In particular, they’ve made the Yari a gaming phone – and not just any gaming phone, but one that thinks it’s a Nintendo Wii!

The question is though, is the gaming functionality of the Yari any good, and does the phone work as a phone?

In short, is the Yari a phone you’d want to buy?

Read our full Sony Ericsson Yari review to find out.

Sony Ericsson Yari overview

At first glance, the Yari is quite a looker, particularly in some of the more extreme colour variants you can buy it in. It’s a standard slider phone with a 2.4″ screen and slide out keypad. Although there’s no touchscreen (the Yari is not meant to be a smartphone), it’s by no means under-featured.

For example it’s got a 5 megapixel camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, 30 frames per second video camera, GPS and a gorgeous screen capable of displaying 16 million colours.

Every feature you’d want and each with the quality you’d expect from Sony Ericsson.

But the Yari has a little trick up its sleeve – or, to be more precise, at the top of its screen.

A true Sony Ericsson gaming phone

At the top of the screen on the Sony Ericsson Yari are two little buttons and an unusual looking sensor. The buttons are the dedicated gaming keys, which, when the Yari is turned on its side, let you control the movements of your character in the games that you play.

So it’s not just that Sony Ericsson are claiming the Yari is a gaming phone – it really is one, and has been designed as such from the start.

Better still, though, is the sensor – it’s a Nintendo Wii-like sensor that supports gesture control, letting you play a game just by waving your hand in front of it. That’s not all, though. As if playing games using your hand as a controller wasn’t enough, the Yari itself can be a complete controller, in a way similar to the Wii’s Wiimote.

Using the Yari’s accelerometer and camera, you can control your player by moving the phone itself.

Take tennis, for example. You position your player, and then swing the Yari as if it was a tennis racket. The Yari recognizes your movement by using the camera to detect how fast it’s been swung, which is an extremely inventive use of a phone’s camera.

If tennis doesn’t float your boat, don’t worry – there are over 200 available for download from Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow Arena store.

If you’re after a gaming phone, and want one with good quality features at a price that’s too good to miss, then go and buy the Sony Ericsson now – it’ll certainly keep you entertained.

What you’ll love about the Sony Ericsson Yari

The Yari isn’t all about gaming, though. You’ll also love the following features:

• Gesture-controlled gaming features let you play your games like a Wii
• Play your games in superb quality, thanks to the Yari’s 16 million colour screen
• Take great pics with a 5 megapixel camera with Sony Ericsson’s legendary camera technology, including autofocus, face detection, geo-taggin and image stabilizer
• Super-speedy downloads with 7.2Mbps HSDPA
• Navigate your way through the world with the Yari’s aGPS and WisePilot Sat-Nav software
• Cracking new MP3 player with innovative and distinctive graphics
• Take gloriously smooth videos at 30 framers per second
• Watch a world of videos thanks to the Yari’s YouTube application and super-speedy Internet connection
• Great new CoverFlow-like app lets you swiftly browse through your games to find the one you want
• A host of Java apps make the Yari a versatile multimedia machine, including Shake control for changing tunes, SensMe for automatically generating playlists based on mood, and a picture editor

The Yari is a nifty phone from Sony Ericsson. A nice range of quality features, the novelty of the gesture-based gaming experience and a great mid-range price all combine to make it a phone well worth considering.

Video reviews of the Sony Ericsson Yari

Here’s what other have to say about the Yari from around the Web

Is the Sony Ericsson Yari the right phone for you?

The Sony Ericsson Yari is a great phone if you’re looking for an inexpensive phone with a bit of novelty, lots of fun, something to stop you from being bored, and something to show off to your mates! Its gesture controlled gaming, YouTube app, speedy Internet access and crystal clear screen will ensure you never get bored, no matter where you are or what you’re doing.


It’s not going to compete with high-end feature phones – its camera, for example, although good quality, is only 5 megapixels with an ordinary flash – but then it’s a mid-range phone, and so isn’t designed to come with high-end features.

So, if you’re looking for a phone to ease the commute or to liven you up in a meeting, go buy a Yari now! It’s cheap enough to be your second phone, and fun enough to keep you entertained during moments of boredom.

And if you’re not convinced by the Yari’s Wii-like gaming credentials, you can even get a Nintendo Wii thrown in for free (or many other free gifts), so you can compare and contrast!

[Images courtesy of Pocket-Lint]

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What strikes me about these phones, though, is the way social media is now an expected feature of all new phones no matter what price range they’re at.

