Sony Ericsson p1i: Att or T-Mobile, Skype, Messenger, Wifi

Hello there,

First of all, I live in the US. I am thinking on getting a Sony Ericsson P1i but I have some questions.

I know the P1i doesn't have EDGE. With that said, which one offers a more stable signal, ATT or T-Mobile? How stable? How bad are the drops? With which carrier the phone behaves better?

I know I won't be able to use its 3G capabilities, but do you know if either ATT or T-Mobile is planning on getting 3G in the P1i's frequency?

Has anyone manage to make Skype work using Wifi? How is it?

Has anyone manage to use MSN Messenger using Wifi?

I am out of contract right now. I love the Fave Friends thing that T-Mobile offers but have been with ATT for a long time.

Thanks for your time and input.

humm.. found some useful information here: Sony Ericsson P1i - Mobile Phone Review - CNET Asia

on the phone...

I am from India and I should tell you that P1i is one of the best phones that I have ever laid my hands on. My previous phone was a Dopod 818 Pro which uses the Windows Mobile OS. The WM OS is pretty good but because of poor hardware I would limit my usage of programs like skype as it would hang the phone. Also the camera on it was a joke.

On the P1i which I just bought on Sunday; I have installed this one program called Fring. Using this I can login and make Skype calls using WiFi. Also you can login to Google Talk, MSN, ICQ and few other IM services. The call quality was crisp; the program wasnt too heavy on the system (unlike my experience with 818 Pro).

The P1i is an awesome phone; the camera is damn good for a phone, the battery life is pretty good ( I charged it to the full and it worked continuously for 36hours inclusive of 4 -5 hrs of active usage of WiFi and 1 hour of active use of Bluetooth); the User Interface is hmmm well I find it to be very good but some may crib about it; the sound quality of calls is very good and the speakerphone is decent enough for a smartphone.

I do sometimes miss the "windows" atmosphere of Windows Mobile but I am very happy I made a very good decision by getting my hands on this phone.

Overall I love this phon

Cool review of the phone. I was curious about it and have been on the fence about getting it. I go to Sonystyle's website daily just looking at at. I did check out the Cnet Asia review and the phone looks solid, Suretype keyboard and all

Here is an update...

Got the P1i.

It is working perfectley with T-Mobile in the Boston/Framingham area. No droped calls and great signal.

Wifi. I have IM+ working perfectly for MSN, and when I need Skype, i use fring and is working flawlessly.

No complains. Amazing phone!!!

I am only waiting for a Locationfree player.

Good for you. That would be nice if you could post a review about your phone for us, so we could check it out too! Also, what Os does it run?