Breaking news- Sony Ericsson announces Windows Mobile smartphone
The Mobile World Conference is getting under way tomorrow in Barcelona but the fireworks are already beginning with a press release from Sony Ericsson that has appeared today. Sony is announcing their first Windows Mobile-based smartphone, the XPERIA X1. The X1 is a slider that offers a full QWERTY keyboard that slides out from the side of the device. What is innovative is the 3-inch screen runs at WVGA resolution (800 x 480) for high-res web browsing and the like. The X1 will be available the second half of this year. Full press release after the jump.
Special thanks to John Starkweather for the pics.
Full specs:
Camera
* Auto focus
* 3.2 megapixel camera
* Photo light
* Video recording
Music
* Bluetooth™ stereo (A2DP)
* Media player
* Music tones
* PlayNow™
* Windows Media Player Mobile
* 3D games
* FM radio
* Java
* Video streaming
* Video viewing
Internet
* Internet Explorer® Mobile
* RSS feeds
Communication and Messaging
* Polyphonic ringtones
* Speakerphone
* Vibrating alert
* Video calling
* Email
* Picture messaging (MMS)
* Predictive text input
* Text messaging (SMS)
Design
* XPERIA™ panels
* Optical joystick navigation
* Navigation key
* Picture wallpaper
* Touch navigation
Organiser
* Alarm clock
* Calculator
* Calendar
* Document editors
* Document readers
* Flight mode
* Handwriting recognition
* Notes
* Phone book
* Tasks
* Touchscreen
Connectivity
* aGPS
* Bluetooth™ technology
* Modem
* Synchronization
* USB support
* WLAN
Windows® Mobile® Operating System
* Microsoft® Outlook Mobile: email, contacts, calendar, tasks
* Microsoft® Office Mobile: Word, Excel, PowerPoint
* Internet Explorer® Mobile
* Windows Media™ Player Mobile
* Windows Live™
* Exchange ActiveSync®
* Voice control
* Utility Applications: file explorer, calculator, pictures & video, notes
Facts and Figures
* Size: 110 x 53 x 16.7 mm
* Weight: 145 grams
Available colours
* Black
* Silver
* Main screen: 65,536 color TFT
* Resolution: 800 X 480 pixels
* Size: 3 inches
Memory
* Phone memory: up to 400 MB
* microSD™ memory card support
Availability and versions
Networks
* GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
* UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 900/1700/1900/2100 MHz
* UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA 850/1700/1900/2100 MHz
Barcelona, Spain – 10th February 2008 –Today marked the launch of XPERIA TM and a new era in mobile communications with the announcement of the XPERIA™ X1, a stand-out, arc slider phone from Sony Ericsson designed to address the growing need for a premium, converged mobile experience.
The XPERIATM X1 combines a 3-inch clear wide VGA display and a full QWERTY keyboard within a quality metal-finish body. With Windows Mobile® inside, the XPERIA™ X1 lets you choose from a dynamic range of activities at anytime and anywhere; from enjoying your favourite entertainment content to working efficiently on-the-move. Access a world of experiences simply by touching the XPERIA™ panel on the screen.
"XPERIA™ represents the first brand that is truly borne
from within Sony Ericsson. It represents our vision for
a premium, energised communication experience,"
said Dee Dutta, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson.
"This launch, and the announcement of the X1, further
strengthens the overall Sony Ericsson brand and places
us at the forefront of mobile convergence."
"Our vision for the XPERIA™ X1 is to deliver a seamless blend of mobile Web communication and multimedia entertainment within a distinctive design," said Rikko Sakaguchi, Head of Portfolio and Propositions, Sony Ericsson. "XPERIA™ is our promise to think foremost of user experience and to deliver the premium experience – anytime, anywhere, anything, with anyone."
Sony Ericsson XPERIATM X1 – energised communication, the premium experience.
• Convergence of multimedia entertainment and mobile Web communication
• Unique arc slider with wide pitch easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard
• XPERIA™ panels – arrange as you want for easy access
• Enjoy multimedia entertainment on bright wide VGA display
• Windows Mobile® capabilities
XPERIA™ panel interface – experiences just the way you want them
Enjoy access to different experiences – Web, multimedia, applications – from your desktop. Navigate with the tip of your finger. Configure and have your XPERIA™ panels just the way you want them.
Multiple navigation – the choice is yours XPERIA™ X1 lets you interact with your phone in different ways. Touch, full QWERTY keyboard, 4-way key and optical joystick navigation. Switch seamlessly between operation modes.
Arc slider design – makes it stand out
The arc design gives XPERIA™ X1 a distinct and unique feel. Slide the screen upwards to reveal the wide pitch QWERTY keyboard. Ample distance between keys makes writing fast and easy.
Ultimate mobile experience – performance on the move
With Windows Mobile®, the highest data transfer rate (HSDPA/HSUPA) and WiFi™ support, you can enjoy your favourite entertainment and work efficiently on the move. Mobile access to everything that is important to you. aGPS gives you the freedom to explore the world. XPERIA™ X1 is a premium mobile experience.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA™ X1 will be available in selected markets from the second half of 2008.
800 x 480 on 3″? God, have they put a magnifying glass inside the package?
I sometimes feel 320 x 240 is small for 2.8″ and look at this
Hmmm….what’s this going to do to the N810???…..
Just thought of that as I just came back from MicroCenter where I saw the N810 and N800…..
windows mobile of all things?!
and here i thought SE had a majority share in UIQ…
Ugh! Windows Mobile. What a waste of gorgeous hardware. No matter how impressive the stats, after the 3rd time in 20 minutes that I have to reboot the thing because the browser crashed and froze the device, my emails aren’t working or all my calls are going to voicemail, the only thing I’m going to want to do with this device is use it as a hockey puck – same as every other Windows Mobile device.
