Xperia X10 Experience Packs: XP110, XP120 and XP130

Remember those Experience Packs that Sony Ericsson talked about when announcing the LiveView micro display?

Well, the first three of them are now official. They’re the XP110 Fitness Experience Pack, the XP120 Business Experience Pack, and the XP130 Design Experience Pack.

Here’s what’s included in them:

XP110 Fitness Experience Pack – LiveView micro display, SportyPal Pro app, wristband, clip, and a Micro USB charger. It is compatible with the Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X0 Mini Pro

XP120 Business Experience Pack – Bluetooth Noise Shield Handsfree VH700, Office Suite Pro application with life time license, WaveSecure application with 6 months usage rights, and Micro USB Cable EC300. It is compatible with the Xperia X10, Xperia X10 Mini and Xperia X0 Mini Pro

XP130 Design Experience Pack – three fashionable back covers, lanyards, “a chic set of charms”, “style wallpapers”, Fashion News app, Celebrity Gossip app, and Ship Chick app. It is compatible only with the Xperia X10 Mini

Availability and pricing is still unknown. Check them out by hitting the links below:

XP110
XP120
XP130

X10 Family Update: Rollout starts Sunday

Rikard at the Product Blog has just posted that they will start the roll-out of the Android 2.1 based updates for Xperia X10, X10 mini and X10 mini pro coming Sunday. The roll out will start in the evening European time.

Generic kits for the Nordic countries will be the very first ones out on Sunday evening and then there will be more kits coming already during Monday and then the roll-out will continue throughout the month of November.

The key changes for the different products are the following:

Xperia X10:
• HD video recording with continuous auto-focus for high quality videos
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook which automatically syncs contact pictures from Facebook and shows when your friends are online

Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro:
• Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more
• New backup and restore application with extended content back up
• Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phone book
• Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages
• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1

In most markets, your phone will automatically let you know with a notification when the update is ready for your specific software version and then you will be guided to how to perform the update using the PC Companion software. In that process, because of this being a big update, you will also be guided through some steps to be able to backup personal data before the update and then restore it when the update is finished.

As far as the X8 is concerned, it will get it's update "later in Q4" although I havn't been able to confirm when exactly is 'later'. Will keep you all posted!

Preview: Android 2.1 on Xperia X10

Well, we still havn't got the update yet. A privileged few have, so here's a sneak peek into what we are going to get. Unknown13x at xda developers has posted his preview here. it's in Thai, so let me put it in plain english for you all :)

First up, the lockscreen. As you can see, it has now changed to a simple slide to unlock design. Slide it to the right to unlock, slide it to the left to change to silent. This is the same for both the X10 and the minis.

The next change is that you now have 5 homescreens in place of 3.

If we tap the little button below the screen and hold down,the small Preview window will show up so we can choose wherever we want to navigate from the last 5 opened screens.

Timescape is now a lot more faster and the scrolling is very smooth. A new and handy addition is auto scrolling of text in the splines so that you can read the full message then and there without clicking it to go to the full application. Another new feature is the ability to change the background in Timescape.

Messaging app is a lot more fluid and the chat style look is pretty neat! The new improved keyboard is worth mention. It even suggests apt corrections to any misspelled words. Nifty addition Sony Ericsson!

Social Phonebook has been implemented and hence now the phonebook is integrated with popular networking tools like facebook and twitter. You can see your contact's latest tweets or facebook right in the Phonebook itself. It automatically downloads the contact's image from facebook, which can also be set manually.

The call screen has also been updated and now features some of the regular options right at the bottom of the screen for quick access.

The voice search function has also been added, it only supports english though.  The voice dialer is also present so you can just speak the name of the person and the device will make the call for you.

And here's a video demoing Eclair on X10:

New Screenshots: Android 2.1 on X10, mini/Pro

Am sure all of you are eagerly waiting for SE to roll out the Android 2.1 update for your X10 and the minis. Well here's something to make the wait worthwhile. 'unknown13x ' on xda-developers has posted screenshots which'll give you a fair idea on how Android 2.1 looks on the X10 and the minis.

Xperia X10

X10 mini/Pro 

The blue here looks a bit different than the one on Android 1.6. Like it? I surely do.

Regarding the next update (after the Android 2.1 update), apparently some of the features that are supposed to be on the next update already appear here. 


We are likely to get more details soon so I'll keep you updated. Till then, feel free to leave your comments below :)

Android 2.1 update delayed until october

Well...another delay. Rikard at the SE product blog has just posted that the Android 2.1 update for the XPERIA family, slated for an end of september - Q3 launch has now been delayed. We won't see it until the end of october atleast. The subsequent update has also been delayed due to this and will be outed early next year.
Anyway... here's what we'll get in the update:

 XPERIA X10:

• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android 2.1
• HD Video recording with continuous auto-focus
• New back up and restore application, with extended content back up
• 5 homescreens for apps, widgets, shortcuts and folders
• Social phonebook, which automatically syncs contact pictures with Facebook and shows when your friends are online

XPERIA X10 mini and X10 mini pro:

• Upgrade of the Android platform to Android platform 2.1
• Improved Bluetooth functionality with support for sending and receiving pictures, contacts and more
• New backup and restore application with extended content back up
• Automatic synchronization of your contact pictures between Facebook and your phonebook
• Improved ways of handling pictures, audio, text and numbers in your messages

The update will be made available in a phased roll-out which means that different “kits” get the update at different times. It will take some additional weeks from end of October before all different kits have the new software available.

