While we all continue to twiddle our thumbs in anticipation of the
X10's general availability, Dutch site
Tweakers took some time out with Sony Ericsson's
Jacob Sten Harold de Kort to get a few pressing questions from the community answered. It's quite a test -- de Kort fielded over 80 questions in all -- and there were a few big takeaways that should be of interest to anyone who's got even glancing interest in putting this thing in their pocket in the next few months. First off, it's still scheduled to launch with Android 1.6 Donut, but his words along with a post over on SE's official Product Blog give us hope that we'll be seeing 2.0, 2.1, or something even fresher down the road (to quote the post's headline, the phone "will be upgradeable"). 1.6 doesn't support multitouch in the framework, and indeed, de Kort confirms that the X10 will be a unitouch device, though it's not clear whether that could change with a newer firmware or if there's a hardware issue involved. As for pricing, we can expect this to launch for €599 (about $817) -- in Holland, anyhow, where it's on track to hit shelves before the end of the quarter. The subsidized pricing should hopefully be a tad less heart-stopping.
[Thanks, Len B. and Moody]
Update: The questions were actually fielded by Harold de Kort, marketing manager for Sony Ericsson in the Netherlands, not Jacob Sten. Thanks, domipost!
posted February 6th 2010 7:11AM
Well hopefully the newer firmware gets out sooner. I can't wait to put this rom on my DROID.
I like how in the spec sheet (here on engadget) under entertainment they listed an "Infinite Button"!! whoa.. that must equal infinite fun!! For that price, I'm not expecting anything less..
it won't cost that much in the US. often the change rate applied between € and $ is 1:1, and that's why we're always scammed here in europe.
Most don't realize the cost-of-living conversion is about 1:1. A job that earns $40,000 will earn 40000€. The currency conversion is just a way to describe comparative inflation, NOT product prices.
But it will be even cheaper in the US, no phone that sells for more than $200 out of contract for the base model will sell appreciably. This phone will be $250 w/ 2-yr at most.
@James Sonne
lol this phone will be free in the UK for about £35 a month for an 18month contract..
Us UKers might be scammed when attempting to pay unsubsidized items (e.g. Apple products etc.), but when it comes to contracts, we're pretty much spoilt with any phone for free....
@James Sonne
This phone will probably be only available unlocked in the US. I would be shocked if someone picked it up.
@kyriostrife
meaning I would be shocked if it got subsidized.
@Shash450
Yeah I love your system. In the US, people still pay a few hundred along with a ridiculous contract to get a phone. They also complain about the prices of unlocked phones too.
@kyriostrife
Ya, people in the US have proven pretty conclusively lately that they can't do basic math.
OMG, android to the next level!!
Infinite button and infinite waiting huh? I'd like to give some free consultancy to SE, dont leak your phones to the Internet before you actually have something ready.
@echoes IDK about your monthly phone bill but if you ask me people at US are the ones being scammed. Check out your monthly bill and check the ones that Verizon and AT&T offers... In Finland an iPhone is about 3 times cheaper to run for 2 years with almost identical plan all costs combined..
@VTR +1 now THAT is true
I'm sorry, but I think this strategy is going to fail given how they act with the rest of their mobile business. It feels to me that Sony Ericsson wants to be represented in every market segment there is, from low to high, with every mobile OS there is. (Didn't they just show of another winmo set?)
Wouldn't it be easier if Sony Ericsson focused on making one really good smart phone and skip the middle segments? Cause it feels like today, either you buy a really capable smart phone (like nexus one or iPhone 3gs) or you buy a dumb phone just to make calls and sms.
And with "really good smart phone" I mean: Snapdragon 1ghz, 512meg ram, 32 gig internal memory for apps, capacitive oled. And of course a really nice solid hardware, think black brushed unibody aluminium or something along those lines. Then just release it with the latest vanilla Android. That way the users will be able to upgrade their handset for a long time directly from Google. And if SE wants to "brand" their phone, just send along a few widgets and apps. For example a really good music player with Walkman branding and a really nice photo app with their camera brand. And maybe some PS3 related stuff.
This way they don't have to support an entire UI system, just their apps, and the community can reap the fruit of Googles work much faster. Not what would be wrong with that? :) Or maybe I'm way off here....
