Just a short update to this.
After successfully setting up my P1i to use my Google 'Apps for your domain' email I have discovered that the messages (new or replies) sent from my P1i are correctly included in the threading of my email conversations. I know this shouldn't come as a surprise but it is worth noting as email sent from my Nokia (E61) where never properly included in treaded conversations.
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After a few weeks of use I have decided to keep the P1i. This being the case I need to grab some accessories.
While the P1i does come with a cradle, wired headset, spare stylus and a slip case there where a few more things I felt I could do with.
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New screen protectors:
The first thing I got myself was a set of screen protectors (Martin Fields Screen Protector for Sony Ericsson P1i). Until then I had been using the leftover screen protectors for my E61 cut down to size. The Martin Fields screen protectors are infinatly better, giving you a much clearer view of the screen. The kit also includes a small protective patch for the camera lens, while I am not convinced how much protection this offers, it doesn't seem to have an adverse effect on picture quality.
Overall I would say I am very please with these, despite my initial concerns over the price!
2nd cradle for the office:
Even though the P1i comes with a cradle included I decided to leave that one in my 'home office' and get a second one for the office. Having used the Expansys Desktop Cradle for the E61 this was a natural choice as a spare for my P1i. While overall I am happy with it, it does have some eccentricities. For example, when seated in the cradle you can no longer see the notification light on the base of the P1i. Additionally I have had a few problems when seating the device to get it to connect properly. However, I have had a similar problem when seating the device in the official SE cradle, as the plastic support does not actually make contact with the phone. This results in the phone being solely supported in the cradle by the plugs in the base of the unit. I have found the Expansys cradle provides mode support to the phone when it is seated, meaning you feel more comfortable using it when it is in the cradle.
While it does have its problems I am overall please with the Expansys cradle.
Upgrade to the memory card:
Not a lot to say about this one really. I have swapped out the included 512mb memory stick with a 2gb model. I got myself the SanDisk 2GB Memory Stick Micro which is currently doing the job fine!
Swap the included wireless headset:
For some reason I can't seem to ge ton with the included wired headset. I have swapped this with the wired headset from the SE W880i which, for whatever reason, seems to suit me better.
For everyday usage I am still using my old Bluetooth wireless headset from my Motorola (yes, I need a new one). This biggest problem with this is its poor battery life!
OK, thats the lot for now, next up is probably some form of Bluetooth GPS peripheral and a proper case.
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I just found this today and think it would be indispensable for those of us with a Facebook addiction and a P1i. You can actually load up the iPhone Facebook on the P1i, and it looks quite good / usable.
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All you need to do is add the link to the iPhone Facebook page (http://iphone.facebook.com/login.php) to your bookmarks.
This displays the customised iPhone Facebook page on your Sony Ericsson P1i!
(I'll post a screenshot as soon as I can work out how!)
NOTE:
One other great use for this for those FireFox users out there is to add this link as a bookmark in FireFox and then set the Bookmark to open in the sidebar. I think this is a much better sidebar than the standard Facebook Firefox toolbar provides.
To add the link to Firefox properly simple navigate to this page http://iphone.facebook.com/login.php and use "ctrl +D" to add this page to your bookmarks. Then open your bookmark menu, right click on the bookmark and select 'Properties' > at the bottom of the Properties dialog there is a tick box which says 'Load this bookmark in the sidebar'. That should be it, now when you click on the bookmark it will load up the iPhone esque Facebook page in your Firefox sidebar.
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Since I have replaced my Nokia E61 with the SonyEricsson P1i I had to reconfigure my MacBook to use the new phone as a Bluetooth modem.
This was not as difficult as I originally thought. I simply downloaded the SonyEricsson modem scripts from version tracker and copied them to my Macintosh HD > Library > Modem Scripts folder. Once these where in place I changed the Bluetooth network settings (under System Preferences > Network > Bluetooth) to use the newly installed modem scripts (in my case Sony Ericsson GPRS CID 1). I left all the other settings the same as my original Nokia setup.Once these settings had been updated the Mac connected to the P1i and established an internet connection and I was able to get on the web, success!
At last! I have found the link to the Java App for Google mail for your domain.
The regular Gmail Java app for you mobile phone can be downloaded at http://gmail.com/app. While this is great for all of those with a regular Gmail account, what about those of us with a Google Apps for your Domain account? Well, this can be downloaded here: http://m.google.com/a. It is called 'Mail by Google' and has a blue envelope icon rather than the standard red icon for regular Gmail accounts.
I had been using this for ages on my Nokia E61 but since getting my new P1i I have been searching for the download link, odd that they don't publicise it more.
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After a little bit of a problem with DHL I finally managed to get my brand spanking new SonyEricsson P1i home and start the unboxing fun.
The first thing I noticed was the the amount of "stuff" which comes in the box (reminds me of the first iPod I bought, the one that included the cables, charger and a dock, meaning you didn't have to shell out extra for the stuff you actually need).
Including, surprisingly a spare stylus, a VIP support card from SonyEricsson with a helpline to get you set up (which I didn't test but could be useful for 1st time PDA users).
So, I tossed the manual aside, transferred my sim card over and fired her up.
I did notice that the startup took an unbelievably long time (thankfully subsequent startups have been much quicker). But it gave me some time to do some comparison shots with the "old" Nokia E61.
