Review: Sony Xperia X1

Sony's Xperia X1a created a rather lengthy story line last twelvemonth in anticipation of its release. While they are now available at local Sony Stores and other outlets, Dieter was fortunate plenty to capture 1 while attending MacWorld in San Francisco. I was able to become Dieter to look the other fashion and took off with information technology. I only had the weekend with the Xperia X1a before the alarms sounded and a massive manhunt began. Luckily, I had it long enough to accept it on a test run to see if all the excitement surrounding the Xperia had any merit. Equally the saying goes, "Read on after the break" to see what type impression the Xperia made.

First Impressions

The Xperia comes boxed nicely in a foam padded insert that rests inside a box within the main box. It felt strange belongings the Xperia X1a for the start time. Later handling so many plastic shelled phones, it was odd to handle i with a metal crush. The brushed aluminum is no where nearly the finger magnet that the more common black, shiny plastic cases exercise. In property the X1a, your first impression is that the X1a is solidly built and after having handled the device, the reports of the X1a cracking becomes a lilliputian surprising. Measuring 4.3" x two.07" x .66" the X1a weighs in at v.11 ounces. The X1a is about half an inch longer than the HTC Fuze but feels a touch on thinner. The weight between the two are comparable. The sliding keyboard extends/retracts smoothly and unlike the HTC Fuze, the slider extends at a slight angle.

The X1a comes packaged with a charging/sync cablevision, bombardment, earbuds, CD and user guides. The X1a is powered by a 1500mah battery and much like the Treo Pro it takes a piffling effort to remove from the phone. You have an indention in the battery panel on either side of the X1a. You lot have to push up on the sides with these indentions and the panel pops off. After taking the panel off a few times, I found it a little easier to remove if you hold the Xperia facing upwards and pull down by the sides of the battery panel. It's seated rather tight which isn't necessarily a bad matter.

The big 800x480 screen dominates the face of the X1a. Beneath the screen is the optical trackpad, answer/end buttons, soft keys, panel button and "ok" button. The resolution and colors of the screen are exceptional. The X1a may have one of the best screens on the market and information technology is very receptive to the bear on. The brushed aluminum face plate doesn't sit flush with the screen but instead is raised. I did notice the lip making it a little hard to tapping the corners of the screen only it did help a little as a guide when scrolling. Personally, I like the flush screen (eastward.1000. HTC Fuze, Treo Pro) merely because it's easier to clean and I'yard afraid dust, lint or clay will find its way betwixt the face plate and screen.

Beneath the screen is the optical trackpad, respond/stop buttons, the "ok" button, Console push and ii soft buttons. The soft buttons are mappable and thankfully, when in employ, the buttons are backlit to highlight their role. Granted, the more yous use the buttons the more familiar you lot go with the layout. The just other experience I accept to compare the X1a's optical trackpad is with the Samsung optical pads. The Sony pad is much more user friendly and is surrounded by a 4 fashion button should you choose to navigate the old-fashion way. The pad itself acts as a confirmation/enter push button. You tin adjust the sensitivity of the trackpad or plow it off entirely.

The X1a is fitted with a standard 3.5mm headphone jack (something that should be an industry standard) and charges/syncs through a mini-USB port (another good thought for an manufacture standard). Rounding things off is a 3.two megapixel photographic camera. The camera has a dedicated shutter push button and is operated while holding the photographic camera horizontally.

The X1a is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7200 528MHz processor and comes fitted with 256mb RAM and 512mb ROM. A microSD card slot allows you to expand the X1a's memory as needed. In comparing information technology with the HTC Fuze, which likewise has a 528MHz processor, the Sony moves along at the same pace but with a little more than zilch in some areas. Screen rotation is noticeably faster with the Sony when you extend the keyboard.

Unlike the HTC, the X1a does non have an accelerometer. This is a piffling bit of a surprise for a device as well-fabricated as the X1a. Yous can manually rotate the screen just simply holding the device in the horizontal position won't rotate information technology. The X1a is Bluetooth/WiFi capable with built in GPS.

Nearly will compare the Xperia's keyboard with the HTC Fuze'south keyboard. Not to break tradition, the X1a'due south keyboard is physically narrower than the HTC'southward and has fewer keys/functions. The keys are spaced apart more on the X1a making typing a picayune easier just the narrower infinite gives it a cramped feeling for those with larger hands. The 1 aspect of the keyboard that screams at y'all like a Banshi is the lack of functionality. There are no directional keys on the keyboard which requires you to use the optical trackpad to gyre around the screen. Y'all don't have near the number of function keys and not a single "hot primal" to launch an application such as email. While you have some symbols on the keyboard (accessible by using the alternate key), you have a "SYMB" key that pulls up a symbol nautical chart on the bear on screen. I liked the keyboard "experience" better with the X1a merely the functionality of the HTC keyboard is much better.

In that location is a virtual/on-screen keyboard bachelor just the keys are tiny (fifty-fifty at the big setting). The screen keyboard tin be prepare to cake recognizer (similar to graffiti on the onetime Palm devices), QWERTY keyboard, Letter Recognizer, Symbol Pad, and Transcriber (allows y'all write anywhere on the screen and the X1a recognizes the text). Luckily the X1a comes with a stylus for those times y'all merely take to utilise the on-screen keyboard and has a physical keyboard to aid minimize those times.

