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Nov. 4, 2009

Sony Ericsson says it has launched its first Android-based smartphone, the X-Peria X-10, a flagship phone in its new family of handsets coming to market sometine in the first half of 2010.

Sony's new smartphone should be available probably in February in some selected markets, while others might have to wait until March to get them.

The new X10 supports GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS HSPA 900/1700/2100 and UMTS HSPA 800/850/1900/2100 wireless technologies.

Sony's X-Peria X-10 comes with a 4 inch screen and an 8 megapixel camera. It uses version 1.6 of Google's Android OS and the Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1GH processor.

Sony Ericsson says its UX platform builds on top of the open OS and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface.

Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg added that the reaction from global wireless partners to the Xperia X10 has been "extremely positive and we will be rolling out across the world including Japan from the first half of next year."

So far, the company didn't show any significant signs of recovery in the 3rd quarter, when it reported a net loss of $244 million compared to a loss of $36 million a year ago.

A company spokesperson wasn't immediately available for comment when the phone will be made available in the U.S., however.

Sony Ericsson's market share in the third quarter 2009 was 4.9 percent, down from 8.4 percent in 2008, according to IDC.

Strategy Analytics also estimates that Sony Ericsson's third-quarter market share at 4.9 percent, just above Motorola's 4.7 percent.

It's interesting to see the number of market players that are now embracing the Android operating system for their mobile devices. Recent numbers have been growing.

Last week, Verizon Wireless said its new Droid smartphone will be offered at the end of November.

In its advertising, Verizon touts the Droid as the best smartphone yet, seemingly admitting that previous attempts didn't meet Verizon's minimum standards. Verizon hasn't had a real strong contender in the smartphone category to answer the iPhone.

Now the anticipation is mounting fast. Tomorrow, RIM (Research In Motion) is launching its BlackBerry Storm2. The first Storm touch-screen device from RIM was a big disappointment, although the upcoming Storm 2 is expected to solve a lot of software and other problems.

The Droid "white noise" in commercials and online is giving Droid maker Motorola a much-needed boost.

Visitors online who sign up for more information receive an e-mail saying: "You don't need a smartphone, you need a supergenius in your pocket. A phone that listens better than the person on the other end of the call."

There's actually a reference to the 10,000+ apps in the Android Marketplace: "Apps of every shape and size." The ad doesn't mention the 85,000 or so apps in Apple's popular App Store, though...

Historically, neither Verizon nor handset maker Motorola have specified a price or date for commercial availability.

The Droid site also touts the apps, the network, multitasking, hi-res, 5 megapixels, tunes, directions, speech recognition, video and the Android 2.0 OS among the features.

Verizon of late has focused on "there's a map for that" and the "iDon't" themes when it comes to Apple's iconic iPhone, available only with AT&T in the U.S.

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Source: Sony Ericsson.