Once started up the settings from O2 where automatically sent through in a text message and I noticed that there is a light on the base which flashes when you receive a new message, strangely I hadn't seen this mentioned in any other reviews.
From here the P1i takes you through a 'setup wizard' to help you configure the basic settings of your new toy. Hear is where you begin to notice the variety of input methods available to you. The jog wheel on the side (reminiscent of the one used on the older style blackberrys) is very useful. The most frustrating thing I have found so far is the need to constantly switch between the various input methods to do almost any task. The main menu is well designed to allow you to use a thumb to navigate through and select options, however, the next level of menus are back to small writing forcing you to use the jog wheel and or the stylus for input. I think these menu's could have been better designed to allow you to navigate fully using your choice of method rather than needing to switch between (Note: after some time trying it out I have learnt a few methods which enable you to navigate through most menus or functions using just the keyboard and jog wheel, limiting the number of times you are forced to revert to the stylus).
One point to make is that the P1i's variety of inputs, while frustrating at times enables you to do a great many things easily and after using it for some time I have found that once you get used to it the combination of inputs really can work.
Also, just a quick note on the keyboard. At first I did find it slightly fiddley, once i got used to it (and stoped being afraid of hitting the wrong button) I have found it extremely easy to use.
Of course the first thing I needed to do was jump right in and get the email setup. Though it initially seemed quite simple to set up (for anyone who has set up an email client before) I did need to refer to the manual quickly to find out how to turn the 'Push Email' unction on properly, no, its not just a case of ticking the 'push email' box! (You need to go back to the initial email setup screen, under 'Email Accounts' and press 'More' and select 'Always on Push Email' - this will be useful as a quick way to disable this function if required.) Once set up this facility appears to work as advertised. I am using Google Apps for your domain, which is IMAP idle compatible, hence the ability to use the Push Email function.
Tip: useful navigational tip, the keys to ether side of the space key function as left / right arrow keys - negating the need to get the stylus out to move back and correct the mistakes.
The next step was getting all my information synced, both from the MacBook and Google calendar.
Despite what I had read the Mac bit was incredibly easy, I downloaded the iSync plugin (found here) and paired the MacBook and the phone and set it to sync the contacts. The first and second sync both failed. I had a quick look at the bluetooth settings on the P1i and tried turning the Power Saver mode off, the third sync worked without a hiccup. On the fourth sync the phone apparently updated a few contacts (the mac warned me the more than 5% of the data was changed, but I have yet to discover any changes. The sync has consistently worked from this point without (so far) any problems.
Next came the google calendar which, was a little more complicated. However, I got myself a free goosync account which, once I had registered, sent a text message to my phone to automatically configure it, and synced without any issue. I even changed events on the handset which where communicated (after a sync) back to the google calendar, perfect, or so I thought. Until 2:00 am the following morning when I was woken up by a horrible alarm noise from my phone. Little did I realise that my settings on google calendar automatically set a reminder for each event, this is of course was sync'd to the phone with an alarm, great! So, I went back to my google calendar and reset the default not to create a reminder for each new event. I was especially please to notice that it automatically removed this reminder for each existing event (and only those the had previously had an 'automatic' reminder). Then, following another sync, these reminders where removed. This to has worked since without any apparent problem.
The next thing to try out was the Wi-Fi setup. Again this was painless and straightforward. From the phones Control Panel simple select WLAN, scan and connect to your network. You are prompted to enter you password (I only tested the WPA, but this worked without problems). The next, slightly more frustrating step was to set up what are called Internet Account Groups. This allows you to specify a number of "access points" within a group and set their priority, this in tern allows you to select the group so the phones software, Email and Internet for example, will use these groups, in priority order, to connect to the internet. This means you can set up a group that will try to use available WLAN's before reverting to GPRS settings.
Software Notes:
Just a couple of additional points on the installed software. Firstly a slight frustration with the Email program. When composing an email you need to go to the address book and select the contact rather than just typing in there name, which the Nokia would auto complete for you. Though I have since found that the phone does keep a list of the last few contacts for quick access, this is a feature from the Nokia I will miss.
Something extremely useful I have discovered is the when adding a shortcut to the shortcut menu is that you have the option to specify a web link. As I use Remember the Milk as my task manager I have found this particularly useful as I have set up link to take me straight to my task list. Additionally you can customise the icon, so following a quick web search I found a good replacement icon here.
3rd Party Software:
Installed so far:Blogger software from Sony Ericsson > fun and downloads > Software > free stuff.
I have also found a copy of Lemmings and Oh No More Lemmings for the P1i here.
Hardware notes:
I don't really have much to say, other than the fact that I love that they included a cradle!
The time has come to take the plunge and grab a new mobile for myself. After seeing just how well my 'soon to be wife's' new SonyEricsson's push email worked on a 'walkman' style handset I was tempted to look at one for myself. Obviously being the gadget fan that I am such a simple phone wouldn't do for me so I have opted for the P1i. Having read mixed reports about the stability of the SonyEricsson iSync plugin I made sure I had 14 days to return the phone, in case this doesn't work (this is a real deal breaker for me). I am generally speaking pleased with the reviews I have read, but we will have to wait and see, it should arrive in the next 2-3 days!
Reviews:
Tracy and Matt's Blog
Phone Arena
CNET
All About Symbian
Shiny Shiny
Gear Diary
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