Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's world-beating XPERIA X1
When we saw the XPERIA X1 announced yesterday we pretty much flipped our collective geeky lids, this handset is the stuff mobile dreams are made of. There is nothing to gripe about here and while our play date was short-lived -- and very supervised -- we did get a chance to peek at the rather unfinished UI, fit and finish, and did we mention the frickin' screen on this phone? Wah! It's like paper. This handset just can't come soon enough -- for those of you not listening earlier, that'll be late Q2 -- but until then you'll just have to live with pics.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
robinsmad @ Feb 11th 2008 12:54PM
Ugh. I can't get excited about this until we have a price. Anyone want to start guessing?
Kunikos @ Feb 11th 2008 12:54PM
I'm guessing even more expensive than the iPhone.
JLTate @ Feb 11th 2008 12:57PM
I'm guessing prohibitively expensive without a contract.
DT @ Feb 11th 2008 1:04PM
@Kunikos
That's OK, because only the iPhone is "too expensive"...any OTHER phone that costs more than $500 gets an automatic pass.
JAmerican @ Feb 11th 2008 1:34PM
How about a video Engadget? Pictures tell 1000 words but videos tell 1000000 words.
JAmerican
robinsmad @ Feb 11th 2008 1:47PM
@JAmerican:
http://digg.com/gadgets/First_Hands_On_Sony_Ericsson_s_XPERIA_X1
James @ Feb 11th 2008 2:12PM
Well...
The W960 is probably considered the top of the range mobile for the current line and here in Britain it costs around 350 retail so $700 ish. But you lucky Americans get lower prices on everything so I would guess it's around $400 in the U.S? So in conclusion, I would say more than the W960.
Jason @ Feb 11th 2008 2:49PM
$800-$1000 unlocked.
Isn't AGPS just GPS with a monthly fee?
robinsmad @ Feb 11th 2008 2:59PM
@Jason:
Simply, no. aGPS is faster, more accurate, and works in more areas.
It depends on the carrier whether they will unlock the aGPS for third party software, or only allow their own services to use it.
Surur @ Feb 11th 2008 3:43PM
Real smartphones cost more. Toy phones should cost less.
E71 @ Feb 12th 2008 8:27AM
@James
W960 is the top of the current line of Sony Ericsson phones, however the HTC TyTN II (aka Kaiser) is the current highest spec phone so you really gotta compare the price with that.
@Everyone Else
Does anyone know for sure that this thing has a built-in GPS receiver and if so how many channels because some sites are giving contradicting reports.
It's already an amazing phone but only if it includes a GPS unit can I actually switch from my Kaiser.
Michael Bohme @ Feb 11th 2008 12:56PM
Is the phone due at Q2, or the second half of the year?
Aidan @ Feb 17th 2008 7:14PM
Well if it IS due Q2 you'll probably actually see it released around the end of second half.
bob @ Feb 11th 2008 1:00PM
How's the screen? Glass-y and solid like the iphone, or that usual soft surface from most touch devices?
NightBlade @ Feb 11th 2008 4:06PM
Glassy.
element8 @ Feb 11th 2008 1:02PM
has anyone even said what service it's going to be out on? i'm on at&t, and something tells me they're not going to let a competitor to the iphone come out on their service, but i've been entirely dissatisfied with sprint and t.mobile in the new york city area.
Kyle @ Feb 11th 2008 1:21PM
well its either T-mobile or AT&T because this one will be one of the first PPCs that support 3g for T-mobiles upcoming network. That being said AT&T would certainly release something that competes with the iPhone. I think in a lot of scenarios the HTC Tilt competes with the iPhone head on, it just isnt nearly as pretty...This one seems to up the graphics factor.
Cesar Cardoso @ Feb 11th 2008 1:59PM
Probably both AT&T and T-Mobile USA will carry the phone... hey, it's the first phone that cover BOTH US 3G networks, with HSDPA2100 as a bonus for your fast pr0n needs in Europe.
Johan S @ Feb 11th 2008 1:03PM
Umm, you had the phone in your hands and didn't try out the web browser??
caramelzappa @ Feb 11th 2008 1:23PM
It's windows mobile, so the browser is probably the same pocket internet explorer on all winmo phones.
Dave @ Feb 11th 2008 5:27PM
that video shows that it suffers from the same problem as the Tilt: when you open the keyboard the transition from portrait to landscape is slow as balls
Tony @ Feb 11th 2008 8:24PM
@ Dave
That video does not show the finished product. Even in the video you can hear him say that they're still working on it.
Stinkinmushroom @ Feb 11th 2008 1:04PM
i want one! or even 2? yeah give me 2 of those!
MBS @ Feb 11th 2008 1:15PM
Windows Mobile??? SRSLY???
VampireHunter Z @ Feb 11th 2008 1:18PM
This thing is amazing. I can't believe the rez is 800x480. That's as good as web browsing could possibly get on the go. Does Sprint carry Ericssons?
Djunior80 @ Feb 11th 2008 1:39PM
This phone will most likely never see the light of day in the united states...just like all the phones being shown at MWC...I hate that we always get the scraps!
paul34 @ Feb 11th 2008 11:22PM
Agreed! Price permitting, once this thing comes out, I will definitely be selling my iPhone for it.
After having many Symbian smartphones before, I am eager to get back to a true smartphone. I've always wanted to try WinMo, but was always turned off by the mediocre looking interface and non-slick looking WinMo devices thus far.
While this is no WOW amazing SE-design, it certainly is slick in a very basic, serious business way. And I like that. Looks like it took SE to make WinMo pretty.
Hopefully it works as well, too!
At the very least, the iPhone has certainly spurred all other manufacturers to make truly exciting devices. This is what competition is all about!
