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Microsoft

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

By matthewmiller January 25, 2009, 12:52 AM PST

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XPERIA_first1.jpg
XPERIA_first1.jpg
Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

SE XPERIA X1a retail packaging

SE XPERIA X1a retail packaging

The news of Sony Ericsson’s entry into the Windows Mobile space was talked about quite a bit at Mobile World Congress 2008. Almost a year later this high end device is now available for purchase at a premium price. There are a couple unique features of the XPERIA, but you will have to be a serious Windows Mobile fan to pay the $800 selling price for such a solid product.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Three small internal boxes

Three small internal boxes

Here you can see the three boxes found inside the outer packaging.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Opening up the right box

Opening up the right box

The XPERIA X1a is found in the right box surrounded by durable foam to protect the device.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Contents of left box

Contents of left box

The biggest of the internal boxes contains the charger, USB cable, battery, extra stylus, and stereo headset. There is no carrying case or screen protector included with the X1.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Contents of the smallest box

Contents of the smallest box

The smallest box under the X1 contains all sorts of helpful, colorful brochures along with warranty info and a CD.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

XPERIA X1a

XPERIA X1a

The X1 is a cool Windows Mobile phone with brushed aluminum finish and black button areas.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

X1a in open landscape mode

X1a in open landscape mode

The keyboard has a cool industrial design and is pretty functional. The backlighting is not the best and the lack of shortcuts is a bit annoying.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Bottom left side of the keyboard

Bottom left side of the keyboard

There is a blue FN button and alternate characters are easily identifiable in blue color. It is nice to see a dedicated @ symbol on the keyboard too.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Angled keys

Angled keys

The keys are slightly angled and are well spaced between each other for easier text entry. The keys have a small bit of travel and could have been a bit deeper.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Center of the keyboard

Center of the keyboard

There are some other design elements in the center of the keyboard that add a bit of character to the device.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Standard miniUSB port

Standard miniUSB port

It was great to see Sony Ericsson use a standard miniUSB port for syncing and charging the X1.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Mono speaker opening

Mono speaker opening

There is only a single speaker on the X1, but it is quite loud. However, due to the placement it is also easy to cover the opening with your hand and block sound output.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Top of the device

Top of the device

The power button is quite flush with the device and is not accidentally pushed. I was very pleased to see SE also use a standard 3.5mm headset jack for headphones.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

3.2 megapixel camera and flash

3.2 megapixel camera and flash

The camera is found along the top of the back and you do have to make sure to keep your fingers out of the way of the lens. I was expecting more from the X1 in terms of photo quality and found it to be another that needs improvement.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Back of the X1

Back of the X1

The back is as sexy as the front of the X1 with the camera, steel back cover, XPERIA branding, and Sony Ericsson logo.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

SE logo and X1 branding

SE logo and X1 branding

These pieces add a nice touch to the product and are indicative of high quality.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Camera activation button

Camera activation button

The camera button is located towards the bottom of the right side.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Bottom of the X1

Bottom of the X1

There is a lanyard opening along the bottom. Here you can also see the natural curvature SE included as part of the keyboard design.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Open back and battery

Open back and battery

There is a 1500 mAh battery included with the SIM card slot under the battery. The microSD card slot can be accessed without removing the battery, but the back cover does need to be removed.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Three touch screen HTC products

Three touch screen HTC products

The T-Mobile G1, HTC Fuze, and Sony Ericsson X1 are all made by HTC for different branding. Each has a touch screen as well as a hardware keyboard.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Open keyboards on HTC products

Open keyboards on HTC products

Each keyboard is different with the G1 keyboard honestly probably being the most functional of all thanks to the Android OS capabilities for shortcuts.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Stacking HTC products

Stacking HTC products

Here you can see the top left view of the same three HTC products. The X1 is thinner than the Fuze, but about the same as the G1.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Top view of HTC devices

Top view of HTC devices

The curvature of the X1 is shown in this end shot.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Right side of the HTC devices

Right side of the HTC devices

The G1 is quite a bit longer with the “chin” than the other two HTC devices.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

XPERIA X1 in hand

XPERIA X1 in hand

The X1 has good width and feels great in your hand. It isn’t a shirt pocket type device and isn’t intended for that purpose.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Front hardware buttons

Front hardware buttons

The front hardware buttons on the X1 are a bit unusual and unique. There are left and right soft keys, send and end keys, X Panel and OK keys and an optical center directional pad.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Center directional pad

Center directional pad

The center pad is unique in that it has the capability for optical usage where you simply slide your finger across the directional pad. You can also simply press on the top, bottom, left, and right like a standard directional pad with the center serving to select items.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Right side butons

Right side butons

The OK button can also not be changed, but the right soft key can.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Area above the display

Area above the display

The front facing camera and light sensor are found above the display.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

X1 panels

X1 panels

Here you can see I have all nine panel slots filled with different panels.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

Facebook panel in action

Facebook panel in action

Your friends appear and tapping on their face/icon shows you their latest status update. You can also access the Facebook mobile application.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

3D fish panel

3D fish panel

Each fish means something different and you can tap on the display to have them react to your touch.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

SE media player panel

SE media player panel

This panel gets its styling directly from the Sony PSP and looks great.

Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

XPERIA X1 open keyboard

XPERIA X1 open keyboard

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Image Gallery: First thoughts on the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1a

XPERIA in hand

XPERIA in hand

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