Sony Ericsson’s first Android phone was announced last year. Last week, we had the opportunity to hands on the real product to see if it lives up to its promises with Mediascape and Timescape as their signature applications.

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 UX platform builds on top of the Open OS 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.

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

Sony Ericsson Timescape™ manages all your communication with one person in one place. Browse through your conversations the bright way to check out your Facebook™, Twitter™, photos, emails, and texts all in one go

Sony Ericsson Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere – your phone, YouTube™, PlayNow™ – and presents everything for you.

Intelligence capabilities, integrated into Mediascape and Timescape™, can automatically recognise 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 you through the connected world, aggregating all your interactions with one person into one view
Intelligent face recognition features recognise up to five faces in any picture, automatically connecting them with your social phonebook and all other related communications with that person.

See video

It was mentioned that there will be a surprise for the press at the event. It turned out to be the Wonder Girls. Here is a video of them sharing their social media and video experiences using the Xperia X10 and VIVAZ phones.

We attended the press launch of the Xperia and ViVAZ series at Resort World Singapore. We were delighted to know that Sony Ericsson is preparing an update of the Android phones to Android 2.x in Q3 2010. Although it is not official as it could be brought forward, it is an assurance from Sony Ericsson that the Xperia X10 will surely get an update most probably over the air in the 2nd hald of this year.

Sony Ericsson mobile roadmap for 2010

Mr Vautier of Sony Ericsson revealed more about Sony Ericsson’s mobile plans for year 2010 after the hiccups of Aino and Satio in 2009 in an interview with mobiletoday uk.

In the interview, Mr Vautier will focus on a very narrow, focused portfolio for the higher value segment.

Two of such products are the Xperia X10 and Vivaz. It fuses communication and entertainment with Timescape and Mediascape. It differentiates and help Sony Ericsson provide a better user experience for their products.

There are 5 key products to be launched by Q2. There will be a number of Walkman phones. There will be a total of 14 to 16 key devices in 2010.

On what platform will Sony Ericsson focus on, Mr Vautier said that they will Android, Symbian and Microsoft, underneath they will have their own OSE platform.

It remains to be seen how Sony Ericsson will use Mediasape and Timescape on Windows Mobile 7 as Microsoft wanted a unified interface across all brands running its OS.

It appears that a leaked ROM has appeared on the net and greaky.com has found a way to flash update the phone to Android version 2.1 . Below are some screen shots of how it looks like in 2.1 and the link to the guide (before it is taken down).

 

  

  

 

Today HTC announces 3 new phones to its pool of  Android and Windows Mobile phones. The trio represents some of the first devices that really showcase the efforts of San Francisco-based design firm One & Co since it was acquired by HTC back in December 2008.

The first is HTC Desire. This phone was previously the rumoured HTC Bravo. Basically the HTC Desire is the Nexus One with a custom interface HTC Sense. It has the same specs as NexusOne including a 3.7″ AMOLED multitouch screen, 1GHz snapdragon processor, Android 2.1 running. Something that differ is the optical joystick that replaces the trackball that replaces the trackball.

 
HTC Legend

HTC Legend is an upgraded HTC Hero designed by One & Co. It goes for a softer and smoother design. The processor is improved and the display upgraded to 3.2 HVGA AMOLED. It also has the HTC Sense enhancements including  a Friend stream which provides all your social networking information at one place. Though similar to Motoblur, the difference is that it is not server based.

The third device announced is the HTC HD Mini which is a WM6.5.3 device, a smaller version of the HD2. It is of the size of the HTC Touch with a unique design. On the back, you can see the four screws that are holding the entire phone together.

It has a 3.2″ HVGA capacitive touch screen and comes with a 600MHz processor, other features include WiFi, 3G and HTC Sense.

Pricing and availability
The HTC Desire is expected to be widely available in Europe and Asia in Q2, and will be available in Australia exclusively through Telstra. Meanwhile, the HTC Legend will be available in Europe through Vodafone starting in April and will then roll out to other markets, including Asia in early Q2. The HTC HD Mini will ship in Europe and Asia in April.

