Sony Ericsson details its first Android phone

Xperia X10

(Credit: Sony Ericsson)

Sony Ericsson has released details and a video of its upcoming Xperia X10 smartphone based on Google's Android operating system.

The X10, which had been code-named Rachel, has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which should make this one of the fastest Android phones yet. The phone will sport version 1.6 of Android--aka Donut--and it will run applications from the Android Market and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow arena. The device will also feature an 8-megapixel camera, with autofocus and an LED photo light.

Expect to see the Xperia X10 in stores in the first quarter of 2010. Meanwhile, here's a video that Sony Ericsson posted Monday.

Read more of "Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 hands-on photos: Hello, Rachel" at Crave UK.

[ClarkWells]

Providers???

[tektaktyks]

unlocked?

[JCPayne]

I hope you can save MP3s as ringtones on that model..... Welll, will it Sony??? You think I forgot about that policy on you have on the WZ60a???? No, MP3s as ringtones in this day and age... I never saw such stupidity.. Allow that on all your phones Sony and maybe we'll talk.

[deniceels]

SonyE's phone always allows using mp3 as ringtone, sms tone, alarm clock... Depending on where you are, some providers want to have it locked... whereas countries which deemed it illegal/against competition, it'll come as unlock as well, just a matter of where you purchased it.

[tmeesseman]

I'd like to know who in the US might be offering this phone.

[AndyH_STi]

It has been rumored to be T-Mobile or possibly AT&T.

[shuyin84]

doesn't the ericksson typically run on AT&T? That'll prbly be the provider

[Akiba]

The Experia model typically comes unlocked and the price is usually $1000. It's a nice looking device. It shouldn't be much cheaper than the WinMo version if at all as that OS license is still pretty cheap. Past models have been pretty sluggish. The performance on Android should be a little better, but with a custom ROM it's probably much better. I sure the final price will still be that of a lower midranged notebook.

[Super2online]

It has the sex appeal that Droid lacks. With a marketing champaign to match (that video is a great start!), it could wind up being a big hit for Sony/Ericson.

[CDubber]

Actually, this looks very much like something from the iPaq/Clié era to me. :(

[Super2online]

@ CDubber - You are correct. the backwards curvature on the edges gives it a distinct iPaq look. I owned 3 of them. That feature made it very comfortable in your hand and I was thinking the same thing after I watched the video a few more times.

[Super2online]

It occurs to me that the phone is very nice in it's own right. But all the fluid on screen interface movement mimics the movement of the beautiful model and together they pull you into her world and get you thnking it could all be yours very soon.

[calvinglenn]

I totally agree that this is a sexy phone. It's the first android phone that I've seen that will make me think twice about my iphone. I also agree that droid has good specs, but it's totally unsexy to me.

[izmickey]

This phone is sexy. I had my phone for the past five years already. I was thinking about which phone to get but could never decide, the xperia definitely caught my attention. I might actually get a new phone now, gotta wait for the review first though.

[JonD23]

I can't believe how quickly Google was able to enter this market. I really like the Android phone options coming out:



[CNET editors' note: URL removed.]

[ckh1272]

@JonD23--Stop with the links already. Every post you have has that silly link. Some might regard this as spam.

hope varizon gets it.

[hafenbrack]

since this is SE, I would imagine it to be a GSM phone.

Now that the big boys are getting into the fray, it is time for Apple to update the aging iPhone.

They need Verizon.
They need multitasking.
They need a competent app launcher.
They need access to Google's Navigation and other innovations.

But my guess is that they will screw up as bad in the phone category as they did on the desktop. Single-digit marketshare is easy to imagine for the iPhone now that it as lots of competition from others, all using the same (better, cheaper) OS.

[Super2online]

It's too early to start claiming that the iPhone will go into decline, especially considering it has an app for every known need for mankind. But it's also now very apparent that Google is going to be a very big force in the industry. They have the hot OS, they have the mind share in developers with 10,000 apps and growing very rapidly, and we are now seeing some very nice phones emerging that would give any Apple fan, what we might call, gPhone envy!

