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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.

Sony Ericsson’s fans are keeping a very close ear on the ground as rumors and new updates about the recently leaked SE devices are starting to trickle down the news vine. According to the most recent announcement from Sony Ericsson, the previously leaked XPERIA Shakira handset is now going to be named as the XPERIA X8.

The move is considered by many as a natural direction for Sony Ericsson to take as the XPERIA X10 is a very high end Android smart phone. The device sports a high speed 1GHz CPU, a large 4 inch touch screen, an 8 mega pixel camera and of course, a very expensive price tag. The addition of the X8 to the XPERIA series gives users a slightly cheaper alternative to the X10 but without having to compromise so many features as they would with the X10 Mini handset.

It is believed that the X8 would have a capacitive touch screen that is about 3.3 inches diagonally, a 700-800MHz CPU and a 5 to 8 mega pixel camera. These specs would place the X8 right between the X10 and the X10 Mini, which fits the general assumption regarding the phone’s position as the missing link between the two X10 devices. In the meanwhile, fans are still waiting for an XPERIA X10 Pro which will add a QWERTY keyboard to the Android device (much like the X10 Mini Pro).

Speaking of physical QWERTY keyboards, it is reported that Sony Ericsson has two keyboard toting handsets coming out later this year. The first is an unmanned Android device that is reportedly going to have a 5.5 inch touch screen display and the other is the Sony Ericsson Julie –which is assumed to be a Windows Phone 7 handset. There have also been hints that the two devices may actually be one and the same.

The Sony Ericsson W150 TeaCake has been featured a lot recently after the device was revealed in a series of leaked images showing off the new handset from the Swedish Japanese joint venture.

According to initial rumors and speculative reports about the handset, the device is going to bring together the Sony Walkman technology with Google’s Android operating system (not that the Android does not have its own media/music playback capabilities, but having the Walkman technology certainly helps.

As exciting as that initial news may be, it seems that Android fans are in for a bit of a disappointment as new screens of the TeaCake’s user interface reveals little to no signs of the Android operating system. Not exactly the kind of news you would want to hear if the previous announcements have made you excite for the handset –but there it is. Of course, one cannot help but think, and hope that the Android mobile platform would still be used in the handset.

After all, the TeaCake is already featuring a phone form factor that closely resembles the X10 Mini and many even thought that the W150 is simply a Walkman-based version of the Mini itself. Should Sony Ericsson suddenly decide to come out and reveal the full details on this device and announce that it would indeed be running Google’s OS, they would be making plenty of fans happy.

While the TeaCake is currently off the ‘sure’ list of Android handsets, Sony Ericsson still has a couple of other devices that will be using the OS –the XPERIA Shakira is a definite shoo-in for the open source OS. The device is virtually the missing link between the XPERIA X10 and the X10 Mini. The X10 Mini Pro is due to be released soon –this handset is pretty much like the X10 Mini with a slide out QWERTY keyboard.

The new Mini Android smart phone from Sony Ericsson is now available through the Carphone Warehouse. It appears that there has been plenty of interest in this tiny mid range smart phone. Despite not having the high end hardware on the XPERIA X10 (which comes with a massive 4 inch capacitive touch screen, an 8 mega pixel camera and a Snapdragon 1GHz CPU), the X10 Mini is actually a pretty practical phone to have.

In fact, for those who are not too picky about their hardware –and are on a budget, the X10 Mini is the perfect solution to many smart phone needs.

In terms of hardware, the X10 Mini is a practical handset. The 2.5 inch capacitive touch screen is not as small as it may sound (compared to the significantly larger screen on the original device), and at close look, the display delivers a pretty solid Android experience for users. Even the phone’s interface comes with a stripped down version of the Timescape tool on the original XPERIA X10.

For now, the X10 Mini will be using the older Android 1.6 Donut operating system –just like the original handset. This probably means that when the larger handset gets an update, so might the mini version, and the original X10 is due to get an update on September (so anyone hoping for an update to the latest version might want to settle for another handset).

The device comes with a very small 128 MB of internal storage so users will certainly want to make use of the microSD card support –it will support up to 16GB cards and according to initial reports, a 2GB card will come packed with the handset.

A 5 mega pixel camera with autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging and 30FPS VGA video recording will be replacing the larger 8MP camera on the original X10.

Sony Ericsson’s Android handset is already out in the Far East and online retailer Play.com is offering the device ready for shipping, SIM free across the Globe. While this early offer might sound tempting, waiting for the device to get shipped over to the UK will certainly take a few days of waiting time (unless you go get an express mail courier service that will certainly bump up your bill) and in the end, you might as well wait for the phone to be offered by many UK based retailers or mobile network operators.

Anyway, the phone is priced at a hefty £540 so you might want to consider whether this is one Android phone that you would really want to invest in or not.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 was first announced last year under the name SE Rachael. The device was later confirmed to be an Android handset but failed to live up to the rumors and hype that it would be pack with the then upcoming Android 2.0. The phone was labeled as XPERIA X10 to signify its departure from the original series of the XPERIA devices (the X1 and X2 are WinMo phones).

The phone comes with a 1GHz Snapdragon processor which means that running Android applications and features will be fast and seamless and the 8 mega pixel camera ensures that you will get high resolution photos and high quality video recordings every time. The snapper also comes with LED flash, auto focus, Sony’s smile and face detection as well as geo-tagging.

New to the X10 is Sony Ericsson’s Timescape and Mediascape applications; Mediascape is a simple tool for organizing and browsing through the media content on your mobile phone. Timescape on the other hand, provides an easy to use comprehensive listing of your contacts and message archives.

Read more about the HK release of the XPERIA X10 at Know Your Mobile.

