Late last night Sony officially announced the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 smartphone. It is SE’s first Android device. Some specs include a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 4-inch capacitive touch display (480 x 854 pixels), an 8.1 megapixel camera with autofocus, A-GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It also has a 3.5 mm audio jack, a micro USB connector, and it comes with an 8 GB microSD card. The most exciting news involves the personalized user interface. Android 1.6 will be running underneath SE’s elegant UI called Rachael. We have seen Rachael before but never in such an official and polished manner. SE was keen to mention that the XPERIA X10 is the flagship device in a line of Android-powered phones; glad to know there is more where this comes from. I’m looking forward to seeing how the XPERIA X10 device performs when it releases Q1 2010.
For now, be sure to check out the gallery below for some official press shots and peek after the break to see the phone (and the stunning Rachael) in action.
We’ve already seen a video of the purported Sony Ericsson “Rachael” user interface at work. A new video has been released this week and it reveals the media playback capabilities. Watch out Apple; SE’s concept (hopefully -turned real) Android user interface looks very, very good.
Today Verizon finally released solid information about the first Android 2.0-powered device, Droid by Motorola. The Droid is a Verizon Wireless exclusive and will be made available to purchase on November 6 for $199 (with a two year contract, after a $100 mail-in rebate). So it costs as much as an iPhone; is it worthy of its price tag? Seeing the handset in pictures and specification on paper alone make it look like a strong competitor. We already knew this but here are a bunch of the official specs: 3.7-inch display (854 x 480 resolution), 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, a bundled 16GB memory card, and a full slide out QWERTY keyboard (Verizon notes that it is the world’s thinnest slide out QWERTY), 3G, WiFi, and over-the-air Amazon MP3 downloads. A home dock accessory will also be available to purchase. Oh, and it’s also the first phone to support Google’s brand new Maps Navigation software. Get learn’d and preorder Droid here. Look after the break for the official press release and a hands-on video from Engadget.
At today’s press conference Verizon also confirmed that Droid is indeed a family of phones, though there was no mention of the oft-rumored Droid Eris by HTC.
All in all the Droid by Motorola looks great on paper and even better in pictures. Once it releases this November it will have to face the test of real usage. Who knows, this may be the competition the iPhone has been craving for over three years.
Today Google announced a major upgrade to its mobile Google Maps software with the introduction of Maps Navigation. Everything you’re used to with Google Maps is still there–search (by name of business), directions, traffic data, the three views (map, satellite, hybrid), etc. Maps Navigation brings full-blown turn-by-turn directions, including our friend the female robotic voice. New features included: address input by text or voice; text-to-speech (reads street names aloud); Street View (when you are making a turn or getting off a highway, an intelligent satillite view of the street will appear with directional arrows embedded on top); search along a route (it can point out and direct you to gas stations or resturants that fall on your route path); hold a finger down on any point of the virtual map and it will guide you there; layers (features like traffic and points of interest are “layers;” Gizmodo acknowledges that this may hint towards Google offering developers to create their own layers on top of the map (Wiki notes, etc.)); landscape and portrait modes. A docking station for car use was demoed. When a compatable phone is placed in the dock, an “arm’s length away” user interface takes effect (larger icons, etc.).
One of the most distinguising features of Maps Navigation as a navigation system is that it relies on the Internet to gets its information (maps, traffic, etc.) instead of actual satillites like most other navs. There are major advantages and some disadvantages to this. Gizmodo appropriately labels the single most important advantage “maps that never age.” In essense, you will never have to worry about updating your maps because the software is constantly updating itself via the carrier’s cell service. The disadvantage? If you happen to enter a dead zone and lose all cell service you might find yourself stuck in lost, unfamilar territory. However, it is worthy to note that the software sort of works offline in that it will cache (or save) your route once it is entered in a cell signal area. So if you happen to stumble upon a dead zone you may not SOL after all.
For now, Maps Navigation will only be available on Android 2.0 cell phones. The first cell phone to feature it will be Verizon’s Doid by Motorola. Eventually this upgraded version of Google Maps will make its way to other carriers and devices. In fact, Gizmodo reports that Google is in close talks with Apple about porting it to the iPhone.
One final, very significant point: Maps Navigation is f-r-e-e, that spells free. This is going to make a heavy impact not only on other cell phone nav applications that are not free, but it is definitely going to negatively affect major companies like TomTom and Garmin (it already has) who rely on people purchasing their standalone GPS units. If people have the choice of using a free (ad-free too, mind you) nav application on their cell phones or choosing to buy a separate typically expensive device, what do you they are going to choose? What would you choose? Share your opinion in the poll below.
