Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - The Full Xperience

Conclusion

The X Marks the Spot

Looking on the bright side, the X1 will be a multimedia powerhouse, especially so with its strong audio fidelity and not to mention the 3.5mm audio jack that will be the special treat that should keep music fans enthralled. Having a 3-inch VGA screen with 480 x 800 resolution definitely helps with the video playback, not to mention it's also much easier on the eyes. As we have been reiterating over the months, what makes or breaks a device nowadays is not its specification, but the user experience that comes with it. With the X1, they did hit the bull's-eye with the inclusion of the X-Panel and the customization that comes with it. This is on top of the myriad of panels that are now currently available on the Sony Ericsson site, and as mentioned earlier on, developers are already hard at work in providing better and more intuitive user interfaces for the interested consumer.

However, the X1's not all the sparkles that we hoped for. Sad to say, its QWERTY keyboard, which could have been the defining feature on the X1, became the downfall of this Windows Mobile device. The lack of a good tactile feedback, stiff keys and awkward positioning of pertinent keys such as its Start button will make your typing experience confounding and confusing. Whilst it's a known fact that Windows Mobile hasn't been the friendliest and speediest operating system in the market, it also contributes to the overall experience, which in turn affected the X1's performance, with the expected lag in its operation with heavier usage and multiple applications in the background.

It's interesting to note that with the full acquisition of the Symbian platform by Nokia, which in turn handed over ownership to the Symbian foundation to further the development of the Symbian operating system, Sony Ericsson's stake in the UIQ sector would be greatly affected with this change. More so than not, the X1's foray into the Windows Mobile genre would herald what's to come of the future development of Sony Ericsson devices. There have been reports about the pricing of the X1 that came up to a whopping 630 Euros (approximately S$1187), but the official price from the Sony Ericsson folks has been revealed to be S$1298, which pits itself head to head against the HTC Touch Pro's initial offering at S$50 more.

Through all the hype and hope of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1's imminent arrival, we've seen how Sony Ericsson's debutant Windows Mobile device managed to impress, and also dash some hopes. Ending off on this note, one must understand and realize that no one product can manage to satisfy every aspect, due to the differing demands of the consumers. As such, take stock of how we've disseminated the X1's performance (both the good, the bad and probably not the ugly), and from there onwards, it's time for you, our readers, to start the ball rolling with your decision making which will affect the future outcome of the Sony Ericsson lineup.