@Phillip I made a similar comment some time ago about Sony. So fully with you on this one. I also added because of the variations of platforms that Sony have in the phone market this device will so not get good support. If Sony could focus on one great device it could scare the pants of the exsisting big three smart phone players. Remember how it did that with playstation to nintendo? Then again Sony has a great reputation of blowing it's own head off with it's own gun that it said was pointing at it's competitors.
@Phillip
I can totally agree, especially now that vanilla Android looks beautiful on the Nexus One. Literally, all it needs is a decent media player app, which you've suggested SE would release.
Before Android 2.0.2, I would have seen the wisdom behind Rachel UI, Sense UI...etc. But now, vanilla Android looks sharp (except for the media app), and anything with 1.6 is just inferior...
@Phillip
"Cause it feels like today, either you buy a really capable smart phone (like nexus one or iPhone 3gs) or you buy a dumb phone just to make calls and sms."
It's not that simple, IMO. What if you want a decent camera (you know, with a flash..)?
What if you want a smartphone but don't have the money for a Nexus or an iPhone? This is where those "mid-end" Symbian S60 phones come in play.
But I generally agree that they should focus on less phones and make those better. Same goes for Nokia, even more so.
@Phillip
+1
@Endadget
I disagree. If you want that, get last generations phone. That's the way I think phone makers should work. You keep pushing the bar, making better and better phones, all the while pushing the "old" phone further and further down market.
Its an idealistic dream, and would take a while to happen, but I think everyone would win in this situation.
@NeoSeer Remember how good Sony was when it focused then entirely dominated the PalmOS market? They built the best hardware and then ran the OS everybody else was using with only slight improvements. It was a really successful strategy. Something HTC is doing right now, come to think of it.
I just want the damn thing to come out already! grrrrr
So much for Vlad and his "Outdated" theory.
Most people don't understand that most features of 2.1 like social network integration, bluetooth file sending and exchange support are all built into the X10's FW. The only things currently missing are multi-touch and 16M color support, both of which are possible hardware-wise AFAIK (Posts in SE developer's world and all that).
@Herr Synnberg
But the enhanced Bluetooth support in newer Android versions also comes with a Java API to use it for other things than file sending. If Sony Ericsson implemented their own solution on top of 1.6, it's unlikely to have a compatible API (or even have one at all).
I'm waiting for android 3.0
Haha, they'll sell it some 4 months after the Droid- which is a whole generation in Android terms- and say it's "upgradeable". I wouldn't pay 600€ for a device that MAY get the new FW, if Sony so choses. Or it may, as so many manufacturers, decide to concentrate its efforts on the next device instead of one which is outdated 3 monts after it's going on sale.
Typical SE policy. I wonder how much screw up its will take to see a major shake up in this company. They announced the phone too early, with a firmware which was state of the art 10 months ago. Now we're getting more delays, and a 1.6 Android phone slated for a April release, when everyone else in the same hardware tier will be sporting 2.5....
So it will be "upgradeable"? As opposed to all the "non-upgradeable" phones???
SE fails, fails, fails.... Way to screw up what seemed to be the best Android phone in the market when it was announced (ditto for the Xperia X1).
I hope to see it "plug and auto-upgrade", like my Nokia does. Without losing any of its features or UI in the process...
I'm just gonna say: Android sucks. I hate it, it's complicated. The worst of all time has to be Blackberry OS, I hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Mitch19
Really? Complicated as compared to what? Perhaps you should try out a Jitterbug, it's as functional as an iphone, and even more simple.
such a fail phone really!
@Ravenwoods
Why do people just say things like this?
Why do you think its a fail phone? I mean who knows, maybe you actually have good reasons, but if someone just walked up to you in a bar or at work were you were having a conversation with some people (im referencing the comments here) and some random person you didnt know just walked up and said something completely out of place with no justification whatsoever, like 'I hate cars', what would you do? You would all shoot awkwardly looks at each other hoping for that person to leave. Which is what im doing right now.
If you actually backed that comment up with some reasonable points people might actually talk to you, but really, what value do you feel you've added to this conversation?
Seriously. I want to know what was going through your head when you made a conscious mental decision to post 'fail phone', where did you think the value was in that post? Or was this just a knee-jerk reaction bc you just hate all things Android or SE unconditionally? In which case, again, thats fine, but why?
I understand fanboyism and loyalty n such, but that had to originate from somewhere and if you are incapable of verbalizing those thoughts and reasons people would actually take you seriously.
But as is, you are like a heckler at a sporting event. No one likes you, they all find you obnoxious and wish you would leave.
