eK-gadgets info

Now that we’ve had some time to spend with the XPERIA X1, we’re going to break down the various features and give you our in-depth review. We’ll continue to update this post as we use the device more, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand what’s at hand — a brand new Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1! Full review is after the jump. Pictures will be added shortly.

Screen:

With a 800×480 VGA screen, you can’t really go wrong right? Right. We’ve got to say off the top that this is the best-looking screen we’ve ever seen on a Windows Mobile device. It puts all the others to shame. It’s not just that the screen has an amazing resolution, it’s that the screen is vibrant and clear as day. If your vision isn’t top notch you might have to increase the font size in settings because it gets a little small with that super high-res. Sunlight couldn’t phase it either as we had no problem using it on the go outside.

Audio quality

We didn’t put the speakers through our normal tests just yet to be honest. We tried a couple MP3s and they sounded good, not great. The speaker volume in general could have been a little louder and the sound could have sounded a little fuller. Speakerphone was the same. We’ll report back with more detailed findings.

Notification lights

If you’ve seen the Sidekick LX, you’ll know what we’re talking about. There are 4 independant notification lights on the four corners of the X1. These are LED lights that change through various colors. Unlike the Sidekick, you have complete control over the notification settings. Only want people to think you’ve got a UFO in your pocket when you’re getting a text message? No problem. There’s a lot to choose from to suit your own needs. The lights offer a nice touch and weren’t too over-powering and bright which we were afraid of. The kids will love it.

Call quality

Calls came in and out with crystal clear quality. The ear speaker was plently loud and the party on the other end said we sounded like we were on a land line.

Data Connectivity

Name something you’d like to see in a mobile device… HSDPA? Wi-Fi? GPS? The X1 has all of it. T-Mobile USA lovers will also be overjoyed at the fact that an AWS 1700MHz version is coming. Our unit had the 850MHz/1900MHz US 3G bands so we were rockin’ over HSDPA just fine. In fact, web browsing was abnormally fast. We didn’t find much of a difference between browsing over Wi-Fi or HSDPA. That’s probably due to the bottleneck of the phone in general, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Build quality

Another winner for Sony Ericsson. While the device isn’t the lightest phone on the market, we think it’s build quality is almost second-to-none. Maybe even iPhone status. It’s just so sturdy and well put together. We have to give HTC some mad props on this one. Could you please try and incorporate some of this newfound metal addition into some of your devices HTC? Please. The sliding mechanism was fantastic even though the device isn’t a normal “flat” slider. Major points for build quality.

Usability factor

This could be subjective depending on your view of Windows Mobile, but we found the X1 to be on par or better than any Windows Mobile device we’ve used. Baring the keyboard issue, (see below) there wasn’t anything that hindered us from taking full advantage of the device. When closed, the device gives you access to all necessary shortcuts on the bottom front of the unit. Slide it open and you’ve got access to everything you could want. People have wrote us and asked about how it is to use the phone when the QWERTY keyboard doesn’t have directional keys, but they’ve overlooked something — the optical joystick. This works wonderfully well and doesn’t have a learning curve. It’s a natural extension of what we’ve been forced to use in the past. There was a “cursor” menu in settings but no cursor showed up on the screen. You also have full control over the sensitivity of the optical joystick. Making phone calls was comfortable and we didn’t have any issues with people hearing us or us hearing them.

Keyboard

The keyboard is a sensitive area for many people. Anyone who follows us know we take it very seriously — we put them all through the ringer! So, it pains us to report, that at least with our particular unit, the keyboard wasn’t great. It didn’t take time to get used to it, it just didnt perform like the way we had hoped. The reason is because the keys almost are completely flush with the case and don’t give good tactile feedback when pressed. Odly enough, the spacebar was actually ok. It faired the best out of all of them. We understand why there really is no travel in the keys — there is a huge sliding mechanism right over them — but we would have liked to see a little more feedback when typing. They have this triangular pattern on top which does make it easy to feel them, but you don’t get a good response when actually pressing them down. The backlight on the QWERTY ‘board successfully helped us find the keys when it was nightime, but that still didn’t help when typing. We said this before, but if we had to compare the keyboard to anything, it would be Sony’s UX-series computers. It’s the same exact thing.

