Sony Ericsson HBH-PV708 Bluetooth Headset - Rose

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$45 -$46

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-PV740 - headset

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Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Over-the-ear, Black, 0.4 oz, Mono, Voice dialing, Echo cancellation, Auto volume adjustment

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$81 -$100

Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 Bluetooth headset

Despite some design and performance complaints the Sony Ericsson HBH-DS970 delivers solid sound quality and generous features.

Specs: Built-in, Headset, Ear-bud

Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Wireless Stereo Headphone

The solid-sounding Sony Ericsson HBH-IS800 Wireless Stereo Headphones are an excellent option for anyone looking for the very smallest Bluetooth headset money can buy to use with an A2DP-compatible music phone or MP3 player.

Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, In-ear ear-bud, Stereo, Voice dialing, Auto volume adjustment

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-PV700 - headset

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Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Over-the-ear

Sony Ericsson HBH-610 Bluetooth headset

We thought the Sony Ericsson HBH-610 was bulky, but its sleek design, its snug fit, and its good audio quality make it a decent headset.

Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Over-the-ear, 0.7 oz, Mono

Sony Ericsson P910a (Unlocked)

The good: Amazingly long battery life; great call quality; large and vibrant screen; full QWERTY keyboard; tons of features.

The bad: Hefty; flimsy flip-down keyboard; sluggish WAP browser; low-resolution camera.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson P910a offers road warriors a superb smart phone and multimedia alternative to devices such as the Treo 650 and the BlackBerry.

Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 850/1800/1900 (Tri-Band) ; Talk time: Up to 780 min ; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player ; See full specs

While we've spent a ton of ink talking about the PalmOne Treo 650 and the Motorola MPx220, the fact remains that there are quite a few smart phone options out there. Take, for example, the Sony Ericsson P910a, the successor to the likable P900. Running on the Symbian 7.0 operating system, the P910a is a full-fledged GSM device that does almost everything you can ask for. But while some smart phones are more PDA than phone and others more phone than PDA, the P910a seems to be equal parts phone, PDA, and multimedia device. With a high-resolution display, an integrated (but only VGA) camera, Bluetooth support, and massive battery life, the only thing holding back the P910a is a hefty price tag of more than $700. Of course, this device is so chock-full of features that it may actually be worth it; also, the cost should come down once the handset is picked up by a carrier.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. Compared to standalone mobiles, the Sony Ericsson P910a is on the large side. Of course, next to other smart phones, it's right in the mix, at 2.3 by 1 by 4.5 inches and 5.5 ounces. As evidenced by its predecessor, Sony Ericsson is good at putting together well-designed products, and in this regard, the P910a is no slouch. The generous 3-inch-diagonal touch screen is vibrant and crisp (262,000 colors), and it rotates to support Landscape mode. You can't change the text size itself, but a zoom feature effectively does the trick. And though it may take a bit of acclimation, the P910a is comfortable to hold while you're talking.

The stocky P910a isn't for the faint of heart.

Aside from the great display, the P910a's most notable feature--and the most significant change from the P900--is the flip-down QWERTY keyboard (see below). In phone mode, when the flip is up, the backside of the QWERTY keyboard is a standard numerical keypad that also boasts an OK, Back, Clear, and Menu key. Like the phone itself, the keys are silver, and the letters and numbers are white. In darker situations, seeing your way around the keypad is simple, thanks to the backlighting. Furthermore, the keys are raised such that dialing by feel is a snap. That said, there are no Talk and End keys; you'll need to use the OK button instead. While this isn't a big deal, we prefer dedicated call buttons.

When the flip is opened, you're greeted with a full QWERTY keyboard that is bound to create conversation. Though surely usable, the tiny keys are crowded together, and the flip's construction worries us. There's no truly comfortable way to type while holding the phone, and the flip mechanism seems rather fragile. We didn't perform a complete torture test, but we could imagine a situation where the flip-down keyboard could be broken. If it worries you too much, however, you can remove the keyboard via the included screwdriver and use the touch screen or the Graffiti-like handwriting-recognition feature. Another pet peeve: Unlike the numeric keypad, the keys on the QWERTY are not backlit. We also were disappointed with the keyboard's Enter button. Because it doesn't activate the highlighted Done buttons on the screen, we had to type our messages, then use the stylus to tap Done or Send. This is not terribly inconvenient, but it is silly.

Add on: Expand the P910a's storage with the Memory Stick Duo slot.

On the mobile's left spine, you'll find the power button, the headset jack, and a handy scrollwheel that not only adjusts volume during calls but also navigates through menu items on lists and the home screen. On the handset's right spine is the Memory Stick Duo slot, the stylus holder, a dedicated camera button, and a Home Screen button that fires up the integrated WAP 2.0 browser. As with the P900, the VGA camera lens and a self-portrait mirror are located on the handset's rear face.

The P910a ships with a saucer-shaped docking cradle that has a unique cable-management system for easy travel. The docking cradle has a USB 2.0 cable as well as a power cord. Once docked, the P910a sits at a nice angle that enables you to see it when it's on your desk. Unfortunately, the cradle was designed such that connecting it to the device is not a matter of simply sliding it into a slot. Instead, you must tilt the P910a to attach it to a recessed port.

