First announced at GSMA 2008 in February, Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1 made headlines for being the company's first Windows Mobile device and for its interactive panel interface. Fast-forward to now, where the Xperia X1 is finally available and we've had a chance to spend some time with the product. The X1's panel interface is undoubtedly cool, and we like having that extra level of personalisation. It's also a well-crafted handset with a strong set of features and good performance.
However, we have doubts about its success. SIM-free, the Xperia X1 costs an eye-watering £499.95 (inc. VAT); it's also available on a variety of monthly contracts from O2 and Orange for between £0 and £119.99 depending on the tariff chosen.
However, aside from the interactive panels and a couple of multimedia extras, Xperia X1 is very much like other Windows Mobile 6.1 devices and the aforementioned features don't seem to justify spending the extra money.
Design
Smartphones with slide-out keyboards tend to be large and bulky, but this isn't the case with the Xperia X1. Measuring 52.6mm wide by 110.5mm deep by 17mm high and weighing 158g, the X1 is compact and has a nice, solid construction. The phone is available in two colours: silver or black. We reviewed the silver model, which has an attractive steel finish and feels cool in the hand. The X1 definitely has 'wow' factor and Sony Ericsson has done a nice job on the hardware.
For a device that has a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is quite a compact handset.
The Xperia X1 features a 3in. touch-screen that displays 65,536 colours at 800-by-480-pixel resolution. With such a sharp resolution, it's no surprise that images and text look crisp and colours are vibrant. However, the highlight of the X1 is its interactive panel interface, which Sony Ericsson created to give users one-touch access to their required features and the ability to customise the device.
You can choose from nine panels and, depending on whether you're at work or at play, you can pick whichever one fits your needs and make that your Today screen for the day. Seven panels come preloaded: Microsoft Today, Sony Ericsson (two variations), Google, 3D Fish, Xperia Radio and Media Xperience. Most are self-explanatory, but if you're curious about the 3D Fish, it's all spelled out in the quick guides — but good luck remembering what everything means. You can also customise what type of information is displayed on the Today screen and add widgets to the Sony Ericsson panel, including web feeds, plus clocks and weathers for different cities.
The Xperia X1 allows you to customise your smartphone with nine interactive panels.
In addition to the standard seven panels, you'll be able to download more panels from other developers via Sony Ericsson's download site. While the X1 panel interface is a cool concept and we love the customisation, in reality, we only used about three of the panels. It's rare that we wanted multimedia or the radio to be at the forefront. Of course, this is a personal choice, and we do appreciate the customisation option.
Below the display, there is a navigation array that consists of two soft keys, Talk and End buttons, an X1 panel key, an OK button and an optical joystick/directional keypad with a centre select button. We're not huge fans of any of these controls, as they're small and stiff to press — particularly the two sliver-like soft keys. We missed having a Home key. The optical joystick operates in a similar way to the optical mouse on the Samsung Omnia, but as with Samsung's device, the trackpad is somewhat small, limiting how much you can move around on a page. Alternatively, you can press the outer edges of the trackpad (up, down, left, right), so it acts more like a traditional navigation toggle.
Below the touch screen you'll find a navigation array, which includes the X1 panel key, but we found these buttons small and stiff to press.
To access the keyboard, you just slide the screen to the right. The sliding mechanism is smooth and feels strong enough to endure multiple openings and closings. In its open state, you'll notice there's a slight arc to the phone. Sony Ericsson did this to provide a better ergonomic experience when using the keyboard, and we think it succeeds. The slight curve makes it comfortable to hold the phone when typing messages, and it also props the screen at a nice angle for better viewing. The screen orientation will also automatically switch from portrait to landscape mode when you open the phone. The keyboard itself is pretty good: the buttons are slightly on the small side, but there's enough spacing between them so it shouldn't give most people problems. We were able to compose messages and enter text without too many errors, although the number keys are a bit hard to find at first.
The X1's full QWERTY keyboard is spacious and easy to use.
On the left spine, you'll find a mini-USB port, while the right side holds a volume rocker and a camera activation/capture button. The latter two controls are rather tiny, so they're not the easiest to press; the volume rocker was particularly tricky, as it was hard to accurately press up or down while on a phone call. There's a 3.5mm headphone jack and a power button on top of the handset. The camera is located on the back, and there is a microSD expansion slot, but you have to remove the back cover to access it, which is an inconvenience. Also, a minor issue but worth mentioning: there's no release button or switch for the battery cover; you only get two little indentations on either side of the device where you can pull it off with your fingernail, which wasn't always the easiest thing to do.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 comes with an AC adapter, a USB cable, a 2GB microSD card, a wired headset, a software CD and reference material.
Specifications
| Audio | |
|---|---|
| Audio input | microphone |
| Audio output | speaker, headset |
| Voice recording capability | Yes |
| Connectivity / expansion | |
| Docking cradle | No |
| Wired connections | USB |
| Wireless PAN | Bluetooth 2.0+EDR |
| Wireless LAN | 802.11b, 802.11g |
| Wireless WAN | GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSPDA |
| GPS receiver | yes (Assisted GPS) |
| Expansion slots | microSD |
| General | |
| Built-in devices | camera, GPS receiver, keyboard, phone |
| Dimensions (W x H x D) | 52.6x17x110.5 mm |
| Weight | 158 g |
| Input devices | |
| Touchscreen | Yes |
| Stylus | Yes |
| Navigation button/wheel | Yes |
| Keyboard | Yes |
| Memory | |
| Memory expansion | MicroSD |
| Installed ROM | 400 MB |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Accessories | AC adapter, 2GB microSD card, wired headset, software CD, reference manual |
| Cables | USB sync |
| OS & software | |
| Operating system | Windows Mobile 6.1 |
| Software included | Microsoft Office Mobile, Outlook Mobile, Windows Media Player, Google Maps, Wayfinder Navigator, Opera Mobile, Internet Explorer Mobile, Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar, PDF reader, Notes, Phone book, Tasks |
| Synchronisation software | ActiveSync |
| Desktop software | Outlook |
| Power | |
| Removable battery | yes |
| Number of batteries | 1 |
| Claimed battery life | 10 h |
| Display | |
| Display size | 3 in |
| Native resolution | 800x480 pixels |
| Colour depth | 16 bits |
| Expand | |
Images