Pricing was not revealed at this time and neither was North American availability. Actually, all three devices only support the 900/2100MHz 3G bands, so it looks like we’re going to have to wait our turn.

BARCELONA, SPAIN – Mobile World Congress – Feb. 15, 2010 – Today Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) announced QUENCH with MOTOBLUR, Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service, which organizes messages and synchronizes contacts to keep conversations in constant motion. QUENCH’s sleek touch-screen design, combined with great navigational features such as pinch and zoom and a touch pad, as well as the inclusion of Adobe Flash Lite, make browsing the web on its 3.1” high-resolution display a breeze. Motorola QUENCH™ will be available beginning in the first quarter of 2010. In the U.S., it will be called CLIQ XT™ and be available next month exclusively through T-Mobile USA. This is the eighth Android-powered device launched by Motorola around the globe.

“As we continue to expand Motorola’s portfolio of Android-powered devices, we remain committed to delivering more of what people want from their handheld devices in easier ways,” said Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobile Devices and Home business. “QUENCH with MOTOBLUR showcases Motorola’s design heritage by offering a compelling differentiation from the traditional Android experience, giving people an easier way to have more messaging, more Web and more music.”

MOTOBLUR is Motorola’s Android-powered content delivery service created to make phones more personal and socially smart. It is the first solution to sync contacts, posts, messages, photos and much more — from sources such as Facebook®, MySpace, Twitter®, Gmail™, work and personal e-mail and Last.FM — and automatically deliver them to the home screen. Content is fed into easy-to-manage streams allowing you to spend less time managing your life and more time living it.

Messaging is made easier on QUENCH with the combination of MOTOBLUR features, a palm and pocket-friendly design and Swype, a new feature that makes responding to messages and entering text easier than ever. MOTOBLUR keeps happenings, messages, news feeds and more readily available for browsing and responding on the customizable home screen. Contact information, such as email addresses, profile pictures and phone numbers, is automatically synced whenever the details change online, so there’s no need to manually update.

QUENCH delivers a complete Web experience on a full touch-screen device with pinch and zoom capabilities. Navigation is enhanced with a front-facing, centrally-located touch pad, so it’s easier and more intuitive to flick through the Web. Adobe Flash Lite enables rich media content such as banners and videos to be displayed and fully enjoyed on the 3.1” high-resolution display.

The innovative new connected media player on QUENCH is not only connected to the Internet but your social networks as well. QUENCH connects you to your music with a new style of media player that lets you buy and instantly download music from an MP3 store while integrating third-party apps such as TuneWiki, SoundHound, GoTV, and YouTube™. The music search feature makes finding your songs easy while synchronized lyrics in any language you choose make learning songs easier than before. Share your favorite tracks, discover new ones2, find lyrics, watch videos, and stream FM radio.

QUENCH enables clear calls using dual microphones and noise cancellation technology, while crystal clear pictures are enabled by a 5.0 megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash. Finding information online or within the device is made even easier with voice-activated search (English only). Simply say what you are looking for and QUENCH will find contacts, serve up Google™ Web search results based on location, or launch applications. Android Market™ provides fast access to more than 20,000 apps and widgets for limitless customizations and enhancements to QUENCH. Extras such as 3G and Wi-Fi® access, aGPS and stereo Bluetooth®1 make QUENCH a solid Android-powered device.

Finally, MOTOBLUR provides end-users with convenience and peace of mind, as lost devices can be located from a secure personal information portal and even remotely erased if necessary. Then, one user name and password brings back your contacts, messages and connectivity to your previously configured networks and email providers. Plus, with over-the-air updates, Motorola has the ability to improve current features and add new ones to QUENCH, ensuring the overall experience is continually enhanced.

Availability
QUENCH with MOTOBLUR will be available in multiple regions around the globe beginning in Q1 2010. In the U.S., the device will be called CLIQ XT with MOTOBLUR and will be available exclusively through T-Mobile USA beginning next month.

