Questions…?

If you can help Peter please post a reply- “Hi hoping you can help, had the P1i now for a week, can’t find anyway of accessing sms’s etc on the phone via the PC. Also can you manage the phones contacts directly via the PC ? tried syncing with outlook but it really does a poor job and limits you to just name and number information, no picture management etc..Thanks and good work on the site.”

iSkoot

From A.A.S.- “iSkoot, which allows you to make and receive Skype calls and instant messages on your phone, is now available as a native application for all UIQ 3 phones (P1i, P990, M600 and W950). iSkoot works by using a normal phone call to reach a special iSkoot number before passing the call on to Skype over the Internet. By using an ordinary phone call for the first stage iSkoot minimises the amount of processing power required on the phone and means there are no data latency issues. However you do still have to pay for the cost of local call, although in many cases this will comes out of the allowance provided by your contract.”

FolderMirror 1.1

FolderMirror 1.1 is a simple tool to take more of your desk on the road with you- “Away from your desk, out of the office or on the road, FolderMirror allows you to stay connected to any Outlook Calendar or Contacts folder.

Carry additional Outlook Calendar and Contact folders. Wirelessly. Increase your connectivity. Using your current wireless synchronization solution, wirelessly access and stay connected to more of your business and personal information from Outlook while you’re away from your desk with FolderMirror.

Key Features of FolderMirror Include:

Carry and stay connected to multiple Outlook Calendar and Contacts folders, including:

Public folders
Subfolders
SharePoint Contacts and Calendar folders
Business Contact Manager (BCM) Accounts and Business Contacts folders

Works with your current synchronization solution- FolderMirror replicates the desired information in your main Outlook Calendar or Contacts folders and allows your current synchronization solution (cabled or wireless) to transfer that information to your device.

Transparent flow of information – The replicated items will be filtered from your view in Outlook providing a transparent flow of information from any Outlook Calendar or Contacts folder to your mobile device.

Compatible with ALL wireless synchronization solutions.

Compatible with ALL smartphones, PDAs and all other mobile devices including:

All iPhone models
All Windows Mobile devices
All Palm OS devices
All BlackBerry devices
All Symbian devices
All other mobile devices

No server software to install – this product runs on your desktop PC in conjunction with your current wireless solution.”

Sony Ericsson P1i – part 2: software

AAS are continuing their look at the P1i with Sony Ericsson P1i – part 2: software- “The shortcuts are flexible in what they can do; you can assign a shortcut to an application, a common task (e.g. new SMS, Bluetooth toggle, new appointment etc.), a contact, a document, a radio preset, a video, a web page or to a setting. Each of these types has differing set up, adding another layer of flexibility, for example contact shortcuts can specify the type of action (call, SMS, MMS, email). You can also customise the icon used for each of the shortcuts.Although the shortcuts can be used to duplicate the application launcher, this is rather wasteful. I think they are best used for shortcuts to common activities. For example if there is someone you SMS regularly you could use a shortcut to allow one tap access to this rather than the multiple taps that would normally be needed. Alternatively, if have a regularly visited web page (e.g. for a weather forecast) set this up as a shortcut. Since phone usage patterns often revolve around the same regular activities (e.g. sending an SMS as you leave work) these shortcuts can save a lot of time if you take the time to set things up optimally.

One item of particular interest is that one of the default shortcuts on the idle screen is for ‘More applications’. This is a mini application which opens up a web page offering links to third party software and services. Giving this sort of space and prominence to the ability to add third party software to the device is a step that should be applauded. It is exactly this kind of measure which is needed to educate new users about the abilities of smartphones and the potential for extra functions to be added.  The web page is question offers four links: one to free applications – currently a VPN Manager and iSkoot (which offers Skype calling), one to Try and Buy applications – a broad range of some of the best third party software for UIQ 3, one for fun and downloads – free downloads of wallpapers, themes and ringtones, and one for the Sony Ericsson Application Shop (a mobile version of Motricity)…”

fring

Just received this- “We saw your post regarding fring on the P990, which also worked on the P1.

We wanted to let you know that our oh-so-clever and speedy technical guys have now made a version of fring dedicated to the recently released and critically acclaimed Sony Ericsson P1i handset.

Users of the compact and stylish P1 can now enjoy all the benefits and freedoms of fring – including IM and voice communication through Skype, GoogleTalk, MSN and ICQ, microblogging with Twitter and calls through hundreds of SIP providers.

For more information and screenshots check out our blog.”

Up to 50% off P1i software

SymbianGear are offering up to 50% discounts on P1i compatible software (offer page is here). Discounts include 50% off Media Studio, 41% off Handy Tools and 35% off Documents To Go.

