racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

I’ve written a short first-looks post, and this post is an update three weeks after.

In the Box

In the SonyEricsson Xperia X1 box are the following:

• The mobile phone itself


• 1500 mAH battery pack


• 2 pcs Stylus (one inserted in the silo, another extra in the boxes)


• Mic and Headphone set (3.5mm; you can use the earphones independently of the mic)


• ActiveSync installer


• Manuals and quick start guide


• USB cable


• Wall wart (which you can plug the USB cable into, to act as charger

The package itself is mostly what you would expect of a smartphone with touch-screen. I don’t usually use the stylus, though as I prefer finger gestures and taps. But whenever my wife uses the phone, she prefers to use the stylus.

What’s lacking, though, are two things that could make life with the Xperia X1 really easier. First is a carrying case. Most modern mid-range to high-end Nokias nowadays come with leather or leatherette cases specially made for each model. This would help extend the life of the smartphone, protecting it from scratches, bumps and even falls. My Nokia E51 came in a case with a flap. It’s leatherette, but it’s thin and sleek. Because the Xperia X1 hasn’t been launched yet when I got it, I had a hard time looking for a case. So I became resourceful and used an old Ericsson FM radio attachment neoprene case where I used to store my iPod video.

Second is a microfibre cloth which one could use for wiping the screen and body. The aluminum casing itself is not a fingerprint magnet, which is really a good thing, but the screen tends to get dirty with fingerprints and other markings.

Hardware

I find the Xperia X1 to be sturdy, especially with the metal construction. It’s not significantly heavy, though, at 145 grams. But the phone does have heft in it, which makes it feel sturdy to the touch, unlike other phones made of mostly plastic material. While this phone will fit any pants or jeans pocket, you won’t be able to fit in a second phone, like what I usually do with my Nokia E51 (The E51, which is my main phone, plus my old 1112, which houses my wireless landline SIM). So I’ve found myself to be using my “holster” type grab-it pack more and more.

I like the horizontal sliding mechanism, because it feels solid and secure. This is my first time to handle a full QWERTY phone, though, so I needed some adjustment typing on it. The arc-shape helps with visibility and handling, though, and the fit of the slide-out keyboard is just right for my hands.

I find the keys a bit too small, though. I’m generally comparing this with my Nokia E51, which has extra large keys for a candybar form factor phone. Granted, the Xperia X1 does have more keys, being QWERTY, but the phone could perhaps benefit from having keys that are wider and that have more tactile feedback. The shape of the keys does help with the typeability, though. They’re not flat, but rather have a diagonal texture (or groove?) to make the keys easier to press.

You definitely cannot type one-handed on the Xperia X1’s hardware keyboard, as it’s horizontally-oriented. So forget about driving while texting (or emailing) on the Xperia. But you shouldn’t be doing that, anyway!

Interface

The screen is a wonder to use. I’ve been used to reading mobile Gmail messages and Twitter on my E51, but when I started doing this on the WVGA screen, I began to appreciate the benefits of a bigger screen with a touch-screen interface. For one, scrolling was a breeze. One can just flick the screen any direction, as if it were a piece of paper you could move around. Context menus (or “right clicks”) can be done by tap-and-hold, as is the usual case with Windows-based mobile devices.

The screen has some drawbacks of the screen though, at least when compared with other gadgets like the iPhone. It’s smaller than the iPhone’s screen. And the touch-screen system is resistive and not capacitive. It’s made of plastic and not glass. So unlike the iPhone, you cannot have multi-touch gestures or taps. You also cannot pinch images to make them larger or smaller.

What I do like, though, is the presence of both a digital pad (up, down, left, right) and an optical trackpad. This means you can flick your thumb up, down, left, or right for fast scrolling or switching. But you can also press the buttons if you need more accuracy.

The Xperia X1 does feature an on-screen keyboard for use when needed, such as when the physical keyboard is tucked in, and the phone is in a vertical position. One thing I miss, though, is a built-in software telephone keypard for use with multitap or T9. You can download an add-on for this purpose, though.

I like SonyEricsson’s use of its panels interface, which can be called from a dedicated button. However, I would’ve rather had this as a task switcher, much like OS X’s Expose. Currently, the panels button calls up a list of possible “front-ends” installed on the system.

My main gripe with panels right now is that there are only so few out there, with the Xperia being a new gadget in most parts of the world. I do hope we get to see more apps (especially panels) as we get more Xperia users.

Software and Applications

The Xperia X1 comes with the usual Windows Mobile applications and tools, like the calendar, task list and contact list, which can be synchronized with Outlook. Other notable applications that come bundled are:

Opera Mobile. This is the bigger sibling of Opera Mini, which you might be familiar with if you use a Java-based smartphone or a smartphone that runs Java. I prefer Opera Mobile over the built-in Internet Explorer because of the interface, and how I can view sites just like how I would view them on a computer.

Google Maps. What’s great about the mobile version of Google Maps is that you can use it in conjunction with the Xperia X1’s built in GPS receiver. This way you can pinpoint exactly where you are in the world (aside from looking out the window, that is!).

Adobe Reader and Office Mobile. I don’t use this much, except when I need to view email attachments.

I recommend you download other tools that can help with the productivity: Fring (for mobile IM), Skype and Evernote.

The phone comes with a paltry 512MB internal memory, but this can be easily expanded with microSD cards, which aren’t very expensive these days. Just be sure to get quality brand ones, so you avoid data loss.

Phone features

To me there are two kinds of smartphones. One is the phone that thinks it’s a computer. And the other is the computer that thinks it’s a phone. My Nokia E51 is the first kind. And the Xperia X1 is the latter. It’s actually more of an embedded computer (Windows CE based) and so its functionalities are more attuned to its being a computer rather than a phone. So unlike basic phones where the main use is for SMS and calling, the Xperia is more of an email, browsing and organizer device. But that’s not to say it doesn’t do well in being a phone. The Xperia X1 has enough processing power to handle calls while you do other things. And it does handle SMS great. With the built-in IMAP (or Outlook) email capabilites, you’d be emailing and texting using the same familiar interface.

The Xperia’s phone application can also be accessed in one quick click—by pressing the call button.

Internet Connectivity

I usually use my mobile phone as a mobile email device. So it’s either I connect at home via WiFi or when away using 3G or HSDPA. My E51 fulfilled this task exclusively before, but I almost always brought a netbook out so I could do some more lengthier typing when the need arose. When I got the Xperia, I often left my Asus EeePC at home to save on weight.

With the Xperia X1, I could do email, FTP, Web and other things I would usually do from a full-fledged computer. It’s smaller, and my typing speed is limited, but it does get the job done.

The disadvantage of using Windows Mobile, though, is that it’s a bit tricky to control how the device connects to the Internet. It’s like it has a mind of its own, particularly when there is a need to get information from remote sources. So for instance, you have regular/automatic email polling, and you’re outside your home WiFi network, the Xperia X1 will automatically connect via 3G/GPRS. As earlier mentioned, this can be a boon if you want to be always in touch. But if you’re concerned about the costs involved in continuous or even intermittent 3G connections, then you can tweak your system a bit to prevent it from connecting without your consent.

The Verdict

I like the Xperia. I really do. My work involves getting online most of the day, and in those instances I need mobile productivity and connectivity, the Xperia shines. Whether it’s to communicate while on the move, or as a mobile device while roaming inside my home WiFi network, my Xperia X1 serves its purpose.

The main feature here are the combination of touch-screen, QWERTY keyboard and alloy construction. Sony is, after all, all about design, and SonyEricsson phones are about technology. The Xperia X1 lives up to what I expect of Sony.