Sony Ericsson debuts first Android phone

The decision to embrace Android could be a move in the right direction after the joint venture posted disappointing Q3 financial figures and a steep drop in global handset sales.

"This is the product that we have been waiting for from Sony Ericsson that brings together the expertise they have acquired on imaging and music/content and adds the new focus of social networking on a smartphone platform," Carolina Milanesi, Research Director at Gartner told TelecomTV.

According to Sony Ericsson, the Android phone will be its flagship product when it comes to market during the first half of 2010. Similar to Acer's new 'Liquid,' the Xperia X10 will also run on Android Donut, version 1.6 and on the super-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

The 4.1 touchscreen device features a new user experience platform built on top of the open OS. Sony Ericsson has added Timescape and Mediascape applications which according to the firm organises everything in the phone in an intuitive way. The X10 will include all the usual Google apps including Calendar, Gmail, Maps, YouTube, amongst others.

"With the X10, we are raising the bar we have set ourselves with entertainment-rich phones like Aino and Satio by making communication more fun and playful, multiplying and enriching opportunities to connect," said Rikko Sakaguchi, EVP and Chief Creation Officer, Sony Ericsson.

The X10 will come equipped with a 3.55 mm audio jack - a nice change from its propriety headphones that ship with all of its other devices. The phone features a 8.1 megapixel auto focus zoom, with intelligent face recognition features andgeo tagging functionality. It includes Bluetooth stereo, GPS, and Wi-Fi.

Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson said, "The reaction from our global operator 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 2010."

"It is a shame that the X10 will not be in the shops in time for Christmas, one needs to look at the whole portfolio and it is easy to see how this product would have negatively impacted on the potential sales for Satio," Milanesi added.