The Sony Ericsson P910a has a ton of features that should please the most demanding smart phone fanatics. The Symbian 7.0 OS involves a learning curve for newbies, but it is exceptionally easy to use after some practice. The dynamic 64MB of embedded memory--a particular boon compared to the Treo 650's 22MB of user-accessible memory--lets you store as many contacts as space will allow, with room in each entry for multiple phone numbers, addresses, and other information; you can hold an additional 250 names on the SIM card. Contacts can be assigned to caller groups or paired with any of 24 polyphonic ring tones or a picture for caller ID (where available). Furthermore, the phone ships with a 32MB Memory Stick Duo card. While this is a nice amount for storing photos and whatnot, anyone who plans on using the P910a as a mobile audio device will need to invest in a much larger Memory Stick Duo card (the slot can handle cards up to 1GB).

When it comes to staying connected, the P910a includes an infrared port and Bluetooth, as well as USB connectivity through the charging cradle. Any of these methods can transfer data between the device and a computer, and you can also use the Bluetooth to connect to a wireless headset or as a modem with a Bluetooth-enabled laptop. On the downside, the P910a doesn't support Wi-Fi, but since it's so easy to connect to the Web, it may ultimately not be a big issue.

The phone and handheld functions are pretty much what you'd expect from such a high-end handset, and they include a calendar, a task list, a notepad, an easy-to-use speakerphone, vibrate mode, a calculator, an alarm clock, text and multimedia messaging, a sound recorder, and Quickword and Quicksheet for viewing and editing Word and Excel documents, respectively. The P910a ships with two games, Solitaire and Chess, which you can play against another P910a user via SMS. It also sports fairly robust audio and video player applications. The integrated MP3 player produces clean sound, and the process of moving files onto the player was much improved over the P900's. You can customize the smart phone with a variety of wallpaper, color themes, and sounds, and you can download additional applications from Sony Ericsson.

Say cheese: The camera's lens is well placed for taking pictures.

One of the P910a's best features is its ability to sync with IMAP4 mail servers using Smartner Duality Always-on Mail for corporate e-mail support of Microsoft Outlook and Lotus Notes. That said, however, depending on your corporate e-mail situation, getting this to work may be difficult. In other words, be prepared to enlist the help of your IT people. Comparatively speaking, getting access to corporate e-mail with devices such as the RIM BlackBerry 7750 is not only supereasy but can be done without the involvement of your IT team. Of course, the P910a also supports POP3 and SMTP e-mail and ships with a WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser that makes reading Web mail such as Yahoo and Hotmail a cinch. While the WAP browser is nice, it's often slow. This, as it turns out, was more of a minor pet peeve.

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-PV720 - headset

Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Over-the-ear, 0.4 oz, Mono

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$45 -$80

Sony Ericsson HBH-DS980 Bluetooth Stereo Headset

Specs: Microphone On-cable, Headset, Ear-bud, Stereo, OLED display, Answer/end button

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$94 -$120

Sony Ericsson HPM-70 - headset

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Specs: Microphone On-cable, Headset, Ear-bud, Stereo

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$5

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-GV435a - headset

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Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Over-the-ear, Volume control, Answer/end button, Auto volume adjustment

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$68 -$75

Sony Ericsson P990i (Unlocked)

The good: The Sony Ericsson P990i is the crème de la crème of Sony Ericsson smart phones, with a sleek design that incorporates a QWERTY keyboard coupled with the latest in mobile technology. Features include a 2-megapixel camera, a music player, a business card scanner, video recording, and support for 3G/UMTS and for Wi-Fi networks.

The bad: The Sony Ericsson P990i is a little on the bulky side, and the QWERTY keyboard may be too small for some people. The price is also prohibitively high.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson P990i may be the perfect smart phone for tech-minded consumers, but its exorbitantly high price may put a lot of people off.

Specifications: Band / mode: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900 ; Talk time: Up to 540 min ; Combined with: With two digital cameras / digital player / FM radio ; See full specs

The Sony Ericsson P990i is the latest smart phone to come from the Japanese-Swedish collaboration, and it's been a long time coming. There are a number of die-hard users of the P910a, its American predecessor, and ever since the P990i was announced late last year, many people have waited patiently for its release. As with the P910a, the P990i is a serious smart phone that will please tech-minded consumers and professionals. One of the major additions to the P990i is its inclusion of Wi-Fi support, a feature that even some of the more popular smart phones don't have. This cool little smart phone will cost you, though; because it doesn't have the backing of a U.S. carrier, you'll have to purchase it unlocked at a hefty price. The pricing of the Sony Ericsson P990i at the time of this review was anywhere from $849 to $1,099, which is simply insanely expensive.Much like the P910a, the Sony Ericsson P990i is a tad on the large side when compared to regular phones, but its bulk is standard for most smart phones. Measuring 4.4 by 2.2 by 1 inches and weighing 5.3 ounces, it's actually slightly smaller than the latest Palm Treo 700p. Its color scheme has not changed much from its predecessor's, retaining the same silver finish all the way around. The phone feels comfortable in the hand, though you might want to flip the keypad flap down when holding it next to your ear for additional comfort.

