Sony Ericsson P910i - how good is it as a PDA?

[Taz]

I've currently got a 'workhorse' Nokia 6310i and an iPaq 4150. The phone is good as it can send and receive phone calls (that's all I need out of a phone believe it or not!) and has a very long battery life and Bluetooth to allow me to use it with my car kit.

The iPaq 4150 is quite good but, to be honest, I never carry it around with me anymore as I hate having to carry two bits of kit around. However, it is very lightweight and has WiFi and Bluetooth.

I'm looking at the Sony Ericsson P910i to replace both items and was wondering if the P910i has the following (as standard or extras that I can purchase):

a) A good colour screen - I wouldn't expect it would be as good as my iPaq 4150 but something close would be essential.
b) A reasonable talk/standby time - probably isn't going to be as good as my Nokia 6310i I imagine.
c) Full synchronisation with Outlook 2003 (via USB 2.0 connection preferably - must be able to sync e-mails, schedule, tasks and contacts).
d) File viewers (eg. Word/Excel)
e) Ability to store pictures (JPG) and a good picutre viewer.
f) Ability to store video files (AVI/WMV/MPG) and a good video file player
g) Travel software (eg. Mobimate Worldmate - I use this on the iPaq and it is awesome).
h) Electronic wallet software (I already use Ilium EWallet on my desktop and my iPaq PocketPC - it stores my credit cards information, Web site logon details, banking details etc - very useful software). I don't think Iliums EWallet is available for this phone but other eWallet software may be.
i) Some sort of 'list' software to create, for example, shopping lists.

[Edit]
j) A music player for MP3 or (preferably) Ogg Vorbis format would be desirable.
[/Edit]

I apologise for the large number of questions but it's a lot of money to spend as I will be buying one offline (SIM-free) and need to ensure that I don't waste that amount of money! I'm hoping someone on Hexus has one and knows the answers to some of the questions.

Thanks in advance,

Taz

[unrealrocks]

I have a P800 and have played with the P910i.

First off, OGG plays fine with a freeware player

The screen on the P910 is much better than the P800 but its still a budget screen so won't be as good as a PDA screen although its still viewable in full sunlight.

It won't last as long as your Nokia - don't forget it has to power that huge screen, lol. I find its alot like a laptop, it'll go down quickly if your doing things with 3D programs or listening to music loud (or actually using it as a phone, LOL). I have to charge my P800 every 2-3days. I just shove it in the dock every evening though.

Outlook - yup

File viewers, I'm not sure if this is different on the P910 so you'll have to check, but the default viewers on the P800 are basic you can get better ones though.

You can put pictures fullscreen in widescreen - also you can setup a button to skip through the pictures in that folder so its great for showing people pictures

By default you can only use the funny 3 format (I Think thats it) and the player is - basic. But there are better video players out there - although alot of them don't support widescreen video (kinda defeats the point of buying a phone with a big screen, lol).

I've seen eWallet software but never used it.

I'm sure you could get some kind of list software - failing that, use some spreadsheet software creatively.

[Taz]

Cheers for the quick reply. I'm on the verge of pressing the order 'Submit' button for the P910i...

[Aaron]

a) A good colour screen - I wouldn't expect it would be as good as my iPaq 4150 but something close would be essential.
It's got a roughly 320x240 pixel 262k colour screen. I've seen better on the top PDA models, but it isn't bad at all.

b) A reasonable talk/standby time - probably isn't going to be as good as my Nokia 6310i I imagine.
It quotes 16 hours talktime, but it won't last as long as a 6310i.

c) Full synchronisation with Outlook 2003 (via USB 2.0 connection preferably - must be able to sync e-mails, schedule, tasks and contacts).
Not sure about e-mail as I don't own one myself. The other items are certainly sycnable though.

d) File viewers (eg. Word/Excel)
One of the new features for the P910i, over the P900, is the addtion of the QuickOffice software suite. You can view and edit Office documents with it.

e) Ability to store pictures (JPG) and a good picutre viewer.
Possible, yes.

f) Ability to store video files (AVI/WMV/MPG) and a good video file player
The basic player is pretty crap. However, smartmovie is well worth the money and plays Xvid/Divx. WMV isn't going to be possible though, since it's a closed Microsoft proprietary format.

g) Travel software (eg. Mobimate Worldmate - I use this on the iPaq and it is awesome).
Yes, this kind of software is available.

h) Electronic wallet software (I already use Ilium EWallet on my desktop and my iPaq PocketPC - it stores my credit cards information, Web site logon details, banking details etc - very useful software). I don't think Iliums EWallet is available for this phone but other eWallet software may be.
I think there's one built in, but I'm not too sure.

i) Some sort of 'list' software to create, for example, shopping lists.
It has a pretty decent notes app.

[Edit]
j) A music player for MP3 or (preferably) Ogg Vorbis format would be desirable.
[/Edit]
As mentioned, yes this is possible.

[Taz]

Cheers, Aaron. Just ordered one. Thanks for all the input to everyone. Now i'll need to sell my iPaq 4150...

[iMc]

Originally Posted by Taz

Cheers, Aaron. Just ordered one. Thanks for all the input to everyone. Now i'll need to sell my iPaq 4150...

How much are you looking to get for your 4150? I *may* be interested.

I have been looking at getting a 2210 but 4150 has intergrated WLAN but not the CF slot. Is that correct?

[Taz]

Originally Posted by iMc

How much are you looking to get for your 4150? I *may* be interested.

I have been looking at getting a 2210 but 4150 has intergrated WLAN but not the CF slot. Is that correct?

Hi iMc, I haven't priced it up yet but it's been in its cradle since I bought it (which was late last year) with only a few excursions when i;ve stayed away from home. It has Bluetooth and WiFi built in. with a separate SD slot for memory I've also put in a 512MB SanDisk SD card. I've also got a Belkin travel kit for it (USB charger, multiple travel adapters for power, etc.). I'll be getting rid of the whole lot as a single package.

I've still got the original packaging for the H4150 so PM me if you're interested or have any other questions and we may be able to do a deal. I'll factory reset it before I sell it so it'll boot up like new.

[Agent]

Its a great phone, honestly

[iMc]

If Taz can get his p910 and I can knab his 4150 we will both be happy .

[amccready]

The P990 is out soon, and it has wi-fi and 3G, but I don't like the smaller screen. I thought the keyboard layout on the flip for the P910 was just fine.