AAS P1i Review

AAS has posted part one of their P1i review, great writing as ever- “Although the P1i is the latest in the venerable P series of phones, a family ancestry which stretches back to 2002, it represents something of a departure from its predecessors. Whereas its earlier incarnations all featured optional flips (featuring numeric keypads) and a flip closed software mode which offered a subset of the phone’s software functionality, the P1i presents a form factor more closely related to Sony Ericsson’s M600 communicator. The P1i takes the form factor and styling of the M600 and combines it with the hardware features of the P990i and adds a number of significant improvements of its own.

The obvious result of the form factor change is a significant size reduction, previous P series devices have tended to be on the chunky side. At 106 x 55 x 17 mm the P1i is a comfortable, pocketable size, and compared to the P990 (114 x 57 x 25 mm) is nearly 33% thinner. Managing to squeeze the form to this extent is a considerable achievement and, while the P1i remains relatively heavy at 125g, this is 25g less than the P990i and it retains the pleasing sense of solidity which is sometimes missing in competing devices…”

£20 off a new P1i

Clove (www.clove.co.uk) have kindly offered a £20 discount on any Sony Ericsson P1i purchased from them. Just enter discount code SNY0807P120 at checkout in the notes and the discount will be yours.

The Clove P1i page is here.

Wisepilot

Wisepilot is a GPS solution that is definately compatible with the P1i. 12 months use will cost EUR99 and it is an online service so extra data charges may apply. Speed cameras are included but seemingly no traffic alerts.

Wisepilot is a personal mobile GPS navigation solution. With Wisepilot and a GPS receiver you turn your mobile phone (Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola), Blackberry®, PDA (HTC, Qtek, HP) into an all-inclusive navigation system with full-colour 3D maps and clear voice instructions while driving or walking. Use Wisepilot to find convenient parking, hotels, or the nearest restaurant. All maps, points of interests and other information, such as pan-European speed camera locations, are automatically kept up to date in Wisepilot.

With Wisepilot on your mobile device you always carry with you a reliable GPS navigation and map solution. Don’t be late for another business meeting because you don’t know the way. Impress your friends or customers by finding that Italian restaurant without problems. Get to the airport in time to safely check in and return the rental car. Wisepilot can save you time and money. It will make travel by car in both foreign and known places much less stressful.

i-Tech Clip 2 Review

If the Jawbone is a bit rich maybe the i-Tech is a better bet and it ia brilliant value- also works flawlessly with the P1i.

Bluetooth headsets come in all shapes and sizes- some are super sleek and cost a fortune, others make you look like a total noob and some claim to do all sorts of fancy things such as cancel out the environmental noise and display the incoming number (useful when it is on your ear?).

Mine latest one broke the other day and once again due to battery failure so you can imagine that after 5 in a year I was not particularly intent on spending lots of money on a replacement. My local Orange shop was selling the i-Tech Clip 2 which I have always liked, mainly because it is a half breed between a standard Bluetooth headset and a wired unit. All you need to do is clip the main part of the unit to a front pocket or anywhere else on your shirt and stick the other part in your ear. The rest of the set up was extremely easy and pairing was completed in a minute. All in all the set up and go effect of this accessory is excellent.

You do not get much with the headset- simply an a/c charger, 2 white earbuds and that’s your lot. To be fair I don’t really need a fancy box, smart carrying case and a desktop charger so I was not too bothered.

In use the sound quality is very good and much better than my previous headsets and most of that will be down to the fact that the speaker does sit in your ear. People on the other end of my phone calls also said that the quality was pretty good and for once a conference call done in my rather noisy car was not a waste of time. It is too early to tell how good the battery life is but my previous i-Tech headset (a Clip 1) lasted for ages on a charge. The quoted time is 4 hours talk and 160 hours standby. Charging takes 3 hours from empty to full and low battery warnings are given via a beep every minute and the LED flashes red.

Incoming calls are notified by a sound in the headset and a buzzer which is useful and there are only two buttons on the unit- a volume key on the front and an MFB (multifunction button) on the earpiece. You press the MPF to answer and end a call and pressing the volume key once when the headset is ringing will stop the buzzer but leave the normal ring in the earpiece playing. Voice dialling is also catered for- press the MFB button and say the name and away you go. Finally, pressing MFB twice will redial the last number. All in all the feature set is enough for most people and crucially easy to use when in situations that require ‘easy to useness’

In the first few days of use I have not had one problem with the headset and I am impressed with what some would call a basic Bluetooth headset.

It is fairly basic but the sound quality, battery life and build quality are very good. There is one feature that takes this accessory way up my lift of favourite accessories- when I asked the shop assistant how much it was I was surprised to hear ‘GBP12.99′. For the price it must be close to impossible to buy a better value headset than this. Available from Orange shops- availability will vary though.