The P990i is a little bulky.

The keypad is one of the most notable design features of the P990i. The numerical keypad flips down to reveal a QWERTY keyboard on the main body of the phone. This is a big departure from the P910a, which had the keyboard on the flap itself. When flipped up, we found the buttons on the numerical keypad to be spacious and tactile for easy dialing. The keypad has the standard navigation keys placed along the top, which consist of two soft keys, a five-way navigation toggle, a back button, and a clear button. As for the QWERTY keyboard, we found the slightly rubberized keys easy enough to press, but they are so tiny and crowded together that it still took us a while before we felt comfortable typing with it. You also have the option of using the stylus for the handwriting-recognition feature for text entry if you prefer. Both the keypad and the keyboard have a blue backlight when activated.

The P990i has a QWERTY keyboard.

With the keypad flap up, you see only a 2.5-inch diagonal display. However, when the keypad flap is flipped down, you get the full 2.8-inch, 262,144-color TFT screen in all its glory. The display is simply gorgeous and very easy on the eyes. The backlight timer is adjustable, as is the brightness setting. There are also a few other differences when the flap is flipped down vs. when it is flipped up. With the flap down, the display becomes a touch screen and certain features such as the Web browser and the RSS feed reader are made available. If you find it a pain to keep on flipping the flap up and down to gain access to these functions, you can actually remove the front flap entirely with an included screwdriver. You will still be able to make calls via a touch-screen keypad.

The P990i has a jog dial for easy navigation.

On the very top left of the phone's front is a small VGA camera specifically designed for video phone calls. On the left spine are a media player button, a jog dial, a back button, and a keylock slide. We found the jog dial and back button especially useful for one-handed navigation, and we hardly needed to use the navigation controls on the keypad at all. A dedicated camera button, a Memory Stick Duo slot, and a dedicated Internet button are housed along the right spine. On the back of the phone, you'll see a circular camera lens cover. The cover slides clockwise or counterclockwise to reveal the camera lens. There's also a self-portrait mirror, a flash, and a small speaker. Because of the position of the camera lens, the P990i almost looks like a real digital camera when viewed from the back.

The P990i has a 2-megapixel camera.

The P990i comes with a few accessories, such as a convenient docking cradle, a USB cable, and a pair of stereo earphones. It also comes with a small plastic front cover to replace the keypad flap, in case you decide to remove it.Of course, the Sony Ericsson P990i wouldn't be a smart phone without a ton of features to please the mobile professional. Previous P910a users and tech-minded consumers will appreciate the new and improved Symbian 9.1 OS and UIQ 3 software platform, though it may involve a learning curve to those not familiar with the operating system. One of the biggest upgrades to the P990i is the inclusion of Wi-Fi support, which isn't a feature found in a lot of other smart phones. Along with 3G/UMTS support, the P990i is certainly a well-connected phone.

The P990i comes with a Memory Stick Duo slot.

Let's begin with the basics. Each entry in the P990i's address book can hold up to two phone numbers, an e-mail address, a picture caller ID, a birth date, a street address, and notes and can be assigned to a group as well as one of 23 polyphonic ring tones. The P990i comes with 60MB of internal memory, plus a 64MB Memory Stick Duo included in the package for additional storage. Business users will be especially pleased with QuickOffice, which lets you view, edit, and create Word and Excel documents, a viewer that lets you read PDF and PowerPoint documents, and a built-in VPN client. There's also a video phone feature that utilizes the front VGA camera for video calls. Though this may be intended for videoconferencing, we can't imagine this being too useful for the average consumer.

Other basic features include text and multimedia messaging, a speakerphone, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, an alarm clock, a voice recorder, a vibrate mode, a business card scanner, a stopwatch, an RSS feed reader, and a full Opera Web browser. For connectivity junkies, along with the 3G/UMTS and Wi-Fi support, you can also use the phone as a Bluetooth modem with your Bluetooth-enabled laptop. For e-mail, you can connect via SMTP, IMAP4, and POP3 accounts, and the P990i even supports push e-mail for the BlackBerry via the BlackBerry Connect solution. The included PC suite helps you manage all of these PIM functions and more.

Sony Ericsson P900 (AT&T)

The good: High-resolution touch-screen display ; speakerphone; solid call quality; integrated camera; plays video files; syncs with Outlook via included USB docking station; Bluetooth and IR connectivity; world phone; wireless e-mail enabled; can view and edit attachments.

The bad: MP3 transfer process not intuitive; difficult wireless e-mail setup.

The bottom line: Despite minor glitches and a high price, Sony Ericsson's P900 offers worthy features and extensive connectivity in a trimmer package.

Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 900/1800/1900 (Tri-Band) ; Combined with: With digital camera ; Weight: 5.3 oz See full specs

Following up on the popularity of the P800, Sony Ericsson has introduced its successor, the P900. Slightly slimmer and lighter, the new model has a gray finish and pumped-up features, such as more memory and a superior 65,536-color touch-screen display. Though much improved over its predecessor, this model could go a little further in terms of design. The smart phone is available now for a hefty $850, but we expect the price to come down when a service provider begins to carry the handset.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. For a smart phone, the Sony Ericsson P900 is reasonably compact, weighing 5.2 ounces--almost an ounce less than Handspring's Treo 600--and measuring 4.5 inches tall, 2.2 inches wide, and 0.9 inch deep, which is slimmer than its bulkier predecessor, the P800. The phone feels comfortable in the hand and not too awkward when held against the face. Most users, however, probably will want to use an optional Bluetooth headset when making and receiving calls.

The P900 will fit in only the biggest pockets.

The urban-gray P900 sports a unique design that distinguishes it from other phones on the market. Starting with its built-in camera and removable flip-down, blue-backlit keypad, this Sony Ericsson certainly has innovative elements. The real improvement here is the spacious, 16-line, 65,536-color touch screen. But you'll find more standout design elements, including the dedicated Cam button on the right side of the phone, which launches the camera application and controls the shutter release. Below that key is a user-programmable button that bears no label and a Memory Stick Duo slot that you can use to add more storage to the device.

The Memory Stick Duo slot is on P900's right-hand side.

Lining the left side of the P900 is a headset jack, an IR port, a power button, and a jog dial. While you can scroll through the mobile's menus with the jog dial, you'll find its most relevant function is controlling the phone features when the keypad is closed. Unlike its predecessor, the P900's touch screen works even in phone mode. You also can use the included stylus, which is stored at the top of the handset.

The mobile comes with a docking station that connects to a computer via the USB port. Like Motorola's MPx200 smart phone, the P900 has a separate lightweight charger that you can take on the road. Also included in the package are a black nylon carrying case, a 32MB Memory Stick Duo card, and an adapter.The Sony Ericsson P900 has all the standard features, including picture caller ID (where available), conference calling, voicemail, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a phone book (you can store names and numbers on the SIM and Memory Stick Duo cards), a calendar, a calculator, a to-do list, and wireless Web access for WAP and XHTML sites. You also get voice-activated dialing and commands, 24 polyphonic ring tones, a built-in speakerphone, and a voice recorder.

The camera's lens is well placed for taking pictures.

Running the Symbian 7.0 OS and supporting J2ME applications, this phone is simple to customize and can be easily used for business. You can download apps, games, screensavers, ring tones, and MPEG-4 movie trailers from the Sony Web site for viewing with the mobile's video application. There are a few of each included in the multimedia CD, and you can even play chess against another P900 user via SMS. You can reorder the phone's menu system and select between a list-type or PDA-like graphical user interface.

As noted, the P900 has an integrated VGA (640x480 resolution) digital camera. There's no built-in flash, as there is with Sanyo's SCP-5300, but we didn't miss it. You can take pictures in three different resolutions (640x480, 320x240, and 160x120) with the 300,000-pixel camera and store as many photos as your Memory Stick Duo can handle. What's more, moving files between the 16MB of free onboard storage and the included 32MB Memory Stick was painless, and the P900 can accept up to 128MB of total storage. Once you capture images, you can save them as wallpaper or screensavers or associate them with a contact in your phone book. Like many of these devices, the P900 produces images that are mediocre at best and not suitable for printing.

The P900's image quality is comparable to that of other VGA camera phones.

Besides the docking station, Sony Ericsson includes PC Suite and multimedia software to sync the phone with your desktop PIMs. You also can sync or beam contact info via the P900's IR or Bluetooth connections (see the Performance section for details). Finally, this mobile sends pictures to other MMS-enabled phones on your network, and it does SMTP, POP3, and IMAP4 e-mail. For working on the go, the bundled Quickoffice application allows you to view and edit Word and Excel files sent through your e-mail.

You can send and receive corporate mail on the P900, but you'll probably need to contact your IT department to set it up correctly. The P900 handles e-mail via a redirector, so messages are synced when you either connect the Sony Ericsson with the desktop or launch the Remote Sync application from the phone. Unlike the Treo devices, the P900 doesn't have a built-in keyboard, so you'll need to use either the virtual model or the Jotter (Graffiti-like) handwriting program, both of which are less than ideal.

As advertised, the P900 plays MP3s, but it doesn't handle the task too elegantly. You transfer files to the device by right-clicking the phone icon on the desktop, choosing Explore from the pop-up menu, and dragging MP3s to the mobile's memory. In our tests, file transfers over USB were slow, at 0.02MB per second; if you have a dedicated Memory Stick reader, you can circumvent this task. Once the MP3s are loaded on the device, they're easy to find in the menu, and they sound loud and clean.Overall, this world phone (GSM 900/1800/1900) performed well. We tested it in the San Francisco Bay Area using AT&T Wireless service and found call quality to be exceptionally good. Callers said they couldn't tell we were ringing from a cell phone. On our end, they sounded loud and clear. Additionally, the speakerphone quality was quite impressive, and callers didn't even know we were using this feature.