Sony Ericsson set the stage for MWC by announcing three new handsets in a press event held on the day before the launch of the international mobile phone conference. Sony rolled out two new compact Android handsets based upon the design of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 and one Symbian-powered handset phone that is the big brother to the previously announced Vivaz. The X10 mini and X10 mini pro are similarly spec’d handsets with the X10 Mini Pro sporting a slide-out QWERTY keyboard. The Vivaz Pro is a slightly modified version of the Vivaz and offers a QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen interface and the Symbian S60th 5th edition operating system. All three handsets are expected to launch in Q2 2010 in select markets.

Both the mini X10 and mini X10 Pro include:

• 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor
• 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and geotagging
• 2.55 inch QVGA touchscreen display
• aGPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot™ turn-by-turn navigation
• Wi-Fi
• Bluetooth
• Full suite of Google services
• 3.5mm audio jack
• microSD expansion with 2GB card included in the retail package
• Android 1.6 with Sony Ericsson Timescape
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA :850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• X10 mini will be available in Pearl White, Black, Pink, Lime, Red and Silver
• X10 mini pro will be available in Black and Red.

The Sony Vivaz Pro will feature

• slide out QWERTY keyboard
• 3.2 inch, 360 x 640 16:9 resolution touchscreen display
• 720 MHz processor
• 5.1 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, autofocus, face detection and geotagging
• 720p HD recording
• Video calling (main camera)
• WebKit web browser
• social networking support
• A-GPS
• Google Maps
• Wisepilot turn-by-turn navigation
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Bluetooth technology
• DLNA Certified (photos and audio)
• TV out (VGA resolution)
• Wi-Fi
• microSD with 8GB microSD in the package
• Symbian S60 5th edition
• UMTS HSPA 900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• UMTS HSPA 850/1900/2100, GSM GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900
• Available in Black and White

Read [Sony Ericsson X10 mini and X10 mini pro] Read [Sony Vivaz pro]

OCWorkbench will be following the developements and news from MWC2010. You can catch our news on our main news page at main site , our forum at this link, on twitter, Facebook

and follow us on Google Buzz @ocworkbench.news

 BARCELONA, Spain/February 11, 2010/Business Wire — Garmin-Asus, a co-branded alliance between Garmin® Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), and ASUSTeK® Computer Inc. (TAIEX: 2357), today announced the Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50, a touchscreen Android-powered smartphone with multiple location technologies and apps.  The A50 benefits from the personalization and enhanced features offered by the Android platform, and also includes Garmin navigation with turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions for use in a car or while walking. Location features are designed into virtually every function including email, text messaging, and photos. The A50 will be on display at the Garmin-Asus booth (Hall 8, #8B127) at Mobile World Congress, February 15-18, 2010.

“The A50 brings premium navigation features to the Android operating system, offering users a seamless location based experience along with access to the wealth of applications that the platform affords,” said Benson Lin, vice president and general manager of ASUS’ personal mobile devices business unit, handheld business group

“Location is relevant to everything you do,” said Cliff Pemble, Garmin’s president and COO. “The A50 integrates navigation and GPS functionality throughout the device, which gives customers the versatility and reliability they need as they navigate their day.”

The elegant and thin A50 has a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display that incorporates a finger-friendly user interface. The QWERTY touchscreen keyboard makes it easy to send and receive messages, and predictive text helps customers type faster. It also comes with hardware features like 4GB internal storage, an expandable microSD card slot, and accelerometer so every screen can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode.

Access to thousands of applications
The A50 integrates Google™ mobile services with one-click access to Google Search™ by voice, Google Maps™, Gmail™, YouTube™, calendar, contacts and Android Market™, where users can find more than 20,000 applications to expand and personalize their phone to fit their lifestyle.

Powerful enterprise email capability
The A50 includes on-device sync with Microsoft Exchange server, with the ability to wirelessly synchronize contacts, calendar and enterprise email. Account setup is quick and easy, and in a few simple steps users will have their contacts, calendar and email ready to go.

