You might remember that we'd said back in April that AT&T
would be picking up the Sony Ericsson X10 in the 30th week of the year. Well, turns out we weren't
exactly right, but it seems we're going to end up being pretty damn close. We're hearing that AT&T is lining up for a launch some time between the middle of August and the middle of September; smartphone data is required, of course, and it'll cost independent dealers $345 per unit (retail pricing is anyone's guess). Also launching in the same timeframe will be the Samsung Eternity II, a device
BGR had mentioned back in June. No details on this one, but we'd assume it'll be a slicker, higher-spec follow-on to the
original Eternity from way back in '08. Sadly, there's no indication these X10s will have anything other than the dusty
Android 1.6-based platform they've been running everywhere since their global launch, so get ready to travel back in time if you end up cross-shopping this with the
Captivate.
[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
posted August 5th 2010 2:52PM
Sony Ericsson, we fucking want 2.2 already.
@Tayyab73 By the time at&t releases any phone 3.0 would be just around the corner !!
@Tayyab73
Seriously. I don't own an X10, but it's a good looking piece of hardware that would make a solid phone *IF* it was running anything other and Android 1.x OS.
@Tayyab73 X10 would be great if......2.x something......was involved with it.
I'm not sure how AT&T would allow them to release this phone without 2.1 considering all their AT&T apps are made for it, and they sell the Aria and Captivate with it.
Spec wise this phone is still up there, and I have played with the EU version and it is nice. If it comes with 2.1 I will buy it out of contract, unless SE pulls some BS $799.
@treats
They didn't have a problem releasing the backflip with 1.5
@Tayyab73
Agreed, my X10 mini pro has more potential! Best phone I've ever owned too.
@Tayyab73
no we don't
the constant chase to the latest core in linux and all linux-like (android...) gives people not fully finished / tested products with lots of bugs.
I'd rather have N-1 core, that always works fine, without bugs and no need to troubleshoot for hours every single bug, rather than always the latest, not fully tested and irritating.
side not: if S/E finally gets with carriers in US, that will be a boost in its sales, these are pretty good phones.
@Tayyab73 I've been really impressed by my X10 so far. With the possible exception of Google Earth, I've can't say I've seen anything from 2.1/2.2 that's made me regret 'only' having Android 1.6.
@Tayyab73
The Captivate has better specs anyways !
@beckhams777
On a side note, can we get a full copy of the image above?
@jroff
The was the FIRST AT&T Android phone release way before the other 2.
@Malcolm 1.6 is good, but the hardware doesn't match the software. 1.6 is so slow and not being able to download the new apps designed for newer android devicses makes me wanna scream. It's just missing that 'Va 'va voom.'
@treats
Right, but it's loaded with ATT stuff, meaning their software does indeed work on 1.5+.
@MagnetMan Yeah Google releases an update every other week for Android to fix all the bugs so it'll probably be up to 3.0 atleast
@Tayyab73 I've been using an unlocked Rogers X10a on AT&T for several months. It's not a bad phone even with Android 1.6. The upgrade will make it better and should enable HD video recording which the hardware is already capable of supporting. The 3G and voice reception performance has been very good and it does not seem to react at all to the "grip of death" even with both hands The 8 MP camera takes great pictures. Battery life is not too bad since the screen is bright enough to run at 25% indoors and can be read in sunlight at 100%. If I use JuiceDefender I can get 10-12 hours of moderate use. But using JuiceDefender properly will necessitate not having lots of automatic updates. If I have one complaint it would be the just adequate sound level of the main speaker during calls. In speakerphone mode or playing music the sound is reasonably loud. There is no built in radio but Sony sells a unit that lets you plug your own earbuds into it. Personally I don't think Android is a great OS because it takes too many widgets and separate apps to do what I want. I would prefer to have BB OS6 on this nice hardware. And being a Blackberry user I still miss a hardware keyboard but the default Sony keyboard is not bad and there are many others available in Android Market.
This eternity should be a lot better. I had the original and it sucked.
I thought this was an old phone for some reason, so I got on Wikipedia to check. Turns out it came out in March. "Android 1.6" Ah, that explains why I thought it was so old.
@cloud858rk 2.1 will arrive in a month, or so. The X10 is rooted, so I guess you can get 2.2 on it if you dont want the SE custom ware.
Btw, I thought I wouldnt like the Timescape app, but is is very useful, and good looking.
OMG I remember wanting the X10 so badly... last year. Good thing it didn't come to the US sooner, I love my N1.
@HelmZ
Likewise, I actually was looking forward to the x10 and the Dell Streak, both of which ended up horribly delayed, landing me with the Captivate. I'm actually kind of thankful for that.
@HelmZ
SE makes some sexy looking phones, but they always fail at completing it in some way. Gave the X10 a thought, but when the king came out in AT&T frequency, yeah, the rest is history.
The availability of the N1 as a dev phone guarantees us support for Gingerbread and of course first in line :-) Hurrah!!