Someone over at Motorola accidently spilled with beans the other day when they accidently revealed the product specs of the upcoming Motorola Droid (codename Sholes) smartphone (of “Droid Does” fame). Though the product page was taken down shortly after it was posted, the guys over at Boy Genius Report were able to screen capture all the juicy details: “550MHz Texas Instruments OMAP3430 processor, separate PowerVR GPU, 256MB of RAM, CDMA Rev A., Wi-Fi, GPS, a digital magnetometer, accelerometer, proximity sensors, a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with dual-LED flash, notification LED, four touch-sensitive navigation buttons, a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard, 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port.” It sports a 3.7 inch, 16:9 capacitive touch screen with 480 x 854 resolution, a 1400 mAh Li-ion battery (up to 385 minutes usage time/ 270 hours standby time), and comes pre-installed a 16GB microSD card. It weighs six ounces and has measures 2.4 x 4.6 x 0.5-inches. Also, BGR says that the browser supports HTML5 and Flash 10 is coming in 2010.
Here’s some even more interesting news. Apparently “Droid” is not just a device; it also represents a brand–Verizon’s Android-powered devices. Although the discussed device here is called “the Droid” the name will be carried with other Verizon/Android phones. In fact, the second phone in the line-up has been leaked. According to Engadget’s source, what the tech world has been calling the HTC Desire will be the “Droid Eris.” The source claims that the Eris will be released on November 6, shortly after the Droid will likely be released. Speaking of release dates, an official date has not been pegged yet, but Verizon is holding a special event for the press on October 26. More information will be relayed then. For now, indulge yourself in BGR’s up close and personal shot of the Droid in the gallery below.
Step aside Amazon Kindle 1, 2, DX and make way for the most innovative and stylish e-reader yet. Barnes & Noble invites us to indulge in what they are calling the Nook, a 11.2 ounce (7.7- x 4.9- x 0.5-inches) e-reader device that will surely change the game in the e-reader realm. Priced at a competitive $259, the Nook features two displays, a top 6 inch e-ink display from Vizplex and a 3.5 inch LCD touchscreen below it. It includes 2GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot for expandable storage (you can load up pictures, music, and personal PDF documents), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a microUSB port for charging. B&N claims the Nook will run for up ten days before it needs a recharge (which takes 3.5 hours). And oh yeah, it runs Google’s Android OS.
The Nook allows you to browse the B&N e-book store and choose from over one million titles. Browsing can be done cable-free via Wi-Fi (for free at Barnes & Noble stores, and onlyat B&N stores at launch) and over AT&T’s 3G data service. All books can be previewed for free and most bestsellers and new releases cost $9.99. You can also keep updated with the latest news by receiving newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Nook’s LendMe technology allows you to share your purchased books with others by wirelessly “lending” a copy of your book to their e-reader, PC, Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, select Blackberry and Motorola phones, and soon Windows Mobile phones. All you need is the eReader Software (free) installed on your particular device. A lent copy of a book expires after 14 days.
B&N is taking preorders for the Nook today and the expected ship date is November 30. Look after the break for a video demo; see the Nook in action.
Barnes & Noble deserves a round of applause. After waiting in the shadows as companies like Amazon and Sony pumped out e-reader devices year after year, B&N has gone and surprised us all and rocked the e-reader industry with its latest creation in the Nook. Its dual-screen format looks like a winner; easy touchscreen navigation on the bottom and clear, glare-free reading on the top. It’s simple yet efficient design makes B&N’s Nook a new and worthy competitor in my book (pun intended).
With the Apple iPhone, HTC G1 (the “Google phone”), and Blackberry devices taking over the smartphone industry by storm (no pun intended, Blackberry), it’s time for Sony Ericsson (SE) to step up to the plate and offer a sleek device with updated hardware and a state-of-the-art user interface. And from the looks of it, it seems as if SE has done just that with their new handset code-named Rachael. Although the actual images of the cell phone may be artist rendering (or fakes for all we know), the user interface revealed in the embedded video above is very real and very exciting. The SE Rachael will run of Google’s Android open-source platform, with its own customized user interface layered on top. The polished UI seems to include a “unified messaging interface that displays Facebook, Twitter, email, SMS, and calls all from one screen.” Now all we can do is wait patiently for SE to officially announce the new handset and sleek UI; they better do this quickly because smartphone platforms like the iPhone are not slowing down their progress anytime soon. Look after the break (click “more…”) for images of the Rachael device. Continue reading Sony Ericsson readying for battle→
