The best Windows Mobile phone in business – Sony Ericsson’s Xperia X1. From the packaging to the diminutive USB charger to the sleek finish of the device itself, the whole X1 experience is flawless. It is a well-designed smartphone that is very well-engineered. It is no different than Sony VAIO laptops or Bravia TVs, and as such it’s no surprise that it’s expensive: $799. The device is going to be available in the U.S. starting Nov. 28 on Sony’s web site, Sony Style.
This version of the X1 supports the 3G 850 MHz band in the U.S. for high speed data access on AT&T. If you end up buying one of these (only available through US importers right now) make sure you pay attention to which UMTS/HSDPA bands it supports because there is an international version and a North American version. Other specs include a 3 inch 800×480 pixel display, integrated WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 radios, integrated GPS receiver, integrated FM radio, and microSD card slot.
The interesting SE panels make the device unique compared to other Windows Mobile devices and they have some customized panels and a developer kit for you to create your own too. The Facebook panel looks cool and when I meet Joel on Monday I plan to check out the device and see if I am still tempted to fork over US$800 or so for one of my own.
There is also a full QWERTY keyboard that is under the display and experiences I have read state the HTC Fuze one may be better because of the keyboard travel and feedback. I like that SE uses a standard 3.5mm headset jack too and that is one aspect I am thinking may become a basic requirement for me shortly. The 3.2 megapixel camera looks pretty good, but the 10 frames per second video capture is weak.
What will surprise you the most is that this phone is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1. Despite the torturous Windows Mobile interface, I found myself liking this device, which shows that with some creativity and lots of imagination, even Windows Mobile can stand up to assaults from Apple’s iPhone, RIM’s ( s rimm) Blackberry and Google’s Android. Of course Windows Mobile means that the phone syncs with Microsoft Exchange over the air. It can read documents, spreadsheets and presentations natively.
0 comments:
Post a Comment