FCC approval ensures American Sony Ericsson X1 users aren't bandits

Now that Sony Ericsson's mighty X1 has earned the FCC's love and affection, you won't be an outlaw for using one in the States -- but unfortunately, you won't be a speed demon everywhere, either. The version that just nabbed approval here is the X1i, and anyone familiar with Sony Ericsson's naming scheme can tell you that an "i" means a phone's not really meant for North American consumption; in this case, we're lucky to squeak by with UMTS Band II support, which means we'll theoretically be able to pick up some of AT&T's 1900MHz signal. On 850, though, you'll be stuck with EDGE. Of course, a true global launch has been in the cards for the X1 from day one, and we're not worried that we won't see a more 3G-rife model getting torn down by the feds -- this just ain't it.

[Viet-FOB @ Oct 4th 2008 5:27AM]

Can't wait to try this thign out. Windows Mobile FTW!!!!

[Alex R @ Oct 4th 2008 6:26AM]

It isn't even out in the UK yet.

Booo Sony and UK networks.

[Phil @ Oct 4th 2008 6:53AM]

Erm, it is'nt out anywhere yet........

Nice looking/sounding phone by the way. Looking forward to this coming to the UK.

[Alex R @ Oct 4th 2008 6:58AM]

It was supposed to be out on the 30th September, remember?

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/corporate/press/pressreleases/pressreleasedetails/johnnyxfinal-20080910

[Nippero @ Oct 4th 2008 9:20AM]

"Units have left the factory and are on their way to the shops in the UK and Nordic markets where they should be available in the next week or so."

http://xperiancers.com/2008/09/30/xperia-x1-is-officially-launched/

[fh @ Oct 4th 2008 6:59AM]

Actually according to this report, there are two forthcoming models: the X1 with UMTS 900/1900/2100, and the AT&T-friendly X1a with UMTS 850/1900/2100.
http://www.cellphonesignal.com/sonyericsson-x1-xperia-soon-with-att-friendly-3g/

Unfortunately, this runs counter to both SE's February press release and current X1 specs page (both which additionally list UMTS 1700mhz, presumably for Tmo US 3G). So if AWS has really been nix'd, then AT&T is the only carrier to bring it to the US, meaning the X1(a) could be further delayed since AT&T still hasn't gotten around to launching the Touch Pro.

[ismail @ Oct 4th 2008 7:08AM]

after purchasing the htc touch pro i dont think sony can beat it, software wise

[Hashbrown Hunter @ Oct 4th 2008 7:54AM]

Well the panel interface concept is looking pretty awesome IMO

[Phoenix @ Oct 4th 2008 12:44PM]

Bleh is what I say to it. it's more suited to wigitized fun things than to heavy usage. TouchFLO 3D can actually do pretty much you'd want without using the default inteface

[Teeth @ Oct 4th 2008 8:17AM]

That keyboard looks incredibly hard to type on :-\

[Nippero @ Oct 4th 2008 9:20AM]

you tried it? :|

I heard that its a bit bad, but then I noticed that the keyboard looked a bit different in some of the newer prototype pics

[Tiffany @ Oct 4th 2008 3:29PM]

it's a little awkward at first, but you get used to it.

[Mr. S. @ Oct 4th 2008 9:28PM]

They keys require a bit of force, but I can type long documents on it just fine.

[Jah @ Oct 4th 2008 9:12AM]

The X1 was launched on 30th, but will take 10 days to reach shops in the UK. Vodafone will have it around 17th Oct. There have no reviews with the retail version so difficult to say too much about the usability of the keyboard, but the Panel interface does seem much faster in recent reviews of proto devices.

[Abuzar Baloach @ Oct 4th 2008 9:43AM]

That's a REALLY long phone.

[noyp @ Oct 4th 2008 11:27AM]

Is that a Sony Ericsson X1 in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

[fairlight @ Oct 4th 2008 12:59PM]

well it is called the "SE-X1"

[Paul @ Oct 4th 2008 9:57AM]

The 300i was sold all over the states, so I'm not sure the naming scheme mentioned is accurate.

