Sony Ericsson P990i > Reviews (23)

I bought the p990i in exchange for the w950i, because I experienced some firmware problems and the phone stopped working within 2 weeks. So after that nightmare, I was hoping to get something, which was just as good - hence I opted for the p990i.

The p990i can be described as the upgraded version of the p910i. It includes a few more additional features, including 3G, WiFi, an upgraded 2 megapixel camera and an FM radio. The main distinguishing feature of the P990i is a smaller keypad on the lower half of the device, which can be revealed by opening or removing the flip.
At first sight, the phone looks very attractive since the appearance is very sleek, its light, it has good styling, a great screen, good video and it has a radio. Secondly, it contains a range of features -

Specification:
Memory
80 MB internal memory
Memory Stick Duo Pro card slot

Battery
up to 9 hr talktime
up to 400 hr standby

Features
2.0 mega-pixel
Bluetooth
Built-in E-mail
FM radio with RDS
GPRS internet
Handwriting recognition
HSCSD hi-speed data
HTML Browsing
Java MIDP 2.0
MPEG4/MP3 player
Opera 8
Photo album
PIM functions
Symbian OS v9.1
WAP 2.0

Positive Aspects: The P990i uses the Symbian 9.1 operating system, making it into a powerful multi-tasking device. It is the first 3G P-Series, and it supports a full range of 3G functionality, including video calling and fast internet access.
There are two cameras on the P990i: a forward-facing camera for video calling, and a 2 megapixel camera on the rear. The lens is protected by a circular slide cover. When the cover is opened the camera application is automatically activated. Camera settings include four different resolutions, a macro setting for close-up shots, five white-balance settings (Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, and Bulb), five different effects (Black & White, Sepia, Solarize, Negative, and off), three quality settings (Fine, Normal, and Economy), a night mode, four shutter sounds and an option to turn it off, and a self-timer. You can also shoot in a burst of four shots at once, or with a frame. As for the video recorder, there are four resolution settings, and the video format is MPEG-4 with QVGA 15fps. I think the picture quality is great and thats one of the main things, I liked about the phone. The images are sharp and well defined mainly thanks to the quick auto-focus. Although videos appear a little washed out and grainy at times.
Then theres the radio - its stereophonic and honestly there are no special features. However, you can save up to 20 stations in the phone’s memory and switch on the automatic tuning of available stations.
Lastly the phone has a range of features which help you keep organised as you can read and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents; view PowerPoint and PDF files; synchronize with applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

However, there are a few problems:
The p990i is very difficult to use and its impracticle for day to day use. Its difficult to navigate around and the menu contains too many layers. It is also impossible trying to type using the 'new' keypad - the keys are too small and it takes ages to write a text message - so i prefer using handwriting recognition.

I found that the talk time life is poor - even after fully charging the phone, I hardly get and hour out of it.
Weighing in at 150g it is quite an ask for the everyday pocket, and measuring 114 x 57 x 25 mm it isn’t exactly the smallest of all phones.
The worst thing are the frequent crashes - the phone freezes whenever it wants to, so sometimes you cant receive an incoming call, the camera freezes and the phone is generally slow to load applications. I tried the following software (which was recommended on a site) Swiss Mgr Pro by cellphonesoft.com - after downloading the software it has stopped the P990i crashing by closing down unused programs and background software automatically, releasing RAM.
If anyone else has the same problems I would recommend the Swiss Mgr Pro (its free for a trial).

The p990i is quite expensive and the price ranges from 200 to 350 depending where you look. Personally, I think its better value for money, in a contract package. This way you get the accessories too, which include: Handsfree, charger, p990i spares, USB cable, Memory card, CD Roms.

Overall, I think, the p990i is satisfactory. However I was expecting fewer problems - there seems to be some firmware problem and I'm not the only one who has experienced these technical glitches. The phone has alot of potential but when it comes to useability & reliability, the phone suffers - otherwise in terms of features, styling, appearance and look the phone is good!