How long before we get an OS that can run proper applications?
This is a sign of things to come however- video, camera, internet – all in a phone
I’ll be interested to see what the processing power they get in their is, and what they do for included software/plug-ins. Disappointed that it doesn’t have built in storage, but WVGA is fantastical.
Kamal-
Going to WVGA (and VGA) on WinMo devices isn’t like going to a higher resolution on a computer. Unless you install 3rd party mods, everything shows up the exact same size, just in a higher resolution. While an annoyance to some Advantage users who want to make better use of their 5″ screen, it’s done with devices like this in mind. It just means that the text is still crisp text when you go to 50% zoom, not blurry filler like on a QVGA screen.
Scoobie-
That depends what you consider “proper.” Phones have had video, camera and internet for at least a few years now, no matter what Apple would lead you to believe. You can run lots of nice apps on WinMo devices, just not at the same time, and not with the same level of features or speed as on computers because the hardware has no chance of keeping up.
Lee-
While I agree that Internet Explorer Mobile doesn’t do WinMo devices many favors, I wouldn’t throw every one of them under the rug just because of it, if only because there are easy to find alternatives that work much better. It does sound like your experiences have been with the underpowered devices, or one of the ones caught in HTCs latest fiasco with the missing graphic drivers. All I can say is, with the right hardware pushing it, Windows Mobile devices can really be nearly as awesome as they promise. I can honestly say I’ve received phone calls in the middle of watching a video, 3G and wifi web browsing, and never had a problem with a call going to voicemail before I could get to it. But I have a 624 MHz processor, a dedicated graphic chip and 128 megs of RAM, which most devices do not.
I run my WinMo device all the time and it doesn’t hang up ever. It runs just fine and with a lot of memory on board can handle multiple programs at once very well.
James and Keith -
What device(s) are you running without problem?
And I don’t count the Advantage, since I can’t carry it around as a phone and, in my opinion, it is an entirely different class of device then every WinMo device that I have ever used – be it almost every WinMo Treo, Blackjack, Q, 6700 or 6800 – all of them dogs. Woof!
Wait! Windows Mobile, standard USB connector, standard micro-SDHC support, HSUPA… On a Sony Ericsson? Wow
Lee-
I have an Advantage, and as I said in my original comment, I agree that it’s not really fair to compare it with normal phones.
Back to the original topic: GSMArena.com is reporting that the X1 will get a 500 Mhz ARM CPU. Still leaves the question of RAM and graphics chip, but at least they’re not saddling it with a 200 MHz processor.
It’s made by HTC.
Wow Lee, sounds like you really had some hard times with your WinMo devices. I honestly can’t say I’ve had problems that would drive me to that same level of disgust.
I’m on a lowly Motorola Q9h, nothing as fancy as the HTC Advantage as James. I’ve had it six months and only had to remove the battery three times because it froze but that was always because of some buggy software, nothing to do with WinMo as far as I could tell.
But, on topic, eh. Sliders don’t do anything for me, but it is surprising Sony Ericsson is going this route. Unless WinMo 6.1 is really wowing the folks who have seen it and it is more “average consumer” friendly.
That would explain Sony giving it a go and maybe some others.
Lee, if you have those problems consistently in such many devices, you must do something wrong either in settings or the way you use WM devices. I’ve used several WM phones, and though each had its share of problems, none was fundamentally flawed. With a little tweak and fix, all of my WM phones have worked reliably.
Wow im impresse with the video/pics of this device, it makes me wonder what the next vaio ux is gonna look like. i think ill have this device, its looking like an impulse buy atm!
Definitely a device to watch for me. I’m all for higher resolutions on small screens, the trick is to make sure you scale the UI accordingly.
In theory I’d love a 4-inch screen with 8000×4800 assuming the interface was made resolution independent… boy, talk about crisp text and images. Of course, no hardware to do that exists or will for some time.
Eagerly awaiting reviews for this, though, have learned my lesson about getting too worked up until one of those.
As someone who’s used both WM6 and Symbian devices I have to say that WM is far superior. My present phone (Nokia N95) has the worst OS I’ve ever had the misfortune to use. The layout is horrendous, finding simple things is 3 – 4 clicks deep in the menu and twice in the last three days it’s just restarted itself. And don’t even ask how you make playlists on the thing when you’ve got more than a few songs/podcasts on it. I even have a decent office editing program on it but no keyboard!
This new SE phone looks like it could well be my next (in January when my current contract runs out).
yes its true its a breaking news and shocked many of mobile producer…let see what next for others in mobile market…
Maybe James and Kevin should make a little poll to find out which is the best mobile system??? Symbian, WinMo, what else…
Want!
Looks like they used the OQO for, uh, keyboard inspiration. Wonder if it feels like the OQO’s too?
There’s no “best mobile system”, depends on what you want it to do.
My simple Nokia E-series is a killer phone as long as all you need to do is call and answer calls and passively read email via Exchange Activesync. You don’t even have to tap in numbers, just hold down a button and speak to it and tell it who you want it to call, works very well indeed.
Meanwhile, I wouldn’t want to do any web surfing or chatting on it, e-book reading is very iffy etc, all things that would be great on a keyboard equipped WM device. Meanwhile, actually using a WM device as a phone is in many ways clunkier than a purpose-built Nokia. So, it’s all about what your emphasis is going to be on, IMHO.
Some new info has come out:
528 MHz processor, 128 MB RAM (same as the Advantage), 1500 mAh battery (about 10% larger than the 1350 in the Tilt, current top of the line aside from Advantage) and Windows Mobile 6.1
But with what Nvidia has shown, I just can’t get overly excited about the X1…