Backstage Passes

Was invited to a Sony Ericsson’s Backstage blogger session, it is my first time attending a Sony Ericsson event! We are introduce to the company (Sony) tag line which is “make.believe”. The “dot” in the “make.believe” is important because it separates “make believe” from “make” and “believe”.

After the introduction we are introduce to 5 phones. Xperia X10, Xperia X10 Mini, Xperia X10 Mini Pro, Vivaz and Vivaz Pro. The Xperia X10 family is running on Android 2.1 while the Vivaz family is running on Symbian OS S60 v5.

They put in quite a lot of effort in skinning both the Android and Symbian OS to give it it’s own identity and to represent Sony Ericsson. There are quite a number of custom application running on the Android like the Timescape which gives you all the information regarding a particular contact like his tweets, messages, call log, etc. Mediascape on the other hand is used to manage all media related files on the phone.

Xperia X10

X10 Presentation

My favorite phone of the 5! It is already out in the market. Featuring a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 1GB in-built storage and 384MB of RAM. Featuring a 4″ screen and 8MP camera with LED flash!

Official Page: Xperia X10

Xperia X10 Mini
Xperia 10 Mini is a much smaller version of the Xperia 10 and I am very surprised by the size. It is just the size of my palm! Probably the smallest phone in the market when it is launched weighing only just 88g!

Xperia X10 Mini is about 1/2 the size of the X10 with a 2.55″ screen packed with a Qualcomm 600MHz processor, 128MB of memory, 5MP camera with LED flash.

The complain I have for the X10 Mini/Mini Pro is that the screen doesn’t look sharp despite having a 16.7 million color screen and it doesn’t support multi-touch because it is meant to be operated using one hand.

Xperia X10 Mini will be launching in June 2010.

Official Site: Xperia X10 Mini

Xperia X10 Mini Pro

X10 Mini Pro

Xperia X10 Mini Pro is the Xperia X10 Mini with a QWERTY keyboard and because of the keyboard, it is slightly thicker and heavier (88g vs 120g). Besides that everything in terms of hardware is the same.

Xperia X10 Mini Pro will be launching in July 2010.

Official Site: Xperia X10 Mini Pro

Vivaz
Vivaz is already out in the market, Vivaz is being marketed as a phone that is capable of recording HD video (720p). Featuring a 3.2″ screen powered by PowerVR SGX graphics (720 MHz) with 75mb of memory and a 8MP camera with LED flash.

Official Site: Vivaz

Vivaz Pro
Vivaz Pro is essentially a Vivaz with a QWERTY keyboard, of course similar to the X10 Mini with the X10 Mini Pro. The Vivaz Pro weights 117g while the Vivaz weights 97g.

Vivaz Pro will be launching in June 2010.

Official Site: Vivaz Pro

Sorry for the late news, but when I was in Hong Kong, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 was launched in Singapore and SingTel customers are the first one to get it. I hope they will bring in iPad next =D

The RRP for the Xperia X10 is SGD$1,088 (without contract).

Press Shots

Sony Ericsson will launch the XPERIA X10 to SingTel customers on Saturday, April 3, 2010. The breakthrough device is the first phone in Sony Ericsson’s family of phones to feature an Android-based platform, delivering a consistent user experience where communication truly becomes entertainment. Building on Sony Ericsson’s entertainment heritage and combining rich graphics with intelligence capabilities, the XPERIA X10 introduces a new UX platform that will evolve across the product portfolio and expand over time continuously introducing new features and capabilities.

The Android-based UX platform builds on top of the Open Operating System and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, unrivalled integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. The XPERIA X10 is the first mobile phone to truly “humanise” the way people interact with their phones.