Sony Ericsson had quite the lineup of android mobile phones last month at the Mobile World Congress. The Japanese Swedish joint venture showed off a familiar handset and a couple of new ones that we certainly did not expect. All of the SE phones are expected to be on store shelves by mid 2010.

Vodafone UK and Orange Mobile UK have both confirmed that they will be offering the XPERIA X10 to their customers when the device launches next April. The phone is SE’s very first attempt at the Android platform and they have put in some pretty high end hardware to make the phone all the more enticing.

The 1GHz Snapdragon processor promises a fast and smooth phone operation with little to no slowdowns. The 4 inch capacitive touch screen delivers high quality images with its 480 x 854 pixels of resolution and the 8 mega pixel camera comes with LED flash, autofocus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection as well as WVGA video recording at 30FPS. Orange Mobile will be offering an exclusive white version of the phone.

The X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro are coming to online retailer eXpansys by May 24. No word yet if eXpansys will be getting an exclusive hold of the phones but so far, they are the only ones to confirm. Prices for the devices are as follows: £300 for the Mini and £340 for the Mini Pro.

The Mini and the Mini pro both share the same specs –Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHZ processors, 5 MP cameras and 2.55 inch capacitive touch screens. The Mini Pro comes with a physical slide out keyboard.

Aside from these phones, SE will also be releasing two Symbian devices –the Vivaz and the Vivaz Pro as well as a Greenheart WinMo device, the SE Aspen.

Get to know more about the white exclusive X10 on Orange at Softpedia.

O2 Mobile UK is the mobile network operator who got dibs on the XPERIA X10. Though no word has been given about any form of exclusivity to the company (which we believe is quite unlikely, given Sony Ericsson’s financial state, giving the device limited market access is not a good idea).

It is expected that the phone will be made available at about the same time as its expected launch this coming March. The phone will also be launching alongside the Sony Ericsson Vivaz (previously the SE Kurara) though O2 has not mentioned if they will also offer the Symbian 720p HD video phone to their customers

Speaking of Sony Ericsson’s financial state, the company lost over 800 million Euros last year. Despite having good sales during the holiday season, having devices such as the XPERIA X2 delayed certainly contributed to the low sales. This leaves SE with plenty to catch up with for this year. SE President Bert Nordberg is confident in the company’s 2010 line up; with the XPERIA X10 leading the charge, all focus is on the Snapdragon powered Android phone’s performance.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 is powered by a 1 GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon processor –the current industry standard for high end phones. The screen on the device is a capacitive TFT touch screen with a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels and a color display capacity of 65 thousand colors so expect to see high quality images on screen. The screen rotates thanks to the accelerometer and also comes with a proximity sensor.

As to be expected, the camera on the X10 is jam packed with features. The 8 mega pixel snapper comes with auto focus and LED flash. It also has touch focus, image stabilization, geo tagging (supports AGPS), and SE’s face and smile detection software.

Read the rest of the XPERIA X10 on O2 UK at the source.

Sony Ericsson is finally entering the Android Smartphone market. The Sony Ericsson Xperia 10 is the company’s first try at an Android handset. The phone’s specs are incredible and it looks like they are trying to make a big impression their first time around. I’m sure that if it is a success, the public will see more Sony Ericsson phones utilizing Android operation systems.

As stated above, the Xperia X10 is on the Android 1.6 operating system. It comes standard with a very impressive 8.1 megapixel camera that is loaded with great features. Individuals will be able to stabilize images and videos. The camera has auto-focus, LED flash, smile detection, facial recognition, geo-tagging support and digital zoom.

The phone’s memory capacity is already large at 1GB. Individuals can add a lot more, up to 16 GB, with the handsets microSDHC. The 135 g phone has the following dimensions, 63mm x 12mmx 119mm. The phone runs on the Quad-band GSM/GPRS? EDGE, tri-band UMTS with HSPA. It utilizes a 1500 mAh battery, has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and A-GPS. The Wi-Fi makes it possible for individuals to connect to the internet wirelessly. Wherever there is Wi-Fi, the phone will be able to access the internet. Bluetooth enables individuals to use their phones without their hands. In some states, it is require that individual use some sort of technology that allows them to use their phones without their hands. GPS will help drivers ensure that they get from one place to the next without getting loss.

The Xperia X10 has very robust features. It is Sony Ericsson’s first try at an Android OS smartphone. The company has done a great job designing it. It includes most of the specs that smartphone fans have come to expect and love. Most people will be able to purchase the Xperia 10 by the first quarter of 2010.

When it comes to mobile phones, its king of the hill, and nobody has taken hold of the Android hill better than the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and its’ 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Despite getting a little wobbly after the confirmation that it will be using Android 1.6 instead of version 2.0, the Sony Ericsson X10 still holds a very solid ground compared to its competitors.

At the moment, no other Android Smartphone has a stronger or faster processor than the X10. Though the Motorola DROID will also be released in the UK as the Motorola Milestone and it will be running Google’s Android 2.0 Éclair, this Arm Cortex powered device still lacks the hardware of the X10. The X10 also features a 4 inch HD capacitive screen, an eight mega pixel camera and all the functionality you would expect from a 3G smart phone.

The Android 1.6 Donut will be used as the main platform for the X10 though it has not been announced if this OS will be upgradeable to version 2.0 Éclair. With many Android fans hoping to see the new version and its performance on a 1 GHz processor, some interested folks have already diverted their attention towards the slower Milestone.  LG on the other hand has also announced that they too are working on an Android Snapdragon device though there is no word as to what version of the Android they will be using.

My personal wish list for an Android smart phone would be for it to have a slide out physical keyboard, a 4 inch HD capacitive screen with multi touch, a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor and a hybrid power source.  So far none of these devices come close, though a combination of the X10 and the Milestone would be interesting to see.