It seems that the Xperia X10 will be heading to O2-UK after they posted a pretty big give away on their site. There’s no clue as to when it should arrive just yet but the fact that their “Smart phones” page is now showing the X10 at front centre in their apparent lineup suggests that it can’t be far away.
Mik
Sony Ericsson CEO, Bert Nordberg, has given an interview to Swedish site sydsvenskan.se in which he mentioned several things such as Play Now Arena allegedly having 45 million customers (I can only assume that’s “potential” customers and not those actually using the service) and that SE have discussed the use of Windows Mobile 7 with Microsoft but the most surprising piece of information is related to Google and the Nexus One.
Nordberg admits that Google approached Sony Ericsson with an offer for them to manufacture the Nexus One before asking HTC, in his infinite CEO wisdom he turned them down! That’s right, Sony Ericsson could have been the manufacturer of the highest profile Android device to hit the market to date but apparently felt they don’t need such an affiliation. Nordberg cited preservation of the Sony Ericsson brand as the reason behind this decision but was it a good one?
Android gets a lot of press at the moment as it continues to gather momentum and the “Google Phone” was talked about as much as anything on the internet. Now it has finally come to light as the Nexus One, is the brand recognition exclusively Google or do we all clearly know that it is produced by HTC? Have HTC suffered from a diminished reputation as an independent manufacturer or gained more brand awareness than ever before? Have they been unable to produce devices under their own moniker? We certainly do know that the Sony Ericsson brand isn’t exactly at it’s peak right now and this could have been a chance for them to establish themselves as the premier Android manufacturer…any guess who would currently be regarded as that? Personally I think that Sony Ericsson would have benefited from such a high profile collaboration, especially seeing as they are currently basing so much of their future success on Android. Being known as the manufacturer of choice for Google would only boost the reputation of Sony Ericsson’s other devices and keep them in pole position to take advantage if Google’s plan really pays off.
Perhaps then it was Google’s new approach on distribution that was the real problem, Nordberg also said:
On this angle I’d have to agree. The Nexus One hasn’t set the world on fire in terms of sales figures and that’s quite probably due to the limited global availability and lack of any presence of the device in good, old fashioned shops. The online distribution model is not necessarily a bad one but Google needs to get the device out there to be seen and wanted by more customers, not just the loyal followers of tech savvy blogs, before turning to online only means. However, is the distribution of the Nexus One inhibiting HTC’s success elsewhere? I would say not, the Hero is selling well and of course the hardware developed for the Nexus One is soon to be released in it’s non-Google form as the HTC Desire, arguably an improved device, and who benefits from that?
Ultimately it seems bizarre that a struggling company would turn down an opportunity such as this. The benefits seem to clearly outweigh the potential costs and I don’t see HTC posting €160 million losses each quarter! Sony Ericsson need a new direction but perhaps they are afraid to actually take a different route, time to stop talking Bert and actually turn this company around.
Source: sydsvenskan.se | (English translation)
Mik
I’m really liking the pitter patter of tiny Android feet coming from Sony Ericsson in the form of the new X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro and what better way to get more acquainted than with an official demo video from the SE Developer World channel on YouTube. The device looks nice and fast and I think could be a big success, let’s hope the release is as fast as the OS response:
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 – arguably the most hotly anticipated Android handset now that Google’s own Nexus One has landed – is now officially up with an April release date on the Vodafone UK site.
We’ve naturally become pretty intimate with the device over the last few months – it was expected at the end of last year – but the our excitement at the prospect of a Snapdragon-powered, 8-megapixel snapping beast like the XPERIA X10 has not diminished at all.
Smartphone specs like GPS, Wi-Fi and Exchange support are all present and correct, and the 4-inch capacitive touch display is the perfect home for Sony Ericsson’s heavily customised UX interface. We’re still eager to see if there are any elements of Android still peeking out of Time and Mediascape, but the tiles and threaded nature for contacts and messages are very much appealing.
Roll on April!
.
After the release of the Nexus One to Google’s new phone store and the news that they will also ship to the UK right now, some of you may be thinking about importing one of these hot new Androids. The SIM free price of $529 converts to around £330 (GBP) which seems quite reasonable compared to the SIM free prices for other devices we have here but stop and think a little before you go diving into this one!
Take a look at this Google non-US pricing page. There is an extra $29.65 shipping to be added to get it over here, which is reasonable of course, but then there’s another $19.99 to be added for a country specific AC adapter. This ramps up the cost a little to $578.64/£361.40 and then comes the real killer, the good old English rip-off that is VAT! As you can see on the Google page above, VAT is added to the total cost of the order, even shipping, at a rate of 17.5% swelling that £361 to a much more substantial £424.65!
So ultimately it’s a more familiar price bracket and not quite the original £330 bargain you expected so just make sure you know what to expect if you do decide to take the plunge.
Mik
.
So the Google Android conference went as planned and the Nexus One is now very unsurprisingly official. It can be bought online from google.com/phone but the same site also offers the official details that we already sort of knew.
