Sony Ericsson enhances its XPERIA portfolio!

Sony Ericsson, the joint venture between Sony from Japan and Ericsson from Sweden, has announced it’s latest smartphone, the XPERIA X10.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10.

In February of 2008, Sony Ericsson announced its first smartphone, the XPERIA X1.  The X1 was and still is revolutionary device for the company, as it was its first foray into the sector of high-power smartphones.  The X1 is a beautiful piece.  A 3″ 800×480 resolution screen, full stainless steel casing, full QWERTY keyboard, ‘arc” slider mechanism, 528MHz Qualcomm prcessor, 3G data support, and a revolutionary new GUI dubbed “Panels.”  The Panels system allowed the user to have up to nine different homescreens, such as the Facebook, Windows Mobile Today Screen, FM Radio Player, Media Xperiance, and CNN Panels.  I own an X1 myself, and have enjoyed it very much.  It is the perfect balance between work and play.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1, displaying its Panels Interface.

Fast-forward a year and a half.  The XPERIA X1, although loved by critics for its sleek design and indisputable functionality, was in essence a flop.  It was priced at a ludicrous $799, and was not subsidized by AT&T.  There was almost no advertising, and the Apple iPhone ate its lunch.  The revolutionary Panels Interface was hardly supported by developers, and eventually was almost forgotten.  Even the CEO of Sony Ericsson stated it was an “experiment.”  Sony Ericsson wants another try at it.

Welcome to the XPERIA X10.

The new XPERIA X10, displaying the Timescape Interface.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 was announced on Tuesday, November 3, to much fanfare.  It had previously been rumored and pictures were leaked, but it is now official.  The X10 is the new flagship for Sony Ericsson, and it is spectacular.  It boasts a brilliant and huge 4″ 854×480 resolution screen, Google Android OS, Sony Ericsson’s own “Mediascape” and “Timescape” programs, 3G data support, and a lightening fast 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.  The switch to Google Android is surprising, as they invested much effort into the integration of Windows Mobile with the X1.  The Timescape and Mediascape programs are the spiritual successor to Panels.  They are used to organize your contacts with your media.  Sony Ericsson claims that the phone actually has its own artificial intelligence, as it will automatically sync pictures of your friends with the contact list, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.  The X10 has lost the physical QWERTY keyboard of the X1, but substitutes a mammoth 4″ screen instead.  Also, the X10 supports the official Android marketplace for downloading applications as well as Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow Arena, for downloading their own apps.  The X10 will be launching around the globe in Q1 of 2010.  Too bad it will miss the holiday sales opportunity.

More of the XPERIA X10.

Its competition mainly includes the Motorola Droid, the Apple iPhone, the the HTC Eris.  Presumably it will be sold unlocked through Sony Style and possibly other national retailers when it launches in the USA.  One would think Sony Ericsson would realize by now that they could sell many more handsets if they subsidized them through AT&T, especially handsets as extravagant as this.  No details on pricing have been announced yet, but being as the XPERIA X1 was launched at $799, we know that Sony Ericsson isn’t afraid to price their phones in the high end segment.  Currently, they sell the Aino, a multimedia phone that isn’t nearly as advanced as the X10, for $599, it means that the X10 has a good possibility of being roughly $600-$1000.

The X10 in white.

The verdict?  I think we’ll have to wait and see.  Although I am always supportive of Sony Ericsson and wish the company well, I am still personally attached to Windows Mobile.  I am skeptical about how well Android will be.  How well will the X10 browse the web?  Sony Ericsson’s website lists “WebKit” as the browser, which I have never heard of.  All I know is that Opera worked beautifully with Windows Mobile on the X1.  What about E-Mail?  Windows Mobile’s Outlook integration made E-Mail a joy.  And no QWERTY keyboard?  I don’t even like to text message with the X1’s fantastic keyboard, let alone without it.  And the battery life?  The X1 has great battery performance, and it is user replaceable.  Does the X10 offer that?  We don’t know yet.  However, the X10 will be available in both white and black, as opposed to the X1’s only color option: steel silver (at least here in the USA).  As I said, we will have to wait and see if the X10 will operate as well as its predecessor, the X1.  I will keep the blog up-to-date with any further news on the X10.