For example, both the Spiro and the Zylo each feature Facebook, Twitter and YouTube apps, plus the download speeds to really make the most of them (well, the Zylo does as it comes with HSPA – the Spiro only has EDGE).

The mobile Web is now permeating its way into every phone on the market, with Twitter and Facebook leading the charge.

That’s not the only good news – for budget phones, the Spiro and Zylo offer some great features that you’d usually find in more expensive models.

More details and a video of the Spiro and Zylo after the jump.

Sony Ericsson Spiro and Zylo overview

The Spyro (below) and Zylo (above) are two new slider-based Walkman phones from Sony Ericsson, with the Zylo being the more feature-rich and more expensive of the two.

Their feature list isn’t huge, but then they are budget phones, so you wouldn’t expect them to offer everything under the sun.

But with the combination of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube integration, plus the great Walkman media player, you can at least be assured that the pair will offer more than the average budget phone.

Better still, you can upload the pics that your take on the Spiro’s 2 megapixel camera or the Zylo’s 3.2 megapixel camera to Flickr or Picasa with a single click, and upload your videos to YouTube in just two clicks.

Throw in the highly respected NetFront Access Web browser, and you’ve got a great pair of mobile Web-enabled phones for a seriously low price.

Like the Sony Ericsson Elm that I reviewed yesterday, the Spiro and Zyro are not smartphones – not in any sense. But they do have the benefit of a nifty new user interface that’s clearly been inspired by smartphones, and the mobile Web widgets and integration all work seamlessly in a way that most smartphone users would recognize.

The Sony Ericsson Spiro and Zylo release date is Q3 2010.

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The Elm is part of Sony Ericsson’s new GreenHeart range of ecologically conscious green phones, which are part of the company’s push to be greener and more sustainable.

All well and good, of course, but in the mobile phone world, its features, apps and looks that matter, with price not exactly an unimportant factor. The question is, has Sony Ericsson compromised on any of these fronts in the name of greenness, or does the Elm have what it takes to take on the competition and win?

The answer might surprise you, as you’ll see after the jump in our Sony Ericsson Elm review.

Sony Ericsson Elm in more detail

Imagine a phone that has the top quality features that Sony Ericsson are renowned for all squashed into a great new design, and knowing that the phone has been developed to be as green as it possibly can be.

Imagine all that, then make the phone a mid-range phone with a great low price – that in a nutshell is what the Sony Ericsson Elm offers you.

The design of the Elm follows Sony Ericsson’s new human shape design, first seen in the Vivaz and the Xperia X10. Flat on the front with a lovely curve to it at the back, the Elm actually looks great and is really comfortable to use.

Its range of features is extensive, and beacuse its Sony Ericsson, each feature works better than on most other manufacturers’ phones. Its 5 megapixel camera, for example, is better than most competitors, while the sound it produces, either from its Wlakman-based MP3 player or when talking to people, is the best of nearly any phone on the market.

One thing’s for sure – Sony Ericsson haven’t compromised on the quality of the features of the Elm. Let’s see if they’ve compromised on the quantity.

Why you’ll love the Sony Ericsson Elm

Sony Ericsson are focusing on the green credentials of the Elm as its unique selling point, but they should instead be focusing on its range of great quality features for a ridiculously low price. Just check out the following:

• Take cracking pictures with the Elm’s 5 megapixel camera, which is one of the best on the market
• Never get lost with built-in GPS, Google Maps, and a full Sat-Nav application in the shape of WisePilot, which provides turn by turn voice-guided navigation
• Save your driving license with speed camera alerts
• Listen to music in superb crystal clear clarity with Sony Ericsson’s Walkman MP3 music player and the best audio of any phone
• Listen to music that matches your mood with Sony Ericsson’s SensMe app, which automatically generates playlists from your tunes according to the mood you want
• View your videos, either those you’ve taken with the Elm’s 30fps video camera, or direct from YouTube
• Super-fast Web browsing and video streaming, thanks to the Elm’s 7.2Mbps HSDPA and WiFi connections
• Organize your social life with the Elm’s built-in MySpace, Facebook and Twitter apps
• Choose from dozens of other applications, including Weather, CheckBook, and Tracker apps, which tracks your route as you jog or run
• Go green crazy with the most ecologically sound phone on the market
• Measure your carbon footprint with the Elm’s built in Green Calculator

As you can see, the Elm isn’t exactly short on features. Sony Ericsson have made a wise choice and decided on the features that matter most to people – music, video, camera, GPS, Web browsing and social apps – and then provided the Elm with first rate examples of each of those features.

