Good news! Now you can turn those barcodes containing swaths of (previously) unreadable dots and dashes in to readable data on your Sony Ericsson P1 smartphone. Simply go to http://www.i-nigma.mobi on your smartphone to download the free software; afterwards, why not decipher the following barcode below?

If you're in to hacking or modding files for smart phones, then here's a worthwhile task - try and mod/hack these SE G900 files to work on other UIQ smartphones.

I think the 4 apps below are what most P1 users wish to see on their UIQ smart phone:

1. 
   
   Touch Focus is excellent for those snapshots where you can show off the powers of your smart phone. Apart from being a gimmick-y function it's also quite useful, as occasionally the camera does get the focus slightly off (for small subjects I wish to focus on).
   
   
2. 
   
   Standby Panels could have made life so much easier if it was released much earlier. It's a brilliant idea and I have no idea why SE didn't release a patch or application for previous UIQ users.
   
   
3. 
   
   Notes is another useful utility app which only those lucky devils with their SE G900 or G700 get. And I have no idea why SE decided not to release it as a standalone app - it's just got so much potential for business and casual users, be it really taking notes in a meeting or just random doodling.
   
   
4. 
   
   Last but not least, I think more or less everyone wants to get a port of the Media player. It looks quite impressive and is definitely a step up from the default UIQ media player. To top it off a lot of K-series phones and other non-Walkman phones are now getting this newly improved, slick version of the media player so hopefully there will be a port available for the P1.

Any thoughts on my choices?

Note: For those querying about how @Web compares with Opera Mini, I'll do a further review soon. If you've got further requests, please don't hesitate to post it in the comments (i.e. reviewing an aspect that I left out); I will try and include it in the further review.

As promised, here's the review of the Digia @Web Browser (Beta) which I started instantly when I got my account:

Installation:
Very straightforward after getting your account. As soon as you enter your confirmation email, just enter your desired password, and you're off.

I downloaded the above file, then dragged and dropped it on to the memory stick, and the installation was completed without any issues.

First Impressions:


The browser loads very quickly, and it gives a general feeling that it's a very lightweight browser. A very simple interface is presented - there's none of those "Option" menus or anything, just a URL bar at the top and buttons at the bottom of the browser - perhaps that's why you'll have to go through the Read Me file, or you won't have any idea how to zoom in or out of webpages, nor how to start using the browser.

So after learning the basics, I did some browsing tests on the @Web browser. All the tests were conducted under a WLAN connection (router connected to a 6M dedicated line), just for your reference.

1. Browsing to this blog (Sony Ericsson P1i Blog):
   
   
   
   The above shows how it's rendered by @Web, while the image below shows how it's rendered by Opera 8.65...
   
   
   
   It's quite evident that there's a huge difference in the way the rendering engine on both browsers operate. Digia @Web renders the page in a way similar to most desktop browsers, while Opera v8.65 doesn't seem quite up to scratch. @Web is definitely the winner for this round.
   
   Both browsers managed to load the blog in roughly 26 seconds, so speedwise there isn't much difference between the 2 browsers.
   
   
2. Browsing to the BBC Homepage:
   I chose to do another test on the BBC homepage because it's notorious for loading slowly on smartphone browsers and it renders poorly on browsers other than the Big 4 (IE, Firefox, Safari, Opera), so this should be able to show whether @Web can really browse the web and provide a "Desktop-like" experience for the user.
   
   
   
   And again, the above is the page rendered under @Web, and below is the page loaded using Opera v8.65...
   
   
   It's quite evident that the built in Opera browser doesn't seem quite up to par compared to the @Web browser. One thing however was the loading time - Opera finished loading the (incomplete) page in just under a minute; but @Web took a whooping 1 minute and 30 seconds to load everything. 30 extra seconds is quite a long time, particularly when you're stuck in traffic and you just want to see something - although I do take in mind that @Web is still in its beta stages, and in the final version there probably would be improvement in loading times.
   

