XperiaX10
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Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 exhaustively previewed, screenshotted to death
While we patiently wait for the X10 to make its way into retail channels (or, you know, give up and buy something else instead), mobile-review's Eldar Murtazin has come through once again with one of his world-famous eleventy billion page previews rife with thousands of screenshots, which should take you long enough to skim through so that the phone's available by the time you're done. Thing is, you may not want it anymore: Eldar's concerned by the phone's cheap plastic shell, which is particularly alarming in light of the direction competitors are going, and the screen could apparently be better. Add in the fact that it'll be launching with Android 1.6 and there's no question Sony Ericsson's first Android effort is going to face an uphill battle -- let's just hope they learn from the complaints and get an updated Android build rolled out on the double. [Thanks, Alex]
Sony Ericsson answers your nagging X10 questions, 'newer version' of Android will come
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!
Xperia X10 lands on Vodafone UK in April
We don't have pricing, we don't have specific dates, we just thought we'd let you know that Sony Ericsson's already outdated Android phone is arriving in the UK in April. This agrees with the release schedules for Japan and Germany, making the fourth month of the year seem like a certainty for the global launch of what is still a hotly anticipated device. Just why the X10 engenders such fervor, we're not really sure, but it still marks Sony Ericsson's most aggressive plunge into the smartphone shark pool yet. We'll just have to wait another couple of months to find out how well that Donut-based OS swims. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Xperia X10 officially headed to T-Mobile in Germany this April
Announced to the world in early November last year, the Xperia X10 has been Sony Ericsson's paper flagship device for a good few months now, and unfortunately the latest official word seems to confirm that the wait will be even longer. NTT DoCoMo has already stated it'll launch the handset in Japan this April, and T-Mobile has now also gone official with an April timeframe for the X10's German arrival. Guess we can consider that February 10 "expected launch" in the UK dead and buried by this point. It's all rather lackluster in our eyes -- we've seen HTC produce the devastatingly versatile HD2 and even the Nexus One in the time it's taken Sony Ericsson to iron out bugs in a UI we suspected was too ambitious from the start. Let's hope the final product is worth the wait, eh?
3D maps demoed on Sony Ericsson X10, Snapdragon paying off
Ericsson Labs is showing off an API for navigating through a three-dimensional interpretation of the world based on real imagery powered by Saab spinoff (the defense firm, not the car company) C3 Technologies on Sony Ericsson's upcoming X10 -- and in a word, it's looking impressive. The buttons for controlling the action are a bit hokey, of course, but don't worry too much about that -- this is strictly a proof of concept, and the important thing is that no matter how much panning, tilting, and swooping through the cityscape the demo-giver does, video output stays above 30 frames per second. Thank goodness for Snapdragon, eh? There's no indication that we'll see a shipping version of this app on retail X10s out of the box, but let's hope something awesome comes of this. Follow the break for video.
Keepin' it real fake, part CCLI: Xperia X10 + BlackBerry UI + ??? = profit
Meet the Hero C7000, the closest thing you can get to a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 right now. Problem is, that's not very close -- in place of SE's highly customized Android skin, for example, you'll find a positively delightful rip of RIM's UI for the Storm series on a 3-inch display (as opposed to the genuine X10 article's 4 inches). Not quite what you were looking for? Well, look at it this way: at the right market you'll be able to find it for a minute fraction of the X10's cost -- and without a carved-in-stone ship date, maybe this thing can hold you over for a while.
Sony Ericsson's 'Robyn' pops into the limelight -- an X10 mini?
Sony Ericsson's supposed Xperia X10 mini -- potentially codenamed "Robyn" -- may have made an appearance thanks to GSMArena and a couple pics. Surprisingly, they lack blur, but the bad news is that there's not a lot of background on what's going on here -- we're missing specs and a cohesive answer to what market Sony Ericsson could be targeting here. If Robyn is indeed the real deal, rumor says it'll be running Android, features a much smaller touchscreen, 3G, some type of camera, and come in a range of colors -- and we figure that alone should make its older sibling, the Xperia X10, green with envy (but only figuratively). With Mobile World Congress just around the corner and a lack of announcements out of these guys at CES, we'd wager we'll hear more soon.