[Prince2k3]

Wow! If it wasn't for Apple iPhone phones wouldn't be this good. Instead of being bitter why not congratulate. I think you are dumb. Apple comes out with a game changing phone every year. They don't care if they are behind now. cause next year they will be ahead again ... and again.... and again. Seeing another ipod era here.

[shuyin84]

ASL, is that you?

[erifkind]

They could use a fully-compatible Flash plugin for safari on iPhone as well.

[Gold_Storm_Mac]

iphone already has some multitasking

[b00dah]

Hmm... I hope, for Verizon's sake they get it, otherwise... "Let the Games begin!". I hate to admit it... but if you had the DROID and the Xperia X10 offered at the same time I "think" the X10 might take the cake. I like both phones for very different reasons but one of you put it well... it has "sex appeal" and unfortunately our little world is driven by that one factor.

Yes, way to go GOOGLE. Sony... another "pretty device" good job. How much is this going to cost my wallet? *cringe* Don't ask!

[Super2online]

My guess is $199 with a 2 year contract which is pretty standard in the industry.

[shuyin84]

well, lets not all forget their $800 (after rebate) phone, sony is sony, you can't change that....

[illegallydead]

Super2online: In the past xperia phones have been unlocked and not offered through carriers. And they have been STUPID expensive. Yes, if they are offered through a carrier then the $200 is a possiblity, but the specs make me think it may bump the bill a benjamin even if it is subsidized by a carrier (which is the only way that any amount of people will ever purchase the device)

[fokkwp]

Damn, that is sheik as sh*t!

[b00dah]

You mean Chic?

[spoonie1972]

most. annoying. promotional. video. ever.

[CraigMichaelPatrick]

It sure doesn't tell you much about the phone, does it? You have to hand it to Apple - at least the ads for the iPhone show you how to use the phone. I would like to see a little more substance in the advertising, show something that has a little value to the user.

[renGek]

@ CraigMichaelPatrick
So you would agree that the classic apple hammer thrower commercial was awful because it did nothing to show you what they were selling?

[forever4now]

It's good to see vendors creating unique user experiences, for their Android smartphones. It clearly demonstrates the power & flexibility of Android. Vendors are able to differentiate their products but still preserve compatibility with the thousands of apps in the Android Market.

[ckh1272]

That is actually the nicest phone soon to be running Android. Sony can still make nicely designed hardware but their software has always left something to be desired IMO. Having Android running the show could and should change that weakness. Quite nice.

[shuyin84]

hmmmmmmm, a new phone with a nice design...... Something we haven't seen since the introduction of the iPhone. I might consider switching if it's on AT&T, doubtful because my iPhone has become part of my life, but it is something to consider....

[frozenjello]

Why is this running Android 1.6 instead of 2.0 that's on Verizon's Droid? I ask because Google Maps Navigation is only available on Android 2.0.

[AppleSuxLeo]

You are correct. Apparently in Europe they will use a different GPS service and yes I saw the old 1.6 on it too.
It is pre-production by several months , but Droid is here now and has advantages , such as stock Android without layer on top to slow it down. The people there said battery life was abysmal too due to Snapdragon CPU.
The Droid has been said to have very good battery life in tests due to OMAP CPU/Android 2.0
7.7 hrs talk time in tests ! Beauty is often more than skin deep and in eye of beholder. This looks more like a girlie-phone to me.

[mathmeister]

@AppleSuxLeo: "Apparently in Europe they will use a different GPS service..." What do you mean by this? GPS is GPS. It doesn't matter where you are.

[shuyin84]

i was wondering when ASL would join the party

[jpoirier587]

dont listen to applesuxleo, he's just a troll. you'll find his ******** posts all over the place

[mpitogo]

I wonder if it can run OS X. Looks like a neat phone! While everyone is copying the iPhone, this one looks to be a killer, hardware wise, GPS and WifFi built-in I hope.

[deniceels]

what you hoped for it's here
--> http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_x10-2964.php minus OSX... different platform, different requirements..

[solu1978]

Looks good .. now if only i can install apps on the SD card .. i will let go my iPhone and get this.

