Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2
It was back in February 2008 that the XPERIA lineup was born and it took Sony Ericsson almost two years to bring about the XPERIA X1 successor. The long waiting is over now and the XPERIA X2 is keen to prove to us all it was worth it.
Both devices obviously have lots of features in common (it's the same amount of memory - both RAM and ROM, and the same CPU) but there are - possibly - enough improvements to make the XPERIA X2 a strong successor and a valuable upgrade. And by telling you that, we don't only mean the more recent version of WinMo. 6.5 was never officially compatible with the original.
Anyway, the upgraded imaging is the greatest asset of the XPERIA X2 hardware and we're about to see how much it works in its favor.
Before we kick off though, a bit of family tree stuff. The XPERIA X2 is only the second PocketPC in the series after the X1. The X10 runs Android and so does the rumored Robyn, while the Pureness isn't even a smartphone. The XPERIA lineup comes in different shapes and sizes but it all started with Windows Mobile. The X2 is perfectly aware of that and comes to offer some all-round PocketPC skills and the aggressive styling of its forerunner.
Key features:
Quad-band GSM support
Tri-band 3G with HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
Four-row slide-and-tilt QWERTY keyboard
Landscape and portrait virtual QWERTY keyboards
Handwriting recognition
3.2" 65K-color TFT LCD resistive touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels)
Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
XPERIA panels user interface
Accelerometer sensor
Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz CPU, 256 MB of RAM memory
8.1 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
WVGA video recording at 30fps
Support for DivX/XviD files out of the box
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support
Bluetooth and USB (standard microUSB connector) v2.0
3.5mm standard audio jack
Stereo speakers
Flash video support
TV out port, TV out cable supplied in the retail box
Main disadvantages:
Outdated hardware
Sluggish interface
Display still on the small side, inadequate touch sensitivity and sunlight legibility
Almost no screen auto-rotation throughout the UI
Disappointing video recording
Basic music player
No FM radio (should be enabled with upcoming firmware update)
No video calling (should be enabled with upcoming firmware update)
As we said in the preview a few months back, there aren't many groundbreaking features to see, but the XPERIA X2 is definitely worth a look to check what it can actually do.
Well, if you're looking for Snapdragon speed, you won't find it here. There's no capacitive touchscreen either. And the X2 also skips an FM radio and its camera has no Xenon flash. But you get all the business benefits you would expect in a phone in this class, with some nice media too.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 packs the full range of connectivity options, hopefully a capable enough CPU, a comfy slide-and-tilt QWERTY keyboard, promising autofocus camera and, like its predecessor, it has a 3.5mm audio jack on board. The trackpad is also there (even if it's been redesigned).
Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 smartphone
As CNET News.com's Ina Fried reported earlier this week, Sony Ericsson has teamed up with Microsoft to release Windows Mobile smartphones and sure enough, the first such device was revealed at GSMA and its name is the Sony Ericsson EXPERIA X1. In the past, Sony Ericsson smartphones, such as the P1i, have used the Symbian mobile operating system (UIQ). The launch of the XPERIA line marks the debut of Windows Mobile on the company's devices. The X1 is the first in the series, and makes quite the impression.
It has a cool arc slider design (think Motorola Rizr Z8) with a 3-inch VGA touchscreen on the front, and a full QWERTY keyboard underneath. It's as attractive on the inside as it is on the outside. The proprietary XPERIA panel menu gives users the freedom to arrange the screen as they want.
The X1 is a quad-band, HSDPA/HUSPA, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi-enabled smartphone running Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition. It comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera, assisted GPS, a multimedia player, 400MB of internal memory, and microSD expansion slot.
The X1 has certainly been one of the hot products of GSMA, as evidenced by the number of people swarming around the phone at the Sony Ericsson booth. I'm hoping to shove my way in there today to get some hands-on time and photos of the device, so hold tight. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is scheduled to ship during the second half of 2008. Not to sound like a broken record, but there is still no word on pricing or U.S. availability.
HP Releases NetBooks
Hewlett-Packard joined the netbook wave with their HP 2133 that was designed to go up against the Asus EeePC, Acer Aspire One, MSI WInd, etc. The 2133 is a great netbook, probably the best in its class. However, the HP 2133 went on sale on Amazon yesterday for $299 shipped. At that price, it only meant one thing, they're phasing it out.
That's alright though. HP is rolling out a replacement for the 2133, the HP Mini 1000. The new Mini 1000 comes in three trims, HP Mini 1000, Mini 1000 MIE, and the Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition. Prices range from $379 - $699. The cheapest model will run Linux and somewhere down the line Windows XP will be preinstalled.
The major difference the new HP Mini 1000 netbooks have over the HP 2133 is the processor and screen size. The previous version sported a C7 CPU from VIA and an 8.9 inch screen. On the other hand, the newer model comes with the Intel Atom processor.
Most of the specs are the same, 92 percent keyboard, built-in Webcam, wireless, and options for solid-state or hard-disk drives.
So is the Mini 1000 really better than the 2133? Well, for one thing that Atom processor is really good. However, for basic office tasks and internet browsing, I'm guessing that the Amazon offer is best at the moment.