Upgrade roadmap for X10 family leaked

The upgrade roadmap for the X10 family has been leaked online. Android 2.1 will, in all probability, be the last major OS upgrade for the X10 family.

X10 2.1 
------- 
Video recording in HD 
Video recording with continuous AF. 
Social Phonebook (syncs FB and Twitter contacts with pictures). 
Something about restructured menus or menu guides  
5 home screens instead of 3. 
HTML5 support for better browser experience. 

X10 2.1x 
---------- 
Looks like a second update with focus on Timescape, Mediascape and support for additional languages.


 X10 mini/mini pro, X8 2.1
-----------
Bluetooth 2.1 update (can't decipher this...)
Social Phonebook (syncs FB and Twitter contacts with pictures). 
Something about restructured menus or menu guides
HTML5 support for better browser experience. 


 X10 mini/mini pro,X8 2.1x
-----------
focus on upgrade to the 4 corner UXP

Xperia X10 spotted running Android 2.1

While the Android 2.1 Éclair platform flavor might seem old to some, it is still something that Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 owners are only dreaming about.

September seems to have been nailed down as the month when Xperia X10 will receive the Android 2.1 blessing, and when Sony Ericsson updates the smaller Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro too.The Xperia X8 might launch with 2.1 onboard or get it as an update later.

Recent reports on the matter suggested that the company confirmed once again plans to have the OS version loaded on X10 devices this month, and the only thing that remains to be seen is when the update process is set to kick off.

In the meantime, we can take a look at the Xperia X10 running under the Android 2.1 platform in the video below, just as to make an idea of how the two would get along.Unfortunately, the video is in German, which means that many might not understand what's being said there, but the features that are demonstrated should be pretty clear, such as live wallpapers and more.

According to a recent article on Androinica, the video was shot during the IFA tech event in Berlin, Germany, and proves that the mobile phone maker is getting closer to releasing the software update into the wild.

It might be a little late from a certain point of view, especially since many other devices got the Android 2.2 OS on board, but it's still great news for Xperia X10 owners, that's for sure.

X10 mini pro hits the shelves

The X10 mini pro is now available. The device runs on Android 1.6 OS, 2.55″ 240×320 pixels (QVGA) 16,777,216 colour touchscreen display, 5 megapixel camera with autofocus, 600 MHz processor, Bluetooth, 3.5 mm audio jack, Micro USB connector, aGPS, Wi-Fi and full slide out keyboard.

Go grab yours now!

Xperia X10 mini reviewed

The folks of Gsm Arena published their review of the XPERIA X10 mini. Here's what they had to say:

Small phones are special, no doubt about that. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 might just be too special to have mass appeal but we don’t think it’s what this phone is trying to do. The X10 mini is an experiment, which works out well.
It’s hard not to like the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 mini. It’s equally hard we think to not notice its limitations. But we should make it clear: it delivers on the main promise it made when it first appeared in public – it’s a capable smartphone that every pocket can take. Better yet, it isn’t outrageously expensive either.
The user-interface has been well optimized for the little (in touchscreen terms that is) display and while this has involved some functionality sacrifices, they aren’t too bad. Granted, you won’t be able to edit documents or read maps as comfortably as on the full-size XPERIA X10 but the mini is by no means a poor relation.
If size really matters this is the ONE real mini, and basically your best option.
Reading your mail, browsing the web or watching video will be better on almost any other touch phone out there. But the X10 mini doesn’t want you to be sensible and practical. It hopes you’ll appreciate the idea behind it. Getting smaller and better – isn’t this the life story of mobile phones.

Read their complete review of the XPERIA X10 mini

Timescape on X10 mini

Here's a video of Timescape and media player on the X10 mini. Really cool!

Android Powered Walkman in June

Remember I had posted about a Walkman flavoured Android handset that'll be announced in June?
Well, according to Max at SEMC blog, Sony Ericsson is planning to announce a new Android Powered Walkman phone in June.

The form factor will be similar to the Xperia X10 mini. It will sport a 2.6″ capacitivve TFT touchscreen display and a 5 megapixel camera. THe LED flash will be missing though. The new device also supports Style-UP covers. There's no news as of now whether the device will launch with Android 1.6 or 2.1 or even 2.2 for that matter. But one thing is confirmed that the device will boast a feature rich Walkman Player. Watch this space for more!

Note: The device in the above image is a standard Xperia X10 mini.

Xperia X10 Mini Hits The Stores

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini has now officially hit the stores. The device is now available for purchase in many countries. X10 Mini is a smaller version of Xperia X10 and does not have all the features of its bigger cousin. However, it is one of the smallest Android device till date.