Rogers signed up to carry Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 as a Canadian exclusive
We still don't know whether T-Mobile is going to take on-contract advantage of the X10's AWS version in the States, but as far as we can tell, WIND won't be taking advantage of it in Canada now that Rogers has locked it up as an exclusive. The bad news is that it won't be launching until some time in the second quarter -- but when you think back to the X1 and the excruciating 16-month delay between announcement and retail on Rogers, that ain't half bad. Now, Rogers, just push HTC to rethink its decision not to move past 1.5 on the Magic and Dream and you're doing alright by us (at least as far as Android gear goes). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Google Goggles gets video demo on Sony Ericsson Xperia X10
There's little sense in resisting the obvious: Google is slowly but surely taking over your life, but rather than get indignant and discombobulated, we'd suggest letting go and appreciating how much easier things are with the folks in Mountain View squarely in control. Take Google Goggles, for instance, which aims to convert cameraphone images into useful search results on its own Android platform. Up until now, we've been shown stock demos and videos of it running on conventional handsets, but seeing the Goggles hard at work on Sony Ericsson's not-yet-released Xperia X10 is another thing entirely. Hop on past the break for the frames you're craving, but don't bank on this making the wait for said phone any simpler to stomach.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 hits the FCC again, this time with AT&T's 3G bands
Yes, you might recall a version of Sony Ericsson's mighty X10 getting FCC approval last week -- but this one isn't quite the same. This time around, we've got WCDMA 850 / 1900 accompanying the quadband EDGE, which is heartwarming news for anyone on AT&T, Rogers, Bell, or Telus, though the complete lack of branding on the FCC's test unit leaves us to speculate wildly over which of those carriers (if any) will brand the unit -- and more importantly, whether any will be on shelves before frickin' 2011. In the meantime, we're guessing SonyStyle sales are a lock -- so get your save on.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 catches FCC on a good day
Oh, to live the life of an FCC certification lab employee: setting up test benches, writing reports, playing with devices that won't be released for months or years. Instead, we're stuck enjoying their fun vicariously at an arm's length through a little portal we know as the FCC Office of Engineering and Technology, where gems like the X10 occasionally pop up complete with pretty in-the-wild pictures, teardowns, and user manuals. What we're looking at here are test results for EDGE 850 / 1900 plus WCDMA Band IV (that'd be T-Mobile's and WIND's spectrum, by the bye), WiFi, and Bluetooth, so even if T-Mobile ultimately chooses not to offer it on contract, you should be able to score it one way or another N900-style. The user's manual is basically just 40 pages of good stuff plus a bunch of conformity statement mumbo jumbo, but it's still a good read -- so if you think this might be your phone of choice come 2010, have a look.
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 heading to AT&T?
Man, the loot you can uncover when you go snooping around spec pages. That most ambitious of Sony Ericsson projects, the XPERIA X10, is still a long way from being released, but already we can narrow down the list of potential US carriers to just one: AT&T. The guys over at Phandroid were the first to spot the newly added UMTS frequency specs for the phone, and the available 800/850/1900/2100 bands fit only AT&T's 3G network. That's gonna be a bitter pill to swallow if you were looking for something like (or better than) an iPhone, but were put off by the wireless provider. Then again, with pre-order prices for unlocked X10s showing up at $999 in some places, maybe you can just look at our lukewarm hands-on and convince yourself this phone ain't worth it anyway. Go on, you know denial makes sense. [Thanks, Berto]
XPERIA X10 hands-on: lukewarm edition (now with video!)
We've seen the new Android-based XPERIA X10 from Sony Ericsson at a fast pace and a snail's pace, but have we ever seen it so stunningly middle of the road? We just got a chance to play with the phone in person for the second time, and from our random sampling of three or four different handsets, it seems that performance is very contingent upon how much content is loaded into the device and what particular thing it's trying to perform. Sometimes we'd fly through the stacks of faces, while other times we'd sit there waiting for the simplest thumbnails to load up. The good news is that we have until next year to see this thing really come together, and the word is that the software is improving and at a rapid pace. The big change about this phone is the "Nexus" UX platform, which actually all takes place in two "apps" at the moment, Timescape and Mediascape. Timescape is an integrated view for social networking and messaging, with an "infinite view" to see all types of communications for a particular person, while Mediascape is a more tame media app with a modicum of internet and social integration. It all seems very logically placed, and we like the fact that SE hasn't really sacrificed the Android experience -- you can still do Gmail and the Android Market and so forth, with very familiar UIs -- but it's going to have to be a lot more bulletproof before it hits the market if Sony Ericsson really expects us to use this day to day. Oh, also: the soft keyboard is terrible. We hear they're working on it, but boy does it need work. Update: We've added the video below, go check it out!
New XPERIA X10 hands-on video brings the snappy
Sony Ericsson's Android-based XPERIA X10 was mighty sluggish when we played with it at the launch a couple weeks ago, but this new video from hdblog.it shows what looks like a much newer software build that's dramatically faster and more responsive. There's nothing much new here in terms of features, but just the fact that the X10 is in the wild and running well is encouraging -- especially since we're really digging that media playback interface. Now all we need is some Stateside shipping details and we'll be all set. Video after the break. [Thanks, Nils]
Xperia X10 launching February 2010 in UK, says Sony Ericsson site
Sony Ericsson UK's got a new pre-registration page for the Xperia X10, and along with it what appears to be a brand new, February 2010 expected launch. It's hard to say for sure, but as far as we can tell this page is new, and last we heard the target window was a much broader "first half 2010." Can't say we're anymore excited about this than before, but far be it for us to get in the way of a truly die hard fan community. At least you have a better idea of when to break the bank now. [Thanks, Matej]
Sony Ericsson lets XPERIA X10 videos and press shots loose
If you weren't up all night following Engadget (and why wouldn't you be?), the first place you'll want to visit this morning is our extensive hands-on of Sony Ericsson's inaugural foray into Android territory. There you'll find the full XPERIA X10 announcement details and spec sheet, which is highlighted by a 4-inch capacitive display and a deeply customized user interface. With plenty of time to go before that first quarter of 2010 release date, though, we thought we'd get the anticipation revved up a few notches with a selection of handsome images of the device below, and a pair of videos -- one a spit-polished advertising promo, the other a useful demo of Speed Forge 3D -- after the break.
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%