Annoying little things / Problems:

• While conducting the above said tests, one thing was apparent: the damned browser kept crashing on me. Yes, I know @Web is in it's beta stages, and it can't ever be perfect during Beta testing but this is just ridiculous. After 5 minutes browsing in landscape mode, @Web beta would crash on me, citing a system error. None of this ever happens on Portrait mode, so its better to stick with that when surfing the net, or just playing around with the browser.
  
  
• Lag; the lag is really bad for a beta browser. It's apparent whenever you're zooming in or out, or even just trying to scroll up or down the page. Everything takes at least a second or 2 to register - and I'm not exaggerating.
  
  
• Zooming in and out - nice concept, but poorly executed. I'm not sure whether it's the browser or the touch screen that has a problem; when I try to zoom in, I can repeat the same hand gesture 4 or 5 times and nothing happens. The same applies for zooming out; in fact sometimes the browser loads the linked page instead of zooming out. Even after you manage to get the gesture registered, it takes an extra few seconds to execute the actual zooming in/out.
  
  
• Scrolling is a pain; after you scroll up or down with your finger, the browser jumps back to where you were before you did the scrolling gesture - which is extremely frustrating.
  
  
• Knowing whether the page has finished loading or not - maybe it's a personal thing, but I want to know whether the entire page has loaded or not. Sometimes it's just not very apparent when its done yet or not.
  
  
• Tabbed browsing please - Opera has it, so there is no excuse why you don't have it. Or maybe it's just that I'm too demanding.
  
  
• Little things such as changing the homepage (now that I've mastered the main points in the read me file), or opting to turn images off when surfing to save up on data, or even choosing to avoid storing cookies or saving form data aren't present as options in the browser. This has to be changed or I'm not gonna be on the users of the final product.
  

Conclusion:
Impressive browser with plenty of potential, even though it's in its beta stages. However, the poorly programmed features (some of it, lets not be too critical) and lack of fundamental features found in the default browser tips the scale somewhat towards the Opera side. I presume once all these minor (and not so minor) things are sorted out, this should be the browser of choice for most users. For the time being though, I'd like to stick with the default Opera browser and wait for version 2 of the beta before committing myself to the new browser.

Maybe it's old news for some, but this is clearly a picture of Google's Android OS running on the SE P990. According to the article, this debuted at the 3GSM conference in Barcelona last February, so I do apologise to all readers for providing 'old' news.

Back to the article though - if Android can be installed on the P990, then it must be possible to get it running on the P1. I know I'll be first in line to get Android on my P1; no offense to the Symbian UIQ platform, but I think a change would be nice. Dual booting UIQ and the Android on the P1 would be even better. Who else wants to see Android running on their P1?

If you happen to be a devout Christian or Catholic, then this application may be quite useful for you. SymbianBible is a Bible Reader for Symbian handsets (including the UIQ 3 platform), originally ported from the Palm Bible Reader Bible+. Since it's been around for quite a while, there's many bible files available online for download.

Apart from English, some other languages are also supported; there's Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Chinese, etc; so you shouldn't rule it out even if you don't read an English Bible.

Further instructions are on the developer's site on how to load Bible verses in to your phone. It also happens to be free, so why not give it a try (for those who don't want to take their Bibles around)? You can download the UIQ version here.

Remember a few posts back I mentioned the Digia Web Browser as a fresh, new browser worth trying out on your Sony Ericsson P1 smartphone? Well, it's finally out - and Asri over at UIQ Evangelist seems to have some nice first hand screenshots of browsing on the Digia Browser.

It's only available for registered users, so if you wish to give this beta web browser a shot, you can sign up via this link. I'll be writing a proper review of the beta software as soon as I am able to download it and try it out myself, so keep checking out this blog over the next few days!

The Digia @Web Beta Browser review is up! Click here to read it.

ares on the UIQ Evangelist has just posted an article taken from smart-se.ru - it's basically a hack to speed up the loading of the Messaging and the Contacts applications.