K, im done ranting now, i feel better
If I could believe that there actually is gonna be an update for it, I'd buy it... Oh well, and good customer service AND knowledge bout the OS (I mean SE, not myself) - nahh, screw it, that phone's never gonna be mine.
It's so sexy, though, I'd dump my girlfriend for it..
Pre-order price in Sweden: $740. (unlocked and unsubsidized)
@mnotme
X10 vs Nexus One browser test.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yeT0ykVwac
And a neocore benchmark.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq1abHyHxRM
I really think SE could go under this year. The delays and bad decisions must be hurting them greatly.
I know their UI will make sure its 1.6 Android OS doesnt feel dated but thats today. April will have the Bravo and other high end devices running their own "Enhanced UI" and Android 2.1. If they cant do it before the phones released then dont expect Android updates very often over the life of the phone.
I think Android has reached a point now that it doesnt need this stuff anyway. Hence why I went nexus one, any improvements will come quick and easy. Just hope/ney PRAY that the media player update brings support for WMA
this is one of the phones I am watching to upgrade from my beloved Hero, but I'm staying away from it until I can get it with a working 2.1 ROM installed and working otherways I'm gonna go for a N1 or a wait for one of the upcoming HTC machines coupling Android with Snapdragon and SenseUI.
Who wants to buy a new smartphone at that price with an obsolete OS and then hope for a future update?
Are they nuts?
Somehow I knew that SE would manage to F**K up even such a promising device with some inexcusable blunder.
They have always done it and I would be very surprised if this time would be different.
Moreover when will they learn that announcing a new device almost one year before release is not a good strategy?
bye bye SE
too late
Li'l correcition: Jacob Sten hasn't anthing to do with this. He is VP accessories with SE. The questions are answered by Harold de Kort, Marketing and Communications manager SE The Netherlands ;)
The X10 was really exciting, last year. Now with the Nexus One out, it's not that great anymore, especially considering the much later release date. I mean come on SE, are you going to match the ship date with Duke Nukem Forever? So 1.6 at the end of this quarter, and maybe 2.x later. Like when? When Android 4.0 is out?
All these comments and nobody mentions battery life? Now that the cameras and other basic features are decent, that's still the weak spot on these devices.
Whatever, just get an iPhone 3GS. It supports mutli-touch, which this product will never support. What's the compelling argument for choosing this phone? I think DROID is an awesome concept, don't get me wrong. I'm just waiting for the phones to catch up to the iphone technology wise so I can ditch it.
I'm looking for a compelling reason to switch from my iphone in april when my contract is up. Is DROID going to satisfy me, especially when web browsing is important?
@blackacex22 droid is an absolute fantastic phone but I know it can be hard to give away a 3gs.
@blackacex22 ONE word - MULTITASKING
i dont understand how there can be no multitouch? dont tons of games use a virtual joystick on the left and virtual buttons on the right? are you telling me youd need to lift your thumb off the joystick before you could hit a button on the right?
I'm really torn on this phone. The android upgradeability is a huge plus for me. However I'm still iffy about it because of the screen. 65k colors was hot in 2005, but we are in 2010! I hope SE unveils a product with similar specs at MWC with a better screen. What would even be better is if the Mediascape/Timescape UX can get ported to a Nexus One.
I really don't care what version you have SONY X10, just please come to AT&T and I would definitely buy your phone. My eyes are glued to you nice sleek XPERIA X10, you are one of the best looking ANDROID phones out their. I don't even care how much it cost for a upgrade as long you come to AT&T.
@Inspector Gadget80
Please be available with att's 3g bands but do not get subsidized by att.
I refuse to pay a $30 data plan. I'm happy with my $10 data plan.
@kyriostrife
its coming out on rogers wireless which uses the same frequencies as at&t
@evildoer
yeah, I'm aware of that. And I believe engadget had an article a month ago or so that revealed the x10 going through the fcc with the 850/1900 bands. So there won't be a problem getting it with the bands I need.
Maybe by the time the unlocked prices drop, 2.0 will be available.
@evildoer
Yeah, engadget had an article about a month ago that showed the x10 passing the fcc with the 850/1900 bands shortly after tmobile's bands went through. So there's no doubt I'll be able to use a version on att... rogers or unlocked. I just don't want att to subsidize it.
i want to see Sony Ericsson hardware with WebOS that should be interesting. SE seems lost after UIQ died