So this article marks the start of my series - moving on from the Sony Ericsson P1. I'm not sure how long I'll make the series, since new phones can more or less spring up anytime from Ericsson's competitors, but it'll span at least a few articles.

I don't really enjoy writing this (probably because I've become quite attached to my P1, it occupies a special place in my heart), but it is starting to feel aged compared to gadgets released on the market right now. I just can't seem to get around the fact that it's less that a year old too, and yet the smart phone's specifications make it seem as though its an elder standing next to the new kids of this generation.


So first up, the band support: the Omnia boasts quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, as well as 2 different HSDPA bands (one for Europe/Asia and one for America. Just to clarify, the Omnia will be released in 2 different versions for the different regions). With that said, I don't think I should bring up the connectivity options of the SE P1; it's clear which one is the winner here.

Operating System: the Omnia runs on WM 6.1 Professional, whilst the SE P1 runs on Symbian UIQ. And it seems the majority of my readers prefer the WM platform, as seen on the survey on the right hand side...I do concede that I don't have much experience using the WM platform (the last WM platform I used was WM 5 and I found it...less than satisfactory compared to Symbian), but with WM 6 getting quite a number of positive reviews it seems that it is the platform of choice, whether it being for business or multimedia.

Also, with the UIQ platform now being part of the Symbian Foundation, it doesn't seem quite likely that it'll receive the support or attention that the WM platform currently enjoys, so the Omnia has the lead over the P1 in this aspect.

Software: Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are equally as many WM apps as there are for Symbian UIQ, if not more. And because the WM marketshare is larger than UIQ, I suppose many more are free too.

Appearance: the Omnia reminds me of a certain, widely recognised icon which I need not mention. It's very streamlined, and fits nicely in one's hand. On the other hand, it lacks a physical keyboard, which is a great inhibitor for some business users or hardcore texters - nothing beats the feeling of actually TOUCHING the keys knowing that you've typed them in. With real, solid keys, if one is familiar with the keyboard style and layout, one doesn't need to look when typing. And when something goes wrong with the touchscreen, the phone is still usable until you get to the service center.

So the score is 2-1 to the Omnia. I do think the above analysis is personal preference - some users really find that a virtual keyboard is great, while others don't. I fall in the latter, and hence the narrowing of the Omnia's lead. But feel free to skip this opinion if you don't find the keyboard as a obstacle to the overall experience of the smart phone.

Memory Stick: well, it's just basically microSD vs. Sony's M2. Memory stick companies are currently planning to release 16GB memory sticks for mobile phones, so it's more or less a draw. But because there are more devices in the market supporting microSD memory sticks, prices tend to be cheaper too. Just keep that in mind.

Other hardware worth mentioning: the Samsung Omnia supports WLAN 802.11 b/g, a drastic improvement over the P1 as you can get faster speeds over the wireless network. Internal memory is also another thing - there are 2 models of the Omnia available, the 8GB version and the 16GB version, which gives it another advantage over the P1 (imagine 16GB + 32GB microSDHC! That's 48GB of music, photos, etc). Oh yes, need I mention the integrated GPS, the 3.2 inch touch screen, and an accelerometer? Throw in the 3.5mm headphone jack too; it's also part of the package.

Conclusion: I think I'm sold. And with a release date of July 2008 (later on this month), in retrospect it's about time to let my P1 go. Pitting the SE P1 against the Samsung Omnia makes it look like a grandfather.

And for those who want to know more, you can read an in depth review of the Samsung Omnia by GSMArena here.