Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Preview

After months of speculation and rumour, Sony Ericsson has finally confirmed the existence of the Xperia X2, which is expected to be available during Q4 2009. The Xperia X2 takes all that was good about the X1, and adds a host of extra features, making the Xperia X2 one of the most talked about handsets across the internet. One of the stand-out features on the Xperia X2 is the QWERTY keyboard. Now, whilst QWERTY is nothing new these days, with a wide variety of handsets offering this feature, the keyboard on the X2 looks to be the most comfortable to date. The keys are well defined, and look very comfortable to use, and are reminiscent of the old Psion portable computers. Despite this, the design of the keypad is such that it does little to add to the size of the handset. The X2 comes in at 110 x 54 x 16 mm, and weighs 155g. Slightly heavy for a mobile phone, but given all the Xperia X2 delivers, we can overlook this. The screen on the X2 is a TFT resistive touchscreen display, with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, supporting up to 65,000 colours.

Being a resistive touchscreen means the handset can accept handwriting recognition data entry, as well as the usual onscreen input methods. Navigation around the handset menu is accomplished via the optical trackpad, whilst the overlying UI is an update of the panels menu, as used on the Xperia X1. The new panels look really good, especially the funky new wavy panels look. You can also schedule the main panel you want to use as your main desktop via the calendar – for example, you may want email in the morning, Facebook over lunch and then a web page, perhaps Google, in the afternoon. You just drag n Drop the panels into the relevant time slot to set it all up, very intuitive and easy to do.

As with the predecessor, the Xperia X2 runs on Windows Mobile, but here the X2 is running on Windows Mobile Professional 6.5 as opposed to 6.1 used with the X1. The device incorporates an 8.1 Megapixel camera, joining the growing ranks of Sony Ericsson devices that carry a high quality camera, and also the first device running Windows Mobile that has such a high quality camera onboard. The camera has an autofocus option, as well as touch focus, face detection, smart contrast, an image stabliser, and geotagging. It is rare to see such high specification on a non Cybershot device, and is further testament to the direction Sony Ericsson are moving in under the all-encompassing ‘Entertainment’ umbrella, where top end Cybershot devices are equipped with Walkman class music players and vice versa.

Entertainment, in fact, is at the core of all that is good about the X2. Aside from the camera, the Xperia X2 brings a top of the range media player, supporting a wide range of music formats and video codecs, including MP3, WAV, AAC, eAAC+, WMA, MP4, XviD, WMV9, H.263 and H,264. There is a built in 3.5mm audio jack, which is still uncommon on Sony Ericsson devices, and also a TV out facility, allowing you to play content from the phone directly onto a TV screen. There are some good uses for such a feature, for example you can use the device to browse the web but view the pages on the TC screen, if you are away from a PC, for example, or record a video clip at a party and then playback the content. Kids absolutely love this when done at a party; there is something that fascinates them, when they see themselves on TV. The video recording option on the Xperia isn’t bad, certainly way up on previous Sony Ericsson devices; here the X2 can record at a resolution of WVGA at 30fps, and there is also a second, front-facing camera for video calls.

Any handset these days that wants to make its mark as a smartphone has to offer the full suite of data connection options, and the X2 has everything you need for fast data transfer on the move. Alongside 3G, the Xperia X2 delivers with HSDPA up to 7.2Mbps, with HSUPA at up to 2Mbps. There is WiFi, with support for DLNA, and for those moments when you are out of 3G coverage, the X2 backs it all up with GPRS, HSCSD and EDGE. For local connections, to a PC or other devices, the X2 has Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP stereo audio support. The inclusion of GPS is also a welcome addition to the X2; with aGPS support, the phone can locate your position quickly by using network triangulation, and with a suitable mapping application you can calculate the location of numerous local services, such as the nearest petrol station, cashpoint, restaurant, or similar, as well as being able to plan a route to your destination.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 is an elegantly designed smartphone, and does well to improve on the Xperia X1. With a strong range of features and a smart look, the Xperia X2 will bring strong competition to an already cut throat smartphone market.

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