If you're curious as to how this hack works - the 2 applications that you install on your P1 are meant for porting applications by developers. The speed boost that was provided is a nice side effect of the applications, and currently there is no explanation for it yet. If you've got a theory, feel free to post it here!

ares over at the UIQ Evangelist revealed that v0.50 for the app iPhone Lock has just been released. It's a welcome update from the previous version that I covered on the blog sometime ago last year; fixed now is the massive battery leaching that occurred with the previous edition (it's more controlled now), and call and SMS notifications are also apparent in the app!

It's available for download on this page, as with all the the previous releases.

It's been a very exciting week with the hacking of the Walkman 3.0 for the P1i, but it seems now it can get even better with Skype's announcement to release their official client for selected phones. Although the Sony Ericsson P1i was not one of the targeted phones for release, I saw the above image under phones from Motorola.

The MotoRIZR Z8, as many of you may know, runs on the UIQ 3.1 platform, and shares many common elements with the Sony Ericsson P1i. With Skype's release of their official Skype client for the Z8, would that be the official UIQ 3 version of the Skype client? And in any case, why isn't there support for the P1i while the Z8 is offered a version to be downloaded? Questions, questions...

I'll take a fresh look at it later today - currently on my study leave and I've got to make good use of my time :)

Update:
Thanks for elidoperezmd for the tip - the version is Z8 specific because all the keys are mapped out according to the Z8 keypad, which is unfortunately not QWERTY style. Not that it''s too big of a problem, I'm sure I could find a way past it. But I think it's safe to say that most users won't need to try the app out - it's not of much use anyway (See my Nokia N82 review of the Skype client).

It's been a while since the Mobile World Congress 2008 in Barcelona, but I kept forgetting to post this up. Basically it's a hands on first look at Opera Mobile 9.5...running on the P1i(!!)

I'm guessing that it's further evidence that Opera Mobile 9.5 will be offered to us P1i users - either for a fee or through an SE update. Hopefully we won't need to resort to hacks and all that to get it.

Yep, it's finally been cracked. Kudos to swmail for posting it up on the IPMart forums; now with Walkman 3.0, it comes with visualisations and Senseme music-mood choosing abilities, so basically the P1i = W960i + expandable memory.

Just a note on the Walkman 3.0 hack - it's solely exclusive for the P1i, and doesn't work with the W950, M600 or the P990. And as always, there can be potential problems with installing hacked applications like these on the root memory, so please backup your C:\ and all of your files before you attempt installation.

The UIQBlog has an news regarding a Walkman app hack that allows the Walkman app to be installed on to the UIQ 3.0 platform.

So basically it means that instead of doing some risky flashing to get a Sony Ericsson Walkman Player on to your P1i, all you need to do is install this Walkman application, and you're all set!

All this was available thanks to a hack earlier on which allowed the extraction of private data and applications from the older SE W950i Walkman UIQ phone. Please be aware that this Walkman application is the one from the SE W950 - which means it is Walkman v2.0 (without Senseme or the animated main menu).

Here's the instructions on how to install the Walkman app from the great man Moherowy who managed to hack the Walkman Player to other UIQ phones...(Yes, it's more than a couple of steps, but if you really want it, it's worth it):

-Unlock (hack) access to system folders (look for AppTRK or Capsswitch)

-Copy the contents of this archive to C drive on your mobile

-Restart your mobile

-Enjoy your walkman

You can obtain the Walkman app from the IPMart forum, where moherowy posted it. As for unlocking access to system folders, please take a look at this guide by ares from UIQBlog.

My heartfelt congratulations to Teknolog, AnotherGuest and Baronen4177 - their application, Escarpod, has won UIQ's Application of the Month award. Keep up the good work guys!

Here's the current look of the application at version 0.95, the last stable release. Escarpod is a freeware Podcatcher (a integrated player and downloader of podcasts) and runs on all UIQ phones. The latest features include:

• RSS feed updating and show downloading
• Built-in player
• Persistent position in shows between restarts
• Cover art
• Support for podcasts stored on flash card
• Automatic downloading of new shows

It's obviously gone an extremely long way since the very first version came out "a while ago".