The result is a phone that although has no downloadable apps, nevertheless comes with all the features you really need, each of which produces outstanding results.

In other words, despite its green credentials, the Elm certainly doesn’t compromise when it comes to features. So if you’re looking for a traditional phone with great features in a great looking design (and especially if you’re a greeny!) – all for a budget price – go buy the Sony Ericsson Elm now!

Speaking of its green features, just what is it that makes the Elm so green?

What’s so green about the Elm?

All mobile phones have to be green to some degree these days, but as part of Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart range, the Elm features a number of unique details that ensures it’s as ecologically friendly as it can be.

For example, the Elm uses recycled plastic, has no hazardous chemicals, uses a power charger that consmues less power, adn uses muich less packaging.

In fact, you’d be surprised just how little packaging the Elm uses, which does make you wonder why other phones need so much. Think of the difference between the new eco-Easter eggs with no packaging whatsoever, and the old style eggs with 30 feet of cardboard and you get the idea!

What you might not like

The Elm is a mid-range phone, and so despite its plethora of features, it’s had to cut a few corners to keep the costs down. Chief amongst these is the screen. It’s not a touchcsreen, so you have to see the Elm very much as a phone in the traditional sense: all keypads and cursor button. Equally, there are no apps to download, and the screen itself is quite small.

That said, the phone itself contains a lively animated user interface that’s extremely responsive, and it’s being sold as a phone – not a smartphone. So although there’s no touchscreen, browsing the Web is surprisingly easy thanks to a mouse pointer that you control with the phone’s cursor pad, and the great download speeds of the Elm (7.2mbps when using the mobile network, and much much faster with WiFi).

Equally, although you can’t download apps, there are enough apps built-in to more than meet your social media needs.

So yes, there are a few limitations – but combine the quality of the features such as the camera, GPS and music player with the remarkable price, and the Elm is lookinng mightily attractive.

Is the Sony Ericsson Elm the right phone for you?

Sony Ericsson have always made phones that are excellently equipped, and the Elm is no exception. Despite worries that its green credentials might mean it’s been compromised in certain areas, nothing could be further from the truth.

With best in class audio combined with the cracking Walkman media player, your tunes will sound terrific, while the camera and video camera both give terrific results.


Indeed, the only thing the Elm doesn’t have is smartphone credentials. You can’t download apps and there’s no touchscreen, but everything else you’d expect from a modern phone is here in spades.

Add to that the green credentials of the Elm and the truly remarkable price that Sony Ericsson are able to sell it at and you’ve got a phone that genuinely deserves consideration.

How remarkable is the price? Currently you can buy the Sony Ericsson Elm for free from just £15 a month, or you can buy it for slightly more with every free gift you can think of!

So if you’re green, or if you’re looking for a phone with great quality features at a bargain price – and you’re not too fussed about apps or touchscreens – then go buy the Sony Ericsson Elm now!

[Source: GSMArena]

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Yes, that’s right – demand for the X10 has proven so strong that nearly every network out there, including Three and Virgin Mobile, have signed it up and are now competing to offer it you for the best price.

The big question is, though – is the demand well placed? Is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 as good as we all want it to be (and as good as its features suggest it should be)?

Read our full Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 review to find out.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10′s Unique Features

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is the first Android phone released by the company, and has been designed to put Sony Ericsson back on the map as the best smartphone manufacturer on the market.

That’s a tall order, not least because as well as the iPhone, Palm Pre and Windows Mobile smartphones that are already out there, there’s also a never-ending array of existing Android devices from the likes of HTC and Motorola, each of which is also aiming to be the best smartphone on the market!

So how are Sony Ericsson hoping to compete? In two ways:

• Killer features – the Xperia X10 comes with the best range of features of any smartphone. Not only is the specification high (8 megapixel camera, qidescreen DVD quality video recording, 4″ screen, 1GHz processor, et.c, etc.!), but the quality of the features is also first rate
• Brand new user interface and social media apps – Sony Ericsson have taken the time to create their own software for Android, and have come up with Timescape and Mediascape – two apps that together provide a brand new user interface that collects all your social media info into one place, and makes your tunes, music, photos and videos accessible from one app, whether they’re on the phone or on the Web.

So, superb features and tight integration with the mobile Web. Sounds like a promising start!

Actually it is – if you’re looking for the best specified smartphone on the market, with camera and video features that are better than any other smartphone around, then stop reading and buy the Xperia X10 now – it’s that simple.

If you’re looking to see how the Xperia X10 compares to its rivals, though, then read on.

