Sony Ericsson P900: this phone comes with a hefty price tag, but its bells and whistles are bound to impress you.

What kinds of cool tricks could you do with one of the world's most powerful smartphones? For starters, the phone would work with multiple carrier networks so global travel wouldn't be an issue. You could capture pictures and record short video segments without worrying about file storage limitations. The PDA functions would provide instant access to all your contacts and documents, and let you browse the Web or check e-mail with just a few taps of the stylus. And, you'd get all of this in a phone that's light enough for even the most mobile of business travelers.

Is it even possible? Yes, in fact--it's a reality. The Sony Ericsson P900 is one of the most advanced smartphones on the market, the crown jewel of the Symbian operating system. It's a stylish flip-open cell phone with only a couple of very minor shortcomings. And, as long as you have the necessary funds on hand, it may be the only cell phone and contact manager you'll ever need.

Design

One of the best features of the P900 is that it's ranch smaller than the PalmOne Treo 600, its closest competitor. That's due to the fact that, unlike the Treo, the P900 doesn't have to accommodate the PalmSource operating system's requirement for a rather expansive screen. The P900's 208x320-pixel screen measures 1.6 inches by 2.4 inches, runs in 65,000 colors, and looks quite clear even in outdoor light. A small flip-open keypad covers part of the screen. This makes the device small enough to fit in your pocket just like a standard cell phone, yet powerful enough to replace a standard Palm or Pocket PC device.

The phone weighs just over 4 ounces, so it's about as light as most other cell phones. A brushed-metallic outer shell and sleek appearance make the P900 look like something from a science fiction novel.

Field day

Of course, looks can be deceiving, so some testing is in order. In field-testing the device, I found the phone functions almost perfectly for quick to-do notes, e-mail, games, and even typing up short documents.

The phone doesn't have the handy thumb keyboard like the Treo 600 does, but there's a virtual keypad that, at least for me, works just as well. Anyone with larger fingers will tell you that a thumb keypad (such as the one on a BlackBerry device) can be tricky.

To take pictures, you press the camera button located on the right-hand side of the P900. There is no flash and no quality options to speak of, so it's just point and click. You can cycle through some digital camera settings that might help with night shots and other exposure settings, but they have only a marginal effect. In general, the camera works best in bright conditions when you're close to the subject; otherwise, 640x480 shots might not look too crisp or clear.

You can also capture MPEG-4 videos and save them to Memory-Stick Duo cards, which you insert on the right-hand side of the device. On the left-hand side, you can use the jog scroll wheel to search through a contact list or play V-Rally. There's also a standard headphone jack on the left side; and, yes, you can play standard MP3 files.

Copying data to the phone is easy because you can use the included USB cradle or Bluetooth. There's 16MB of internal memory, and my evaluation unit came with a 32MB flash card. MP3 files and VGA photos will consume a fair amount of space, but you can always carry a few extra MemorySticks with you. In my tests, I found I could load one CD of songs and capture about 50 photos with the phone using a combination of internal and external storage.

When it was time for voice communication, I found the P900 worked as well as--if not better than--just about any cell phone on the market. It's easy to look tip contacts and dial a number. With the phone lid closed, I could just tap in the phone number. The P900 gives you tip to 16 hours of constant voice use, and will run for a whopping 480 hours if you don't use the phone functions. Really, the only thing that's missing is built-in Wi-Fi, which is probably a while off as companies such as Intel and Atheros figure out how to integrate cellular, Bluetooth, and 802.11 on one pocket device. The P900 supports GSM, so the phone will work with most major carriers such as T-Mobile and Cingular.

UpShot

For now, no other PDA quite matches the P900 for ease of use and powerful smartphone features. The Treo 600 may have a thumb keypad, but the built-in camera, smaller size, and memory expansion all make the P900 a stronger choice if price isn't an issue

Sony Ericcson

http://www.sonyericson.com

P900

US$799.99

ADVISOR[R] EVAL[TM]

BUSINESS BENEFITS

One of the most advanced phones on the market, the P900 gives you just about any feature you could want.

(+) Phone, camera, PDA--all three!

(+) Light and easy to use

(-) No thumb keyboard

(-) Price

John Brandon is a freelance writer from Buffalo, Minnesota. Before starting his writing career, he worked as an IT manager with a large consumer electronics retailer. His areas of expertise include handheld computers, notebooks, smartphones, wireless technology, displays, and any other computer-oriented device. [e-mail].