After clearing the FCC in May, Motorola has now officially unveiled the new MING A1600 and A1800 along with the Motozine ZN5. These two touchscreen entrants retain the same form factor as the original MING, the A1200, but are somewhat updated to match at least some of the features that are becoming ubiquitous in today’s market. While both the A1600 and A1800 support tri-band GSM networks with EDGE speeds, run on Linux, have a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP, GPS, and a microSD slot, the A1800 has two radio transmitters enabling it to connect to two different networks simultaneously with support CDMA networks too apparently. Sadly missing is WiFi and 3G, which could have added a bit more pull to these two devices, but since emerging markets seem to be Motorola’s target this time, we will just ignore that important fact.

As I said before, the A1600 and A1800 will most probably head to China before making rounds in other developing markets at a price that is not revealed yet.

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Today Nokia officially announced two new additions to its E series business-focused devices, the E66 slider and the E71 bar-phone with full QWERTY keyboard. They share a large number of features. Both have quad-band GSM/EDGE radios and several 3G profiles, with each coming in a 3.6Mbps WCDMA/HSDPA 850/1900 North American variant. Bluetooth 2.0+EDR with stereo support and Wi-Fi are included. They run the Nokia S60 operating system with Feature Pack 1. A 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and flash is standard on both phones, as is GPS, 2.5mm headset jacks and microSD support for cards up to 8GB. Both are loaded with Nokia’s business software, such as a VPN client and support for Exchange. Both phones also share the E series styling first seen on the E51. They will be available in the third quarter.

• E66: This slider phone is the successor to the E65. Its stand out feature is that it has an accelerometer built in, and will auto-rotate the screen when it is turned sideways.
• E71: This phone is the progeny of the E61/62. It is smaller than the E61/62, but still has a full QWERTY keyboard for typing messages.

I don’t know if this cuts cake or not, but Toshiba’s Portege R500-12Q, rebranded for US as the R500-S5007V, still remains the first laptop to have 128GB of SSD sweetness, while being thin and light at the same time. There is no word on when it will become available, but at $3000, I would give the MacBook Air a pass any day over this.

Here is what you will get if you pony up $2,999:

• Intel Core2Duo Processor U7700 1.33GHz, 2MB L2, 533MHz FSB with 64 bit
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
• 128GB Serial ATA Solid State Drive
• 12.1-inch diagonal widescreen high-brightness display with 1280 x 800 WXGA resolution
• Transreflective backlit LED
• Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950
• 7mm, 8x SuperMulti-DVD (+/-R Single Layer) drive supporting 9 formats
• Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit version) with downgrade media for Genuine Windows XP Professional
• Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 4965AGN, Intel PRO/1000 - 10/100/1000 Ethernet, and Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
• 3-Year Standard Limited Warranty

Toshiba’s Digital Products Division, has announced the expansion of its flagship Qosmio brand with three new laptops, the Qosmio G55, Qosmio X305 and Qosmio F55. All these three laptops have been designed for users who like gaming, multimedia and advanced mobility technology.“In an effort to take this standard to the next level for gamers and multimedia enthusiasts alike, the three new Qosmio models have been tailored specifically towards their personal interests, while staying true to the incredible user-experience that the Qosmio family is known for,” said Jeff Barney, vice president and general manager, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Toshiba’s Qosmio X305, Qosmio G55 and Qosmio F55 feature advanced characteristics like Fusion finish, Feathertouch multimedia buttons, a high-speed eSATA port and Harman Kardon high-fidelity bass reflex speakers with built-in sub-woofer. Moreover, all these laptops are RoHS compatible and help reducing environmental impact by restricting the use of lead.

All three new Qosmio models will be available later this summer from major consumer electronics and computer stores nationwide and directly from Toshiba at www.toshibadirect.com.