14 Things you’ll love about the Xperia X10

Sony Ericsson have put everything they’ve got into the Xperia X10, and have ended up making it one of the most well-specced – no, make that the most well-specced – Android phone on the market.

Just check out some of these features:

• the fastest mobile Web browsing of any phone around, with 10.2Mbps downloads (HSDPA) and 2mbps uploads (HSUPA) – that’s faster than most people’s home broadband connection!
• watch videos, browse the Web and browse through your pictures on the Xperia X10′s stunning 4″ capacitive touchscreen display with 16 million colours and a resolution of 854 x 480 – seriously, you couldn’t get a better looking display
• Take superb photos with the best in class 8 megapixel camera
• Fantastic widescreen video quality lets you shoot widescreen videos at 30fps that look like they’re shot from a camcorder
• Never lose your photos again – the Xperia X10 supports geo tagging and automatic face tagging
• See what your friends are doing across the Web all in one place, with the new Timescape social media interface
• Seamlessly browse your online and offline pics, videos and tunes from the same app – MediaScape – whether they’re stored on your phone or on Web sites like Picasa and YouTube
• Get access to related info wherever you are thanks to the X10′s contextual Infinity button
• run all your apps without even a hint of slowdown, thanks to the super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz CPU
• fantastic 3D games thanks to OpenGL graphics acceleration
• store your entire media library on the phone, with 1GB storage built-in, expandable to 32GB thanks to the standard microSD card slot. You even get an 8GB card bundled with the X10
• huge range of expandability potential, thanks to Sony Ericsson finally using standardized components – as well as microSD, there’s also a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, letting you use whatever headphones you want.
• don’t worry about running out of power – the X10 comes with a 1500mAh battery, which is bigger than most smartphones, and good for up to 10 hours of solid talking
• all the usual Android loveliness you’d expect – WiFi, aGPS, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, Gmail, Google calendar, search, Maps, etc., etc.!

That’s a long list of compelling features, and easily puts the Xperia X10 towards the top of the smartphone charts. Indeed, if there’s one thing that sets the X10 apart form its rivals, it’s the quality of its features. You don’t just get a large camera, for example, you get a large camera capable of taking pics as well as a dedicated camera phone.

The X10, then, is the real deal, with quality to match its features. So what else have Sony Ericsson added to the X10′s mix?

Cutting edge multimedia

Best in class 8 megapixel camera

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 sports a whopping 8 megapixel camera, which is by far the biggest of any smartphone currently sale. Better than that, though, the quality of the camera is also great. The 8 megapixel camera isn’t just a marketing gimmick – it’s a genuinely good camera that lets you take some cracking pics in all manner of different conditions.

There’s a range of different options that let you get the best from your pics as well. The X10 supports smile detection, image stabilization, face detection, macro mode, and will let you focus on objects just by touching the area of the screen where you want the camera to focus.

More impressively, the X10 has mutliple autofocus, enabling it to focus on more than one spot. This is a feature normally only found on dedicated digital cameras, and shows how serious Sony Ericsson are with the quality fo the X10′s features.

You can also geotag your photos, and even let the X10 automatically tag faces – not only does it come with face detection, it also supports face recognition, and if you’ve already tagged a face, it’ll apply the same tag whenever it recognizes the face in other photos. Brilliant!

Excellent widescreen video camera

Many mobile phones will claim they can shoot video at DVD quality, when what you actually get is a jittery pixellated image that’s hard to watch on the PC, let alone on the TV.

The X10 is different. Not only does record in widescreen, but its genuine 30 frames per second recording shows no jitter, no delay, just great looking video.

Again, the video recording of the X10 is the best you can get on any smartphone today. Just another example of the quality Sony Ericsson has built into the X10.

Superb new user interface

Sony Ericsson have taken Google’s Android mobile OS and given it a whole new user interface. Just like Motorola did with MotoBlur, and HTC with Sense UI, so Sony Ericsson have provided their own polish to Android in the form of Timescape and Mediascape, two new apps which collectively provide a whole new user experience.

Timescape – a social media aggregator

Sony Ericsson’s Timescape aggregates all the info from your friends and presents it to you in an attractive way with lots of flashy animations and nice transition effects.

And by info, I don’t just mean contact details such as phone number and email address. I mean phone calls, text messages, Twitter updates, Facebook statuses, new pics from Flickr or Picasa, tunes they’re listening to, videos they’ve uploaded – you name it, Timescape will show it!

Where it gets interesting, though, is what you can do with this info. Timescape presents the info as an animated timeline of tiles, with messages, photos, videos, status updates, tweets, even tunes played, all stacked together one on top of the other, with the most recent bit of info on top.

