Sony Ericsson Xperia X1

Read the in-depth review of Sony’s do-it-all phone

Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1 is the company’s first Windows Mobile handset, and proved to be one of the most eagerly anticipated smartphones last year.

Featuring a slide-down QWERTY keypad and a 3-inch touch sensitive screen, it’s an ideal handset for busy professionals.

Style-wise, it bears more than a passing resemblance to HTC’s Touch Pro – little coincidence considering the actual hardware is made by HTC. The Xperia X1 feels more substantial, however, with a metal casing that’s both classy and robust.

The display is this phone’s best feature – it’s narrower and wider than the Touch Pro’s, and is ideally suited to movie playback. With the same resolution as the latest HTC Touch Diamond 2 – at 480 x 800 pixels – it’s also pin-sharp, with crisp and impressive image quality.

This also makes it a good choice for those wanting to search the web on the move, and Opera’s web browser is as good here as any other mobile browser on the market. It’s easy to zoom, simply tapping the display, and it’s also quick and easy to scroll around the page.

Unfortunately the screen doesn’t sit flush with the surrounding bezel, and is located slightly below the main casing. While this wouldn’t be an issue with other operating systems, with Windows Mobile 6.1 in place – and the accompanying menus – it’s nearly impossible for those with larger fingers to shut down applications, having to resort to the stylus instead.

That’s not to say Sony Ericsson hasn’t worked on the Windows OS – it has – just not to the extent of HTC’s TouchFLO software. The home page offers the biggest visual difference over standard Windows Mobile phones, using a skin called an X-Panel. It offers bigger, finger-friendly buttons to launch your applications, and is also more attractive.

It’s easy to navigate using the set of diamond-shaped buttons below the screen, along with a tiny touchpad-like interface, but once you start delving into the menus you’ll find yourself quickly back to the regular Windows Mobile interface. While it’s capable, it’s all too fiddly, and lacks the finesse and speed of Apple’s iPhone, or even offerings from HTC.

The keyboard slides out slightly, as well as down, in a movement referred to by Sony Ericsson as an Arc slider design. It doesn’t really aid usability, but the buttons are big enough for comfortable and extended use, and it’s easy to enter text at speed. The phone’s narrow shape means there’s no space for a fourth numeric row, however.

Befitting its status as Sony Ericsson’s flagship phone, the Xperia X1 is packed with features, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. A-GPS is provided, along with Google Maps, enabling use as a sat-nav device. Office use is aided by Microsoft’s Office Mobile software, along with push-email and 3G/HSDPA connectivity. The Camera is rather average, at 3.2 megapixels.

In all, the Xperia X1 is a capable and well made handset, but it’s difficult not to be slightly disappointed. With HTC’s Touch Pro as a platform, we were expecting something a little more user-friendly, so it’s a shame to find little to distinguish this between other Windows Mobile phones software-wise. That said, it does have a particularly good screen, and the keyboard offers comfortable long-term business use.

Source: techradar

Keyphrases

sony satio us release 
HTC Hero Price 
top up orange characters 
price Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) 
nokiaE93 
indestructible phone 

Product finder

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad Application List