[johnqh]

It is a very sexy phone. However, it looks big from the video - which it has to be, given the processor, to make the battery last reasonable amount of time. That also means a higher resolution screen.

I wouldn't be surprised if it costs $400 with 2-yr contract, and that will kill the product.

And I still think the biggest problem is the size. The video used female model. I just don't see how a teenager/20's girl carrying a big phone like that.

[jets2400]

notice it doesn't show anything about the phone's keyboard....a very important aspect to a phone

[mathmeister]

There was a brief glimpse of an on-screen keyboard during the video. I wonder if it has a physical keyboard?

[deniceels]

there's no physical keypad which were found on X1 and X2 and X10 uses capacitive touchscreen.

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson_xperia_x10-2964.php

[AppleSuxLeo]

I stayed up late last night to see the demo. This phone has drawbacks compared to Droid actually , though it looks nice. But the good thing to come of this is another great Android phone-puter.

[shuyin84]

no, it's a phone, and only a phone, don't call it a computer, it will never be a computer......

[BigFrank12]

First off I just want to say that there is a LOT of shoddy journalism, bias, favoritism, and iphone worship on this site but it is entertaining nonetheless and I have finally decided to join the fray :-) Below I am pasting what I wrote in a feedback response to Google for Google Voice. I also took the time to give them some of my own recommendations for their future product road map.

Question: What do you like about Google Voice?

Answer: I like the fact that you can send and receive free sms through the web. Sms is not an inherently costly feature, carriers just make it so because it is a cash cow. I also appreciate the way Google voice seamlessly integrates with my mytouch 3g android phone.

Question: What do you NOT like about Google Voice?

Answer: Voicemail transcription could be more accurate but it is free so you get what you pay for... Help faqs concerning billing charges could be more robust/ detailed. Something not concerning Google voice but that I have a beef with is the iphone/ ipod touch having certain Google features before Android phones do. Which are sometimes more robust to boot!! That is a travesty. I understand Google wanting to be on every platform but certain apps should be reserved to boost Android and Chrome OS and differentiate them from other platforms. Thats my own 2 cents. Also Android is supposed to be an open platform. Stop letting carriers decide when to push updates and what features to let people have on their Android phones. Android should be open to users as well, not just to Tmobile, Sprint, Verizon, At&t, and phone manufacturers.

Last thing that needs to be fixed is offline creating and editing of Google Docs and Google Calendar. It is possible to create a message with offline Gmail and it will sync and send the message when you next have an Internet connection. That is why it has replaced my Microsoft Outlook. The rest of the Google Apps Suite should allow that same type of functionality. Obviously no one is always in range of a data connection whether it be 3g, wifi, or the soon to be widely available Wimax and LTE. Not having offline creation and editing is a HUGE deal breaker for many people. Use some of your innovations in your push for HTML5 technology to add this capability and then you will really have a Microsoft Office killer.

Question: What would you like to see added?

Answer: Voip HAS to be added to Google voice. Just merge Google voice and Google talk into one product and enable calls to be placed through 3g data or solely through wifi. If carriers won't go for the 3g data option then atleast there was effort on your part to try. Right now with the FCC cracking down on service providers I think with a big enough push the 3g option would be possible. There is no reason to use a third party provider like Skype, or Gizmo5 through sip protocol. With a very cheap or free voip service Google could crush Skype which is currently involved in a legal battle for its future. Google could also dominate the future of telephony. Voip IS the future of telephony.

I love google products. Chrome browser, docs, calendar, reader, offline gmail, google maps and soon to be google maps navigation. I use them all and they are all very polished best in class applications. Roll all of them into Chrome OS with my Google Voip idea, then make it sync and talk seamlessly with Android phones and you have a Microsoft Windows desktop OS and Apple ipod/iphone killer.

Written from Ideapad y650 with Windows 7. Also have an ipod touch, mytouch 3g, and Toshiba NB-205. Android is the future if Google wants it to be.

[HatecrewDr]

Wow, sweet phone. What a god awful advertisement.