Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 smartphone
Windows Mobile out, Android in – hurrah!
Review Sony Ericsson hasn't had a great deal of luck with its premium Xperia smartphone series. The original X1 was an ill-conceived mangle of style and smartphone that didn't really succeed at doing anything very well. More recently, the hotly hyped Xperia 2 was unceremoniously pulled from UK release after Vodafone announced that it wouldn't be including it in its portfolio, however, it did appear in Europe.
Learning from Xperias: Sony Ericsson's X10
The latest Xperia X10 therefore either promises little or carries the weight of SE's hopes and dreams on its shoulders, depending on which way you look at it. The X10’s spec certainly seems impressive and is Sony’ Ericsson’s first outing with an Android OS, featuring the company’s own bespoke interface on top. With its 4in screen and 8.1Mp camera, plus Wi-Fi and A-GPS, the Xperia X10 can certainly talk the talk, but can it walk the walk?
The Xperia X10 a sizeable handful at 119 x 63 x 13mm and 135g, yet its sloping sides mean it seems a bit thinner than it actually is. The mammoth screen dominates the front and has three slim buttons below it for settings, home and back.
On the sides are a volume rocker and camera shutter button, with power/standby button, 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro USB slot protected by a plastic grommet on top. It's finished in glossy black plastic surround with chrome trim and a rubberised plastic back cover. There's no slot on the side for the micro SD card as you'll have to remove the battery to get to it, which seems like something of a throwback these days, but still an 8GB card is supplied – nice.
The screen hasn't taken the OLED route of recent Android handsets from HTC, for example, yet it's sharp and clear and offers 480 x 854-pixel resolution and 65,000 colours. It's capacitive, but not the most sensitive I've used and I had to double press a few too many times to make my wishes known. The display doesn't have multi-touch capability either, and while it may not be exactly cutting edge, it's still more than just OK.
Arguably, the best Android snapper around
While both previous Xperias were Windows Mobile handsets, the X10 is an Android beast, albeit with a generous level of SE customisation. It's running Android 1.6 Donut, so not the very latest Éclair version, which means it misses out on some of the latest browser and keyboard improvements and a higher display colour count.
COMMENTS
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"I got this phone as a free upgrade for my wife"
Don't you miss her?
Nah
I use the recently released google navigation now to get me safely to the local brothel.
distinguish
no...its so that they have a USP. each of the OEMs is adding some bespoke apps or GUI additions to make THEIRS the phone to get. be that a system to link in all your social networking...or to make the front page prettier or deal with video/photo/mp3 etc.
otherwise, they'd all just be clones and the only difference would be form factor and camera/memory specs.
any of them could run the vanilla Android ...but then you lose those bespoke features...and people are very keen on the HTC features.... the Sony Ericsson stuff has had quite a few rave reviews too.
Desire vs X10
It certainly seems like this and the Desire are the two main smartphone options around at the moment, at least for those of us who don't want a physical keyboard.
I have a Desire, and the guy sat next to me has an X10, so we're in a handy position to be able to compare. Each of us thinks we made the right choice, so there's obviously nothing massively wrong with either handset.
The Desire has a more up to date Android version, multi-touch and a more sensitive screen. The X10 has a better camera and a slightly bigger screen. They're also very different looking devices, so it's well worth seeing them both in the flesh before you make a decision. The Desire is a really nice looking phone in the flesh, the pictures don't do it justice. The X10 is slightly bulkier, but its more angular shape will appeal more to some people. It looks a bit plasticky to me though.
One thing's for sure - Android phones have finally come of age, and both of these handsets are beautiful bits of kit!
I just can't forgive...
...the debacle that was the X1.
Ok. The phone was not a total dogs dinner. But it was pretty dammed close.
My phone suffered every one of the well document faults from the cracking case to the keyboard registering no / multiple character inputs and the battery deciding to have an off day and go nuclear and yet I am going to be stuck with it for at least another 6 months (as I was fool enough to let Vodafone talk me into a 2 year contract).
SE could have salvaged some of their reputation with me but they didn't. The attitude is, from my perspective, adieus sucker see you when you are due your next upgrade.
I want to like the X10 but I no longer trust SE. What if the X10 also has 'issues'? Will SE again shrug their corporate shoulders and offer innumerable repairs but duck out of any semblance of providing what was purchased.
In my opinion SE got off pretty lightly with the X1 (albeit it buggered them up with a UK release of the X2).
Just remember folks, if the X10 turns out to be another dogs dinner then you are dining on your own. SE won't even have the good grace to provide the condiments...
