 Sony Ericsson Experia X10
Theo Boshoff
Sleek and sexy
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is the company’s first Android phone and is one of the sexiest phones on the market today.The simple, no-fuss, curvy form factor makes the X10 a phone to drool over in terms of design aesthetics, but it also does not disappoint when it comes to features and capability.
After the sexy design, the next thing that grabs the attention is the phone’s big touchscreen. It’s bright and capable of 16 million colour representation, but, alas, does not feature multi-touch capabilities, due to hardware restrictions. Despite this, the screen is great to use as an input device and is responsive to the touch as a result of the Snapdragon chipset. The screen contrast is fantastic and remains crystal-clear when used outside in bright sunlight.
The X10 features an eight-megapixel camera with an LED flash. It takes good pictures in ample lighting conditions, but when in darker surrounds, the tiny LED flash struggles to cope. Only very close-up shots in low light are possible. The camera can take pics of up to 3 264 x 2 448 pixel resolution and its interface is Sony Ericsson’s own design - reminiscent of the Cybershot – with functions such as geo-tagging, image stabilisation, a self-timer and adjustable smile detection.
 As with most smartphones today, the X10 is capable of taking video content in Wvga resolution up to 30 frames per second (fps).
Web browsing is snappy, and the 3G connection is wonderful for any communication and internet needs, as is the WiFi capability. The easy integration with social networking services is a great addition.
The Timescape and Mediascape user interfaces (UIs), which are actually more media interfaces, are great with the X10. They are easy to navigate and give a fresh appeal to the phone.
The fast processor also makes operating the phone pleasurable as it makes switching between applications a breeze, without compromising on speed and functionality.
One thing we didn’t like much is the fact that the microSD card slot is not hot-swappable, as it is located under the battery and means you have to remove the battery and switch on the phone every time you want to use another microSD card. |
