Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia - experience a whole new world

Enter a world of new experiences with the fantastic Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia.

Sony Ericsson - rewriting the rulebook

Before we actually take a look at the X1, it's worth considering a bit of context, t see why this uber-phone from Sony Ericsson is going to set the world alight... and more importantly, to see where it came from, and what heritage it has to live up to! It's fair to say that there's a lot of interest in the new X1; it's just one of those mobile phones that's caught the public's attention. The big thing, the thing that really caught people off guard when it was announced, is the fact that the X1 is actually Sony Ericsson's first foray into the world of Windows Mobile.

Now, you may ask why that's important, and why they've chosen to do it. The simple answer, if you want to break it down, is that by using Windows Mobile, it gives Sony Ericsson an opening to get into 2 very important markets: 1) business users, who like Windows Mobile for its compatibility with their PC, and 2) America. Yep, that's right, America. The good old US of A. Y'see, the thing that really characterises the American marketplace is that the range of mobile phones available over there is... well... rubbish. I checked that on some of the big networks' websites, people like AT&T and Verizon. And it is, unfortunately, true. Which possibly explains why the iPhone sold so well over there, and sold in much lower numbers over here in the UK.

Coming to America - the Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia takes Manhattan (kind of)

That's the problem with the US mobile phone market. It's dominated by things like the Motorola RAZR, low power phones that don't do a great deal. All of that is partly down to apathy, and partly down to the fact the big networks over there want people to stay in long, long contracts, with cheapo mobile phones. And apart from the iPhone, the only advanced operating system that's widely available in the USA is Windows Mobile. Symbian, for example, is severely under-represented, which is why Sony Ericsson have got into bed with Windows Mobile for the X1.

Provide a top-end phone (not one of these low-end, boring mobile phones), that will do similar things to the iPhone, and power it with an operating system people know, and you have a sure-fire hit. Simple, see? That's why the X1 is powered by Windows Mobile; Sony Ericsson knew they'd have a better chance of cracking the American market if they did. Of course, if the device also lets them target customers over here in the 'rest of the world', then so much the better. And if you want to compare mobile phones, think of something like the Motorola RAZR (representing America), then think of the HTC TyTN (representing the UK). Now chuck the Sony Ericsson X1 against both of them. It'll win...