Version 1.00 is projected to be released on April 30th, so mark that down on your calendar to get the first full release of Escarpod!

Everyone who's been on My-Symbian forums should have seen the user Anotherguest, who's famous for porting games from their desktop versions to Symbian S60 and UIQ 3 compatible ones. Some of his excellent ports include:

• Lemmings
• Gnu-Go
• Open Transport Tycoon Deluxe
• Duke 3D
• Frozen Bubble
  

Now he's gone one up to port Wolfenstein 3D for the UIQ 3 platform; kudos to AnotherGuest for providing all these hours of entertainment while I spend it on transportation and those boring free periods in school.

All of his ports are free, so do take your time to try them all! You can access his archive of freeware ports here.

Just got news that Opera has indeed released a minor update for mobile phone users - Opera Mini version 4.1. The new update includes a few major features, such as no longer triggering the default crappy Opera browser for downloads and uploads, but rerouting all of it to work under Opera Mini; Saving webpages for offline viewing; and searching for text.

Also included are claims that surfing on the Opera Mini 4.1 beta are much, much faster. In fact, up to 50% faster, thanks to "server upgrades" from Opera's end.

When this release hits the final, I think the days of using the default Opera browser will be over; it's almost shabby in every way compared with Opera Mini. That is, until we get that Opera Mobile 9.5 as a UIQ upgrade... ;)

What are you waiting for? Head over to http://www.operamini.com/beta/ and give it a try! The beta version does not overwrite your original Opera Mini 4 release, so you can test both simultaneously and see how it fairs with the older release.

I haven't found many free games that are native to the UIQ platform so far; in fact, since I started the blog, I think Lemmings has been the only game which happens to be free. Terrible, terrible indeed.

It seems a lot better on the Java side of things, where you can find many free games. On the downside, some of them don't seem to support the touch feature on the P1i, forcing us to use the keypad (which is very squished if you have large fingers). Even so, I guess it's value for money, isn't it? Can't expect too much from a free game.

Here's a huge collection of Java games which have been tested and should work on the UIQ platform (it was meant for the W950). Something to keep your mind occupied while I search for free and entertaining games designed for the UIQ 3.0 platform.

Here's a list that I've compiled for the top 10 free applications that's worth having on your P1i: (And by the way, it's not in order. I believe there's at least 5 apps that's going to tie for 1st place)

1. Fring - The only FREE Skype client supporting the P1i. It's a nifty app, supporting Skype calls via GPRS/3G/WiFi, and also acts as a instant messenger for MSN and GoogleTalk users. The only thing that might improve the software is if it supports video calling too...
   
   
2. Google Maps - I'm sure everyone knows what this is for; it keeps you from getting lost. And not to mention that now there's the "My Location" feature for the P1i too, which takes your providers mobile service towers to find your precise location, thereby providing a free GPS service for users. Only downside is that it needs a high usage/unlimited data plan.
   
   
3. Gmail App - Some people said it didn't work on their P1i, but it seems other users have found a way around it. Either way, it retains the neat Gmail interface on your P1i rather than using the default Messaging app for emails. Downside is that there is no Push feature even though you've got an unlimited data plan; but I'm sure Google will think of something really soon.
   
   
4. Widsets - Have I mentioned this before? Basically it's an app allowing the user to add "Widgets" in it. These "Widgets" provides content, any content; ranging from games, to email checking, RSS feeds, etc. Definitely recommended for any user wishing for Internet content. Any please do get a data plan, or things will get really expensive.
   
   
5. Opera Mini - Must I talk about why its on the list? It's superior over the built-in Opera v8.65 in almost every way. And it's a great alternative browser, very lightweight and speedy. A must get for all users.
   
   
6. Escarpod - A really excellent podcast and RSS player that works on the UIQ platform. Even though version 1 isn't out yet, I expect great things from this app. No longer do you have to get your podcasts through your PC, it's all available from this app at a click of the button!
   
   
7. GDesk - the highly customisable Desktop application. A must for everyone to get the most out of your P1i - you can implement a new interface looking like the iPhone one, the WM one, as well as other different designs. A great alternative than the default SE standby screen, that's for sure. It's surely a revolutionary application, I don't think any app like this exists on other mobile platforms.
   