High-sensitivity GPS receivers with Garmin navigation
The A50 receives its location (latitude and longitude) information from multiple sources including satellite, network-based and terrestrial sources.  These overlapping technologies ensure that A50 customers have the best location and navigation experience a smartphone can offer.

Garmin navigation is included and preloaded on the A50. Because maps are installed on the device, customers will not have to wait for third party maps to download from a server, nor will they lose their turn-by-turn, voice-prompted navigation if they are out of cell phone coverage. The A50 also has many of the same features as a high-end Garmin nüvi® navigation device such as lane assist with junction view that guides drivers to the correct lane for an approaching turn or exit and realistically displays road signs. Ready for pedestrian or automotive navigation out-of-the-box, the A50 includes a custom Garmin car mount and vehicle power cable.

The A50 also supports cityXplorer™ maps so that customers can plan and use routes that include public transit options such as bus, tramway, metro and suburban rail systems. cityXplorer content is available as an optional download for select cities. Thanks to the A50’s e-compass, customers will know their heading even when standing still.

In addition to Android Market, the A50 has preloaded, apps through Garmin-Asus’ connected services, which includes real-time, location-relevant information like weather, traffic, fuel prices, safety cameras, flight status,. Connected services information varies by country.

Customers also have access to Street View in Google Maps and 3D landmark images.

Surf the web
With a powerful, multi-touch capable WebKit browser, the A50 allows users to browse the web at quick speeds and view streaming content. In addition, it automatically identifies location information embedded within web pages allowing the user to quickly navigate to the locations published on the world-wide web. 

Take quality photos
The A50 includes a three mega-pixel camera with auto-focus that automatically geotags images with an exact latitude and longitude reference of where the photo was taken.  Customers may then save the image so they can navigate back to the location, or email the geo-tagged image to friends.

Availability
The Garmin-Asus nüvifone A50 is expected to be available in Europe in the first half of 2010. Specific availability and pricing details will be given in the future. Additional information about Garmin-Asus products is available at www.GarminAsus.com.

Samsung has put up teasers on the web asking users to guess about their new phone. Similar to CommunicAsia held in Singapore last year. The Samsung Unpack site has not put up too much information about the upcoming phone. From the pictures, it can be easily guess that it has something to do with Ocean (which is bada in Korean) as there were pictures indicating the sea shore and a ship navigating through the sea.

In addition, there is also speculations that Samsung will showcase a new Omnia phone with Windows Mobile 7. So far, there are no indications that they will showcase any new Android phones at MWC 2010 but we might be wrong. No one knows exactly what Samsung will launch till 14 Feb 2010.

Samsung unveils new Android 2.1 powered phone SHW-M100S

We were expecting Samsung would unveil some new Android phones at this month’s Mobile World Congress, but one device has slipped out early. Samsung just announced the M100s which is headed to SK Telecom. The new Android phone comes with an 800MHz processor, 3.7-inch AMOLED touchscreen (WVGA), 5MP camera with 720p video recording, Wi-Fi (802.11n), GPS, T-DMB, DivX support, and 3.5mm headphone jack.

No details were given on the CPU architecture, but my guess is it includes a Samsung ARM11 processor. The Sprint Samsung Moment featured an 800 MHz Samsung S3C6410 CPU and this is probably the same chipset being used here.

Samsung also chose to include their TouchWiz UI, which first debuted on the T-Mobile Behold II. Pricing is not available, but look for the Samsung M100s to arrive in March on SK Telecom.

There is also no mention of the 3G network the phone can run on. We suspect it is for the South Korean 3G network which is incompatible with WCDMA used in Europe.

Source

Unboxing video of the Samsung GalaxySpica. Stay tuned to the Review @ ocworkbench.com

Some users of Google’s Nexus One smartphone had problems connecting via carrier T-Mobile’s network earlier today, leading to a rash of complaints on blogs and other online forums.

