I feel like this device would have been very interesting had it come out prior to Oct 28, 2009.
A device launching with Android 1.6 somewhere between two to five months after Android 2.0 is announced and available seems to be asking for trouble.
I find the interface interesting, like the bigger 4" screen, and the 1Ghz processor... but it doesn't have video acceleration, meaning the interface is software generated (lowers battery life compared to an onboard video chip)...
And, well, as cool as the interface looks, it again seems like things are simpler (and faster for accessibility concerns) than a three-dimensional floating timeline you have to scroll through and takes time to load and regraph.
Additionally, I realize the software isn't final, but everything looked super sluggish during the announcement press conference. And things can change in the intermediate months.
As usual, sounds like normal Sony Ericsson. Possibly too expensive, too late, and too featureless. But I'm hoping I'm wrong.
Discussion about
Underwhelmed?
I got hands on time with an X10 twice this week, and while the newest build of the software isn't snappy, it was mostly stable and usable (I wasn't at the press launch, but I was told that it was much worse there). It still feels a lot like Sony Ericsson borrowed some UI concepts from the Zune - and that's a good thing. If they can get the UI operating as smoothly as the Zune, it is going to be an extremely enjoyable device. However, what I saw was mostly limited dummy data - I'm curious to see if it could manage a few thousand contacts and pieces of media.
Yes, actually, I do. The hardware that this thing runs is quite powerful, so optimizing the software could solve the lag problems I saw. I test early builds of software all the time and have learned not to pre-judge. (That doesn't mean that Sony Ericsson WILL solve the problems, just that I believe it is possible.)
It's hard to tell on such a early model. If this device is good will depend on how fluid everything is thought with the right amount of work they should be able to get the UI smooth on that snapdragon. The 8 megapixel camera looks nice and hopefully time and media scape turn out well.