Software

I was a little underwhelmed with the preloaded software that came with the X1a. So again, being an un-branded phone you don't get all the bloatware associated with an AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc. device. The Xperia has the standard applications along with Mobile Office, Opera Browser, Google Maps, Windows Alive and a Handango app that is a quasi-app store.

Panels

It'south impossible to await at the X1a without discussing panels. Panels are similar to the pages of HTC's Touchflo 3D but, for the lack of a improve term, in panel grade. You have two panel styles that present the basic user information such as date/fourth dimension/agenda, unread message counts, BT/Radio/Ringer status, plus a program launcher. Y'all besides have panels for specific tasks such as a media role player and as well every bit a panel that highlight Google. Yous can highlight a single console or display multiple panels. Sony includes a novelty panel that displays the date and time in a fish bowl setting that includes the fish. Tap the screen and the fish swims away as if y'all're borer the glass of an aquirium. All in all, the X1a has room for 9 panels at a time.

The console concept brings more accessibility to your "dwelling house" screen. Additional panels are available online including panels for Facebook, WIndows Live, Dashwire and SPB Mobile Shell. At that place'southward fifty-fifty an unofficial panel cosmos tool. The well-nigh useful console I tested was SPB's Mobile Trounce which is a beat of the the Trounce. Here is where you can find the Speed Dialing feature I was hunting in the form of the Contacts Page. The Facebook panel is an interesting panel in that information technology will bear witness you the status of all your friends too equally access to Facebook messaging.

I was skeptical most the panels but after using them over the weekend found them to be a force to the X1a. The Mobile Vanquish Console was the better suited "main" panel and with the dedicated panel button, switching was a breeze. The but nit I have with panels is that when you turn the Xperia off, when you ability it back up you commencement at the Today Screen. It would be squeamish if you choose to park your X1a on the Google Panel that when you power up, you return to the Google Panel.

Performance

The various functionality of Windows Mobile devices is so great that you tend to forget these devices are phones. Telephone call quality with the Xperia X1a was very good. I had no issues hearing calls or having callers hear me. At times it was a little difficult to adjust the book because of the smaller central which is noticeably smaller when compared to other phones. I couldn't detect whatsoever class of speed dialing (similar to the People Folio in TouchFlo) but the screen keypad is easily activated by pressing the answer push button. Every bit much attempt every bit Sony has put into the panels, I'yard surprised there isn't an option for speed dial buttons. Another drawback to the keyboard is that you tin can't punch from it.

As mentioned, the Xperia is powered by a 1500mah bombardment. Sony reports battery life to be upward to 833 hours of stand up-by time and up to 10 hours talk time. I don't know how accurate the 833 hours is but I started using the Xperia on Friday afternoon with a fully charged battery and on Sunday, the battery was still hovering around the 50% mark. Granted I didn't have the demand on the phone on the weekend every bit I do during the week simply I did put the Xperia through the ringer (everything from WiFi use to GPS use to phone calls) and was impressed with the battery life.

Again, the panels really made the X1a's User Interface very accommodating. Information technology got to the indicate that I relied more on the panels and never hit the Start Menu. 1 handed operation wasn't every bit easy with the X1a as it is with the HTC Fuze or Samsung Omnia. Dialing was easy simply if I had to type text, the on-screen keyboard was very cumbersome.

Overall Impression

The one question I had for the Xperia X1a was "is it worth the price?". The X1a is priced in the neighborhood of a quality laptop computer and considerably more than the HTC Fuze/Touch Pro, it's main competition. To exist blunt, I found it difficult to see how y'all could justify spending that much on the Xperia when y'all could own the Fuze/Touch (or any other WM device) at a considerably lower toll. While my fourth dimension with the Xperia was express, it was clear that the X1a is a very, very good Windows Mobile device. Unfortunately, its biggest weakness is its price.

The structure is solid and the aluminum torso is a refreshing pause from the plastic shells that other phones have. It may sound superficial but information technology's besides nice to use a phone without having to wipe it make clean of fingerprints after each utilize. The slider felt solid and movement was smooth. No question the screen is a quality characteristic of the X1a, although at times I idea the text was a little on the pocket-size side.

For the cost of the Xperia, you would have thought that Sony would have used a more than functional keypad. While the keyboard is well constructed, it lacks the range of functionality that the HTC Fuze'due south keyboard has. The optical pad was receptive and functional. It was a noticeable comeback over other optical pads. The three.5mm headphone jack, mini-USB port, and dedicated camera push are as well positive features of the X1a.

Absent a dramatic toll drop (which may come up if a carrier picks up the X1a) you can't ignore the price tag on the Xperia. If yous are in the market for a sliding keyboard styled Windows Mobile device yous may want to wait at the Fuze/Touch Pro. It is just every bit, if not more, capable than the X1a and at a considerably lower cost. However, just looking at the feature and operation of the X1a (taking price out of the equation) here'south how I'd rate the Xperia X1a.

Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/review-sony-xperia-x1

Posted by: lavalleefaile1980.blogspot.com

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