According to a Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) spokesperson, the outage was short-lived.
“Some Nexus One customers have experienced issues with their T-Mobile data connection. This issue has now been resolved,” the spokesperson said in a statement e-mailed to InternetNews.com. “Customers affected by this issue might need to restart their Nexus One device to restore their T-Mobile data connection.”

Google suggested contacting T-Mobile for an explanation of the cause of the outage, but the carrier didn’t offer any reasons for the glitch.

Source

The LG GW620 also known as the EVE in Canada has been launched late last year in France and other European countries.

Tomorrow, LG GW620 Android phone will make its debut in Singapore. At the moment, we do not know about the price plans for it, but we suspect it to be priced very competitively to the Samsung GalaxySpica.

Samsung has promised an upgrade to Android 2.0 by early Q2 2010. LG, so far has not indicated it will provide an update to the Android 2.0 Eclair OS.

The probably only feature that outshines is theslide out QWERTY keyboard that makes it easier for users to SMS, Twitter or Facebook on the go.

LG only provided handsets to bloggers and that didn’t generate too much interest as technical reviewers aren’t able to get their hands on on the handset.

Mozilla is looking to take the mobile world with storm with the release of Firefox Mobile “Fennec” for Maemo. However, another interesting news from Phandroid confirms that a Firefox Mobile version forAndroid is under works and will be made available for downloads soon.

This news comes shortly after the release of  Firefox Mobile “Fennec” RC3 for Maemo, which suggests that a final release of the Maemo version is just around the corner. Firefox Mobile for Android will be made available as a beta release somewhere in February 2010. Unlike other browsers, Firefox Mobile has support for extensions. However, it still has to challenge the mighty Opera Mini and the impressive Skyfire before it goes on to become one of the best browsers for smartphones.

Androidoperatingsystem.net reported on a rumored Samsung Galaxy 2 back in early December. At the time, they had a tweet to go by. The specs included a 4-inch, 32GB device with Android 2.1 as the backbone.

Today we’re hearing a slightly different, if not fuller, list of specs – 1GHz Snapdragon chip, 3.7-inch AMOLED display, 5 megapixel cam, Android 2.1, and 32GB internal storage.

A 3.7-inch AMOLED screen would, in theory, have it looking as sharp as the one found on the Nexus One. The 32GB of memory would put it at double that found in the Motorola Droid and considerably higher than what most Android phones come with.

Seriously, it is not too difficult to guess the future specifications of Android phones. It is SnapDragon 1GHz, 3.7 or 4.2 or even 4.8″ screen.

Source

Google Nexus One customers could finally have a fix to at least one of their problems. Google says it will soon release a patch that will improve the spotty 3G coverage that has left many Nexus One customers frustrated.

“Our engineers have uncovered specific cases for which a software fix should improve connectivity to 3G for some users,” a Google employee commented on the company’s Nexus One forum.”We are testing this fix now and initial results are positive.”

Google hopes to offer the fix as a software update by wireless download to Nexus One users in “the next week or so.”

Nexus One is the first Android 2.1 mobile phone that is sold direct to customers or with a contract in US T-mobile at $180. The no subsidy versoin costs $530.

Complains were spotty 3G coverage which drops to the slower EDGE network in use. Google isn’t promising that all Nexus phones will be fixed with its update. “It may be, however, that users are experiencing problems as a result of being on the edge or outside of 3G coverage, which a product fix cannot address,” says the Google employee.

Source

If you have been waiting for the value for money Android phone, the GalaxySpica might be the best deal in Singapore right now. Available under M1 Take 3 plan, take this phone back at S$0 upfront with cheapest subscription plan of S$19.26 Under Sunlite plan or S$25 for Sunsaver. It is even cheaper than the Tattoo.

Android Platform

Bringing a whole new look and ease-of-use to the mobile, the Android operating system revolutionizes the smart phone experience. Able to work seamlessly with PCs, Android opens up a whole range of possibilities with the mobile applications via Android Market. Preloaded with popular internet applications, Samsung GALAXYSPICA takes you through easily from web surfing to instant messaging, email, Google Talk, Facebook and many more.
 