Sony Ericsson Bluetooth HBH-DS205 - headset

Reviewed on

Specs: Microphone Built-in, Headset, Ear-bud, Dark gray, 0.5 oz, Stereo, Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm

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$65 -$80

Sony Ericsson P1i (Unlocked)

The good: The Sony Ericsson P1i features a beautiful touch screen, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. The Symbian smartphone also offers robust e-mail capabilities, productivity apps for the mobile professional, and good call quality.

The bad: The P1i doesn't support U.S. 3G networks and performance is sluggish at times. The interface can also be overcomplicated, and you're limited to Sony's proprietary headset and expansion cards.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson P1i is a nice upgrade to its predecessor and offers an alternative to today's Windows Mobile and Palm smartphones, but we're ultimately disappointed by the kludgey interface and lack of 3G.

Specifications: Band / mode: WCDMA (UMTS) / GSM 900/1800/1900 ; Talk time: Up to 600 min (GSM) , Up to 210 min (UMTS) ; Combined with: With two digital cameras / digital player / FM radio ; See full specs

Price range: $449.99 - $588.60 check prices

Like Nokia, many of Sony Ericsson's smartphones don't usually get picked up by U.S. carriers, which is a shame since the company produces some very capable and popular devices. The latest example being the Sony Ericsson P1i. Luckily, you can purchase such phones through various online retailers, such as MobilePlanet, which is how we got our hands on this device.

As a refresh to the Sony Ericsson P990i, the P1i sports a more updated and usable design like the Sony Ericsson M600i's and features more memory and a better camera. It also continues to offer touch-screen capabilities, productivity and e-mail tools for the mobile professional, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It's certainly a viable alternative to today's Windows Mobile and Palm smartphones. That said, we're disappointed by the lack of support for U.S. 3G networks, and the smartphone is bit sluggish and kludgey to operate. Plus, at about $450 for an unlocked version, we just want a bit more from the device.

Design
The Sony Ericsson P1i has the familiar design of many of the company's cell phones but most closely resembles the M600i. The candy-bar-shape smartphone is compact and light at 4.1 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.7 inch deep and 4.4 ounces, and sports a traditional but attractive silver-and-black casing. It's certainly a huge improvement over the bulky P990i. With a solid construction, the P1i is comfortable to use as a phone, and it has a nice soft-touch finish on the back to make it easier to grip. It also won't make too much of a tight fit in a pants pocket.

The Sony Ericsson P1i next to the RIM BlackBerry Curve.

The P1i boasts a beautiful 2.6-inch display that shows off 262,144 colors at a 320x240 pixel resolution. It's sharp and bright, and you can adjust the backlight timer, theme, wallpaper, menu style (grid or list views), and more to suit your personal style. Even better, it's a touch screen, so you can enter data, navigate the various menus, and launch apps with just touch of your finger or stylus. For the most part, the screen was responsive to our commands, though the smartphone's somewhat sluggish performance originally had us thinking otherwise (see Performance section for more).

Like the Sony Ericsson M600i, the P1i features a dual-function rocker-style keyboard that's surprisingly easy to use.

Given the smaller footprint, the Sony Ericsson P1i doesn't have a full QWERTY keyboard but sports the dual-function rocker-style keyboard like the M600i's. (You also have the option of entering text using the onscreen keyboard or handwriting recognition system.) There are two letters per key, and if you press it to the left, it inputs one letter; pressing it to the right enters the other letter. Admittedly, it takes a bit of acclimation to use the keyboard, but not as much as one would think. We got the hang of it pretty quickly, and the tactile buttons are large and have a fair amount of spacing between them for easy typing. The number buttons are outlined in red to help you locate them in a sea of black. Unlike many smartphones today, there are no dedicated Talk and End keys on the P1i, so you'll have to use the touch screen to make and end calls.

There's also no navigation toggle, but you do get a scroll wheel on the left spine (as well as a back button and a cell phone strap loop) that you can depress to select an item. Though this control allows for easier one-handed use, we did miss having the directional keypad and we often found ourselves having to use the jog wheel for one task, the touch screen for another, and the keyboard for yet another function; it just wasn't the most seamless experience and got to be frustrating. On the right, you'll find a customizable shortcut button, a proprietary Sony Memory Stick Micro (M2) expansion slot, and a camera activation key. The camera lens and flash are located on the back, while there is a connector for the AC adapter and headset on the bottom. Of the latter, Sony Ericsson uses a proprietary port, so that's a bit of annoyance particularly where the headset is concerned.

On the right side of the smartphone, you'll find an expansion slot. Unfortunately, it accepts only Sony's proprietary Memory Stick Micro cards.

Our Sony Ericsson P1i came packaged with a travel charger, a desktop stand, a USB cable, a 512MB M2 card, a wired headset, a soft carrying case, and reference material. For more add-ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ringtones, and help page.

