Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Detailed Impressions!
If there were two recurring themes in the Sony Ericsson launch event for the Xperia X1, they were personality and luxury.
The swanky Covent Garden location definitely set the tone for an affair which was as much generating an air of decadence and a developing brand identity for Xperia, as much as launching a single handset. It must be 'X1' for a reason...more to come.
The X1 is certainly a phone of firsts from Sony. ‘Xperia’ is the first brand to be developed from the Swedish/Japanese partnership as opposed to trading on old Sony names, the first to use Windows Mobile and microSD cards, and the first to make the smartphone mainstream with a gorgeous looking device, as opposed to another lumbering business brick.
The aluminium finish, the multimedia functionality, the unique panel interface (of which we will go into far more detail about)…all add up to a handset which exudes the glamorous tone which Sony are aiming directly for.
The lifestyle photography of an unfeasibly gorgeous European couple using their Xepria for daily affairs and the Memento-esque ‘Johnny X’ viral movie highlight an attempt to target the 20-something professional (male and female!) who want a balance between an entertainment phone and a Windows handset that can still run all their work stuff.
With word of some territories getting Hancock bundled in, even before a DVD release, it shows that Sony Ericsson is still committed to using the Sony part to get some decent media goodness out of this handset. Whether we get anything packed in for the UK launch is unsure...
The stealth marketing push online is testament to this shift in trying to resonate with today’s savvy gadget user, preaching to the converted as opposed to blanket media coverage to target the masses. By getting to those who would make the most of this phone first, they want ‘word of mouth’ buzz to spread the Xperia amongst the in-crowd.
Despite the reluctant admission that HTC had a hand in the phone’s construction, that’s not to say that there has been any short cuts or expense spared in build quality. The phone has a real heft to it at 158g, but it is a reassuring weight, a tangibility that makes the Xperia feel a guilty pleasure like the Arte series of Nokia phones.
“I liken the Xperia to a perfectly cut tailored suit, but with a really loud lining inside which screams fun and excitement,” says Xperia Project Lead Magnus Andersson with a wry smile. He is fully aware of the popularity surrounding the hybrid nature of the handset, and we can attest to his power usage as he receives numerous calls on a production model both whilst giving us a quick demo of the functions.
A striking point to note is just how playful Sony Ericsson have been in the design of the phone. Far from a straight-laced Nokia effort, the Xperia is all bells and whistles with bright LEDs on the edges twinkling in a variety of colours based on the menu accessed. Cute features like the Tamagotchi-style fish which follow your finger, and differ in colour and number based on things like missed calls evoke the cool minimalism of the Playstation 3 Xross-Media menus. It is definitely a phone for the bar and the boardroom.
That stretches to the interface for accessing media on the phone itself, which is very simple to navigate using the stylus or touchscreen inputs. The keyboard is imperative to get right as far as these phones are concerned, and the Xperia does not disappoint. The keys are well spaced and provide enough room to type with few errors, and also without getting that finger cramp that is endemic amongst phones which are just too small.
The phone is pretty thin, and despite the 3 inch screen, the landscape menu only occurs when the keyboard slides out or when watching a video. No accelerometer for you... It runs the Opera browser pretty nicely, and will be able to support Java and Flash, so finally there will be a true mobile web experience!
However, don’t forget that Windows Mobile 6.1 is only a few button presses away on the Xperia, and Andersson was very positive regarding Microsoft’s involvement. “It is still a Windows Mobile handset, we are not ashamed of that fact. We enjoyed working with Microsoft and will work with them again in the future.”
The real showpiece is the innovative 9 panels which function as an access hub, and allow different “desktops” to run concurrently and be switched to on the fly. He was quick to address rumours that the slowdown that plagued the demo handsets from such a memory intensive setup earlier in the year were still present.
“We fixed that problem. We added more RAM and now the phone runs much quicker.” With over 400MB under the hood, a demonstration of navigating through the panels at a fair pace showed just how swift the Xperia has become…
Despite being coy as to whether the panel design would stretch to other Sony products or further devices in the Xperia line, they left no doubt as to who came up with the revolutionary interface. “The panels are 100% Sony Ericsson proprietary software, and we won’t be licensing the technology.”
From having seen it run a video of Quantum of Solace, as well as a slideshow (using an online repository of both homebrewed and official panels) it is safe to say that the RAM is allowing for quick running of most things. A disappointment is that the internal memory is your lot. Any more will be from a bundled memory card, sizes of which were undisclosed for the UK launch. Seeing the Samsung Omnia bulked up to insane levels with 16GB internal + 16GB cards, the Xperia seems a bit lean.
The same could be leveled at the camera, which is 3.2 megapixels. Magnus shares our negativity towards cameras being ranked by number of megapixels rather than quality of photos, illustrating the touch focus function as well as the quality of shots. Even so, a 3.2 megapixel camera with ‘photo light’ as opposed to a xenon or even an LED flash made for some dark photos in the parlour.
The constant allusion to the high end nature of the Xperia hopefully will not extend to the price tag, which everyone was reluctant to divulge despite much goading from the assembly of journalists and blogosphere power players…and us. For a phone to be two weeks away from release with no mention of even a SIM-free price was a little strange. The networks will thrash out pricings and subsidies down the line, but given the nature of what it can do, it won’t be on Pay As You Go any time soon…
Release dates were far more forthcoming, with word of a September 30th launch in the UK, Germany and Sweden . An announcement regarding the worldwide shipping dates will follow, and November 3rd was given as the date the US launch will become public knowledge. Seems like it won’t be there in time for Xmas unfortunately…but Sony top brass say Q1 2009.
In a finished state, all of the rumours of shoddy build and Windows woes have been blown apart, leaving a very impressive handset which is cool enough to infer smartphone credentials whilst shouting style and fashion. Underneath the surface, Windows Mobile is robust enough to carry the multitask panels and smooth interface, and the headturning looks already have the Xperia taking plaudits on the design circuit.
As we leave the location, we brush shoulders and exchange glances with a retinue of pint-sized beauties in the lobby. It is only upon reaching the door that we realise that we just breezed past the Pussycat Dolls, and it’s too late to ask them to sign our faces.
This just typifies our entire experience with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. It’s nice to play with for a while, and you are impressed with the looks and talent…but it is only after the fact, when you go back to your own phone with just one measly screen, running one program at a time, that you are genuinely star struck.
It seems like a phone which will grow and adapt as the panels you use most often come to the fore, once you tailor it to your own shortcuts and get comfy with it. Long time coming, but it is good now it’s nearly here.
