“The Xperia X1 from Sony Ericsson resembles Apple Inc.’s iPhone, and that’s not a coincidence. The Xperia X1, introduced at the Mobile World Congress, is Sony Ericsson’s entry into the mobile-phone multimedia arena and is based on Windows Mobile. But its initial display looks more like Apple’s iPhone than Windows Mobile,” Richard Koman reports for NewsFactor.
“Sony Ericsson has launched a shot across Apple’s bow with its Experia X1 multimedia cell phone. Announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the X1 features a three-inch VGA touch screen, an arc slider and a full keyboard. It supports the fast 3G networks HSDPA/HSUPA, as well as slower EDGE and GSM networks, and it supports WiFi. The X1 weighs 5.1 oz,” Koman reports. “The phone is Sony Ericsson’s first Windows Mobile phone and will be available in the second half of the year.”
MacDailyNews Take: In other words, Sony Ericsson’s fake iPhone will debut after Apple’s 3G iPhone. From that perspective, ’tis not much of a “shot across Apple’s bow,” now is it?
Koman continues, “At first glance, the X1 looks remarkably like the iPhone, with a flashy nine-panel interface that lets users choose the programs and Web pages it displays. Past the initial screen, however, the interface is pure Windows Mobile. That makes the interface both familiar to American users and not as innovative as the iPhone’s.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “JadisOne” for the heads up.]
As “JadisOne” wrote to us when sending the link, “The iPhone is doing something right, everyone compares their product to it.”
Furthermore, the only time the word “pure” should ever be used in describing Windows Mobile is when placed immediately in front of the word “garbage.”
Thats why you will never ever see an ad like the ones Apple does for the iPhone and Touch. Instead you get the flashy glitz, the word touch on the ad and more flashy crap. If they showed the real thing, people can see that is just crap with some nice icing on top to fool the public.
OMG, a full keyboard. Sorry, not worth making it 40% thicker than the iPhone.
Other features seem nice – GPS, etc.
Industry and analysts seem to think that the virtual keyboard is a problem. I do not think that users share that feeling.
My daughter’s GPS still wants to route her over where the 35W bridge was until last August 1. My Touch knows it fell down!
Sent from my Touch with no real keyboard!
So where’s a photo?
No, MDN has to use up that article space with yet another ad. please replace that iPhone ad with a photo of the subject of this article.
Windows Mobile? Yeah. Ok. I know Zune Tang is looking forward to that.
iPhone FTW
Quite a brick. Why do they show the side view? That’s not good marketing. Even the half with the keyboard looks thicker than an iPhone. And Windows Mobile? How quaint…
love my iPhone, but XPERIA is hot period….downfall could be Windows Mobile…because in my past xperience WM is a crashfest.
if they put Android on that thing I could get interested
So… Windows Mobile with an intro screen… Stunning.
Sony, what happened to you?
Here’s a link to the Xperia X1. That thing’s a loser before it even gets off the ground.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/10/sonyericsson-xperia-x1-qwerty-with-windows-mobile/
Um, sorry but whoever thinks that actually resembles the iPhone should be drug out into the street and shot.
If I had a few of these, I could build a new home. Nice brick guys.
Nope…the X1 is an iPhone knockoff.
Jim is right. Who could confuse the two?
That is one fugly brick, nothing like my beaut iPhone. Plus it’s infected, yuuuuuuuuk.
It’ll be here, WHEN?!?
Tend to agree–lipstick on a pig.
The opening screen may look pretty, sure. But as soon as you say, “Hey, I want to check out a webpage!” you end up back in ugly Windows Mobile.
“In other words, Sony Ericsson’s fake iPhone will debut after Apple’s 3G iPhone.”
Nothing else really needs to be said.
Just like the HTC Touch, they try to put on a touchy, slick cover interface on the main screen hoping to lure people away from iPhone… but underneath it all, its just plain vanilla Windows Mobile underneath…
Kinda reminds of what Bertrand was saying about Windows Vista when he went on stage one time…. (cant remember if it was MacWorld or WWDC), that underneath all the gloss, its still the same old Windows.
Sony. ALL Baloney.
I know that mindless morons like “@Tired of Retards” will probably rip me a new one for this, but the Xperia looks like a great phone. It has many of the features that the iPhone is missing.
I for one am happy that the iPhone has raised the bar and forced manufacturers to up their game instead of giving us the crappy little phones we’re accustomed to.
Between the Xperia X1 and the Garmin phone, things are looking exciting in the mobile device space. We should thank Apple for that.
The iPhone has one primary advantage over competitors and that’s the beautiful user interface. Hopefully Apple will continue to work to bring functionality up to par with form.
> The iPhone has one primary advantage over competitors and that’s the beautiful user interface.
One? How about the iPhone having a REAL browser? And visual voicemail? And OS X under the hood? …
Some of the poster under the engadget article say “they’d be happy to pay $800 for it”. Seems like it was just 7 months ago that people were ridiculing Apple for having the gall to charge $500 for the iPhone. We’ll have to wait another 7 months to see what this Sony phone actually sells for.
That thing is fusking ugly. Are you kidding me. Is that the best they can do. Let’s just cram all the feature we can come up with in a phone and give the design department 2 days to figure out what it should look like.
Sorry Sony Ericsson, simple does it.
After getting my iPhone on launch day in the UK I can say that in all the time I have used the iPhone not once have I EVER thought “I wish this phone had a keyboard”.
That to me sums up how fantastic Apple’s OS and touch screen is – and i’m a 40yr old married guy who has owned countless mobile phones in the past.
Just goes to show – you can teach old dogs new tricks.
Thanks Apple for the easiest phone to use I have ever owned!
“…
One? How about the iPhone having a REAL browser? And visual voicemail? And OS X under the hood? …”
Well the browser is nice, slow, but very nice when WiFi is available. Visual Voice Mail, who doesn’t have that. You can get it free. I use Callwave over the iPhone visual voice mail because I get e-mail notifications and text translations, and it’s freeeeeee. Effectively any phone can have visual voice mail.
Just seen a pic of that phone – boy is it an ugly mother!
No need for Apple to worry about that thing – yuck!
Sony’s designers have lost the plot and their creativity too.
Time to go back to art college guys and learn the basics of good industrial design!
Oh, and as far as OS X, well it’s not like we get to use it now is it?