   
8. eBuddy - need I say anymore? Excellent looking interface, supporting MSN, Yahoo, AIM services. Put that with the P1i and you'll get a happy user for certain.
   
   
9. Virtual Radio - For all the radio station lovers out there. The app has plenty of streams for Music radio stations. Despite being ad-enabled, it's much better than going online and looking for streams to play over the streaming Internet player. Personally, I only use this to listen to Virgin Radio...
   
   
10. Shozu - The one and only application combining Facebook, Flickr, Youtube, Blogger and many other web services. Best of all it's free too!

If you feel that I've missed anything, feel free to comment (I'm limited to only 10 apps afterall); post what you think the Top 10 should be too!

Just to let everyone know that Google Maps has gone native on the UIQ 3.0 platform, so it means that you no longer have the laggy interface that some of you may find when you run a Java application. It's probably one of the new products, thanks to a Google and Sony Ericsson partnership. And no, I'm not complaining - it's one of the few things that has enlightened my day.

And "My Location" now works with on the P1i, thanks to the new release of Google Maps, so get ready for all that extra data. The "My Location" feature is one of the new, stunning specialties of the newly released Google Maps - basically, it takes information from your service provider to provide a location based on your connection with mobile phone towers around you. It's really amazing as it narrows down, with quite a degree of accuracy, where in the world you are. You can now boast to all your friends (that don't use a Nokia) that you've got an excellent GPS on your P1i/M600/W950/P990/W960 now.

On a side note, Bluetooth GPS devices aren't working with this new Google Maps release, so I'm guessing that's definitely on Google's agenda in the short term future. But all in all, definitely great work from Google. And it totally made my day :)

Simply head over to http://www.google.com/gmm on your built-in Opera browser for more information!

Well, Sony Ericsson has released the long awaited update for the app on the P1i - Blogger v1.02.

Basically, its the K and W series Blogger ported over to UIQ. Having used both a K series phone and UIQ now, I feel slightly disappointed that it's only out now for the smart phone - it was released a long time ago for SE's Java based phones.

Apart from that, it makes blogging a real pleasure - provided that you're using Google's Blogspot, of course. It works over Wi-Fi and 3G/GPRS.

Think of the possibilities - blogging wherever you are, any time you want. This will probably be one if the most useful apps, especially if you go on holiday (I'll definitely use it to update the P1i Blog of course :), but also updating my personal blog).

Get the newest version now!

Its been a long time since I've posted anything regarding themes for the P1 smart phone. Here's some of the galleries and sites I recommend for P1i and P1c themes - try them all, since its all free!

P1 Mobile9 Themes Gallery
Probably one of the best galleries for P1 themes. It contains a huge collection for you to choose from and to upload to. The downside is that although registration is not required, you'll end up having a daily limit of 15 themes to download per day, along with a 'RapidShare'-like system where you have to wait before downloading the themes.

Zedge Gallery
A very popular site containing a lot of content such as ringtones, themes, wallpapers for phones. Requires registration. Does not have a P1 / W960 category, so P1 themes are either submitted to M600 or W950 sections. Also requires one to choose a category before displaying themes, which may or may not be convenient, depending on personal preferences.

Mobile88 Gallery
Contains a number (drastically fewer than the above 2) of P1 themes that seems to be exclusive to the site. Requires registration, so it may be tedious and inconvenient for some.

UIQ Technology
...and I almost forgot. As part of a PR Campaign, UIQ Technology has released exclusive themes, designed by the UIQ company themselves. Check it out now! It looks rather professional.

Obviously there are a number of forums out there that offer themes too, but they are more limited than these few dedicated sources for P1 / UIQ 3 themes. If you know any other sources for themes, please feel free to contribute via the comments page!

And just as a last notice, to install these themes - all you need to do is send those UTZ theme files via Bluetooth to your phone or drag and drop to your phone using the supplied USB cable. Have fun!