Max R @ Feb 12th 2008 6:39AM
@Paul34: Please keep in mind that the gorgeous part of the UI is just a layer of veneer over the horror that is WinMO. As noted in the Gizmodo article:
"The demo only went as far as the 3D skin; anything beyond that plunged you into the depths of typical Windows Mobile-ness."
Why else would this flying papers interface be the only thing they show you in that video? The underlying stuff is just as pig ugly and unusable as any other WinMo device.
Makes me wonder why SonyEricsson didn't beef up UIQ instead -- Nokia is adding touch and other niftyness to S60, and since those are both based on Symbian... Should be doable, right?
stewart @ Feb 11th 2008 1:25PM
Windows Mobile comes with Pocket Internet Explorer as the default browser. Browsing the web with that p.o.s. isn't going to suck any less in 800x480 resolution. In fact, it will suck more.
Hopefully Ericsson is talking to their friends down the road at Opera and will see fit to install Opera Mobile 9.5 instead. Otherwise, iPhone users browing on Safari will just continue laughing.
Patrick @ Feb 11th 2008 1:39PM
i don't disagree that pie sucks (a lot) but there's nothing saying that if sony doesn't happen to bundle a decent browser with it you can't just go install it yourself.
would be nice if it came pre-packaged though.
also, wouldn't that be something that could also be up to the carrier? i've got an 8925 and there's software on the htc kaiser ii that at&t chose not to include and vice-versa.
Kamokazi @ Feb 11th 2008 1:54PM
@Patrick
The problem is, 90% of the people that buy that phone wouldn't have the first clue about the difference in mobile browsers, and how installing one is better. By bundling it, it not only improves integration (defaults and shortcuts), but also allows the other 90% to enjoy the far better browsing capabilities, and will ultimately sell more phones.
Hung @ Feb 11th 2008 5:56PM
@ Kamokazi
The problem is that 95% of buyers won't be noobs. How many casual consumers will shell out upwards of $500 for something that's "just a phone with a keyboard."
I'll keep it blunt: I think that most adopters will have a significant understanding of cell phone technology. The small percentage of buyers who cannot fully appreciate the phone will probably buy an iPhone instead. No need (or chance) to install programs, right?
Microsoft will NEVER bundle competing browsers, i.e. What version of Windows comes with Mozilla/Opera/Safari?
P.S. Yes, I find it ironic that I used i.e. to preface my example.
Jon @ Feb 11th 2008 8:42PM
@Hung
It's not up to Microsoft to do the bundling. It is up to Sony. ETEN (I think; I know it was someone) bundled Opera Mobile with one of their Windows Mobile devices.
Hung @ Feb 11th 2008 10:00PM
Oh yeah? Good call. Didn't know that.
VampireHunter Z @ Feb 11th 2008 1:30PM
I don't see what your gripe is. Windows Mobile have never stopped anyone from installing the browser they want. I used the Opera trial and it was great. I only stick with IE mobile because I don't want to buy another browser.
Hung @ Feb 11th 2008 5:58PM
Try Opera Mini. You can thank me later. :D
Rory @ Feb 11th 2008 1:34PM
any word on how much storage will be on board?
Jimmy @ Mar 7th 2008 10:58PM
400MB but you can insert a memory card because they want to keep the price as low as possible.
EskimoPie @ Feb 11th 2008 1:37PM
iphone fanboys FTL... with WinMo I can install any browser I like... which right now is the opera lite version that runs in Java (it's free too!)... Exceptional browsing experience... and in WVGA it would be AWESOME!
Anthony @ Feb 11th 2008 1:51PM
Thank goodness this doesn't come out for quite some time. My wife would have a fit if I got another phone so soon. N95 8g still has that new Finnish smell.
Solnyshok @ Feb 11th 2008 1:51PM
http://solnyshok.blogspot.com/2008/02/breaking-news-xperia-is-based-on.html
this thing is based on the new version of WM (WM6.5?)
murray @ Feb 11th 2008 2:03PM
Thanks for the gallery. But is it really necessary to include two nearly-identical versions of every shot? Hitting "Next" on a slow connection and then seeing the same is a tad irksome.
Anthony @ Feb 11th 2008 4:30PM
You won't have that problem when you're using the high speed X1 connection. Closeups are what make gadgets fun.
murray @ Feb 11th 2008 6:15PM
Yeah but the close-ups are only 10% closer. Kinda odd.
Chris @ Feb 11th 2008 2:12PM
I have an iPhone and I love it. But I miss having that excellent camera in my K790a. This phone would be enough to tear me away from my iPhone if it didn't use Windows Mobile for its interface. Windows Mobile is just awful.
Man this phone is hot.
Brad @ Feb 12th 2008 1:43AM
Strictly speaking, the Windows Mobile you knew won't be the interface. This will (like most modern devices) use WinMo as the backbone and application set, and then write their own interface on top of it. Kind of like how OSX is really just a graphics patch on top of BSD.
mikeed8986 @ Feb 11th 2008 2:44PM
sorry vampirehunterz... sony ericsson doesn't make CDMA handsets. probably never will. so the chances of sprint or verizon ever seeing a SE handset are absolutely zero. don't kill the messenger. =D
duffiecochran @ Feb 11th 2008 2:59PM
Is there any kind of estimated date for this phone? Prolly Q4 08?
element8 @ Feb 11th 2008 2:28PM
This handset just can't come soon enough -- for those of you not listening earlier, that'll be late Q2 -- but until then you'll just have to live with pics.
dur?
Taylor @ Feb 11th 2008 3:40PM
Hey, what the hell is with that annoying AOL survey ad that covers up the article? There is no close button, and hitting "No" doesn't do anything... I know you guys are owned by AOL (i think?) but that doesn't mean they should be able to have broken ads that cover up articles and don't go away!
-Taylor