You can smoothly scroll down this stack, looking at each item as you go. You can filter the stack according to type of info – text messages, for example, or Facebook status updates, or just tweets, etc.

If that’s not enough, you can filter according to specific users, so you can see everything that they’ve shared recently. For example, you can see exactly what you girlfriend has been sharing with you, whether its texts, emails, tweets, photos, tunes – everything she’s choosen to share with you, or share with the world.

Timescape doesn’t just let you read other people’s updates – you can also write your own messages or status updates, or reply to other people’s, all from the same Timescape application. You can also interact with each bit of info in other ways. Press the tile and it’ll take you to that person’s profile, bringing in info from your contact book and Facebook, and seamlessly merging it all together.

It’s this integration between the phone and the social media world that makes Timescape and the X10 such a compelling phone. Sony Ericsson have really thought long and hard about how best to combine the two, and they’ve really succeeded.

The ability to filter your info according to both application (Tiwtter, Facebook, SMS, etc.) and person is brilliantly useful. Combine it with the animated polish Sony Ericsson have given Timescape, and the way in which a person’s info is compiled from across a whoel host of different sources, adn you’ve got a powerful social media app that’s up there with the best of them.

Timescape on its own might be reason enough for you to buy an Xperia X10! Indeed Sony Ericsson are so proud of Timescape, you can even choose to use it as a dedicated homescreen, replacing the existing Android homescreen that you can also use.

But we’ve not finished there – not by a long way!

Mediascape – integrating your phone’s media with the Web

In addition to Timescape, Sony Ericsson have also developed MediaScape, another neat app that pulls all of your media together in one place.

MediaScape is a music, photo and video gallery app that lets you select your media with some neat transitions and effects.

Where it gets a bit special, though, is the way it combines the media stores on your phone with media that’s stored on Web sites such as Flickr. If you give the X10 your Flickr, Picasa, or YouTube login details, for example, it’ll pull down all the images and videos you’ve uploaded, and let you see, at a glance, all the photos and videos you’re hosting on those sites in the same gallery where you phone’s photos and videos are stored.

In other words, yet more seamless integration between the X10 and the mobile Web.

Not one to miss a marketing trick, Sony Ericsson have also incorporated their online music store, PlayNow, into MediaScape. If you store your tunes on the X10, MediaScape will suggest similar tunes for you available to buy through Sony Ericsson’s PlayNow store.

The infinity button is also present within MediaScape. Select a tune, for example, press the infinity button and the X10 will go away and automatically search for everything related to that artist. Picture, tunes, videos – whatevr you want.

A nice touch.

To Infinity and Beyond!

Wherever you look in the X10′s user interface, you’ll find an infinity icon. This provides one-touch access to info related to the screen you’re looking at.

In the music screen on Mediascape, for example, pressing the infinity button when a track is playing will call up info on that artist, and let you see related tunes, pictures and videos, all with the swipe of a finger.

Just as usesful, when you’re in Timescape, you can press the Infinity button on an individual message and see all the info related to the person who sent the message. Again, it’s a huge amount of info that the X10 compiles – your entire phone log, text messages, photos, contact details – pretty much everything, and all aggregatd on the fly from across the Web and from your phone.

The X10 has done a superb job of integrating the Web and the mobile phone and making it easy for you to access it all as easily as possible.

Mobile Web browsing, Android and GPS on the Xperia X10

It should be noted that all of these features that I’ve covered so far are specific to Sony Ericsson – you won’t find them on any other Android phone.

But in addition to these features, you also get the same fabulous Android features that come built-in to Google’s marvellous mobile OS.

That means Google search, calendar, Maps and StreetView, full GMail integration, and more sensors than you can count! GPS is there, along with a digital compass, accelerometer, proximity sensor, plus WiFi, Bluetooth, microUSB and every other feature you’d expect a top-end smartphone to have.

You also get Android’s Web browser. Based on Web-kit, the browser is super-fast (particulalrly with a 1GHz processor powering it and 10.2 Mbps download speeds!), and the large 4″ screen makes sliding Web pages around and zooming inot and out of them a breeze.

There’s no multi-touch support, unfortunately, and it doesn’t support Flash, but you can still watch YouTube videos on an external application.

The current version of Android on the X10 is Android 1.6, but Android 2.1 and 2.2 will be available as a free download later in the year. That’s pretty exciting, as Android 2.1 is the same mobile OS used on the Nexus One., Google’s own Android phone.

