P990 is so much more than a normal mobile phone. But since normal phone feutures still are central, Sony Ericsson coninue to use ordinary keys functions like making a phonecall. If all you want to do is to make a phonecall, you simply use the keys on the flip.
When you open the flip you see the whole screen and a qwerty-keyboard (If you don't live in a place with different keyboard setting, then you will find a a qwertz-, an azerty- or a russian keyboard). For special characters, for example letters used solely in the Nordic languages, you have to combine two keys.
The keyboard is really helpful when you are writing e-mails, sms, mms or if you are using chat programs. The 3G-function in P990 also improves the usage of E-mail, because of the faster Internet connection. Even faster Interent access is achieved by Wi-Fi, also integrated in the P990.
Software for opening, creating and editing Word and Excel documents are included. Powerpoint and PDF documents can be viewed, but you can't edit a Powerpoint with the software that comes with the P990.
When it comes to web browsers, Sony Ericsson has decided to continue the cooperation with Opera. And it is Opera (version 8) that is pre-installed in the P990. A good choice since, according to our own tests, Opera is still the best web browser for smartphones. You can have multiple windows open on the screen at the same time, and the Opera SRR-technology makes ordinary web pages easy to read even in a smaller screen, like that on a mobile phone.
The operating system in the P990 is Symbian version 9.1 with UIQ 3.0 as graphical interface. Sony Ericsson P990 is said to the first phone with this system and interface. Our impression is that this is an improvement compared to the system in Sony Ericsson P910. There is also an enhanced support for Java in the new system, which will make Java programs written for Nokia Series 60 portable to P990.
The calendar in P990 has better views than the calendar in P910. Within each contact you can now enter birthdays and synchronize them with your pc. If you like to, you can also add pictures to your contacts and synchronize them with you pc.
Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) is of course good news for everyone who wants better mobile communication. You can use this when you are in a Hotspot zone, or of course at home or at the office, if you have wireless LAN there. P990 supports the 802.11b standard for Wlan, which means up to 11 Mbit speed. Security standards WEP and WPA are also supported.
A Symbian version of Skypes software for Voice over IP is yet to come. And according to one of the Skype founders, Niklas Zennström, it is on its way. Mr Zennström declared this at a press conference at CeBIT in March this year.
When it comes to entertainment Sony Ericsson P990 has a new mediaplayer, both for music and movies stored in the phone, and for streaming content (for example from a 3G operator). According to Sony Ericsson, a 4 GB Memory Stick Duo Pro will be availible in the first quarter of 2006. There is also 80 MB of internal memory in the phone. A 64 MB Memory card will be distributed with the phone.
The P990 also has a integrated FM Radio with RDS.
The camera in the phone is a 2 megapixel camera with autofocus. According to Sony Ericsson it will give as good pictures as the ones from Sony Ericsson K750i. On the front there is also a VGA-camera for video calls. The 2 megapixel camera can also be used for video calls.
Memory is of course good for music, pictures and documents, but also for applications. P990 is as a Symbian phone open for such applications, and Sony Ericsson will bundle the P990 with some of the availible Symbian apps, for example a free VPN client.
The screen in P990 has higher resolution than the one in P910. In the P990 the screen has QVGA resolution, 240x320 pixels. The format is 2,76-inches compared to the 2,8-inches screen in the P910.
It is possible to enter text without using the keyboard. For sms messages many users will use the keys on the flip instead, as you do with a normal mobile phone. Instead of T9 Sony Ericsson will use the system Ezitext in P990. It was a long time since Sony Ericsson had Ezitext in their phones, so it will be interesting to see how the new version of Ezitext works compared to T9.
When the P990 is launched there will also be a Blackberry version, according to Sony Ericsson.
First quarter 2006 is the official release time for the P990. But we will have to wait until March for the P990, according to our information. The price will be the same as the price for P910 today, or even a bit cheaper.
Hermione was Sony Ericssons internal name for P990. In the books about Harry Potter Hermione is the smartest among the kids at the Hogwarts school of wizardry. And P990 is definitley a smart mobile phone. Maybe it is the smartest, just like in the tale.
