P1i QWERTY - How does it work

I've been using the SE P1i for 3 months, so I'll give you my impressions.

Let me first say that I am used to using Treo's and what I will say is that they are not as usable as a proper QWERTY keyboard.

The SE P1i keyboard keys 'rock'. For instance button '5' is also key 'G' and 'H'. If I want to type a G I hit the left side of the key, If I want a H, I hit the right side of the key. If I want a 5, I first select ALT, and then hit the key.

It is a little strange at first and it has taken me a while to get used to the unorthodox keys. Personally, I quite like the keys. They work better than they look. I can type fairly quickly and with few errors. I would rather have a smaller phone with this type of keyboard than a larger 'brick' like a Treo which has a more 'usable' keyboard.

Just my two pennies...

My impressions are pretty much that of Hicks. I too have only used my P1i for a relatively short time. I still find that I can type quicker on the virtual (touch screen) than on the keys. I have a "bunch of bananas" for fingers and find the accuracy needed to hit "half a key" without hitting the adjacent ones is still a bit of a challenge.

Have a look at http://www.sonyericsson.com/trythephone/p1i/index_p.htm?cc=gb&lc=en&zone=pp&window=popup which is the SE interactive "try the phone" demo.

I love this phone and the lack of 11g WiFi is not neccessarily a disadvantage since I doubt that the P1i's processor could keep up with more than a burst of 54Mbps traffic.

Pete

Terry1100 wrote:My Nokia E70 is dying on its feet (and the battery is held on by sellotape). I'm imminently about to "defect" to WM and the iPaq 614C - but just before I jump ship, I thought I'd consider the P1i

I thought that my P900 was the best phone I've ever owned but without 3G and Wi-Fi it's not exactly state of the art these days.

I've read about the Wi-Fi issues here (and I know it can only manage "b" speeds) but my bigger concern is the keyboard.

How does it work.

I asked the question in both Carphone Warehouse and O2 today but as you would expect I got no sense out of anyone there - they suggested "tap once for Q and tap twice for W"

However, are the keys actually "hinged" left side for Q, right side for W or is it a case of "press centrally with a left bias for Q and a right bias for W" (if that makes sense).

Any comments on useability of the keyboard ?

Sony ericsson P1i is perfect mobile phone with qwerty keyboard. The use of it is very simple. For the purpose of compact design of the phone, each key has 2 characters on its face. one is on the left , the other is on the right. When you press the left you get the left chacracter typed, when you tap the right side of the key you get the right character typed. For example when you tap left side of the first left top key you have Q and tap right side of the same key you have W. I use such p1i for typing vietnamese which is even more complicated in typing some special characters with many addititional symbol such as �, ă, �, ư, ơ, � , ~ `, etc without any problem. But maybe it is problem for someone with big palm. Hope this is a help for you.

Its great and very clever way of doing it! Because the layout of the keys is the same as a quirky keyboard, if you can type ok on a normal keyboard you will type fast on this, because your hands go naturally to the letters, it surprised me at first, but your brain remembers the quirky layout.

I had the M600i before this phone, so the original, got to grips with it very quickly, love it because you have the best of both worlds, small keyboard making the phone small, but also Quirky keypad! And you can easily make calls with the numbers in the middle.

As they say, the buttons are is hinged, so you press left for Q and right for R for example.. simple

You soon get used to the qwerty keyboard but personally I like the virtual keyboard that you can use where you select the letters with the stylus.