Features
Don't let its compact frame fool you. The Sony Ericsson P1i was built to meet the needs of a mobile professional. The smartphone runs Symbian OS 9 as do Nokia's devices, but the P1i is using a UIQ 3 interface rather than the S60 platform. This allows for the touch-screen functionality, and the menu systems differ. Overall, the P1i is pretty intuitive to use and everything is organized in a logical manner. That said, it's not the snazziest layout, and we think that the P1i's user interface requires too many steps to accomplish some tasks.

To get your work done on the road, the P1i ships with the DataViz QuickOffice suite so you can create, view, and edit Word and Excel documents right on your device. There's also a PDF viewer, a business card scanner, and other personal information management tools, such as a calendar, a tasks list, a notepad, a voice recorder, a calculator, a stopwatch, and more. The smartphone has about 160MB of internal memory, which is a huge boost over the P990i's 60MB. Still, to get the most out of your smartphone, we recommend carrying large files on a Memory Stick. Security options include a certificate manager, Java certificates, locks, and VPN access. For messaging, the P1i offers push e-mail support Microsoft Exchange Server and BlackBerry Connect. It can also be configured to access POP3/IMAP accounts and there's an e-mail setup wizard under the Control Panel to help walk you through the steps. Finally, Sony Ericsson throws in a PC Suite desktop application that can help you sync your e-mail and PIM info and transfer multimedia files from your PC to your phone.

The P1i's phone book is only limited by the available memory, and there's room in each entry for multiple numbers, home and work addresses, e-mail, birthdays, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can assign your contact a photo, a group ID, or one of 31 polyphonic ringtones. You also get a speakerphone, call waiting, speed dial, a vibrate mode, and text and multimedia messaging.

Wireless options on the P1i are disappointing, though it does include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can use Bluetooth to pair the mobile to hands-free kits, wireless headsets and, even better, stereo Bluetooth headsets, and dial-up networking. For surfing the Web, you can connect via Wi-Fi. Despite having to tap through several layers of menus, our review unit had no problem finding and connecting to our test access point, and we enjoyed viewing pages on the installed Opera browser. So what's disappointing? Well, the P1i doesn't support U.S. 3G bands, nor does it support EDGE, which we find to be a huge drawback for such a high-end device like this. If you don't have access to a Wi-Fi network, you may be in for some slow load times.

On the back of the device, you'll find the Sony Ericsson P1i's 3.2-megapixel camera lens.

The Sony Ericsson P1i isn't all business. For your down times, you can use the built-in music and video player to listen to your favorite AAC, MP3, MP4, and 3GP files. Other goodies include an FM radio (requires the use of the included earbuds), RealPlayer for streaming media, a MusicDJ app for creating your own ringtones, and two games: Vijay Singh Pro Golf 3D and QuadraPop.

The P1i is also equipped with a 3.2-megapixel camera with up to 3x zoom and four shooting modes, including video. For still images, you have your choice of three quality settings and you can add various effects, such as sepia and solarization. There is a flash, but you can adjust the white balance settings, as well. In video mode, you don't have quite the same breadth of options, but you do get four frame sizes.

Sony Ericsson W350a - white (AT&T)

The good: The Sony Ericsson W350a offers a Walkman music player and a decent assortment of features including stereo Bluetooth and a brilliant display.

The bad: The Sony Ericsson W350a has poorly designed controls and a flimsy construction. Its call quality was unimpressive and the tiny speaker doesn't do its music player justice.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson W350a isn't hopeless but it's not our choice for a Walkman phone.

Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) ; Talk time: Up to 420 min ; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player ; See full specs

See all products in the Sony Ericsson W350a series

Photo gallery:
Sony Ericsson W350a

When designing cell phones for its Walkman line, Sony Ericsson likes to spread the love around. While most of its music handsets are high-end models with fancy features, the company has made an effort to offer budget options as well. Though they have the full Walkman players, these basic models have scaled-down features and minimalist designs. The Sony Ericsson W350a is the latest phone in this group. Like the Sony Ericsson W200a and Sony Ericsson W300i, the W350a delivers on music, but it's not so successful on other fronts. We had quite a few issues with its design, and its photo and call quality weren't completely up to par. As such, we don't recommend it as a Walkman phone. The W350a is available with AT&T for free with service or you can buy it unlocked for about $175.

Design
With straight lines and sharp corners, the Sony Ericsson W350a is just about a perfect rectangle, albeit a thin one at 4.7 inches by 1.7 inches by 0.4 inch. Sony Ericsson never jumped fully onto the slim phone bandwagon but the W350a certainly qualifies. It fits neatly in a pocket and it weighs just 2.8 ounces. The W350a comes in three color schemes: electric black, ice blue, and organic white. We reviewed the black model but the features are the same on both models.

The W350a has an attractive display. At 1.8 inches, it's large for phone's overall size and its 262,144-color resolution makes it easy on the eyes. Colors were bright and vibrant and the text was easy to read. The interface is intuitive and you can choose from a number of menus styles. You can adjust the brightness as well.