@spielnicht I had an N1 for a while. I thought the screen was too small. I thought stock Android was about as good as most of the custom interfaces. The thing that made me sell it was to poor 3G performance. Between it and the HD2 I have decided that HTC phones are just not that great when it comes to 3G performance. It had Android 2.2 Froyo with the built in Adobe Flash support but it couldn't even play video decently. The X10 can do 10 MBPS HSDPA while AT&T's network can only do 7.2 so it's not working as hard as it could.
The X10 is a fail. It is available in Canada since a couple of months and it STILL can't have Android 2.1 ...
Put Froyo on it and it will be a great phone :)
@CrypticWritings agreed! Sony take some notes because I would have bought!!
@CrypticWritings
I have the phone for 2 days and I wouldn't look back at the N1. the interface is so much sweeter than any other Android phone, and so much better to use.
Anyway, SE has made an announcement to give us X10 users v2.1 update in September. I'll rather they take it a little slower, just enough time to make it better, instead of constantly requiring some fixes.
@darkmax Don't expect that upgrade to 2.1 until next year...
Too late SE.....your phone is already out dated.
@cd5love96
1 GHz Snapdragon, 384mb RAM, 4.0 in 480 x 854 screen, 8MP camera is outdated? The OS is outdated but the phone is not, all it needs is froyo
@cd5love96
iPhone (in all its incarnations) is, however, even more outdated, if you put it that way. More than 3/4 of its hardware is at least 2-3 years old, even the OS is just barely updated. And please don't give me any crap about how perfected it is.
the X10 is a good phone. Sturdy and well made.
My only real concern is that people will buy this phone with 1.6 on it, not realize that it's 1.6 because of the Skin, try to use it and come to the conclusion that Android(1.6) sucks, and then we'll have to listen to them rant about how great their iPhone is. The Android - iOS wars will contrinue. Sony please release it with a 2.x OS, save us some inter-webz pain.
My hatred with Samsung began with the 'original' Samsung Eternity. Once bitten, twice shy Sammy!
And with the Streak's update of 2.1 also looking good (per Engadget Mobile's preview), the Streak has again, become a contender for my moolah. I'm also waiting to see if there will be an announcement from Nokia for their first MeeGo device. If it is soon, I may very well hold out for that too.
LOL. SE actually is going to release the X10 in the US? Does that mean we can finally play Duke Nukem Forever?
AT&T is getting all the nice phone out there, they just lack 4.3" inch phone.
@techlord or a 2.2 Android device
@CrypticWritings *2.1 for now and 2.2 soon.
Warning to anyone in the US thinking of getting this phone. The phone has call quality issues. Sounds tinny/distorted and is very quiet. So far SE have done nothing to remedy this issue, or even acknowledge it. Went cheap on the speaker perhaps? This is coming from a Sony Ericsson and Sony fan...
@smarchan
Don't worry. If this things is indeed running Android 1.6, nobody will buy it. Nobody that reads Engadget, at least.
@smarchan You are right about the speaker not being very loud. But I think the tinny sound was deliberate. They used speakers that do not produce much sound below the frequency range of the human voice. I guess they wanted to limit distortion from trying to play bass through small speakers.
it's too late to apologize, Sony
it's too laaaaaaaate.
was going to pick up the first phone that had 1ghz, android, and 16:9. can't believe you had a finished product a year ago that you wouldn't sell me. well i own a droid X now. i hate you forever, Sony
I have the rogers one using on ATT, and it isnt as bad as people make it to be. yes its 1.6, but has the features to get by like free navigation and stuff. The 8.1 mp camera is good. 4in screen is beautiful. The 2.1 update is already out to the testers, and will be released soon. Sony has promised 2.2 by the year end. Plus this will enable HD 720p recording with 2.1. Its a great looking 4 inch phone. The media player is a billion times better than the stock android, plus you can sync your itunes on both mac and pc. I just love the hardware.
@djgooner Thanks for defending the X10, i'm (re)sold!
@djgooner
are you honestly content with the call quality? I agree its a great portable computer, but it sucks as a phone... :(
@smarchan havent dropped a call in the last 4 weeks, Yes it isnt as loud as the nokia i had before, but i am content i get 2mbps DL and 1.5 UL regularly, so i can live with the call volume being a little lower plus since i got the phone from abroad, i only pay for media net.
@djgooner That's pretty much the way I would describe it. It rarely drops calls and 3G is fast.
Currently using an X10i, the only problem with it is the software, but that is being sorted out with 3 or 4 recent updates since june (though O2 UK are being useless and won't release them, most of the time seeming to not realise updates are available). And 2.1 is coming in september (no news on 2.2 yet though).
I personally don't think people will be put off by the custom UI, timescape is a great idea IMO, once it's smoothed out it'll be even better.
This phone has gone the way of the Dell streak. Took FOREVER to be released.
Soooo.... no Dell Streak then?
Maybe they meant by the end of July... 2011...
Ahahahaha! 1.6 device launching this summer. Ahahahahah!
Good thing they spent all that time on that lame ass skin eh?