Things you won’t like on the X10

The X10 has a few downsides, but they’re really quite minor. One is the flash. It’s only a LED flash, not a xenon one, so although it’s OK, you won’t get great pics in low light conditions. Audio quality is also not too great, although this won’t matter if you plug in headphones (and with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, you can choose whatever headphones you like).

Perhpas the most annoying aspect of the X10 is its lack of support for DivX and XVid video. This means you can’t watch video recorded in either of these formats, which is a little limiting given that many videos use it.

You can convert these format into other formats that the X10 does support, so it doen’s mean you can’t watch videos at all, but with such a great screen and great video playback quality, it does seem like a missed opportunity.

Video reviews of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

To get a feel for the Xperia X10 yourself, check out these video reviews.

Should you buy the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10?

So, the answer to the crucial question – should you buy the Xperia X10?

Yes!

And I’ll say that again – yes! Sony Ericsson have done a superb job with their first Android phone, mixing top-end high quality features, a superb new user interface that blends the best of the mobile phone with the Web, and the superb Android mobile OS, all into one beautiful looking device.

And once Android 2.1 and 2.2 are available for free download in a few months’ time, you’ll get an even better phone. Just imagine the Nexus One, throw in Timescape and Mediascape, then add the 8 megapixel camera, widescreen video camera, super-fast 10.2Mbps downloads and beautiful 4″ screen, all being driven by a 1GHz processor, and you’ve got the Xperia X10.


If you’re looking for a superb, highly responsive smartphone with the best features on the market, and a great new user interface, then look no further than the X10. In terms of features, it has no competition.

And if you’re not looking for all that – why have you lowered your expectations when you can get it all with the X10?!

The X10, then, is a welcome return to form for Sony Ericsson, and is strongly recommended.

And with the fight amongst the networks to offer you the best deal, you can buy the Xperia X10 now for less than you think, with some great free gifts thrown in.

[Pics: GSMArena]

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Why is this important? Because the X10 is one of the most anticipated new phones of 2010, and is a welcome return to form for Sony Ericsson.

The X10 is a new Android 2.1 phone with a brand new user interface developed by Sony Ericsson that integrates seamlessly with your social networks.

In addition, it comes with a plethora of stunning features, including 8 megapixel camera, 4″ screen, 1GHz Snapdragon processor and 1GB of storage.

If you’ve been itching to get your hands on the X10, then now’s the time – go preorder one now, and be the first to have it in your hands when it comes out next week.

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The Vivaz is one of the most eagerly awaited phones of 2010 – but you can ensure you’re the first to get your hands on it by preordering it with Vodafone.

Check out Vodafone’s tasty online-only deal after the jump.

Pre-order the Sony Ericsson Vivaz on Vodafone

Pre-order the Sony Ericsson Vivaz in Silver or, exclusively to Vodafone, a stunning Ruby Red and receive an extra 300 minutes FREE (only online)!

For such a superb new phone as the Vivaz, these are cracking deals. Check out a video review of the Vivaz if you’re wondering what the fuss is all about, then go buy yourself a Vivaz and make your friends drool!.

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We’ve already seen the Vivaz as it was announced a few weeks ago. The Vivaz is a superb Symbian-based touhcscreen phone with stunning mutlimedia features.

What the Vivaz Pro brings to the table is the addition of a physical QWERT Y keyboard. Think of it, then, as the final nail in the coffin for the much-maligned Nokia N97. In every respect the Vivaz is a better phone, and now with a better physical QWERTY keyboard, there’s no reason whatsoever to buy Nokia’s offering.

But back to the Vivaz Pro – is it any good?

Well, the short answer is – yes! The Vivaz itself is a superb new multimedia phone from Sony Ericsson that features an 8 megapxiel camera and 720p HD video player/camcorder.

The specs don’t do the features on this phone justice, though – it’s not just a 720p HD video player/camcorder, it’s an excpetionall good quality 720p HD video camcorder.

The same goes for the 8 megapixel camera – the photos taken by the Vivaz are superb, making it one of the best imaging phones on the market today.

Throw in a physical QWERTY keyboard and you’ve turned an excellent multimedia and imaging phone into a superb smartphone that’s perfect for home and the office.

Impressively, the addition of a QWERTY keyboard has only added 2mm the thickness of the original Vivaz.

Nice move Sony Ericsson!

Check out the video below to see for yourself the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro in action.

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What we weren’t expecting, though, is the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro, a tiny Android smartphone with a name that’s longer the phone and a physical QWERTY keyboard – you know, for pros!