Firstly there’s a nice 3D tour which also summarises things such as the dimensions (119 x 59.8 x 11.5mm), screen (3.7″ 480 x 800 pixel), weight (130g), 5MP camera with LED flash, 3.5mm headpone jack and an additional mic for noise canceling as well as providing the chance to see how it looks in a hand your size.
Beyond this is a full spec sheet:
Size and weight:
Height – 119mm
Width – 59.8mm
Depth – 11.5mm
Weight – 130 grams w/battery
Display:
3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen
800 x 480 pixels
100,000:1 typical contrast ratio
1ms typical response rate
Operating system:
Android Mobile Technology Platform 2.1 (Eclair)
Processor:
Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz
Capacity:
512MB Flash
512MB RAM
4GB Micro SD Card (Expandable to 32 GB)
Camera & Flash:
5 megapixels
Autofocus from 6cm to infinity
2X digital zoom
LED flash
Geo tagging
720 x 480 video capture at 20 frames per second or higher
Power and battery:
Removable 1400 mAH battery
Charges at 480mA from USB, at 980mA from supplied charger
Talk time – up to 10 hours on 2G, up to 7 hours on 3G
Standby time – up to 290 hours on 2G, up to 250 hours on 3G
Internet use – up to 5 hours on 3G, up to 6.5 hours on Wi-Fi
Video playback – up to 7 hours
Audio playback – up to 20 hours
Cellular & Wireless:
UMTS Band 1/4/8 (2100/AWS/900)
HSDPA 7.2Mbps
HSUPA 2Mbps
GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n)
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
A2DP stereo Bluetooth
Location:
Assisted global positioning system (AGPS) receiver
Cell tower and Wi-Fi positioning
Digital compass
Accelerometer
Graphics, video and audio:
Image
JPEG (encode and decode), GIF, PNG, BMP
Video
H.263 (encode and decode) MPEG-4 SP (encode and decode) H.264 AVC (decode)
Audio encoders
AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz
Audio decoders
AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1 (AAC+), HE-AACv2 (enhanced AAC+) Mono/Stereo standard bit rates up to 160 kbps and sampling rates from 8 to 48kHz, AMR-NB 4.75 to 12.2 kbps sampled @ 8kHz, AMR-WB 9 rates from 6.60 kbit/s to 23.85 kbit/s sampled @ 16kHz., MP3 Mono/Stereo 8-320Kbps constant (CBR) or variable bit-rate (VBR), MIDI SMF (Type 0 and 1), DLS Version 1 and 2, XMF/Mobile XMF, RTTTL/RTX, OTA, iMelody, Ogg Vorbis, WAVE (8-bit and 16-bit PCM)
Hardware features:
Oh and they are officially trying to create a new phone category above smartphones called “superphones”. Obviously theyare including the Nexus One in that category but didn’t actually say that it is an exclusive member.
Mik
.
Right on cue with the ongoing Android conference, Google’s new page for selling phones is now live at google.com/phone
The first device to be sold there is of course the Nexus One which can now be ordered SIM free for $529. Also listed is the T-Mobile tariff with a subsidised price of $179 but also Verizon for the US and Vodafone for Europe. The latter two have no further details at the moment apart from a Spring 2010 release date. It’s unclear when exactly that will be so there may be hope for the Xperia X10 yet if Sony Ericsson get a move on.
Now you may have just noticed above that I said “the first device to be sold there”! That was quite deliberate as it has just been confirmed at the Google conference that there will be a series of devices [thanks slashgear live blog]
Update: the Nexus One officially ships today! Note that shipping will be after 72 hours if you choose to have the rear panel engraved.
The phone is also available to the UK as well as a few other countries, here’s what you will see at the checkout:
Please note that we do not ship US T-Mobile service plans outside the United States. Also we can ship the unlocked phone to the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong. If you wish to continue with your service plan purchase, specify a US shipping address. If you wish to purchase a Nexus One phone without a service plan, you may specify a shipping address in the US, United Kingdom, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
Mik
.
With the Google conference now underway, it’s just moments until we get official confirmation of the Nexus One but until then take a look at a couple of reviews:
First up was NexusOneBlog.com
hmm, wonder where they copied the layout from, oh yes…….
here’s engadget with their opinions.
That infernal twitter nonsense, that everyone but me seems to like, appears to have helped draw attention to something worth looking at. Canadian mobile phone network Rogers have tweeted (what a ridiculous term!) that they are to receive the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 in Q2 of 2010. Thankfully there is also a link to the real part of the internet where there is more information about the phone and launch, though of course we already know all about the phone:
Toronto , January 5, 2010 – Canadians will be among the first in the world to experience open and integrated social media, communication and entertainment with the launch of the Sony Ericsson Xperia ™ X10 phone, which will make its North American debut first in Canada , exclusively from Rogers . The Xperia ™ X10 is expected to be available in the second quarter 2010.