Unfortunately, that is the limit of the design highlights. To begin with, the W350s is covered in a plastic shell that feels rather flimsy in the hand. This is not a phone we'd want to bang around. But more importantly, we were confounded by the W350a's strange flap that covers the handset's navigation array and keypad. Since you must tilt the flap down to access the handset's controls, it makes the rectangular W350a something of a candy bar/flip phone hybrid. Also, when the flap is closed, it protects the numeric keypad while presenting a dedicated set of Walkman controls. In fact, when the handset is closed it looks like standalone MP3 player.

Though it's an interesting and unique idea, the execution isn't so great. We like the idea of dedicated Walkman controls, especially when they allow you to play/pause tunes and scroll through your playlists, but on the W350a those controls aren't real buttons. Instead, when you press the controls you're actually pushing through to the numeric keypad to make the command. What's more, the Walkman controls are flush and feel rather fragile.

The construction of the flap made us worry about its long-term durability. Not only is the hinge loose but the flap also doesn't lock into place when it's open. And considering you must open the flap to do anything besides play music, we're worried that it would wear out fast. You can remove the flap completely if you like, though we're certain that Sony Ericsson wouldn't recommend it. And on a final note, when you close the flap the Walkman player begins automatically. We found no way to change that setting, which is annoying.

The keypad buttons and navigation array were disappointing as well. Though the five-way toggle is clad in bright silver, it is completely flat and rather slippery. Indeed, we found it best to use our fingernail. The toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, or you can use it to control the Walkman player when the flap is open. The remaining navigation controls, which consist of two soft keys, a back button, and a clear/power key, are slightly beveled but they're also slick with a cheap plastic feel. The same goes for the keypad buttons--though they have tactile definition, they didn't feel comfortable or sturdy beneath our fingers. On the upside, the numbers on the keys are large and the backlighting is bright.

The W350a's memory card slot is poorly located.

Completing the exterior of the phone are a volume rocker on the right spine and a dedicated Walkman control on the left spine. Both controls are much too thin, particularly the volume rocker. The handset-locking switch on the phone's top end is rather handy, however, since it lets you secure the phone with one touch. On the W350a's back side are its speaker and camera lens. There's no self-portrait mirror so vanity shots will be tricky. The W350a offers a Memory Stick micro slot but you must remove the battery cover and the battery to access it, which is inconvenient. The charger/headset port rests on the left spine below the Walkman control.

Features
The W350a has a 1,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail, Web address, job title, company name, work address, birthday, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save contacts to groups, and pair them with a photo and one of 26 polyphonic and MP3 ringtones for caller ID. Video ringtones are also available if you wish. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, a voice memo recorder, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a timer, a speakerphone (usable after you make a call), a stopwatch, and a calculator.

Beyond the basics you'll also find Bluetooth with a stereo profile, e-mail, PC syncing, a file manager, USB mass storage, and a code memo for storing sensitive information. An additional two applications are included--a unit converter and Music Mate 2. The latter lets you use the W350a to play notes on a virtual guitar or keyboard, or use the phone as metronome.

The W350's music player is similar to other Walkman phones, though the feature set is not as plentiful. Settings are limited to an equalizer, playlists, and shuffle and loop modes. The interface is plain but intuitive; you can select to see album art or choose one of two color skins. There's also an airplane mode for listening to your tunes while aloft, an FM radio, and a Music ID application. The W350a doesn't offer the Sony Ericsson "shake control" feature, though. Loading music on the phone is relatively easy using the included USB cable and the Disc2Phone software, which can be clunky but works well most of the time. The W350a offers a tiny 14MB of internal memory, so we suggest getting a memory card.

The W350a's camera lacks a flash.

The W350a's 1.3-megapixel camera shoots photos in three sizes and two quality settings. Editing options are pared down from other Walkman phones but you get a usable selection. They include three color effects, a night mode, white balance and brightness adjustments, a 4x digital zoom, a self-timer and a multishot mode, and four shutter sounds (there's no silent option). Photo quality was just average. Colors were faded and images had a lot of noise. The W350a does not offer a camcorder but it can play videos that you load onto the phone. And befitting the W350a's budget image, there's no MusicDJ application.

Sony Ericsson W350a - black (unlocked)

The good: The Sony Ericsson W350a offers a Walkman music player and a decent assortment of features including stereo Bluetooth and a brilliant display.

The bad: The Sony Ericsson W350a has poorly designed controls and a flimsy construction. Its call quality was unimpressive and the tiny speaker doesn't do its music player justice.

The bottom line: The Sony Ericsson W350a isn't hopeless but it's not our choice for a Walkman phone.

Specifications: Band / mode: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband) ; Talk time: Up to 420 min ; Combined with: With digital camera / digital player ; See full specs

See all products in the Sony Ericsson W350a series

Photo gallery:
Sony Ericsson W350a

When designing cell phones for its Walkman line, Sony Ericsson likes to spread the love around. While most of its music handsets are high-end models with fancy features, the company has made an effort to offer budget options as well. Though they have the full Walkman players, these basic models have scaled-down features and minimalist designs. The Sony Ericsson W350a is the latest phone in this group. Like the Sony Ericsson W200a and Sony Ericsson W300i, the W350a delivers on music, but it's not so successful on other fronts. We had quite a few issues with its design, and its photo and call quality weren't completely up to par. As such, we don't recommend it as a Walkman phone. The W350a is available with AT&T for free with service or you can buy it unlocked for about $175.

