Sony Ericsson X1 Xperia Debuts in UK - Sony Xperia X1

The Sony Ericsson smartphone that has had the mobile phone related forums and blogs literally buzzing since the original announcement over 18 months ago has now finally been released in the UK.

Never have there been so many rumours and estimated release dates to keep the never ending flow of information about the new X1 phone constantly updated, well after months of speculation the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 mobile phone has now been made available on O2 pay monthly contract tariffs in the UK.

The Sony XPERIA X1 allows users to enjoy the convergence of communication and entertainment by choosing an experience by simply touching the XPERIA panel interface (touchscreen) whilst the QWERTY keyboard makes writing emails, text messages and documents fast and easy.

With Windows Mobile onboard users can enjoy their favourite entertainment and work efficiently on the move, the Windows Mobile package includes Outlook Mobile and Office Mobile giving instant access to a mobile office anytime.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 features an arc sliding design, a 3 inch wide VGA display screen and a sleek metal casing which gives the handset a premium feel that falls in line with the feature set of this smartphone. The arc slide means that the full QWERTY keypad is revealed whilst the main display tilts for easier viewing.



The integrated touchscreen technology gives quick and easy access to the web, multimedia and applications directly from the phones desktop, this is fully customisable so that the most used features can be set to show on the desktop.

The Sony X1 allows users to interact in numerous different ways, the previously mentioned touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard are accompanied by a four way navigational pad and an optional joystick which allows users to switch between operation modes.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia also comes with 400MB of internal memory, 256 MB RAM and 512MB storage memory meaning countless documents can be stored and re-addressed when needed. A 3.0 Megapixel camera is complimented by motion sensor & picture editing while the Wi-Fi proves the Xperia is an all-rounder. Sony have captured all the Xperia's features in a slim body that ensures it has aesthetic & business appeal.

The Sony X1 is a 3G enabled handset bringing the convenience of broadband internet to this mobile phone, fast data speeds of up to 3.6 Mbit give quick access to a multitude of downloadable content such as news and sports headlines, new music videos and movie trailers.

Utilising a secondary camera the Sony Ericsson X1 XPERIA can also make and receive face to face video calls with compatible phones, aswell as audio and video streaming, web surfing, multimedia messaging and email whenever and wherever.

Having conquered the music phone market with their ‘Walkman' range, Sony Ericsson have now devised this handset that will appeal to the businessman in all of us. The Sony Ericsson Xperia has all the technological advances previously showcased in a BlackBerry, with the in-built Microsoft Windows Office and Pocket Office allowing users to access Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents instantly.

Although initially released on O2 pay monthly contract deals the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is expected to be launched by further UK network operators over the coming weeks.

8 Megapixel War - Sony Ericsson C905 Vs LG Renoir Vs Samsung Pixon

Mobile camera phones have recently evolved in terms of picture resolution and one of the latest to join the 8 megapixel race is the Samsung Pixon, up until now the highest specification camera lens availble from a mobile phone was 5.0 megapixels but a new breed of phone has pushed the boudaries up to a massive 8 megapixels.
These new phones that offer this high technology include offerings from Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung, but it is the latter that has been working hardest by releasing not just one but two devices with this new camera technology.
The first was the Samsung i8510, a minimalistic design that hides a wealth of new features whilst the manufacturers latest launch is the Samsung Pixon, an all singing and dancing model that shouts style and expense.

The previously mentioned manufacturers have also added to this new market category with the Sony Ericsson C905 and LG Renoir, both competing with an 8 megapixel camera lens but both offering something a little different when it comes to design.
The Sony Ericsson C905 is a sliding phone and part of the manufacturers Cybershot range, features include Face detection, Autofocus, 16 x Zoom, Xenon Flash, Image stabilizer and Bestpic to produce the highest quality images with the minimum of fuss.



The Sony C905 has a real sense of durability and sturdiness, finished in a brushed metal finish giving it a sophisticated & expensive feel. This groundbreaking handset is one of the releases of the year and the most advanced camera phone to date.

The new LG Renoir offer a similar feature set but with a large touchscreen for viewing those high quality photos, smile detection; blink detection, flash, and geo-tagging through the GPS feature make for an exciting phone that could easily replace a standalone digital camera.



The KC910 Renoir is LG's first plunge into the almighty realms of the 8-mega-pixel mobile phone camera market. The handset is slimmer than most of its high quality camera competitors, measuring only 14mm thick. Technically, the LG Renoir is probably just as much a camera as it is a mobile phone.

The LG Renoir comes with MP3, wi-fi, video calling, and document viewer technology. The GPS is precise & clear, whilst the accelerator touch screen navigation is easy & simple. The design is sleeker than most, supporting smooth corners & simplistic interfaces.



The Samsung Pixon is the newer of the models to hit the 8 megapixel market, as with the LG Renoir it incorporates touch-screen technology. Samsung want you to have the best with a newly improved swipe and tilt touch-screen function used for browsing through all your pictures and music.

With an 8-megapixel camera autofocus Dual Power LED flash ASR (Advance Shake Reduction) and WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) you’ll have everything you need and more. Keeping up with the camera-heavy features there’s an Auto Panorama Shot feature Geotagging supported by GPS and a photo browser.

The Pixon is also capable of taking impressively high quality movies and has a slow motion video capture option plus face detection smile shot face link (face tagging) and photo memo.

As for deciding who will win this war of the 8 megapixel camera phones? Well, its going to be down to a lot of personal choice, each model offers something a little different. The Sony Ericsson C905 can play on its Cybershot name which has always been associated with camera technology, the LG Renoir will appeal to any users of the current Viewty and Omnia models with large touchscreens whilst the Samsung Pixon is an alrounder which Samsung enthusiats will instantly warm to.