More on the XPERIA X10 mini

The XPERIA X10 mini has been getting a lot of attention of late, something which it truly deserves. Well, the folks at Esato have give the device a spin and initial impressions are extremely positive.

There is no doubt in my mind that the X10 Mini will be Sony Ericsson's best seller this year. It will probably be even more popular than the T610, K750 or W995 was when they hit the market. The selling price of approximately 300 Euro is even lower than the price of a W995 are today. A bargain in my opinion. The W995 and X10 Mini display has the same pixel resolution and are of almost the same size W995's 2.6 inch vs 2.55 for X10 Mini. Some of you might prefer hard keys and the X10 Mini Pro coming in a couple of weeks will be the one for you. The X10 Mini is the same phone, but with added sliding QWERTY keyboard. I am waiting for the X10 Mini myself as I am fan of hardware QWERTY keyboards.

Read more here.
My friend Michell has also posted a nice video preview of the X10 mini, and as usual, like all his other work,this one's a treat to watch too.

Xperia X10 mini preview event

My friend Michell attended a X10 mini event in Denmark, managing to rub shoulders with the bigwigs at SE and extracting some valuable info on these devices from them.

An X10 update will be available soon, which will mainly enhance stability and performance of the phone. It’ll be delivered over-the-air. They’re also still on track with the much anticipated and considerably larger Android 2.1 update which is due for Q4 this year. This update will include new functionality such as HD video recording and added DLNA support. The Timescape and Mediascape applications will also be updated with better support for third party services, such as Spotify or even operator services.

Also worth mentioning is that the guys would not confirm or bust the possibility of upgrading to the recently announced Android version 2.2. But they would however say that they’re looking at version 2.2.

Read more here

XPERIA X10 Mini unboxing

Rikard Skogberg just published this video unboxing of the XPERIA X10 Mini on the official Product Launch Blog.If you're looking to get this beauty, this video is a must watch. And as usual, it's been shot on the Vivaz (720p it is).

Via: Product Launch Blog

X10 mini TV-commercial

Here's the TV commercial for the X10 mini, and I have to admit, it's one of the coolest ads i've seen. Whoever thought of the whole finger tapping jig deserves an applause. Happy watching!

X10 mini passes FCC

The small yet powerful Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini just cleared the FCC and is maybe on its way to release, well, somewhere. A previous report had pointed both the X10 Mini & X10 Mini Pro to Canada, but this particular device that cleared the FCC is packing European-friendly bands.

As a reminder, both X10 Mini devices are younger brothers of the original Xperia X10, and both come with Android 1.6, QVGA touchscreen, 5-megapixel camera, WiFi, GPS and so on. The only difference between the two is that the X10 Mini Pro rocks a full side-sliding QWERTY keyboard, whereas the X10 Mini doesn’t.

No Multi-touch on X10 mini, X10 mini pro, ever!

There had been some news of late that the XPERIA X10 mini will indeed be able to support multi-touch as it sported a ClearPad 2000 solution, which enabled dual touch, which is the basic form of multi-touch.

However, Sony Ericsson has put all rumours to rest and confirmed that they do not intend to implement multi touch on the X10 mini and X10 mini pro.


Timo Maassmann has confirmed the same on the Product blog:

I noted some of your comments asking for the multi touch support. Having shared our personal experiences using the new UI within our team, we just love it the way it is and think that multi-touch would actually just destroy the simplicity of using these products.  To avoid any speculation I can confirm that we do not have any intention to implement multi touch on X10 mini and X10 mini pro.

Multi-touch on small screens like the minis is pointless and would be more of a gimmick. However, I feel Sony Ericsson needs to start paying more attention to the feedback they get.

Just because they love something doesn’t mean consumers will.

A look at Sony Ericsson's UXP Interface

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 operating system on the Xperia X10, X10 Mini, and X10 Mini Pro smartphones.

Here are a few shots of how the UXP interface actually looks on the X10 mini pro.SE has done a fantastic job shrinking it for the smaller Xperia devices.

1) Timescape

Timescape displays your latest e-mails, text messages, and social media alerts for various contacts in a flowing design that resembles a stacked deck of cards. The S-shape of the stream was based on a flower.

2) Main menu

The blue background is standard across the UI. The typeface is based on a new font Sony Ericsson developed called "Soma."

3) Dialer

The phone dialer interface features touch controls for each number. Notice the four shortcut icons in each corner. As you move between different screens, the shortcuts will change to offer access to related features.

4) Homescreen

As on other Android phones, you can access the notifications bar and the main menu window shade.

5) Camera

The camera viewfinder uses the whole 2.55-inch display on the X10 Mini Pro. Shortcuts and camera controls hide in the corners of the touch screen.

6) Video Player

The video player has a simple interface, although its not a device on which you'd like to watch a full-length movie.

7) Media Player

We have a toned down version of the Mediascape. The infinity button is still there.. If you press it you'll see a list of all media files by that artist.

8) FM Radio

Here's how the radio UI looks like.

Here are shots of the entire UI. Sony Ericsson has done a remarkable job with it. Am looking forward to get a X10 mini pro :)

Image credit: Sony Ericsson