Sony Ericsson Idou hands-on and video walkthrough
By Sean Cooper 
posted Feb 16th 2009 3:24PM
posted Feb 16th 2009 3:24PM
Sony Ericsson launched its 12.1 megapixel Idou at Mobile World Congress yesterday evening, and while not a finished device, we checked it out anyway. The Idou will eventually roll with the Symbian Foundation's OS, but the version we're seeing here is somewhere in between. The resistive touchscreen (essentially the same as found on the XpressMusic 5800) is immense, glossy, and already brilliant. The transitions and sweeping gestures (check them in the vid) are really responsive and quick, with no real lag. We checked it against its nearest neighbor in the C905 and it is slim in comparison. Top notch stuff, we are anxiously waiting for more. Video and gallery follow.
OMG I want!!!
No kiddin, tiz 1 sweet lookin thang!
will you take this phone....to have and to hold...idou!
yayyy resistive
S60v5... OS
I want this UI ported to my NOKIA 5800XM......
wow,12 meg thats better than iphone 2 megapixel. Does anyone belive that will be enough to be a serious iphone contender.? no 3.5 mm=fail. This device will be seriously overpriced, gonna just collect dust on shelves,seriously. Has tank product written all over it....
Yes and I want your car!!! I know, this isn't Autoblog, but dude I love the M3
resistive and no 3.5 mm audio jack, frustrating!
call me a noob, but why is resistive touchscreen a bad thing?
I can't understand the lack of 3.5 jack - maybe still to come? As for resistive - I use my iPod touch in the cold a lot, and hate having to take off my mits - resistive could solve this for me :)
But w/out 3.5, not an option for me.
Yeah the resistive touch screen is a bit of a downer, but at least it seemed pretty responsive.
I don't understand the hate with resistive. It's precise, and I can usually click on a small link in a web browser easily with a resistive... too many times I've hit nearby links or not at all with my G1.
the main problem with resistive is no multitouch also it tends to be slightly thicker and less clear because of the layers of plastic that resistive needs to work.
that said, you don't have to worry about moisture or gloves so it's give and take.
Nice phone. I don't think resistive is such a bad thing. From experience, I like double tapping to zoom in when web browsing, and circling an area with one finger works just as well as pinch-zoom/rotate.
The only thing missing from this phone is 3.5mm!! T-T
Highest resolution camera in da world!? (oh no he didn't)
As a resistive-touch LG Dare owner, I can say that I'd hinestly rather have capacitive touch. Resistive touch is hardly touch. It's a press screen. I got used to it, but when other people try to use my phone, they can't figure out how to scroll. I tell them they have to press down, but they can't get it. The other thing is that with the resistive screen, I have had many 1-2 minute pocket calls with friends on my contacts. Capacitive doesn't do that, because it only works with your finger and not your pocket.
wow, super
3g and not on verizon...then...I WANT 2!!!
Why on earth would Sony make this a resistive touchscreen? Pretty much wrecks it for me. Oh well.
Possibly because Asia use resistive touchscreens for handwriting which capacitive screens suck at.
meh.
The sales chap just described sub-VGA as HD. At least he didn't say anamorphic.
Pretty sure he said nHD.
Well, considering its a 3.5inch screen i'd say thats hd for a screen that small
If they want to make a standard for mobile devices that'd be lovely. But they're just jumping on a bandwagon to something that's not defined by pixel density.
I also require such a device
I think this might swing me from my iPhone :l I always loved having a decent camera in a phone, and found Sony Ericsson best in that regard.
RESISTIVE!! why-oh-why?
I hope this comes out sooner than the Xperia X1 did. Sheesh. If it comes out late next year, like what the X1 eventually did, it would be behind again.
...I couldn't agree more with this
It'd probably be late again - just like the P990 & X1
Somehow I don't think they've learnt their lesson. Either that or some manufacturer will rush one out earlier to market
Oooh I saw the S60 screensaver popping up twice. Nice to know.
Does it take decent photos? I guess that's the core question to ask if it is this high rez camera built in.
With all these 8MP and better camera phones out there, maybe it's time someone did a review of them as if they were cameras, ignoring the phone bit for the moment.
There are numerous reviews out there, just need to Google for them.
Could Engadget please track down Gizmodo and ask them how to shoot high-quality video. This, like all the other video I've watched from MWC on this site, is really hard to see clearly.
what is "resistive" touch control and why don't they have 3.5 mil jack!??!?!??
?
3,5 mm maybe yes, this is only a prototype !
Who knows. It might come with a 3.5mm adapter... does anybody know if the "walkman" phones come with one? I personally don't like having a wired headset draped down my shirt where it's so easy to yank off.
So, just for the record, is this thing actually pronounced "I Do You"?
There's nothing hotter than mobiles with suggestive names that make you sound unintelligent.
it looks cool but it will have a big price tag. the c905 is a good phone but it costs too much imagine this, and i dont get why phone manufactures keep upgrading specs so quickly the 8mp phones just came out recently and already there are plans for a 12mp.
Im almost gona get this but its RESISTIVE touchscreen is horrible! Its easily scratchable plastic surface is a total turn off! Im sticking with my iPhone!!!! Wrong move SE!!!
another mac fan boy with their iphones. Atleast give the phone a chance and this the MWC not MAC world
Give this phone a chance? The iPhone doesn't stand a chance against this monster!
oh God, there even accelometer doesn`t work (watch video). Right now it`s just beautifull thing. And that`s all. Commercial version`ll be ready in the end of year.
resistive > capacitive
+1
You think resistive is better than capacitive? What's the difference between the two of them? Hehehe. Sorry if I'm asking you this. I'm new to these touchscreen terms and all
Only reason I haven't switched to Sony Ericsson for my music playing is because of the connector and the lack of space and video capability ... so I have an iPod 5G and my K550i.
Guarantee this is the way to make a killer smartphone: Huge storage capacity (at least 16GB), incorporate the awesomeness that the Palm Pre will probably be, along with a nice touchscreen with hardware controls (like the G1 and Android) and support for pretty much any kind of media (audio and video). Why is this SO HARD to build?!
You have the iPod Touch that has the capacity and the iPhone is getting there, clearly people still like having hard buttons on the outside for those of us that need to wear gloves in the winter, they enjoy carrying personal entertainment with them, and then you have folks that want to stay connected all the time. Once again, why is this so difficult?
so this isn't sybian foundation os as we were lead to believe earlier, looks to me like its s60 v5 with a nice skin over the top of it?