Is the Xperia X10 Mini (and the Pro) any good though?

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini overview

The Xperia X10 is a glorious-looking Android phone with a user interface to die for. In fact, currently it’s the most drool-worthy of all the Android phones that are on their way in the next couple of months.

The Xperia X10 Mini is a cut-down version of the X10 with a much smaller form factor, but the same user interface (albeit squished onto a smaller screen). Some of the X10′s features have also not made it to the Mini – the X10 will come packed with an 8 megapixel camera, for example – but Sony Ericssoin reckon the smaller size will make up for that for people who prefer small phones to feature phones.

What the X10 Mini Pro brings to the party is a new physical QWERTY keyboard, for people who prefer a smaller smartphone, but hate the thought of using virtual keyboards.

Hmmm, people like me then!

Xperia X10 Mini and Pro features

Despite being the little brothers of the Xperia X10, the X10 Mini and Mini Pro are not exactly underequipped. Just check out this list of features:

• 5 megapixel autofocus camera with GeoTagging
• Video recording
• 600MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 CPU
• WebKit Web browser
• Sony Ericsson Timescape software, which seamlessly integrates all your social media activity into one rich app
• Email
• Microsoft exchange ActiveSync
• Full set of Google Apps (GMail, Maps with StreetView, Voice Search, Android Market, etc.)
• aGPS
• YouTube
• 16 million colour 2.55″ screen
• Android OS 1.6
• 2GB microSD card included (with support for 16GB microSD card)

All that in a phone that’s just 83x50x16mm in size (for the X10 Mini) and weighing only 88 grams.

First thoughts on the Xperia X10 Mini

When I first heard about the Xperia X10 mini, I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The Xperia X10 looks like it’s going to be a killer Android phone, so why make a cut down version with the same name?

When you see it in use, though, as you can in the videos below, it looks instantly appealing – particularly, I’m guessing, to women and people who haven’t yet bought into the smartphone concept because of the size of the phones.

It wasn’t that long ago that a phone’s size (or rather, it’s lack of size) was one of its features. Smartphones changed all that, though, but I’ve lost count of the amount of people who say they don’t want a smartphone simply because of its size.

Once they use a smartphone daily, though, their lives are transformed in the same way that daily use of a mobiel phone transforms your life.

With Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro, Sony Ericsson might just have tapped into that market with a seriously cool proposition – a fantastic smartphone with a great new user interface, a super-cute body, and the kind of size that everyone can feel comfortable with.

I have a feeling Sony Ericsson will be selling X10 Minis and Mini Pros by the bucket load!

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini and Mini Pro release date is scheduled for Q2 2010.

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Not only does it look the part, but it comes with a range of features that make it perfect for business.

Find out why after the jump.

Sony Ericsson Aspen overview

The first thing you notice about the Sony Ericsson Aspen is just how good it looks. Sony Ericsson’s design team has either gone back to school or else the old team has been fired and a new team has been recruited to fill their shoes – whatever happened, the new 2010 range of Sony Ericsson phones that we’ve seen so far all look fantastic.

So the Aspen clearly has the looks to make it stand out from other QWERTY-based phones. What else has it got under its sleeve?

The Aspen’s Features

As well as the small-scale QWERTY keyboard, the Aspen is also touchscreen, giving you the best of both worlds. Although Apple are obviously proponents of the virtual keyboard, for business use you can’t beat QWERTY.

If you need to bash out an email on the go or rely on Instant Messaging for communication, a virtual keyboard simply won’t cut it. The Aspen’s physical keyboard will let you get the job done much more efficiently.

That said, there are many times when a touchscreen is invaluable, particularly when browsing the Web or viewing maps. Again, the Aspen has you covered, as it’s (admittedly small) 2.4″ screen is a full touchscreen interface.

So in a way, you get the best of both worlds – full QWERTY keyboard and a touchscreen interface.

Indeed, this best of both worlds philosophy runs right through the Aspen. It’s primarily a business phone, but with its range of multimedia features, it’s also a high-functioning feature phone as well.

Multimedia Features

Although designed primarily a busioness-oriented phone focusing on messaging in all its forms, Sony Ericsson have endowed the Aspen with the following multimedia features:

• 3.2 megapixel camera
• Media browser for accessing photos, music and videos
• Windows Live Messenger and Facebook apps
• Sony Ericsson media player
• PlayNow app
• Windows Media Player Mobile
• 3D Games
• Skype
• YouTube app
• Video streaming and viewing
• FM radio
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 4GB MicroSD card

In short, apart form video recording, there’s prettt much everything you need to keep yourself entertained.