“At Rogers , we have built our legacy on innovation, bringing the most exciting and exclusive handsets first to customers in Canada ,” said John Boynton , Executive Vice President, Marketing, Rogers Communications. “We are thrilled to be the exclusive Canadian carrier to offer this phenomenal mobile entertainment device.”
“Building on our entertainment heritage, the Xperia ™ X10 underpins our commitment to an open and multi-platform strategy that maximizes choice for the consumer and delivers the best possible entertainment experience,” said Andrea Gaal, General Manager, Sony Ericsson Canada . “This handset makes communications more fun and more playful while multiplying and enriching opportunities to connect.”
Introducing signature applications like Sony Ericsson Mediascape and Timescape™, the Xperia™ X10 lets consumers organize everything in their phone and in an intuitive way:
• The Sony Ericsson Timescape™ application manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations and check out your Facebook™, Twitter™ and MySpace™ accounts 1 , photos, emails 1 , and texts 1 all in one seamless, easy to use interface
• Sony Ericsson Mediascape application is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. It accesses this content from just about everywhere – your phone or YouTube™ and Facebook™ services 1 and presents everything for you in an integrated way
Intelligence capabilities, integrated into Sony Ericsson Mediascape and Timescape™ applications, automatically recognizes connections between contacts, content and media. By recommending alternative ways to communicate or guiding to new media experiences, consumers can discover more in a truly open way. For example:
• Pressing the new “infinite button” guides you through the connected world, aggregating all your interactions with one person into one view
• Intelligent face recognition features recognize up to five faces in any picture, automatically connecting them with your social phonebook and all other related communications with that person. The X10 also features an 8.1 megapixel camera including 16X digital zoom.
The UX platform builds on top of the Open OS (Android) and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, unrivalled integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The Xperia™ X10 phone is the first mobile phone to truly humanize the way people interact with their phones.
Sony Ericsson’s open approach gives consumers maximum choice. Xperia X10 users can download any application they want directly from Android Market, creating an experience that is entirely unique to them.
It may not be much of a surprise that this makes Rogers the first North American carrier to get the X10 but my worry is still over when the X10 will make it to Europe. I would expect a Sony Ericsson device to release in Europe before North America but the claim by Rogers that “Canadians will be among the first in the world” suggests that there won’t be many releases before this and if there are they may not be much earlier. We’re already expecting the X10 to be delayed but Q2, that’s any time from April until June, sounds like bad news to me. With Google preparing to announce the Nexus One in a few minutes and suggestions that it might go on sale immediately, Sony Ericsson may be missing the boat (again) and would do well to take a lesson from Google on how to launch a product!
Sony Ericsson X10 pre-register
Mik
PS- twitter I still hate you!
We’ve not actually covered the Nexus One very much yet and there’s been sooo much written about it I’m not even going to start trying to cover everything in as much detail as has already been done.
For anyone who hasn’t seen the internet recently, the Nexus One is the long rumored “Google Phone” (maybe). The device is to be sold directly by Google at google.com/phone (not yet active), supported by T-Mobile (US) but is actually produced by HTC. Prices are suggested to be $530 SIM free or $180 with a whacking great $79.99 per month T-Mobile 24 month contract!
After being given out to Google employees the Nexus One began to make a flurry of appearances all over the web and quite often via Twitter but the glimpses were often frustratingly brief and unclear and much information was continued hype from the old Google Phone rumour mill. Thankfully though things have since become much clearer with full specs revealed confirming the obvious 1GHz Snapdragon processor along with 512MB RAM and a 3.7″ WVGA AMOLED screen.
Most recently we have seen an in depth 10 minute video and a stunning display of the Nexus One’s 3D graphic capabilities. Just look at the speed of it, this is where Android phones are really stepping into gear and those old 528MHz Qualcomm’s go from feeling a little dated to looking pre-historic! The 3D graphics speak for themselves and need no comment!
Nexus One: 10 minutes
Nexus One: 3D graphics
So when can you get one? Well Google are holding an “Android press gathering” on the 5th of January 2010 and rumours suggest that orders for the handset will be taken from that date. The conference gathering will certainly be one to keep an eye on but it’s almost certain that the initial sales will be to the US only, we can just hope that Google don’t hang around too long in bringing this to Europe!
Which brings me back round to Sony Ericsson! We know all about their much anticipated Xperia X10 and when it was announced there wasn’t really much solid competition for it’s Snapdragon power but that has changed. Not only are Sony Ericsson likely to be late with their handset, they will now almost certainly be releasing AFTER this behemoth from Google/HTC. The X10 will not be the first high profile Snapdragon Android device to market, it also doesn’t look like it will match the sheer speed of the Nexus One and as of yet it isn’t even going to be running Eclair 2.0 or Flan 2.1. So what fate for Sony Ericsson’s great Android hope, well it is prettier and has some fantastic UI mods but if they come along with sluggishness and bugs that SE have struggled to eliminate in their other products then this could spell trouble ahead!
Mik
Loading ...
Sign In
Register
Help