N96 and Nokia N85 are Joined by Nokia N79

The N-Series range of multimedia mobile phones from Nokia has expanded to include the Nokia N79, an upgraded version of the previous N78 with some new technology and features but a similar design.

The Nokia N79 features GPS with GeoTagging which allows users to take pictures wherever they may be and tag their location on a map as well as fix the picture to that location, this way the user can build up a database of visited locations for future reference.




The N79 offers a better camera than the N78, this has been upgraded from a 3 megapixel to a 5 megapixel lens to fall in line with current models like the Nokia N96 and Nokia N85, the biggest difference between the N79 and the two aforementioned models is that it is a candy bar design not a sliding phone.

A new feature to the N79 over the N78 is the ability to personlise the exterior which in turn changes the display, when a user simply swaps the colour of the back casing of the Nokia N79 the handset automatically adapts the theme colour of the main display to match so not only will your phone match your mood on the outside but when the phone is used the backlight and theme will match as well.

Browsing the internet on the Nokia N79 is how it should be and not the scaled down 'mobile' version, users can surf full html pages and select an area on the page to then zoom into for more detail so rather than a lack lusted text based WAP surfing experience the user can view the internet as it was intended.

The N79 also features Nokia Maps, a service that allows users to view maps of over 150 countries which can be searched by addresses, landmarks and points of interest, users can even access phone numbers for locations where available before the Nokia N79 plans a route to the destination on screen.

The N79 has a neat little trick in that it has an integrated FM transmitter, this allows the user to transmit their music from the phone to an in-car radio or standard FM radio to listen to their favourite tracks, users simply choose a frequency and then tune in the radio to that frequency, so long as they are within two to three meters of the recieving device the music will play continuously until the link is broken.

The Nokia N79 is a 3G enabled mobile phone, this means that it is subject to the fast download speeds available to these type of handsets, users can download new mobile content such as ringtones and games or acces the Nokia Music Store to search from thousands of music titles. 3G also allows for streaming media such as news and sports headlines, movie trailers and music videos as well as facilitating face to face video calling with compatible handsets.

Thankfully, Nokia have also included a standard 3.5mm jack socket so that users can choos eto use their own headphones rather than the supplied, this has been a real complaint for many users of new mobile phones and Nokia have hit the nail on the head this time.

The differences betwen the Nokia N79, Nokia N85 and Nokia N96 lay mostly in the overall design of the phones, both the N96 and N85 are slide phones with the Nokia N96 even featuring a rear built-in stand for watching movies, the Nokia N79 offers a smaller screen but is also far lighter and more portable than its two larger cousins, add to this a lens cover for the high specification camera and the personalisation options and the N79 makes for an attractive and functional device.

LG Renoir is Joined by 8 Megapixel LG KC780

The new 8 megapixel camera phones market is starting to expand, the latest addition to this high specification category is the LG KC780 which is the manufacturers second camera focussed mobile phone release.

Joining the LG Renoir also known as the KC910 the new KC780 offers the same camera technology with a new widescreen display which is perfect for taking portrait pictures. The LG KC780 is is less expensive alternative to the Renoir but still packs a punch when it comes to camera features.



The 8.0 megapixel camera offers Face and Smile recognition, the KC780 makes it easy to shoot good pictures of people, after setting the menu to 'face tracking' the user can then half press the camera button to automatically focus on the face in front of it and then press again for the in-shot face focus. Then 'Smile Detection' kicks in and recognises the smile of the subject when the sides of their mouth go up at a certain angle!

The LG KC780 also features a smile shot and beauty mode, making every smile one to remember 'Smile Shot' takes it a step further by automatically taking the picture when the subject smiles without the user actually pressing the capture button! 'Beauty Mode' cleans up a picture by automatically removing blemishes and imperfections from the subjects face almost professionally editing the photos before they are even exposed!

Another new feature that was first seen in the LG Cookie phone which is also known as the KP500 is M-Toy, a new way of gaming that is similar to using a Nintendo Wii, users can simply move and tilt the LG KC780 to control game play on preloaded games such as Darts, Mazes and Fishing.

The KC780 is slightly slimmer than the LG Renoir aswell as being smaller overall in dimensions, the Renoir measures 14.5mm in depth and 107.8mm in overall height where as the KC780 is just 13.7mm by 105mm, the KC780 does not offer the touchscreen technology of ther Renoir however this is reflected in the overall price of the handset.

Despite the cheaper price tag LG have not held back offering the 8.0-megapixel camera with autofocus flash digital zoom and an image stabiliser. As if that was not enough the LG KC780 features a Schneider Kreuznach lens proving only the best will do! Photography enthusiasts will be impressed by the face recognition tracking which produces high quality photos that are sharp and clear, with the added bonus of recognizing the angle of people’s mouths and adjust focus for faces.

For times when a picture is not enough the LG KC780 has video recording capabilities for capturing DVD-resolution videos of every exciting moment. This means that movies captured will still look great when played back on the captivating 2.4-inch widescreen. Or when played back via the phone to a TV screen.

The KC780 is packed with the latest mobile phone technologies including; Smart Bluetooth Motion, Sensor Games and WAP 2.0 which allows access to emails and a range of information from the internet.

The LG KC780 also features 140 MB internal memory a built in MP3 player and FM radio for music on the go and is a quad band phone for use in over 120 different countries.

Initially released on Orange in the UK it is expected that the new LG KC780 is to be launched on T-Mobile, O2 contract tariffs aswell as a Pay As You Go mobile phone and as a SIM Free device with no network or contract ties.