Sony Ericsson made it all official today, ending the teasing and announcing the Xperia X10, the first of what SE says will be a family of Android OS devices to ship next year. X10 is expected to be available in Q1 of 2010, though no specifics were given as to pricing or availability.
A few hands-on reports have popped up from the SE launch event, and it sounds like the canned demos of the "Rachael" UX (User Experience) are pretty amazing, but the sole X10 prototype shown to media was suffering from severe pre-pre-pre-release performance issues. Engadget went so far as to say that "Calling the present interface 'laggy' would be paying it an unearned compliment." Heh.
That said, SE's got a great history with media-centric devices, and their "Timescape," "Mediascape," and face recognition features sound really nifty. X10 looks less like an Android device and more like a brand new Sony Ericsson device - at least from the demos SE's showing - which is a testament to the power of an open OS upon which developers can build custom user interfaces.
Sounds like SE's got quite a job on their hands if they're going to ship this thing in a few short months. But I'll echo most all of my peers in saying that if they can get X10 into stores in Q1 of next year, and if the production units look like and act like the press photos and demo videos SE's been getting out to the media, we'll have ourselves one whale of an entertainment-focused Android phones on our hands.
From SE's new Product Launch Blog:
Some quick facts about the X10:
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X10 at a glance
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Camera |
8.1 megapixel camera Up to 16x digital zoom Auto focus Intelligent face recognition features Geo tagging Image and video stabilizer Photo and video light Send to web (photo and video upload) Smile detection Touch focus Video recording Recent shot tray |
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Music |
Album art Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP) Media player Music tones (MP3/AAC) PlayNow™ TrackID™ |
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Web
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Bookmarks Google™ search (from standby) Web feeds WebKit web browser |
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Communication
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Sony Ericsson Timescape™ Speakerphone Vibrating alert |
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Messaging
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Conversations Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync® Picture messaging (MMS) Predictive text input Text messaging (SMS) |
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Design
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Auto rotate Gesture control Picture wallpaper Touchscreen |
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Entertainment
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3D games Media browser Infinite button Video streaming Video viewing YouTube™ |
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Organiser
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Alarm clock Calculator Calendar Flight mode Infinite button Office suite Phone book with dialer World clock |
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Location-based services
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A-GPS Google Maps™ Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation* (free trial version)
*The service may not be available in every market. For more information, go towww.sonyericsson.wisepilot.com
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Connectivity
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3.5 mm audio jack Bluetooth™ technology Micro USB connector Synchronisation USB support Wi-Fi™ |
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Preloaded applications
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Sony Ericsson Timescape™ Sony Ericsson Mediascape Sony Ericsson Home with clock widget Sony Ericsson Sync Android Market™ Client Gmail™ Google Calendar™ Google Maps™ with Street View Google Media Uploader Google phone-top search Google search widget Google Talk™ Google Voice Search™ Network Location Provider Set-up Wizard YouTube™ |
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Screen
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262,144 colour TFT touchscreen 4.0 inches 480 x 854 pixels (WVGA) Scratch-resistant |
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Accessories |
In-Box:
Optional:
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Facts 1)2) |
Size: 119 x 63 x 13 mm Weight: 135 grams
Phone memory: Up to 1 GB
Memory card support: microSD™
Memory card included: 8 GB
Operating system: Google™ Android Donut, version 1.6 Processor: 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ QSD8250
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Availability and versions |
Networks
UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100 GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
UMTS HSPA 800/1900/2100 GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
Available in selected markets in Q1 2010
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Colour |
Sensuous Black Luster White |
More on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 product page.