Design
With straight lines and sharp corners, the Sony Ericsson W350a is just about a perfect rectangle, albeit a thin one at 4.7 inches by 1.7 inches by 0.4 inch. Sony Ericsson never jumped fully onto the slim phone bandwagon but the W350a certainly qualifies. It fits neatly in a pocket and it weighs just 2.8 ounces. The W350a comes in three color schemes: electric black, ice blue, and organic white. We reviewed the black model but the features are the same on both models.

The W350a has an attractive display. At 1.8 inches, it's large for phone's overall size and its 262,144-color resolution makes it easy on the eyes. Colors were bright and vibrant and the text was easy to read. The interface is intuitive and you can choose from a number of menus styles. You can adjust the brightness as well.

Unfortunately, that is the limit of the design highlights. To begin with, the W350s is covered in a plastic shell that feels rather flimsy in the hand. This is not a phone we'd want to bang around. But more importantly, we were confounded by the W350a's strange flap that covers the handset's navigation array and keypad. Since you must tilt the flap down to access the handset's controls, it makes the rectangular W350a something of a candy bar/flip phone hybrid. Also, when the flap is closed, it protects the numeric keypad while presenting a dedicated set of Walkman controls. In fact, when the handset is closed it looks like standalone MP3 player.

Though it's an interesting and unique idea, the execution isn't so great. We like the idea of dedicated Walkman controls, especially when they allow you to play/pause tunes and scroll through your playlists, but on the W350a those controls aren't real buttons. Instead, when you press the controls you're actually pushing through to the numeric keypad to make the command. What's more, the Walkman controls are flush and feel rather fragile.

The construction of the flap made us worry about its long-term durability. Not only is the hinge loose but the flap also doesn't lock into place when it's open. And considering you must open the flap to do anything besides play music, we're worried that it would wear out fast. You can remove the flap completely if you like, though we're certain that Sony Ericsson wouldn't recommend it. And on a final note, when you close the flap the Walkman player begins automatically. We found no way to change that setting, which is annoying.

The keypad buttons and navigation array were disappointing as well. Though the five-way toggle is clad in bright silver, it is completely flat and rather slippery. Indeed, we found it best to use our fingernail. The toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, or you can use it to control the Walkman player when the flap is open. The remaining navigation controls, which consist of two soft keys, a back button, and a clear/power key, are slightly beveled but they're also slick with a cheap plastic feel. The same goes for the keypad buttons--though they have tactile definition, they didn't feel comfortable or sturdy beneath our fingers. On the upside, the numbers on the keys are large and the backlighting is bright.

The W350a's memory card slot is poorly located.

Completing the exterior of the phone are a volume rocker on the right spine and a dedicated Walkman control on the left spine. Both controls are much too thin, particularly the volume rocker. The handset-locking switch on the phone's top end is rather handy, however, since it lets you secure the phone with one touch. On the W350a's back side are its speaker and camera lens. There's no self-portrait mirror so vanity shots will be tricky. The W350a offers a Memory Stick micro slot but you must remove the battery cover and the battery to access it, which is inconvenient. The charger/headset port rests on the left spine below the Walkman control.

Features
The W350a has a 1,000-contact phone book with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail, Web address, job title, company name, work address, birthday, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save contacts to groups, and pair them with a photo and one of 26 polyphonic and MP3 ringtones for caller ID. Video ringtones are also available if you wish. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, a voice memo recorder, text and multimedia messaging, an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a timer, a speakerphone (usable after you make a call), a stopwatch, and a calculator.

Beyond the basics you'll also find Bluetooth with a stereo profile, e-mail, PC syncing, a file manager, USB mass storage, and a code memo for storing sensitive information. An additional two applications are included--a unit converter and Music Mate 2. The latter lets you use the W350a to play notes on a virtual guitar or keyboard, or use the phone as metronome.

The W350's music player is similar to other Walkman phones, though the feature set is not as plentiful. Settings are limited to an equalizer, playlists, and shuffle and loop modes. The interface is plain but intuitive; you can select to see album art or choose one of two color skins. There's also an airplane mode for listening to your tunes while aloft, an FM radio, and a Music ID application. The W350a doesn't offer the Sony Ericsson "shake control" feature, though. Loading music on the phone is relatively easy using the included USB cable and the Disc2Phone software, which can be clunky but works well most of the time. The W350a offers a tiny 14MB of internal memory, so we suggest getting a memory card.

The W350a's camera lacks a flash.

The W350a's 1.3-megapixel camera shoots photos in three sizes and two quality settings. Editing options are pared down from other Walkman phones but you get a usable selection. They include three color effects, a night mode, white balance and brightness adjustments, a 4x digital zoom, a self-timer and a multishot mode, and four shutter sounds (there's no silent option). Photo quality was just average. Colors were faded and images had a lot of noise. The W350a does not offer a camcorder but it can play videos that you load onto the phone. And befitting the W350a's budget image, there's no MusicDJ application.