Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

There's a lot to fall for in Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. Possibly the hottest looker of a PocketPC is also heavy on skill. Heavy enough to not just scratch out a living as a one-hit-wonder but aim for the WinMo top.

The extra solid metal looks, gorgeous screen and the right pinch of novelty called XPERIA panels look to us as good enough reasons for the X1 to be hyped and romanticized. By the way, romance or not, Sony Ericsson and HTC have hit their perfect shape with that one.

The XPERIA X1 is surely the most eagerly anticipated device in the world of Windows Mobile. Getting our review out was surely quite a wait too, we know. Better late than ever, as some folks say. We'll still have our say 'cause for the XPERIA it's a load of high expectations to live up to.

Key features:

* Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support plus HSDPA 7.2Mbps
* 3-inch 65K-color WVGA touchscreen
* Qualcomm MSM7200 528 Mhz CPU and 256 MB DDR SDRAM
* 3.15 MP auto focus camera with VGA video recording
* Four-row full QWERTY slide-out keyboard
* Wi-Fi and built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
* X-Panels interface
* Optical trackpad
* Exquisite and solid metallic body
* Standard miniUSB port and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP
* microSD memory expansion
* FM radio with RDS
* 3.5mm standard audio jack
* MS Office Mobile document editor
* Opera 9.5 web browser
* Excellent video playback performance
* Superb audio quality

Main disadvantages:

* Body is a bit on the bulky side
* User interface is hardly thumb-optimized
* Mediocre camera performance
* No built-in accelerometer
* Poor display sunlight legibility
* Records low quality VGA@30fps video in 3GP format
* No TV-out port
* No full Flash support for the browser (hence no full-featured YouTube)

The XPERIA X1 is one of the best-equipped Windows Mobile devices to ever set foot on the market. But hey, is it not the most elaborate and charismatic PocketPC too? As to skills, the high-res 3" screen and the full QWERTY keyboard seem the most important parts of its magnificent ammo though its processing power is not to be neglected either.


Many devices find their identity in standing up to a rival. The XPERIA though is fatefully bound to always have one foot on alien ground. The haunting name for the X1 is HTC - manufacturer and main competitor.

As you probably guessed by yourselves the main alternative to the XPERIA X1 is HTC Touch Pro. It has a smaller screen than the XPERIA X1 and features a slightly lower resolution. In addition it is heavier and, if we were to be asked, not nearly as hot as the XPERIA.

However, the QWERTY keyboard of the Touch Pro is well ahead of what the X1 has to offer. The Touch Pro accelerometer and active magnetic stylus are small but nice touches that add to its allure. There are other advantages too, but we'll try to list them in the dedicated chapter of this review.

Furthermore, the Touch Pro had a nice two-month advantage since it hit the shelves back in August and this could be quite decisive for the sales. After all two months is quite a long time in the world of mobile phones, isn't it?

Let's not waste any more time now and get rolling with the actual review of Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1. Unboxing is this little jump ahead.

READ MORE - Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1

The LG KC910

The LG KC910 has a moniker that sends out a bold and clear statement about talent. Packing a whopping 8 megapixel camera and top-of-the-line video recording, the LG KC910 Renoir is all about capturing the moment, leaving an impression. While this alone should be enough to assert an identity, the Renoir just won't stop there. With the full touch user interface and the portly 3" display, everything is a mere touch away. Wi-Fi, HSDPA and GPS are all aboard to add the last bits of oomph to the feature-loaded LG Renoir.

The exciting facts and figures from the Renoir specs sheet however won't really give away its real-life performance and this is where we step in. We already had the camera performance of the LG Renoir to bits in our 8 megapixel cameraphone shootout but it's time to move up and look at the bigger picture.

It certainly took us quite some time to bring this review forward. Perhaps we even pushed it over the peak of your anticipation, but we didn't mean to get you starved so you like the meal better.

Our better-late-than-never department - duly sent to the corner, by the way - has finally prepared a full-featured, action-packed and hopefully eye-opening review of one of the best imaging mobile phones this year - the LG KC910 Renoir.
Key features:

* Quad-band GSM, HSDPA 2100 MHz
* 3" 256K-color touchscreen TFT display (240 x 400 pixels)
* 8 megapixel autofocus camera, xenon flash (geo-tagging, face tracking, blink detection, touch focus, manual focus)
* Video recording in AVI format, VGA@30fps, QVGA@120fps, time-lapse QVGA videos
* Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
* Wi-Fi
* GPS receiver with A-GPS support
* TV-out
* 100MB internal memory
* Hot-swappable microSD card slot (ships with 8GB card)
* Accelerometer for auto screen rotate
* DivX/XviD video playback
* Dolby Mobile music enhancement
* FM radio with RDS
* Office document viewer
* Multi-tasking with a real task manager
* Handwriting recognition
* Excellent touch optimized image gallery
* Direct video uploads to YouTube

Main disadvantages:

* Xenon flash is inadequately powered and causes the camera to underexpose
* Fullscreen camera viewfinder doesn't show the entire frame
* No video streaming over Wi-Fi (such as the mobile YouTube)
* No Java connection over Wi-Fi (so Google Maps needs a data plan)
* No voice-guided GPS navigation
* Stylus as dongle only, no stylus compartment
* Design will not appeal to everyone

LG Renoir is among the few 8 megapixel cameraphones that are already on the market and chances are you have been eyeing it big time for this year's holiday shopping - especially if you are into big touchscreens.

It builds on the Viewty popularity but does walk its own path, adding a number of innovations to the equation. The feel and overall experience is different - and better - with LG Renoir.

We guess we're looking at one of the most obvious rivalries in the game. The main competitor of the Renoir full-featured multimedia package is no other than Samsung Pixon. Both share the touchscreen form factor and will probably appeal to the same kind of users.

Choosing between them is a tough call. The Pixon has more camera-centric looks and is certainly a match for the Renoir imaging skill. Both have similar price tags and, while the Pixon lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, it makes up some with slightly bigger screen estate, better widgets, WVGA video recording and quad-band GSM support (which most Renoirs on the market reportedly lack).

Now that we have it duly covered, it's only fair for the competition to clear the stage for today's headliner - the LG KC910 Renoir. Jump to the next page for more on looks and handling.

READ MORE - The LG KC910

Nokia N79

The nice looking Petrol Black version of Nokia N79 appeared today on the Nokia UK store web page. It's available in a so-called Nokia N79 Eco pack. What makes it “Eco” is the lack of a charger. While that sounds like a strange lind of eco-friendly initiative, it actually isn't.

When there's no charger in the box the package can be much smaller. That means less paper and water wasted, fewer trucks for all Nokia products to be delivered worldwide needed and millions of euro saved (of course there's an economical side of the ecology). Plus re-using your older Nokia charger, saves some recycling expenses.

Nokia stated that in nearly two years they have sold 250 million phones in small packages (all lower to midrange ones) and saved 15 000 tones of packaging material, 100 000 cubic meters of water and avoided 5000 truck journeys as more phones fitted in each truck.

Check out those articles (here and there). They are quite a read.



In fact, there's something else and it is important, too. The sum of 4 GBP (around 4.5 euro or 6 USD) of the 319 GBP paid for every Nokia N79 Eco will be donated to the WWF.

The price of the eco-friendly N79 is not much different from that of the regular Nokia N79, but the extra cool Petrol Black color is pretty much worth it by our books plus there's a nice eco campaign involved. Who needs another charger anyway?

READ MORE - Nokia N79