Fast Speed

At first touch, you will feel the difference our 800MHz processor makes in unleashing its invisible power at superlative speeds. Whether you’re uploading data, transferring files or streaming videos on the web, you’ll zip through applications with extra speed. Enjoy effortless syncs and instant updates to your email and contacts so you’re always connected. The Android platform also utilizes the accelerated CPU to its utmost so your Google-based applications and other tasks run seamlessly.
 

Longer Usability

A 1500 mAh battery means never being concerned about your handset running out of battery. You will appreciate how much longer you can play games, run your favourite apps, watch videos and surf the internet. Seemingly endless power supply makes your handset indispensable and lets you keep going, long after overtime.
 

Widespread Connectivity

Extensive bandwidth coverage worldwide keeps you connected no matter where you are. Samsung GALAXYSPICA enables extra speedy downloads of games and videos, or upload photos and clips in no time. With WI-FI connection, you can check out your favourite sites on the go.
 

GPS Navigation and Google Maps

Never lose your way with GPS Navigation and Google Maps, geo location services that pinpoint user location and help guide you to where you want to go.

More details here.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Android phone will go on sale in April 2010 in Japan

Yesterday, 22 Jan 2010, NTT DoCoMo and Sony Ericsson jointly announce the Android OS powered smartphone Sony Ericsson “Xperia” (SO-01B) at a press conference held in Japan.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 was announced last November and is said to be released in the first half of 2010. It is a surprise that Xperia X10 will first be available in Japan from APRIL 2010 ahead of other countries.

21 January 2010

Tokyo, Japan – January 21, 2010 – Sony Ericsson today announces that it is strengthening its portfolio by launching Xperia™ (SO-01B) with NTT DOCOMO,INC. in Japan in April 2010. This Xperia™ phone builds on top of the Open OS Android platform and creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications.

Signature applications Mediascape and Timescape™ let users organise everything in their phone in an intuitive way:

    * Sony Ericsson Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere – your phone, YouTube™, PlayNow™ – and presents everything for you
    * Sony Ericsson Timescape™ manages all your communication with one person in one place.  Browse through your conversations the bright way to check out your Facebook™, Twitter™, photos, emails, and texts all in one go

The Xperia™ phone also includes an 8.1MP camera, intelligent face recognition features and the new “infinite button” which guides you through the connected world, aggregating all your interactions with one person into one view.

Mr. Kiyohito Nagata, Senior Vice President, Managing Director of Product Department of NTT DOCOMO said, “NTT DOCOMO is creating a new communication culture combining mobile phones and services. Xperia™ offers a totally new communication entertainment experience that goes beyond users’ expectations and so we are delighted to be adding this new product into our product portfolio.”

Bert Nordberg, President, Sony Ericsson said, ‘Japan is a hugely important market for Sony Ericsson and we are honored and happy to introduce this phone to Japanese users in the most advanced mobile market in the world. With the Xperia™ phone we are taking a step towards realising our strategy to become the communication entertainment brand by introducing entertainment-rich phones that make communication more playful and multiply and enrich opportunities to connect.”

The Xperia™ phone for NTT DOCOMO comes with stereo headset and 16GB microSD.

Xperia™ SO-01B at a glance:

    * Sony Ericsson Mediascape;  the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos in intuitive way
    * Sony Ericsson Timescape™ and “advanced” social phonebook to manage all your communication in one view and
    * Intelligence capabilities like infinite button and face recognition function , integrated into Mediascape and Timescape™ to let you discover more in truly open way
    * High quality photo communication feature, with 8.1 megapix AF camera
    * 1GHz CPU, 4.0 inch wideVGA LCD/ Full touch, WiFi, HSUPA
    * Flexible UI and Japanese word prediction system POBox Touch 1.0
    * Human curvature design and form

The SO-O1B is the Japanese version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia™ X10.