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FCC cracks open Sony's Xperia X8, posts user's manual and revealing photos
Sure, that Xperia X8 in the picture may look demure, but the FCC doesn't mess around -- mere seconds after we found this shot of the 3-inch, Android 1.6 handset, we stumbled across a PDF showing the phone in -- ahem -- various states of dress. Now, we try to run a clean site here, so you'll have to hit our source link to find those salacious pics (and manual) yourself, but if you want some nice, tasteful shots of the device's exterior and ports you'll find them immediately below. No new specs here, by the way -- it's the same quad-band GSM HSPA handset with WiFi, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS and FM radio we've seen before. %Gallery-100312%
Sony Ericsson's 3-inch Xperia X8 made official, coming in Q3 2010 for €259
While the real Shakira may be busy gallivanting over in South Africa, Sony Ericsson's handset that bore the same (code)name has today been unveiled as the latest member of the Xperia line. Bridging the gap between the fully formed X10 and its Mini siblings, the 3-inch Xperia X8 will run Android 1.6 somewhere deep underneath a comprehensively customized skin. That means you get Sony Ericsson's social (Timescape) and media (Mediascape) aggregators whether you like them or not, and by the looks of the early hands-on pictures, it seems like a straight port of the UI available on the X10 Mini. A 3.2 megapixel camera is available around back, with WiFi, a 600MHz CPU, 1,200mAh battery, and interchangeable covers completing the value proposition. The X8 will cost around €259 ($318) when it launches in the third quarter of this year. Hit the sources for more pictures.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 announced, we go hands-on
The first Android device from Sony Ericsson may have undergone an upgrade in the naming department, jumping from X3 all the way to XPERIA X10 (probably to avoid confusion with Nokia's X3 handset), but what lies under the hood is reassuringly in line with what we've been hearing. That is to say, a 1GHz Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm, wide 4-inch capacitive touch display, 8.1 megapixel camera with LED flash, and a thoroughly tricked out Android skin named Rachael. Sony Ericsson stressed to us the symbiotic importance of both the new flagship device and "open OS" UI -- the X10 was presented as the patriarch of a whole new family of handsets, which we can expect to see in the first half of 2010, all sporting the beauty of Rachael and perhaps helping to bridge the gap between featurephones and, well, more advanced featurephones. So don't be shy, come along past the break to see our uncensored first impressions of both, along with hands-on video and pictures. %Gallery-77045%
New Sony Ericsson Rachael UI video hits, still looks nothing like Android
Calling this Rachael UI an Android "skin" is like calling Windows 95 a "DOS skin," but that's not to say there's nothing to love about it. In fact, we're rather relieved that Sony Ericsson seems to be addressing Android's incredibly lackluster media playback interface, the SE "mediascape" version of which dominates this particular video -- a sequel to the first Rachael UI tease we got back in July. You know what else is great? The video title name drops the same luscious screen resolution as the DROID, 480 x 854, which spells all sorts of good things for SE's first Android entry. Video is after the break, and if that doesn't do the trick for you, the Rachael hardware is being teased over on this end of the internet. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Joystiq hands-on: HP's mscape
HP showed off several of its gaming research and development projects at a recent San Francisco media event. The company said that many of these technologies had been in progress before the VoodooPC acquisition, but Rahul Sood and other VoodooPC leaders were able to see the gaming applications of previous research.I spent some time trying mscape ("mediascape") and discussing the project with some of its engineers. This gaming platform -- which isn't meant to compete with a hardware-and-software solution like the DS or PSP -- has already been used in the real world, unlike most of the in-progress projects demonstrated.Mscape sits on a PocketPC or other device, presenting an augmented reality game space. Other game designers and companies have tried to bridge the virtual world and the real world, with games that are played on devices by moving around outside. But HP's muscle may eventually help push these new experiences to mainstream gamers.