For SingTel customers, the XPERIA X10 will be preloaded with exclusive SingTel services such as MobileTV where customers can watch LIVE TV on the move – from prime time drama series on Channel 8, Cantonese movies on Mei Ah Movies Channel and UEFA matches on Football Frenzy. Customers will also enjoy TrafficLIVe, an intelligent traffic planning guide, allowing them to plan their trip with the fastest or cheapest routes and receive alerts on real-time traffic conditions. Customers on 3G Flexi Plans will be able to enjoy both services free for two months.

For the first time, SingTel’s award-winning music service, AMPed is available on an Android device. XPERIA X10 users can enjoy free unlimited music downloads and exclusive music content. This marks another key milestone for the music service since its launch a year ago, following its recent win as “Best Mobile Music Service” at GSMA Asia Awards 2009.

Ong Chim Peng, General Manager, Singapore, Sony Ericsson said: “The XPERIA X10 fully illustrates our commitment to an open and multi-platform strategy that maximises choice for the consumer and delivers the best possible user experience. With the X10, we are building upon our heritage of offering entertainment-rich phones like Aino and Satio and then raising the bar further.

With Sony Ericsson’s signature Timescape and Mediascape applications, the X10 makes communication even more fun and playful and guides our users to discover new experiences and even more opportunities to connect.”

Shane Da Silva, Vice President, Consumer Sales, SingTel said: “SingTel continues to lead and shape the multimedia space by integrating our customers communication, social media and entertainment needs effortlessly in one screen. The XPERIA X10’s powerful Android-based UX platform complements SingTel’s suite of unique services like MobileTV and TrafficLIVE perfectly, offering endless possibilities for customers’ mobile lifestyles. For the first time, AMPed, the award-winning music service is available on an Android device, expanding our AMPed-enabled portfolio of devices and providing our customers with greater choices.”

Introducing signature applications like Mediascape and Timescape, the XPERIA X10 lets users organise everything in their phone in an intuitive way:

• Sony Ericsson Timescape enables users to manage all their communication in one place. Browse through conversations from Facebook and Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go
• Sony Ericsson Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos users want from their favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere – mobile phone, YouTube, PlayNow mobile application – and presents everything for them easily.

Intelligence capabilities, integrated into Mediascape and Timescape, can automatically recognize connections between contacts, content and media. By recommending alternative ways to communicate or guiding to new media experiences, consumers can discover more in a truly open way. For example:

• Pressing the new “infinite button” guides users through the connected world, aggregating all their interactions with one person into one view
• Intelligent face recognition features recognise up to five faces in any picture, automatically connecting them with a user’s social phonebook and all other related communications with that person.
  Sony Ericsson’s open approach gives customers maximum choice and with the XPERIA X10, users can download any application that they want direct from a wide variety of stores including PlayNow and the Android Market, co-creating an experience that is entirely unique to them.

The XPERIA X10 supports GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS HSPA 800/1900/2100.

Pricing and availability details:
SingTel customers will be among the first to own the XPERIA X10 from April 3, Saturday 2010 from S$388, on a 2-year 3G Flexi AMPed plan. Customers can enjoy free incoming calls, up to 100 minutes of outgoing talktime and 12GB of free local data, with data capped at S$30 per month. Bundled for free is the AMPed music service, singtelamped.com where customers get unlimited song downloads and latest entertainment news at no data charges, exclusive content and music showcase invites.

Customers on SingTel’s other free incoming calls plans (excluding 3G Flexi plans) who sign up for SingTel AMPed will enjoy an additional $50 discount. The recommended retail price is S$1,088 without contract.

The phones are available in the attractive colours, Sensuous Black and Luster White.

To purchase XPERIA X10, visit any SingTel retail store or SingTel Exclusive Retailers, and SingTel’s online store, www.singtelshop.com

The XPERIA X10 is also available at Sony Ericsson concept stores and Sony Style at a recommended retail price of S$1,088 without contract.

Log on to The Sony Ericsson Product Blog for more information: http://blogs.sonyericsson.com/products

Press Release: Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 introduces an open and integrated world of social media, communication and entertainment