The user interface is pretty slick as well. Although the Aspen uses Windows Mobile 6.5.3, it’s got some shiny features built on top of it by Sony Ericsson which provides a much slicker experience.

It’s not as good as the latest superphones from the likes of Apple, HTC and Google – but then it’s not meant to be. It’s a high functioning business phone that’s taking aim directly at Nokia’s E72 and Blackberry, and it hits its target very well indeed.

Business features

As well as the multimedia features, the Aspen also comes with the following business-oriented features:

• aGPS
• Google Maps and Lattitude
• Adobe PDF Reader
• Microsoft Office
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Microsofot Exchange ActiveSync
• GMail
• Instant Messaging
• Internet Explorer Mobile (complete with Pan and zoom)
• Google Search

In other words, if you’re looking for the ultimate business phone that’ll sync with pretty much anything your company uses, the Aspen’s got you covered.

Throw in superb connectivity, including quad-band GSM, high-speed data transfers via HSPA, EDGE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and the Sony Ericsson Aspen is a serious contender as a full featured business phone with the chops to take on any business-oriented task you care to throw at it.

Oh, and if you’re a bit, you know – green – then don’t worry, the Aspen’s got your back there, too. It’s part of Sony Ericsson’s Green Heart range, meaning it’s full of trees, or something!

Conclusion

The Sony Ericsson Aspen fills an interesting niche in the mobile phone world. It’s a pure business phone with multimedia and social networking features.

As such, it can’t take on the iPhone or Nexus One, but then that’s not the point. It’s designed to enable you to work more efficiently, to be always connected and always get your message across whatever way you choose to use (hell, you can even call people up and speak to them!)

Its multimedia features, touchscreen, aGPS and mobile web browsing aren’t just fancy add-ons for the sake of it – theyr’e increasinly becoming a part of the every day office tools we need to do our business.

If you’re after a business phone, and want something other than the ubiquitous Blackberry, that combines the best of the superphones with business-phone practicality – and that happens to look superb – then the Sony Ericsson Aspen could well be the phone for you.

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And just like the Satio, the Vivaz offers some truly stunning features. Sony Ericsson haven’t been half-hearted with their new baby – they’ve given it everything they’ve got!

Check out the features, plus a video of the Vivaz, after the jump.

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Overview

Just like the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD, which ironically I reviewed just a few minutes ago, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz focuses on providing the best video experience you can get from a mobile phone (hmmm, maybe I’d better update that Omnia HD review!).

To that end, it comes equipped with an 8 megapixel camera, a video camera capable of recording at 720p HD, and a host of other mouth-watering features.

Like what, you ask, excitedly? Like these:

Sony Ericsson Vivaz Specification

• 3.2″ screen with 16 million colours
• 720MHz processor
• Touchscreen
• Walkman music software
• CyberShot video and camera software
• 8 megapixel autofocus camera
• 720p HD continuous auto-focus video camera
• Wi-Fi
• GPS
• HSDPA
• 3.5mm audio jack
• standard microSD card and standard microUSB jack
• 8GB microSD card included

First impressions of the Sony Ericsson Vivaz

There are many many things to like about the Vivaz. Firstly, its looks – it’s absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. We should see more Sony Ericsson phones looking like this throughout 2010, as it’s part of a brand new look for the company’s phones (and not before time, too – their previous phones left a lot to be desired).

The features, obviously, are pretty fine, as you’d expect from a high-end Sony Ericsson phone. 720p HD video recording is still rare in mobile phones, and it’s nice to see Sony Ericsson join the frey, as you can bet the quality of the videos taken with the Vivaz will be amongst the best on the market.

The software, too, is looking pretty tasty. Finally, Sony Ericsson are bundling both Walkman and CyberShot software in the same phone, giving music fans and video fans something to rejoice in.

And then there’s the amount of times we hear the word “standard” in the specifications – from standard headphone jack to standard microUSB slot to standard microSD slot, you’re free to use whatever – non-Sony – add-on you want.

This is such a welcome change from Sony Ericsson, as nearly all of their phones in the past required proprietary add-ons available only from Sony, which generally were expensive and hugely restrictive.

It’s nice to see they’ve finally realised the world is much more open these days!

We’ll be seeing more of the excellent-looking Sony Ericsson Vivaz at MWC 2010 in a few weeks time. It looks like the feature phones are about to strike back from the encroaching Superphones!

If you want to see more details of the Vivaz (of course you do!), check out the video below:

[Source: GSMArena]

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