xperia

On Wednesday, Sony Ericsson introduced the latest member of its Xperia family, the Xperia X8. The company did not release specific launch dates but it did say that the Android-based smartphone would sell for less than 200 Euros (about $250), so it will offer customers in Europe a more affordable choice than the pricier Xperia X10.

Given the lower price point, the Xperia X8 doesn't offer all the same features of the X10. It has a smaller 3-inch, HVGA capacitive touch screen, and a 3.2-megapixel camera versus the X10's 8.1-megapixel camera. The handset still runs Sony … Read more

Sony Ericsson's Product Launch blog is reporting Thursday that the entire Xperia X10 lineup of phones will see Android 2.1 updates. The problem, however, is that this upgrade won't arrive until the fourth quarter of this year.

Aside from strictly updating the handsets to Android 2.1, this UXP (UX platform) update will enhance the Xperia X10's Timescape and Mediascape applications, as well as add wireless connectivity via Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA).

A minor update is scheduled for the next few weeks, although it isn't mentioned what will be addressed. As of right now … Read more

There was good news coming out of Canada yesterday for Android fans, as Rogers Wireless officially released the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. Available for $149.99 on select three-year plans, the much-anticipated smartphone features an 8-megapixel camera, a 4-inch WVGA display, and a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. But as great as the phone is, it offers just Android 1.6 while comparable handsets have Android 2.1.

In a related note, the Samsung Galaxy Spica dropped to $49.99 today, down from the $79.99 price tag it had upon launch. After barely a month of release, the phone is closer … Read more

Two months ago at CES we captured a few photos of the conversation-piece Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness. And now that we're back in Vegas, we're giving it the video treatment as well.

The Pureness lacks the high-end features of its Xperia X10 and X1 siblings. On the bottom, its candy-bar design is basic as well--you'll see just a flat keypad and cramped navigation controls--but look above and you'll notice the translucent display.

It's a bit weird, frankly, so we expect that you'll either love or hate this phone. You can see past the text … Read more

For its Xperia X10 smartphones, Sony Ericsson designed a new user interface from scratch. Called the User Experience Platform (or UXP), it sits on top of the Android OS for the Xperia X10, X10 Mini, and X10 Mini Pro.

Last week, Nicole Lee and I took an in-depth tour of UXP with George Arriola, Sony Ericsson's head of human interface design, at the company's lab in San Francisco. On the whole, we liked what we saw. UXP is clean, easy to use, and attractive, and we like that it lets the basic Android framework shine through.

For the … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Though we came away from CES 2010 with loads of photos of the Google Android-powered Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, Sony Ericsson was stingy about video in Las Vegas. Reps wouldn't let the phone out of their sight--and not that we believe this--because they said that the slick handset wasn't in its final form.

Luckily, the company wasn't so stringent at Mobile World Congress. And really, how could it be after unveiling new Xperia X10 models? With CNET TV's Ariel Nunez I hit the Sony Ericsson booth the first morning of MWC and gave the device … Read more

Microsoft made headlines on the first day of Mobile World Congress 2010 in Barcelona with the announcement of Windows Phone 7, its brand new mobile operating system. It will feature integration with Xbox Live and Zune, with a user interface unlike anything we've seen before. The Windows Mobile name is effectively dead.

But that's not all that debuted in Barcelona. Samsung took the opportunity to reveal its new Bada operating system with the Samsung Wave.

The Wave is slim, with a 3.3-inch AMOLED display, and features powerful features like Wi-Fi, a 1GHz processor, GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain--Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 has barely hit the streets, but the company already is introducing new models based on the same design. At Mobile World Congress the company unveiled the X10 Mini and the X10 Mini Pro. It's all about size with these puppies. Though they retain the feature set of the Xperia X10 (with the exception of a lower-resolution camera), they deliver it in much smaller packages.

We understand what Sony Ericsson is trying to do here, but whenever you shrink a phone there are always trade-offs. And in this case, we think the trade-offs might … Read more

Sony Ericsson typically treats Mobile World Congress (MWC) as one of its biggest events of the year, and the 2010 show in Barcelona is no exception. The manufacturer unveiled three new handsets the night before MWC began at a packed nightclub on the Mediterranean Sea.

The Vivaz Pro is a cousin of the multimedia-centric Vivaz, which made its debut last month. On the outside it looks about the same as its predecessor, but it adds a full keyboard. Sony Ericsson is positioning the Symbian (Series 60, 5th edition) smartphone for business users, which perhaps explains the lower resolution camera (5.1-megapixels vs. 8.1-megapixels on the Vivaz).

Otherwise, the feature set is about the same. You'll find a media player, Bluetooth, a personal organizer, assisted-GPS, PC syncing, integrated social-media apps, a personal organizer, messaging and e-mail, Wi-Fi, USB mass storage, a 710MHz processor, and handwriting recognition. And we're very glad to hear that Sony Ericsson ditched its irritating proprietary connections and memory cards in favor of a 3.5mm headset jack, a Micro-USB port, and a microSD card slot.

The Xperia X10 Mini is about what it sounds like. Though the original Xperia X10 is a sight to behold, its lovely 4-inch display does make the handset a bit bulky (4.68 inches long by 2.48 inches wide by 0.5 inches deep). The Xperia X10 Mini, however, features a 2.5-inch display and measures 3.2 inches long by 1.9 inches wide by 0.62 inches deep.

… Read more