UMTS being added, this is a significant addition as the phone will now connect to wireless hotspots for free and quick internet access whilst out and about.
When Sony Ericsson exclaimed that they had designed the ultimate mobile office all those years ago, even they could not have guessed how far their own technology would take them with the new Sony Ericsson P1i.
