The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini is a bit late on the scene with Android 1.6 (Or Donut), the smartphone software first released in September last year. Since then we’ve seen three major updates, so can the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini still stay relevant with a fast aging OS? Read on and find out in this part of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review.
Read the rest of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Micro size, build and screen
Last week, we proclaimed the Dell Streak the best Android 1.6 device on the planet, and after extensive testing, we can report that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini doesn’t change this. But, they’re for two very different markets: the Dell Streak tablet is for powerusers, while the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini is for those who want a tiny phone first and foremost, with enough smartphone bells and whistles to get by. And in this respect, Sony Ericsson’s UX skin draped over the top of Google’s OS is superb.
While we weren’t quite happy with the skin on the larger Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (Its Timescape and Mediascape apps didn’t do much to better stock Android), it’s a godsend on a screen as small as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini’s 2.55 inch panel. The capacitive display is bright and responsive, but the laws of physics and the size of adult fingers mean you won’t get a great deal done with regular Android at that size.
Sony’s skin amends this excellently. You still have homescreens on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, but they’re limited to one widget per page to avoid cramping things up (No real problem since swiping across is so speedy). The corner icons – curved icons that stick to the edges on the homescreens and can be set to your most used apps and triggered at any time – are a great addition too, and can be easily opened with a press of even a chunky thumb.
In fact, this is by far the most impressive feat of the Sony Ericsosn Xperia X10 Mini. It’s the first Android phone you can really use in one hand. It’s small enough to fit in the palm, can be navigated with the hand gripping it, and the keyboard is perfect for this method of input. There’s no onscreen QWERTY, but a highly intelligent and responsive 0-9 keyboard, which suggests words on the fly and can be taught new ones easily. It’s a sensible cull, but there’s no avoiding the fact that you won’t reach typing speeds on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini that you will on a HTC Legend, so if that’s an issue, you’d be better off at least waiting for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro to hit.
Alongside this, the Timescape app has made it into the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini. Log into to Facebook and Twitter, and lo, up pop your friends’ status feeds and conversations in a delightful layout (Think Cover Flow for faces) which can be cycled through at frankly what feels a faster speed than the original X10. We’d go so far as to say Timescape is actually better suited to the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, since it doesn’t open shortlinks (Instead taking you to the status page in the browser) – much less of an issue on a smaller phone where you really do want to just glimpse what your friends are saying.
The other Sony Ericsson unique Android app, Mediascape, is semi present in a nameless form under the music icon. It still looks undeniably pretty, and the infinity button above cover art when you’re playing a song will pull up relevant YouTube videos, but videos and pictures get their own separate folders noow and no similar button this time. It’s by no means a biggie, as the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini’s screen is much too small to enjoy either – and Sony Ericsson hasn’t improved upon Android’s very basic multimedia support at all. We’d also have liked to see a way to change tracks with the volume rocker button, but you have to unlock it to get to the controls sadly, and cover art changes very slowly sometimes.
Small kinks aside, Android 1.6 really does have larger limitations. Although the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini has an accelerometer that will kick in for viewing photos, it won’t for web pages, which is baffling. There’s also no multitouch for pinching the screen to zoom in and out, though the magnifying glass works very smoothly for top level panning over a website, and lastly, you can only sync one Google account in Gmail – if you have one for home and work, this is a small nuisance. These issues have all been rectified with Android 2.0 and above, which may annoy some: with this skin, you’ll always be behind the latest feature set Google’s crafted.
There is a silver lining. Sony Ericsson says an Android 2.1 update is coming for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini in just a few months, but if that’s what’s holding you back, we wouldn’t splash out until we see hard proof – HTC’s attempt to update the HTC Hero from Android 1.5 to 2.1 has been bogged down with endless delays. And it’s not 2.2, the latest update which brings speed boosts and Flash streaming video support.
But while these really are concerns for anyone ogling a hefty HTC Desire or a Dell Streak, it shouldn’t be for the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini’s target audience: if you’re an internet grazer rather than internet user, who sends more texts than emails from their phone, the software’s finely tuned for you.
Review sample supplied by Mobiles.co.uk
Read the rest of our Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini review: Micro size, build and screen