[Kamil @ Oct 5th 2008 9:33PM]

just like the w810i w580i and many more

[ngamer007 @ Oct 4th 2008 10:50AM]

That phone is just sexy. I have to use Verizon since it's the only one that actually gives me signal at or around my house, but if I had AT&T I would buy that thing in an instant. Instead I'm stuck with Verzion's incredibly crappy operating systems and excessive rates. :(

[jtizzlefurizzle21 @ Oct 4th 2008 2:43PM]

why is this picture not blurry

[darkmax @ Oct 4th 2008 3:31PM]

What's with the American and Japanese markets? Can't they just conformed to international standards?

SEX-1 or SEXI (sexy) is already outdated compared to similar devices out in the market. They should not have taken so long to launch this product.

[jakem @ Oct 4th 2008 3:54PM]

I'm not sure why you would say it's outdated. Although it's taken a long time to come out no other phone can currently match its resolution and when the Touch HD (which will have the same resolution) comes out it won't have a keyboard which is important to a lot of people.

I'll be very interested to see the first reviews next week or so and as it's coming out in the UK first I'm hoping that they'll be proper reviews rather than US reviews that are gimped by the fact that they don't support the frequencies and can't use the phone properly.

[nicholaelaw @ Oct 4th 2008 5:06PM]

Ok, now the aura on this thing is fading rather quickly. Many phones launched since X1 is first revealed, and many of which has actually made it to the market. Now X1 is really lost in the shuffle.

I'm rather looking forward to the Touch HD.

[riordan_c @ Oct 4th 2008 5:45PM]

When this thing was first announced, I was looking forward to it more than any other product release I've ever seen.
Gradually, that enthusiasm has trickled down to nothing. First they announce that it wouldn't be an international all-band phone, and that UMTS 850 (and no 900) would be only in the North American release and that UMTS 900 (and no 850) would only be in the international release.
THEN they announced that the North American version will capture video at only 320x240 and at 24 (I think?) fps, and the international version would remain at 640x480 @ 30 fps. So then it was a toss up: UMTS 850, or better video?
Then the delays, and the Windows issues... and now this.

So, as much as I hate to say this, I have lost all interest. I'm kind of glad I went with my iPhone 3G, now. Never thought I'd be admitting to that.

[Viet-FOB @ Oct 4th 2008 6:52PM]

Ah thats where cooked roms and xda-developers comes in. with those two you can make your phone just the way you like it. Personally I'm gonna ditch the Panel GUI to conserve memory i mean who the heck wants 9 windows or programs open at the same time?

[a1210 @ Oct 4th 2008 8:48PM]

I recommend the toshiba g900.
Older, but not that different and it's already out + very much cheaper :)

[chefgon_ign @ Oct 4th 2008 9:33PM]

What's the hype around this phone? It looks pretty hideous, especially compared to HTC's touch line. Is the panels skin really that much better than TouchFlo?

[viet-fob @ Oct 5th 2008 12:16AM]

The main attraction for this device is the screen and the keyboard. This is like a combination of HTC Touch Pro and Touch HD. The screen is bigger than the HTC Touch Pro by .2 inches and features the same resolution as the HTC Touch HD.

[keland44 @ Oct 6th 2008 2:04PM]

i'm currently interested in this phone also i spend a lot of time in the xda-developers forum
i would have to agree that this phone is both a mix of the touch pro and touch hd
bigger screen, keyboard high res screen
1500 lithium ion polymer = better longer battery life days of keeping the phone on the charger will be over
better screen resolution = better web surfing experience, email experience texting
main things i like about it are the bigger screen the battery and the resolution
if the touch hd had a keyboard i'd probably lean more towards this
oh another key thing sony is known for camera's so the possibility of the camera being great is highly likely