It is a double sided bit of news, the Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro is finally coming out, but it seems like the Android smart phone will still be using the old 1.6 operating system.
We already knew that the X10 Mini Pro would be launching soon and it is about time that Sony finally confirmed that the handset is indeed heading to UK stores. If the initial estimates are correct, fans of the Android OS should expect to see the handset come out in the next few days –which means that network operators will also be adding the device to their tariff plans as well.
The big bonus of the X10 Mini Pro over the original X10 Mini is the addition of the slide out QWERTY keyboard. While the additional feature may not mean much for some smart phone users, it actually makes the handset much more suited to texting, writing long emails and other text heavy applications.
Users with big stubby fingers will appreciate the layout of Sony Ericsson’s physical keys; the buttons are evenly and widely spaced –which means that accidentally clicking the wrong buttons will not be so common. The responsive buttons also make the handset much more suitable for high speed typing.
As impressive as the keyboard may be, the OS is still quite lacking. While the Android 1.6 Donut is considered to be one of the best Android versions available, the newer 2.1 Éclair is already out, not to mention the fact that the Froyo is finally downloadable for many users with some devices awaiting special versions of the update to be available.
With the Éclair already set as a new standard and the Froyo version being released for many handsets, the X10 Mini Pro (as well as the XPERIA X10 and the X10 Mini) will be left behind in terms of OS performance.
